7 Nights France Ski - Les Fermes de Samoens Apartments

Samoëns

Authentic alpine village in the Grand Massif ski area, known for its traditional stone buildings.

• Picture-postcard village with historic buildings and cobbled streets.
• Connected to 5 other resorts in the Grand Massif mountain range.
• 80% of the slopes are north-facing, which means there's usually top-quality snow.

Samoëns is a charming pick with easy access to the Grand Massif ski area. There's a huge 265km of piste and five resorts to explore here, and with beginner-only areas, powder-filled bowls up in the peaks and the longest blue in the country, there are plenty of options for every level of skier and boarder. To get to and from the slopes, you'll need to take the Grand Massif Express gondola, and from there you can find your ski legs on the nursery slopes or head up even higher to explore further afield.

Down in the village, the central square is chock-a-block with traditional stone buildings, and the wood-shuttered windows, pointy turrets and wrought iron balconies give them that typical French look. Family-run restaurants with a cosy feel are the standard here, and you'll find cheesy Savoyard specialties on the menu in most of them. It's a quiet place with just a few bars, so if you fancy a drink you're guaranteed a good atmosphere and a local feel.

Ever wish the lifts would stay open a little longer? Well, in Samoëns you don't have to. On set days each week, the Vercland gondola runs until 8pm, so you can get those last few runs in and watch the sun set over the mountains from 1,600m up. And when it comes to other activities, they're action-packed. Fly high above the slopes on a paraglider or zip down the mountain with a ride on the alpine rollercoaster.