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Morzine is one of the most popular ski resorts for British skiers - and that doesn’t happen by chance.
The pretty and picturesque resort has outstanding lift connections to one of the biggest and best ski areas in the world, a thriving and friendly community, and is packed full of brilliant activities and apres offerings.
We’ve liaised with the experts and talked to those at Iglu who’ve been skiing in Morzine to tell you about why it’s such a great resort for your next ski trip.
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1. It's a top ski resort for beginners
Morzine is a top pick if you’ve not skied before thanks to its learner areas at the top of the Pleney and Nyon cable cars and vast network of friendly green and blue runs branching out all over the mountains.
Lessons are reasonably priced and you’ll be with other English-speaking people - a nice opportunity to make friends with other learners. Plus if you’re an adult, you won’t need to mix with the kids - children have their own groups.
Slope-side bars and restaurants are easily accessible for beginners, while one of the strongest pulls is the discounted beginner-friendly lift pass options. If you want more details on all of this then check our beginner’s guide to Morzine.
2. Intermediates are also looked after in Morzine
Morzine’s skiing area is packed full of blue and red runs surrounded by vast swathes of trees, making it a gorgeous place to ski all day for intermediates.
In fact, within the entire Portes du Soleil ski area, there are 130 blue runs, meaning you’ll have got plenty of miles in by the time you’ve completed them all.
In the Morzine/Les Gets local area, you should aim to get up the Pleney bubble and amble down the popular “Piste B”, which has a variety of terrain and difficulty that’ll be a great warm up.
The Nyon plateau should also be discovered at some stage, while the slopes on the Mont Chery side of Les Gets are known for being quieter than the rest of the resort - a great place to stretch those ski legs.
3. Morzine is a proper town
Morzine is an old mining town that’s morphed into a ski resort over the years. As a result, it has a particular alpine charm that many purpose-built ski resorts just can’t replicate.
Iglu Ski’s Sales Rep Michael Higgs did two seasons in Morzine as a transfer driver, and he said the town’s long history means it is a “pretty and picturesque resort with plenty going on outside of skiing”.
Indeed, you’ll mingle with lots of locals going about their everyday lives, soak in the cafe culture (Beanies is a popular spot), and you may even get a taste of Morzine’s artisan scene, with plenty of craftspeople pottering about. The town is home to its very own cheese-maker, chocolate-maker and brewer, while its rustic town centre is packed full of history - and is particularly fun at Christmas.
4. There's a varied après scene
Après lovers are very well catered for in Morzine. With Morzine being an established town, it has no shortage of cafes, bars and restaurants.
On the apres side of things though, Le Tremplin stands out. The bar is a Morzine classic where people dance on the terraces in their ski boots and really get in the mood. Meanwhile, The Cavern is also a top pick, with its table beer pumps and plenty of dancing. You‘ll find the locals and seasonnaires in places like Chez Roger and Bar Robinson. Bar Robinson (affectionately known as Robbos) is Morzine’s oldest bar and home to the 7.5% Mutzig lager - don’t worry, a slightly tamer 5.5% version is available.
If you’re after somewhere a bit more chilled, then The Coyote has you covered with its relaxed atmosphere and pool tables.
5. Cheaper than nearby Avoriaz but with similar benefits
As a sizable mountain town, Morzine has a vast array of accommodation, including lots of really budget-friendly self-catered apartments. If you are on a budget, you may find it cheaper to stay in Morzine and use the excellent transport system for swift access to Avoriaz and the wider Portes du Soleil. If you prefer, you can also find great deals on catered chalets in Morzine.
Morzine’s early and late season snow coverage tends to be less reliable than other nearby resorts, owing to its lower altitude, which means you can usually find some excellent deals around those dates. And with Avoriaz just a quick free bus and 5 minute cable car away, you wouldn't be compromising on the skiing.
It’s up to you whether you think this is worth it, but we think it is - especially considering Morzine is a buzzing town with plenty going on.
6. Great links to Avoriaz and the Portes du Soleil
As we’ve mentioned above, Morzine has excellent connections to the mountains in all directions. The obvious choice is catching the quick Pleney lift from the centre of Morzine up towards Les Gets. This lets you access the entire east side of the Portes du Soleil, where there’s an absolute abundance of runs.
Alternatively, you reach Avoriaz via the Super Morzine gondola or catch a 15-minute bus to the Prodains Express, which will shoot you up to the centre of Avoriaz in about 5 minutes. From here there’s vast amounts of skiing to be getting on with, and you can even cross over into Switzerland.
Overall, the Portes du Soleil has 600km of slopes and spans 12 ski resorts, all the way from Lake Geneva in Switzerland to Mont Blanc in France. It is the largest interconnected ski area in Europe.
7. Great for families
Not only does Morzine have great beginner facilities, the fact it is a proper town gives families the chance to really embrace an authentic alpine community atmosphere.
It’s not far to the lift up to the slopes, with an array of great ski schools. There’s also plenty of non-ski activities (which we’ll get into below!).
Sales Rep Michael Higgs also points out that “the short transfer time from Geneva Airport (around one hour and twenty minutes) is a big plus for parents and kids alike. The longer transfers to other French resorts can sometimes be a serious struggle for families”.
8. Great activities to do off the slopes
There’s plenty going on in Morzine. For a start, you can head to the Aquatic Centre, where there’s a children’s splash pool, as well as a 25-metre lap pool for adults, saunas, steam room, and relaxation area.
Nearby Avoriaz also has an aquatic centre, with a lazy river, slidewinder halfpipe, toddlers’ paddling pool, water playhouse and Tarzan rope swing - as well as a larger adult pool.
Morzine has two ice rinks. There’s one outdoors next to the tourist information centre which has stunning views of the mountains. There’s also an indoor one that can be used by the public, which is also where the professional Morzine Penguins play their ice hockey games.
There’s even an escape room, as well as a cinema that shows English-language films, an indoor golf centre and yoga classes at the fitness centre.
9. Fantastic off-piste skiing
Morzine has some excellent off-piste skiing. The two best examples are the Nyon and Chamossiere ski peaks, which are the highest points of the local ski area and have lifts up to them. Here, you can chop and jump about on the rough stuff to your heart’s content.
Nyon is reached via the TS de la Pointe lift, while you can get TS des Tetes chairlift, or the high-speed Chamossiere Express, to Chamossiere.
Meanwhile, the Super Morzine area is packed full of tree runs which are great for those who are not quite confident enough to go off piste at the top of the mountain. They are great fun for all, and accessible via the chairlift which goes up to Zore, with various runs going all the way back down to the Super Morzine bubble.
There is plenty more off piste skiing in the entire Portes du Soleil, too.
Discover how great Morzine is for yourself
If you can picture yourself on an incredible ski holiday in Morzine, then don’t hesitate to get in touch with our brilliant sales team (all of whom have done entire seasons in the mountain) or have a look at the best Morzine ski deals online.
Iglu Ski has been perfecting ski holidays for our customers for over 25 years, and we’re not going to stop any time soon!