- The villageThe lowest village in France, and the third lowest of the 55 resorts we cover.
- 720m
- Top of the skiing600m below the median of 2,697m across the 55 resorts we cover.
- 2,097m
- SeasonThe standard Alpine season, shared by 42 of the 55 resorts we cover.
- December to April
Is Samoëns right for you?
Samoëns is the only French village to be listed for its architectural heritage, and it gives you a genuine sense of place at the foot of the Grand Massif. The village sits at 720m and the skiing tops out at 2,097m, and the season runs December to April. On the piste it is a real strength for improvers moving from blue into red.
Samoëns at a glance
- Area
- Grand Massif
- Best for
- Beginners · Families with young children · Food lovers
- Fly to
- Geneva, Chambéry or Lyon
- Transfer
- About 1h10 by road from Geneva
- Doorstep skiing
- Limited, use lifts
Who Samoëns suits, and who it suits less
Best for
- Beginners. Samoëns 1600, which the tourist office calls one of the largest beginners' areas in Haute Savoie, has seven easy lifts and a covered magic carpet.
- Families with young children. Two gondolas reach the gentle Samoëns 1600 plateau in eight minutes with no stairs, and it has a children's garden, a play area and themed trails.
- Food lovers. Le Lodge holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand, farm dinners come with accordion music, and the pastry shop La Jaÿsinia has been baking in the village since 1880.
- Mileage chasers. The Grand Massif links five resorts as far as Flaine, and the Cascades, a 14 kilometre red, runs from the top of Flaine down to Sixt Fer à Cheval.
Less good for
- Snow sure. The village sits at 720 metres and Samoëns' own lifts top out at 2,097 metres, so the slopes depend more on the weather than in higher resorts.
- Après. Après is a drink in the old village, a concert at the piano bar or dinner, with no big scene, so groups after dancing and late bars should look elsewhere.
Skiing from 700m to 2,097m, village at 720m.
Where these heights are
- Lowest skiing
- 700mThe Grand Massif's lowest point, close to the height of Samoëns village.
- Village
- 720m
- Top of the skiing
- 2,097mTop of Samoëns' own lifts, our measurement. The linked Grand Massif reaches 2,372m on our measurement (2,500m published at the Grandes Platières, Flaine).
- 25 runs green18%
- 62 runs blue45%
- 43 runs red31%
- 9 runs black6%
Counted by the resort, covering Grand Massif, the whole linked area. No official kilometres by colour are published.
- Black piste
- 9km, 10% of the pisteLess than the median of 11% across the 55 resorts we cover.
- Ski area
- Grand Massif, 265km
- Cross country
- 60km of trails
Sources
- Village height: hautesavoiemontblanc-tourisme.com
- Lowest skiing: samoens.com
- Runs by colour: samoens.com
- Cross country: samoens.com
- Ski area: grand-massif.com
- Top of the skiing: our measurement of the highest marked piste
- The steep end: our measurement of the OpenStreetMap piste map
The published figures were read on 29 October 2026.
90km of graded piste, measured ourselves.
- 48km green and blue54%
- 32km red36%
- 9km black10%
Of the 48km green and blue, 10km is green.
- First timersFine
- Improvers, blue into redA real strength
- Confident intermediatesFine
- Strong skiersThin
The spreadIt scores 0.85 for evenness, where 1 is a perfect three way split between green and blue, red and black. The largest share is green and blue, at 54%.
Longest pisteCascades, 6.3km of red with 867m of vertical.
Measured from the run geometry, Samoëns has 90km of graded piste: 48km green and blue, 32km red and 9km black. We do not print the resort's published kilometres until we have checked what they count.
The lowest village of its French peers
Of these five, Samoëns has the lowest village, 720m. The median across the 55 resorts we cover is 1,350m.
Know the mountain before you go.
The skiing
The Grand Massif is a large, varied area with something for every level, and the tree runs lower down are a bonus in poor visibility. Because the village sits low, most people ride up each morning rather than ski to the door.
The village and the evenings
The medieval square, the stone masons' history and the weekly market give Samoëns real character. It is calm and authentic rather than purpose built.
Getting there
Geneva is only about an hour away, one of the shortest transfers in the French Alps.
- Genevaabout 1h10 by road
- Chambéryabout 1h30 by road
- Lyonabout 2h10 by road