Sample summer itinerary
Some visitors to Morzine in the summer will simply choose to either cycle or hike every day, for those seeking something else the below is a suggested itinerary. Also great to do but not in this itinerary is : tennis, golf, via ferrata (hiking meets rock climbing), summer luge in Morzine , paragliding, fantasticable, hydrospeeding, canyoning and mini golf! Did you know there are over 50 activities that you can do per day for €2.50 with Morzine multipass.
Weekend (arrive)
Most supermarkets will be shut on Sunday. So if you arrive Saturday is a great day to stock up on French goodies at the supermarket, saucisson, cheese, bugle crisps here we come! We love the Rotonde restaurant in summer for dinner, you can eat outside in the crisp Alpine air and enjoy the vast and varied menu.
If Sunday is your first day, pack your swim things then pop to the tourist office in the centre of the village. Here you can pick up any info particular to what your group are interested in.
Satellite is great for a quick coffee while you are in the village and having a look around. Or, for something more traditionally French, try the Coup De Coeur. Coup de Coeur has a large terrace that backs onto a pedestrianised area so is great to let the kids run around.
Photo: Hike to the cross
Whilst in the area why not drive up to the Lac Du Min D’Or for lunch (15 mins). Here you can get a taste for the mountain air/atmosphere. You will be in the heart of the mountains and can have a little hike. Perhaps bring a picnic or enjoy the restaurant up there. If you are feeling brave, a 30 min walk up a 4×4 track brings you to a working goat farm. Here you can have a brilliant shepherd’s lunch at farmer’s prices with lots of homemade produce! And if you feel really energetic the climb up to the cross or even to Col du Cou is definitely worth it.
Photo: Lac Du Min D’Or, lake of the Gold mine.
Pop back down to the village and if you need to cool down after your hike go to the Morzine outdoor swimming pool (chaps you will need Speedos). Going down the slide is a true signifier that your summer holiday has started! Home for dinner, bbq?
Photo: Parc Dérêches Swimming Pool : Image source: morzinesourcemagazine.com/
Monday: Avoriaz. Mountain biking! Lunch in Lindarets.
Pop up to Avoriaz in the cable car for a day of mountain biking. If you did not get a map of the trails at the tourist office yesterday you can grab one from the Avoriaz tourist office. The Lindarets bowl is a popular place for lunch.
Photo: Morzine Mountain biking!
Tuesday : Lac Montriond. Hike to the waterfall, lunch in the goat village, swim in the lake!
Drive to the far side of the lake (20 mins), park and hike up to see the spectacular waterfall (1 ½ hours). Jump back in the car and drive 10 minutes up the mountain to visit the goat village for lunch. The goat village is a great place for an indulgent cheese lunch, we like the Ferme and le Cremaillere. After lunch, well not straight after lunch, why not go back to the Lac Montriond for a swim to burn off some of the cheese. Or we love the hike alongside the stream up to the Brochaux waterfalls.
Photo: Lac Montriond
Photo: Brochaux
Wednesday: Morzine/Avoriaz. Cheese tour, market, GoApe/pony ride, Aquariaz! Ice hockey?
If you get up early there is often a free tour of the cheese manufacture in the village at 09:00 (Ferme Du Fruitiere). Then stroll down to the market and stock up on any produce that takes your fancy. If you need to keep anything fresh you can buy a cooler bag from the supermarket opposite the market. Put everything in the car and take a stroll down by the river. There is a GoApe course down there (on the right bank as you are facing the river), followed by a pony centre and a bee hotel. Maybe go back to the chalet for lunch, don’t want your market produce going off in the car! Then grab your swimming stuff and head up to Aquariaz water park in Avoriaz. If you fancy it Wednesday night is often ice hockey night too!
Photo: Morzine Farmers Market
Photo: Aquariaz : Image source: Avoriaz.com
Thursday: Day trip? Avoid the crowds and don’t go at the weekend! Chamonix, Annecy, Thonon?
While you are here why not take a day trip to visit Chamonix (1 ½ hours from Morzine). Take the cable car up Mt Blanc, you will want to make sure the weather is nice and at around €50pp return in the cable car it is not cheap. However it is spectacular! Wrap up warm and expect it to be minus temperatures! Annecy, ooh we do love Annecy (1 ½ hours from Morzine). It is a beautiful medieval town on a stunning lake. Hire a boat on the lake or go ‘off the beaten track’ to the grassy beach in Talloires (about €5 entry). Then spend the afternoon swimming and relaxing. You can even get the boat to Talloires from Annecy! Or go to Thonon (40 minutes from Morzine) and swim in Lake Geneva. You could even try the white water rafting en route. Our favourite grassy beach is the Plage St Disdille in Thonon. Yvoire is a stunning medieval village well worth a visit too. There is also a sandy beach close by in Excenevex (about 5 mins by car).
Photo: Talloires, our favourite bay on Lake Annecy
Photo: Evain, Lake Geneva, if often feels like being by the sea just with non salty water!
Friday. Samoens. Visit the village, Sixt Fer A Cheval, lunch, hike, white water rafting!
We have a full day today. Drive to Samoens (40 mins). Samoens is a beautiful village to go and visit and also has free botanical gardens. Drive 15 minutes further to Sixt Fer a Cheval, the largest nature park in the region. Sixt fer a Cheval looks like something out of Jurassic park, here you can hike the loop (1 hr) and have lunch either at the start or mid-way through the loop. The vistas are stunning and it is a flat easy walk too! On the way home maybe try the white water rafting (you will want to book in advance) or cool down in the Lac Bleu in Morillon (swimming lake). You could go back to Morzine via the Col De Joux Plane that has been featured in the Tour de France and is Lance Armstrong’s favourite climb in the world! The col is breathtaking at the top and has great views over the valleys, the return to Morzine is a piste in the winter!
Photo: Sixt Fer a Cheval
