Megève

Megève is one of the most elegant villages in the Alps, built around a medieval square where horse drawn sleighs still pass through. The skiing is mostly gentle and tree lined, which makes it a lovely choice for families and for anyone who rates lunch as highly as the runs.

Three audio guided heritage walks. The best free thing in any of the six resorts, and it costs the guest nothing but a phone. Three self guided routes with a free app that talks you round, in French and in English. The village centre route takes an hour, the church route half an hour, and the Calvary chapels route an hour, with a 1.8 km nature trail alongside it.

The Calvary museum. Free entry, up at the Ermitage on the Calvary hillside at the end of the chapels walk, which turns a walk into a morning.

Five marked snowshoe routes. Free to walk, with distances, times and ascent published for every one. The friendliest is L'Elise Allais at 2.5 km and forty minutes with a hundred and fifty five metres of climb. The Jaillet superieur to the Col du Jaillet is the longest at 6 km and two hours.

The Jaillet walk down to the village. Six kilometres and two and a half hours from the top of the Jaillet gondola down into the middle of Megeve, five hundred and thirty metres of descent and almost no climbing. It is the outing to give somebody who wants a proper day on the mountain without skiing.

Three free sledging areas. La Livraz, La Caboche and Pre Saint-Amour, free where you can get to them on foot, plus a free evening sledging event up at Mont d'Arbois. Suitable from two or three years old under supervision.

The Meg'bus. Free to everybody, with no guest card and nothing to buy, which is simpler than most resorts manage. Three lines. Line 1 runs the village and Rochebrune, line 3 runs the Cassioz side in winter only, and line 2 is the useful one: it goes from the bus station out past the ice rink, the Mont d'Arbois gondola, Le Planellet and La Livraz to Cote 2000, every ten minutes.

The elf village at Christmas. The tourist office runs a Village des Lutins with free entertainment over the Christmas period, and the lift company lets you carry a sledge up the Caboche gondola specifically to get to it.

Luge 4 Saisons. A rail bobsleigh run at the bottom of the Jaillet gondola, banked turns and tunnels, and it runs with lights and music after dark. No lift pass, no booking, walk up and ride. Under 20 euros.

Dog sledding at the trapper camp. From a camp on the Planellet road, which is a stop on the free line 2 bus. A twenty minute baptism run with ten minutes among the dogs beforehand, or a half day polar expedition of about three and a half hours, or a full day. Over 50 euros.

Paragliding from Rochebrune. Two state certified pilots taking off from Rochebrune at 1,755 m, flying all year round when the weather allows, and taking children from six. Fifteen to thirty five minutes in the air depending on the formula and the conditions. Over 50 euros.

All 20 picks for Megève, dining included, live in the Ski Snug app.

Geneva is a little over an hour away by road, so you can be on the slopes within a morning of landing.