Morillon and its’ Nearest Neighbours
Forget the daily stress and change your pace of life with a new environment for the week. The beautiful Vallée du Giffre is noted in the French blue guide as “…une des plus ravissantes des Alpes (…one of the most ravishing and beautiful of the Alps)”. It is truly a hidden treasure, generally unknown to the English as there are no tour operators. We are fairly assured that it will remain this way as much of the valley is classified as ‘Parc Naturel’ and the Haut-Savoyard residents are very proud of its beauty.
Morillon is a picturesque village station situated alongside the river Giffre, is principally a village of 500 inhabitants. It is a beautiful, truly authentic French alpine village that has maintained its traditional atmosphere while offering a varied selection of shops, bars and restaurants. Respectful of its traditions, its history is at hand, in its architecture, its chapels and renovated church. The village comprises of traditional houses teaming with flowers and small chalet style residences. It is divided into hamlets, which are all located in a valley in close proximity from the leisure activities of the telecabine, Le Lac Bleu and the river Giffre where the rhythm of life is truly relaxing and worth experiencing. Local farmers, artisans and butchers run the village market on Wednesdays in winter, and in summertime only, an alpine market is held on Friday mornings where you can peruse local produce and crafts - both are well worth a visit.
An alpine jewel, Samoëns has been awarded the ‘Coq D' Or’ (golden cockerel) for being one of the prettiest villages in France. It is also a ‘Bourg Historique’ (historic market town) and is very authentic as it stills remains a farming village and dates back to the 13th Century. On some days, the streets can become very crowded - with passing cows! There are some lovely quaint shops and many activities are held throughout the year such as festivals, open-air concerts and craft fairs. A mountain market is held on Wednesday mornings in the medieval square and a good place to have an aperitif or a social evening is Bar Aspen - Patrick will welcome you with a friendly smile and a cool beer! www.aspencafe.fr
The village of Sixt at the end of the ‘cul de sac’ valley, is named as one of the most beautiful villages in France - a ‘site classé’. The views at the Cirque du Fer-a-Cheval are stunning; this is a wild area of peaks, valleys, glaciers and waterfalls. It was here in 1834 that the conqueror of Mont-Blanc Jacques Balmat disappeared mysteriously at the age of 72 while prospecting for gold that rumoured to exist. The abbey at Sixt dates back to 1167 and there are many other buildings of historic and cultural interest to discover.
Flaine is a serious skier's paradise due to the fact that it is situated in a perfect bowl, directly North West of Mont-Blanc. Purpose built for skiers, Flaine is known as the ‘Désert Blanc’. This along with the domain of De Gers offers some of the finest skiing and off-piste skiing in the Alps. Although some say it is a 60s monstrosity, even the architecture in Flaine has stories hidden within and can look geometrically fantastic when lit at night. Christmas week here is well worth seeing as the locals say even Father Christmas makes a visit!
Perched on a plateau at 1140 metres, high above the valley below, the village resort of Les Carroz offers a huge range of activities to lovers of the Great Outdoors - both winter and summer. The origins of the resort go back as far as 1936. The first draglift was opened on 29th January 1939, and at the time was the longest in Europe! Owing to the beautiful surroundings, Les Carroz is very popular with artists as there are 2 ‘Galéries des Arts’ which hold regular exhibitions. Painting and drawing courses are also available.
