Samoens | Grand Massif
Samoëns is a commune in the Haute Savoie region in the French Alps.
The beautiful village of Samoëns is situated in the Vallée du Giffre and carries the designation of a "ville fleurie" classifying it as one of the most beautiful villages in France. It is an extremely popular summer destination for the French as well as one of the few hidden gems for a ski resort. The village is not advertised a great deal to the Brits due to very few large tour operators in the village.
Samoëns is the only winter sports resort to be classified by the Caisse Nationale des Monuments Historiques. Which means that large tour operators are unable to build giant concrete complexes like neighbouring Flaine.
"Monument historique is a State procedure in France by which heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings or an entire neighborhood, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their architectural and historical importance."
Samoens has seen recent investment in a new lift (Grand massif Express) at the edge of town linking up to Samoëns 1600 also known as the Plateau des Saix, this resort is part of the Grand Massif which includes Flaine, Les Carroz, Morilloon and Sixt. The Grand Massif ski area has 265km of slopes.
The seven mountains that engulf Samoens provide a stunning backdrop to the village and especially the spectacular Le Criou, visable from every part of the village and giving its name to local ski chalets as well as local beer! Chalet Amaryllis has a fabulous view of the Criou from the living room and hot tub on the balcony.
Both in summer and winter the scenery in the area is truly stunning. The Sixt Fer a Cheval Nature Reserve is the biggest in the Haute Savoie and is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna. Contains two awe-inspiring glacial cirques (Fer à Cheval and Les Fonts) consisting of sheer rock faces and 3,000m summits, snow capped in winter and breathe taking waterfalls in summer. The most famous is the ’Queen of the Alps’, the Rouget Waterfall. The two areas of this thundering cascade crash down an 80m rock face. In winter the many cascading waterfalls in the area turn into sparkling icy sculptures, and guides are available for ice-climbing amid truly amazing surroundings.
 
If you would like to find out more about Samoens, we can recommend the following links:
www.samoens.com
www.grand-massif.com
Samoens in the Northern French Alps, sits between Morzine and Chamonix, just 1 hour from Geneva. This spectacular and beautiful area is protected and hence hasn’t been spoilt by tourism. Samoens has been awarded a ‘Coq d’Or’ for being one of the prettiest villages in France and is the only ski resort classified by the Caisse des Monuments Historiques. See our winter page for more ski information. Samoens is full of character and charm with stonemasonary and farming at the heart, yet still provides the centre for almost every outdoor activity imaginable.
Based at the heart of the Grand Massif mountain region and nestled in the stunning valley of the Giffre river, Samoens the area provide spectacular scenery including mountain lakes, national parks, waterfalls, botanical gardens and an abundance of wildlife. Just minutes up the road at Sixt Fer a Cheval are over a dozen enormous waterfalls. It has a great deal to offer families and individuals of all ages seeking adventure or alternatively, just sheer relaxation.
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