The famous French winter resort of Montgenevre is located in the picturesque Cotes Alps, on the border between France and Italy. It is part of the famous international ski region Via Lattea, which includes a number of popular Italian resorts. Montgenevre is considered an ideal place for a family holiday, where there are few super-difficult slopes for professionals who prefer the steeper slopes of neighboring areas, but there are a significant number of routes of medium difficulty and trails for beginners. Excellent conditions are also created for children, where there are both special areas for skiing and ordinary playgrounds. This resort is one of the first in France, it was founded in 1907 and has already celebrated its centenary.

A holiday in the Montgenevre resort is very popular, firstly, due to its beautiful slopes and well-groomed slopes, and secondly, due to its proximity to neighboring Italian resorts. In addition, by renting a car, you can easily visit the neighboring French ski resorts, namely Serre Chevalier and the picturesque La Grave.

The slopes of Montgenevre use a single “ski pass” that allows you to ski throughout the Via Lattea, including the slopes of Sauze d’Oulx, Sansicario, Sestriere, Cesano, Claviere and other areas related to ski Italy. The entire resort area is served by special buses that regularly transport tourists from one object to another. In the northern part of Italy, in the Val di Susa valley (Via Lattea), there is the Ulx railway station, which is an intermediate one on the route connecting such famous cities as Milan, Turin, Paris and Modane. From there, you can get to Montgenevre by regular bus.

Ski resort Montgenevre, France

Trails, slopes and lifts

The French resort has 65 kilometers of ski slopes of varying difficulty with an altitude difference of about 900 meters. All the trails for professionals are located on the Le Chavilla slope, although most of them correspond more to the average level of difficulty, like almost all the slopes of Montgenevre. Trails for beginners are concentrated in the Claviere area, where novice skiers have the opportunity to hone their skills in comfortable conditions. Several hundred kilometers of wonderful snow slopes of Via Lattea represent a wide range of opportunities for all fans of alpine skiing, from beginners to professionals. Therefore, tourists who come to ski in Montgenevre are not limited to this resort, actively using the mountain slopes on the Italian side. Snowboarders also love the resort of Montgenevre, because it is here that wonderful slopes for amateurs and long slopes on different terrain for the most experienced fans of this sport have been created. Montgenevre remembers about fans of flat ski areas, for which the resort has prepared about 30 km of good slopes, with 8 km of slopes starting from the resort itself, starting in the Clara Valley. In general, the total length of the slopes is about 45 km.

A thick layer of soft fluffy snow provides skiers with comfortable skiing, and the fabulous landscapes that open from almost any height add vivid impressions of a holiday at the resort. All ski areas of Via Lattea are equipped with lifts of different capacities, with which you can easily move from French territory to Italian and vice versa.

Speaking of a ski holiday at the resort, it should be noted that the slopes Montgenevre is located on both sides of the gorge: the picturesque slopes of Les Chavvies are more south-facing, starting directly from the village, while the northern slopes called Les Anges and Cuerlay start on the opposite side of the road (more trails are located on the northern slopes, and the snow cover here is much better).

If you are a fan of extreme descents, during which the blood runs cold in your veins, then a holiday in Montgenevre is not for you, since there are few difficult trails in this region. Steep and dangerous descents are located in the Chavvies and Claviere areas. In addition, most of the difficult descents are marked “black” (although they still correspond to the level of “red”). But the absence of truly difficult slopes does not mean that there are no interesting slopes in Montgenevre at all; on the contrary, there are such slopes here, and they start from the top station of the famous chairlift called Rocher d’Aigle, located on the Italian border. But in Sestriere itself, there are also beautiful steep slopes open for skiing, while if desired, you can organize off-piste skiing on the following routes – Cizes and Frayteve (if you decide to do flat skiing, being a beginner skier, we recommend taking an experienced guide with you who will insure you in unforeseen circumstances). Intermediate skiers who prefer variety will appreciate the slopes and descents of the Via Latte area. But most of the slopes and descents here are for beginners: yes, comfortable slopes and slopes have excellent snow cover. At the same time, they are located at the foot of the northern region, and the transition from one route to another is almost imperceptible (for example, the easy and most comfortable “blue” route, which is located in Les Anges, will eventually lead you to the “green” route, which ends lower by the road).

Where to stay

A distinctive feature of Montgenevre is that there is no expensive and fashionable housing here. Hotels, cozy rural chalets and small apartments are quite simple and cozy. Most of the resort’s hotels have a “two-star” class, although there are two hotels (Napoleon and Valerie), the level of which corresponds to “three stars”, in total there are seven hotels in the resort town and La Ferme d’Augustin apartments are located near the northern slope.

Le Napoléon

Hotel Valérie

Apartment La ferme d’augustin

Résidence Club mmv Le Hameau des Airelles **** 4 star hotel

Résidence Club **** MMV Le Hameau des Airelles is located 500 metres from Montgenèvre Golf Club, at the foot of the ski slopes. It features a Ô Pure spa and a heated swimming pool with mountain views. The first spa visit is free. Free Wi-Fi is available in public areas.

The chalet-style apartments feature a terrace or balcony, a private kitchen, a flat-screen TV, a DVD player and a private bathroom with a hairdryer. Bed linen and towels are included in the price.

Guests can enjoy a modern lounge with a fireplace, a hot tub, a hammam, a sauna, a treatment room, a games room, a kids’ club and luggage storage. Treatments using Payot beauty products are also available. One free visit to the spa is included in the price.

There is a bakery, a mini club and a playground on site. Hiking, horse riding, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, dog sledding and mountain biking are popular activities for active guests. Children can play with inflatable toys, ride a donkey or a carriage, and in summer, go for a ride on the 450-meter long toboggan run.

The complex is located 14 km from Briançon Train Station. Guests can make use of the covered parking.

Chalet Le Pot de Miel

This luxury bed and breakfast is located in Montgenevre, in the Milky Way ski area, just 1.6 km from the Italian border. Guests can enjoy free access to the sauna, hot tub and billiards room. There is also an on-site bar and a large living room with an open fireplace.

All rooms at Chalet Le Pot de Miel have a flat-screen TV and DVD player, a wardrobe and a south-facing balcony with mountain views. Slippers and a bathrobe are provided in the private bathroom.

The bed and breakfast offers a free buffet breakfast and afternoon tea. Hot drinks are served in the large lounge with a traditional open fireplace. A 3-course dinner with local cuisine is available on request and at an additional cost.

Chalet Le Pot de Miel is located 30 km from Écrenôme National Park and 14 km from Briançon Train Station. Guests can enjoy ski-to-door access in winter and hiking in summer. Free private parking is available on site.

Hôtel Alpis Cottia 2-star hotel

Hotel Alpis Cottia is located in the Montgenèvre ski resort, just 2 km from Clavierre and the Italian border. It offers a terrace with mountain views, free Wi-Fi and a ski pass sales point.

The rooms at Alpis Cottia are decorated in a traditional Alpine style. They offer mountain views. They are equipped with a telephone, a flat-screen TV and a private bathroom.

A buffet breakfast is served every morning. Drinks can be enjoyed at the nearby café Le Graal. Several shops and restaurants are nearby.

Ski storage is available at the hotel. Briançon Train Station is 12 km away. The hotel is a 20-minute drive from the TGV train station in Oulx, Italy, and a 90-minute drive from Turin Airport. There is a car park opposite the hotel with 8 parking spaces, subject to availability.

Anova Hotel & Spa

Located in the Voi Lacto ski resort, this design hotel and spa offers an indoor pool, a hot tub and a sauna. The hotel’s terrace overlooks the ski slopes. Montgenèvre Golf Club is just 650 metres away.

The hotel offers rooms with mountain views, an iPod docking station and an LCD TV. All rooms are stylishly decorated and have a bathroom with a heated towel rail.

The Anova Hotel & Spa’s restaurant serves traditional and international cuisine. There is also a bar with a fireplace where guests can enjoy a drink. A continental breakfast is served every morning.

The hotel’s spa offers massages, beauty treatments and a hammam. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel.

Private parking is available on site. The Italian border is 1.5 km away.

Off-Ski

The choice of entertainment is not as wide, although the main attributes, including bars and discos, are present. Among the culinary establishments, it is worth noting Ca del Sol, where pizza is prepared superbly, as well as restaurants with traditional Italian cuisine Transalpin and Establish.

After cross-country skiing and walks, you can visit one of the 40 bars or quiet restaurants, and in the evening a modern disco, a modern cinema and an outdoor ice rink await you. If you wish, you can go for breakfast, lunch or dinner in neighboring Italy, which is just a stone’s throw away.

The Montgenevre ski resort is designed primarily for couples, which is probably why there is not much entertainment here. Every week there is a market in the town, where you can buy fresh food and various souvenirs for your family and friends. Or you can go on an exciting excursion to neighboring Briançon, a beautiful and oldest city.

To diversify your vacation and get a little distracted from skiing on the snowy slopes, it is worth taking a light tour of this small French village and appreciate the sophistication of the local architecture combined with the traditional lifestyle of its inhabitants. The main attraction here is Fort du Chaberton, which was built in 1914, at an altitude of over three thousand meters above sea level.

Not far from Montgenevre, about a 15-minute drive, is the ancient border town of Briançon.

It is a unique historical monument with a rich history and a rather romantic location, rising 1,350 meters above sea level. In the Middle Ages, this territory belonged to the Counts of Albon, and the defensive city fortifications were built by military engineer Sebastien Le Prêtre de Vauban in the 17th century, which were later included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Briançon wrote a page of glory in the history of France in 1815, when it held back the aggressive attacks of its opponents for three months during the Napoleonic Wars. Now there are not much more than 10 thousand people living here, and the city is a connecting link with several ski resorts adjacent to it.

A little further from Briançon, just 40 minutes drive from Montgenevre, lies the picturesque Écrenôme National Park, which adorns the territory of the Western Alps. It was founded in 1973 and is considered the fifth National Park in France. Заповідник рясніє сосновими і дубовими лісами, які гармонійно доповнюють зелені альпійські луки. Близько сотні гірських вершин мають висоту понад 300 метрів, при цьому тут існує близько 40 льодовиків, які також займають значну площу. За паркової території пролягають 740 кілометрів пішохідних стежок, які обладнані кількома десятками спеціальних притулків. У парку водяться такі представники тваринного світу як сарна, альпійський бабак і беркут. Серед туристів Екреном користується популярністю, і багато гостей гірськолижних курортів нерідко приїжджають сюди, щоб оцінити дивовижні природні пейзажі цих місць.

Монженевр унікальний тим, що його відвідуваність майже ніколи не падає, а контингент людей, які приїжджають на тутешні гірськолижні схили завжди один і той же. При цьому повторні відвідування є особливістю цього курорту. Красива природа, відмінний клімат, невисокі ціни на проживання в готелях, величезний вибір трас і можливість суміщення з зонами катання прилеглих італійських районів, роблять Монженевр одним з найбільш вигідних напрямків гірськолижної Франції.

Як бачите, відпочинок на гірськолижному курорті Монженевр обіцяє виключно позитивні емоції, адже переваг у цього курорту вистачає, тому не варто втрачати часу дарма, а вже зараз замислитися про прекрасну відпустку, яка обов’язково запам’ятається вам на все життя.