I arrived in Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc to an ecstatic atmosphere. It was the eve of the opening ceremony for a massive infrastructure project, promising to revolutionise transport in the old spa town.
Saint-Gervais, located in the picturesque and authentic Haute-Savoie Mont-Blanc region of France, is already one of the most accessible French ski resorts for British skiers. It’s a 50-minute drive from Geneva Airport, a few miles on from Chamonix; or, if you’re taking the train like me, a Eurostar to Paris Nord, switching to Paris Gare de Lyon, then to Bellegarde-sur-Valserine, and finally Saint-Gervais-Le Fayet. If you can, I’d highly recommend the train journey: there’s nothing like seeing those sweeping rock faces and pine forests speed towards you before the first snow of the Alps.
A bonus of taking the train is that Saint-Gervais is now home to three engineering marvels. From the station platform at 580m, you can walk straight onto the shiny new Le Valléen gondola, taking you to Saint Gervais village (800m) in just three minutes. From there, you can look for your belle époque hotel on the village’s main strip, or jump onto L’Alpin gondola, also brand-new, taking you to the village of Bettex (1,400m) and the bottom of the main slopes.
Both these lifts, as well as the wastewater-powered funicular connecting Saint-Gervais to its world-famous thermal baths (Les Thermes) comprised an 18-month project led by Saint-Gervais’ formidable mayor, Jean-Marc Peillex. For visitors and locals, they’ve transformed the resort experience: cutting journey times, improving accessibility, and reducing vehicular emissions. Saint-Gervais is now the only resort in the Alps to have a gondola system connecting you straight from the train station platform to the slopes—all in under 10 minutes.
While I missed the inauguration at the top of Le Valléen the following morning, I did try all three lifts during my stay. Their efficiency and sleek design were a world away from the rickety chairlifts and cramped cable cars of other resorts and I was intrigued to hear that further renovations of Saint-Gervais’ lift system were imminent. With the iconic Tramway Mont-Blanc already in the process of upgrading, this is a resort to keep your eye on.
Saint-Gervais itself is exquisite, quite unlike neighbouring Megève and Chamonix. Like Gastein in Austria and plenty of others, the main village originated as a spa town, with much of its architecture dating to the late 19th century. As I wandered through on a snowy eve, I was reminded of a Jacquelyn Lawson Christmas card: the whimsical lampposts, pastel tints, and gingerbread house hotels giving it a charm amiss from purpose-built ski resorts. As Mayor Peillex would later tell me over dinner, Saint-Gervais is not a ski resort—it’s an all-around town, as much for the local families that live there as the tourists who come to ski.
A stay at the Hôtel Coeur des Neiges
My three nights in Saint-Gervais were to be at the Hôtel Coeur des Neiges: a darling three-star lodge, tucked away behind the village church and meeting all the criteria of a rare gem. With only 15 rooms, the à la carte accommodation feels more like an oversized bed and breakfast; the local owner, Sebastian, runs the whole operation. A roaring log fire greeted me in the little lobby-cum-lounge, flanked by boutique cabinets stuffed with purchasable Savoyard fare: fromage, dried saucisses, and a few healthy bottles of Génépi.
Hôtel Coeur des Neiges glows with character—much like Saint-Gervais itself. Sebastian has done a fantastic job of guaranteeing the guest experience, from the Continental breakfast in the morning overlooking the snow-capped Aravis Range, to the cosy wood-panelled suites, available in several sizes with differing balcony views.
I soon discovered that the lounge’s fur-clad sofa is the perfect place for a pre-dinner café or apéritif, perhaps with some complimentary Tête de Moine cheese. As a small hotel, you’ll hear few footsteps on the ground floor’s Turkish rugs (spare Sebastian’s) and can relax to the soft jazz music playing by firelight, before heading out in the evening.
Best of all, the free Facilibus shuttle to Le Valléen/L’Alpin changeover station stops outside Saint-Gervais’ Tourism Office, just across the street from the hotel. So, after filling up on cappuccino and Bircher muesli, I picked up my kit from the Couer des Neiges’ downstairs ski room and headed out for the slopes.
(Image © Boris Molinier)
Day one on Mont d’Arbois and Mont Joly
Having rented a pair of local Dynastar skis from Blanc Sport, a charming family-ran workshop on Saint-Gervais high street, I was keen to test them on some freshly groomed snow.
The relatively low altitude of Saint-Gervais’ three main villages (the eponymous Saint-Gervais, Le Fayet, and Saint-Nicolas) means that conditions at base camp are remarkably different to up-top. While I set off on day one to a cold, clouded sky, I quickly rose out of what I discovered to be a river of fog filling the Arve Valley. Aboard L’Alpin gondola, my first peek at Aiguille d’Aujon’s bold cliff face was to dazzling sunlight. Rapidly ascending, I couldn’t help feeling smug to have such good weather compared to just a few hundred metres below.
L’Alpin takes you to Bettex, the only slopeside village in Saint-Gervais with a few pleasant chalet-style hotels, all surrounded by thick forest. While technically, the Saint Gervais red can take you down to the village proper, the piste is only open after a heavy snowfall. On my trip, I’d been fortunate with the sun, less so the fresh powder (although snow coverage was pretty good). Not a problem, regardless, as I was sticking to Saint-Gervais’ well-maintained, and virtually infinite 263km of piste (445km with the Evasion Mont-Blanc pass).
Also at Bettex is a selection of après-ski restaurants (while I eyed up the grandiose Le Spot, I eventually settled on L’Embuscade—a much shorter queue for vin chaud if you can stand sitting outside) and Saint-Gervais’ ESF branch. If you’re new to the area, I’d highly recommend booking an ESF guide for the day as I did—they’ll show you the best spots, on-piste and off, according to the weather conditions that day. Plus, as the gift that keeps on giving, having an ESF guide allows you to skip those arduous lift queues (few that they were in Saint-Gervais).
From Bettex, the only way is up to the summit of Mont d’Arbois (1,833m). Riding the more retro Bettex-Arbois gondola, I got my first view of Saint-Gervais’ signature and main attraction: Mont Blanc (4,809m). It’s a fair boast to say that the highest mountain in Europe is on your doorstep, and yet it’s one Saint-Gervais is (rightly) keen to make. Without a doubt, Saint-Gervais and connecting Les Houches (where I skied on day two) offer the best view of Mont Blanc out of any French resort—including Chamonix—and the views kept getting better as my guide and I went further up.
Hitting the slopes, Saint-Gervais struck me as a gorgeous, gladed resort (owing to its low altitude), with winding, forested blues and some more challenging reds the higher you climb. Intermediates and beginners are king here (experts less so), with a decent range of sub-areas to suit all tastes. My guide informed me that, thanks to its relatively low profile and ample north-facing terrain, the resort is a freerider’s dream following a heavy powder dump, with a good bowl under the Mont Joly chair and some of the best tree-skiing in the so-called “Magic Garden” between the Lanchettes and Radaz lifts leading up to Côte 2000 (2,014m). Further excellent tree-skiing can be found around Princesse: a long, rolling black which was so fun I had to do it several times over.
Given the location of Saint-Gervais’ La Folie Douce (which, my guide proudly informed me, isn’t quite the hyper-hedonistic affair of Val Thorens or Val d’Isère), my advice would be to get to the summit of Mont Joly (2,525m) (Saint-Gervais’ highest point) as soon as possible, before the partygoers chop it up. The Mont Joux chair leading that way is by far the resort’s busiest towards lunchtime, although again, thanks to my guide’s queue-cutting privilege, I missed the worst of it.
In bad weather, the Mont Joly chair (a kick in the keister from the 1980s) is forced to close. In that case, Epaule (2,137m) is your next-best bet: from there, you can see as far as Geneva (60km) on a good day, from where many of Saint-Gervais’ weekend commuters come. Riding the Epaule chair in Mont Joly’s shadow, I disembarked to find myself again face-to-face with Mont Blanc—this time with a full view of its colossal massif. I can’t understate its effect on the mountaineer: the ultimate, romantic Sublime; one you can lose yourself in for minutes. You’ve not seen the Alps until you’ve seen Mont Blanc up close.
In the afternoon, I took the Chevreuil red down from Mont Joly to Mont Joux (1,958m): some nifty twists with mogul fields in between, and a final wide section expert skiers and boarders were rocketing down. The hardest run in the resort, Grand Chamois, was sadly closed, so my guide and I opted for the opposite: the wonderfully tender Finance blue back to Bettex, just as golden hour was igniting the trees. While the rose-gold sunset lit up Mont Blanc, I bid farewell to my guide and boarded L’Alpin back to Saint-Gervais.
Picnicking on-piste
Saint-Gervais has many excellent mountain restaurants to pick from—the tragedy of my flying visit was that I couldn’t try them all. Nonetheless, my pit stop on day one at Le Boitet, a recently opened gourmet eatery, presented itself as an excellent choice. Over gingham tablecloths on the restaurant’s sunny terrace, the serving staff lay dishes of venison and truffle pasta, île flottante, and a delicately balanced, in-house terrine.
Ran by Michelin star chef Emannuel Renaut (best known for his three-star Flocons de Sel in Megève), Le Boitet exemplifies how Saint-Gervais has changed in the past 15 years. As my ESF guide informed me, what was once a popular pub for pisteurs and local families is now a sleek, high-end diner. On my way to the bathroom, I encountered photos of the old establishment: pictures of mountaineers past, at a bar front that’s no longer there. Sadly, that’s part of the price for becoming an international resort—a bargain I would later discuss with Mayor Peillex.
On day two, skiing over at Les Houches, my guide and I stopped at the much humbler La Cha: an old-fashioned canteen serving large, homestyle helpings of spagbol, steak haché, and quenelle. When the weather’s beautiful in Les Houches (as it was for me), there’s no better spot for a digestif than in the restaurant’s canvas sun loungers: Combloux and the Aravis Range ahead, a flock of Alpine chough on the breeze above. Be sure to try La Cha’s Sapinette: a spruce-based liqueur, sweeter than Austria’s Zirbenschnaps, which will keep your chest warm as you hurtle down the mountain.
Day two: Les Houches and the Tramway du Mont-Blanc
Having sampled Saint-Gervais’ plentiful offerings on day one, my guide and I headed to adjoining Les Houches for a Sunday jaunt. This was partly an excuse to ride the Tramway du Mont-Blanc (TMB): the highest railway in France, reaching over 2,370m from its origin at Le Fayet to the Nid d’Aigle (the start-point for climbers ascending Mont Blanc).
Over a century since its grand opening, the iconic rack-and-pinion railway is undergoing extensive modernisation. Part of the project is already complete—including Saint-Gervais’ TMB station, which has a well-stocked gift shop and café kiosk should you need an extra espresso en route. As TMB departures are hourly, I’d recommend pre-planning when you’ll set off (as mentioned, you can pick up a coffee and pastry at the station).
The ride is nothing short of breathtaking. Traversing a steep, thickly forested slope, once past Col de Voza (1,650m) your first glimpses of Mont Blanc appear through the canopies. Shortly after, the trees drop away entirely, leaving you in full view of the cloud-capped Toblerone. Doubling down from the spectacle the day before, Les Houches’ ski area is not just face-to-face with Mont Blanc, but shoulder-to-shoulder. When our tram arrived at the aptly named Bellevue (1,800m), I realised that the ridge we’d been travelling up was Mont Blanc’s northwestern flank. Here, you can feel the icy wind tumble off the cyan Bionnassay Glacier, biting your nose and lips.
On paper, Les Houches’ 50km of slopes seems an obvious second choice to Saint-Gervais. However, that’s exactly why you should go. Setting off down an easy blue, I couldn’t believe that my guide and I were the only skiers on the piste. In bad conditions too, Les Houches comfortably rests in Mont Blanc’s long shadow, which protects any snowfall from the long arm of the sun. While there’s even less party than at family-focused Saint-Gervais, for a lazy Sunday, there seemed to be no better place.
Carving up our practically private resort, still perfectly groomed at 10 am, we began on the Mur des Epines red (which felt more like a short black) before switching to the La Verte black (which felt more like a long red). While Saint-Gervais’ sheer diversity trumped Les Houches’, La Verte trumped any slope I’d tried the day before. You may know it as the Kandahar Les Houches, the iconic downhill race, held since the early days of Alpine skiing: 3,343m long and 870m in descent. Having completed the full-length, I could hardly comprehend the sheer speed and endurance of those athletes who’ve braved ‘The Green’ black.
Perhaps the only downside of La Verte is the cable car required to reascend. Thankfully, it’s regular enough, but if you miss it, you can always skip the next few shuttles with a bite to eat from the Kitsch Inn’s kitchen (pardon the pun).
Back at Bellevue, we took a series of gentle blues towards Prarion (1,900m), before skiing the Fontaine red down to the bottom of the Crozat chair. This piste crisscrosses the summertime route for the Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc—Chamonix’s claim to fame and arguably the most famous ultramarathon in Europe. While I can’t imagine the pain of sprinting up (and down) the steep slope, zipping through the trees was great fun.
My final run, descending the Col de Voza red as the sunset began and Mont Blanc consumed the sky, presented the perfect end to my trip. While it may not be at the top of your list, Les Houches is proof that the places that are harder to get to tend to be worth it. Riding the TMB back to Saint-Gervais after a day on the slopes, I couldn’t help thinking the sweeping vista was some kind of prize: pale, golden lights splitting the various seams of a massive valley-bowl, and above it all, the French Olympus, with a cloud still sat, relaxed as myself, at its peak.
Dining out in Saint-Gervais
I was lucky to have three great dinners and an equally good lunch while staying in Saint-Gervais, giving me an excellent view of the resort’s diverse options.
On night one, having checked into Hôtel Coeur des Neiges, I went for a pre-dinner drink at Le Nordique, a few minutes up the road. As it was a Friday night, only one tiny table was left. No matter, as the atmosphere was delightful: clean, Scandi-style wood panelling, a roaring stove, and a decent selection of Alpine beers and white wines. They also serve cheese and charcuterie platters in case you’ve gone out on an empty stomach.
Following Le Nordique, I dined at Rond de Carotte: a chic wee dining grotto, serving gourmet dishes with a rustic touch. In a low-ceilinged backroom with bright white walls, I sampled their craft Gin du Mont Blanc—produced by a Scot, as it turns out, in Europe’s highest distillery—with a dram of local eau de vie to finish the meal. Rond de Carotte is open all year round, its menu changing monthly. I pray, if you choose to dine there, they’ll still be serving the caramelised apple dessert with a mousse and almonds—less melt-in-your-mouth so much as yourself melting into it.
On night two, after my first day of skiing, I needed a hearty meal. The tourism office recommended Le Galeta—conveniently next-door to my hotel—and I couldn’t be more glad I listened. Le Galeta is about as traditional a Savoyard restaurant as you can get, filling what looks like a 19th-century barn with a bonfire’s worth of meaty woodsmoke. The first sight on entering was a massive stone fireplace over which chefs were grilling local pork and beef; on heavy tables under low rafters, French families chortled around raclette sets. Considering the cost of time travel, Le Galeta offers very competitive prices. Be sure to try the homemade kir royal, too.
My final dinner in Saint-Gervais was at the Amancette in Saint-Nicolas, a short shuttle ride from Saint-Gervais. Opened in 2019, the Amancette is Saint-Gervais’ only five-star hotel, built on the site of the town’s former bakery (in honour of it, the hotel has its own in-house bakery available to locals at a non-five-star price). Combining a sort of timber postmodernism with touches of festive cottagecore and a delicious signature perfume throughout the hotel, the Amancette offers by far the most luxurious board in the resort—and dining, for that matter. From my deconstructed bruschetta to a bouillabaisse of fresh char, finished with a tray of sweet treats straight out of the Grand Budapest Hotel, La Table d’Armante at the Amancette is, understandably, the gourmand’s choice. I could see why Mayor Peillex picked it for our discussion—showcasing the best his resort had to offer.
Both La Table d’Armante and Le Galeta were a world away from where I stopped for lunch before leaving Saint-Gervais: PlanB, a hotel and restaurant in Le Fayet. They’ve pulled out all the stops to be ‘hip’ (an eclectic, EuroHostel design, Pac-Man machine and foosball table, and a working disco ball in the loos), seemingly to great success. The place was filled with young locals enjoying a range of quirky dishes, from ‘millefeuille’ lasagne to Japanese karaage chicken.
(Image credit: P Deloche )
A dip in Les Thermes
On the morning of my departure, I figured the best way to ease into a day of travelling was at the spa. Les Thermes de Saint-Gervais are the resort’s original claim to fame—and with good reason. Their healing properties have been well-documented since at least 1806 when Swiss notary Joseph Marie-Gontard constructed a small bathhouse on the site. In more recent years, the massively upgraded facility was the favoured spot of Janine Charrat, the acclaimed French ballerina who suffered major full-body burns in 1961. Charrat visited Saint-Gervais often and thanks to the hot mineral springs, achieved a full recovery.
For pedestrians, reaching Les Thermes is now easier than ever due to the new state-of-the-art funicular, Ascenseur des Thermes, departing from Saint-Gervais’ high street. Better yet, unlike Le Valléen and L’Alpin, the funicular doesn’t require a lift pass. What was once a 6km bus journey, descending 180m, is now achieved in under two minutes. Accordingly, over 300,000 passengers have used the funicular since its inauguration in August 2024.
Exiting the funicular’s elevator-like compartment, I saw the spa complex dead ahead. The great white Art Deco building beautifully contrasts with the verdant gorge formed by the rushing Bon-Nant River. As geothermal steam rose from vents in its rooftop, the cabins of Le Valléen threaded the narrow slit of sky above.
(Image credit Christophe Daguet)
Inside, visitors are greeted by a massive cosmetics store stocked with exclusive Les Thermes’ products and, in passing, the faint smell of sulphur. A large information mural details the waters’ healing properties in French, particularly for those suffering from arthritis, as well as dermatological and respiratory conditions. After paying the three-hour fee (€49 off-season, €59 high-season, with special offers for families), it’s a fairly smooth process to enter; if you don’t have €2 for the locker, the reception staff can lend you a token.
I’m a big advocate of spas as après-ski, partly for muscle recovery but also as a mental reward. While this was more of an avant-voyage, I appreciated Les Thermes all the same: from sensory hammams, salt room, and sauna to a ‘rainforest area’ with various sensory water treatments, I wandered through hot spring Heaven. With no book or phone allowed inside, I filled my hands with fresh fruit and a cup of herbal tisane instead, happy not to miss my total relaxation.
Besides the excellent skiing, Les Thermes alone are a reason to visit Saint-Gervais, and as they’re open all year round, I may have to head back.
Fact Box
Accommodation
Hôtel Coeur des Neige Prices start at €130 per night excluding breakfast.
Restaurants:
Travel
Arriving by train travel from London to Paris Gare du Nord with Eurostar. There are then direct trains from Paris Gare du Lyon (a short distance away) to Saint-Gervais Le Fayet from Friday – Sunday. French railways: https://www.sncf-connect.com/en-en/
Arriving by air Geneva is the nearest airport and is served by various airlines including SWISS, BA and easyJet.
From the airport to Saint-Gervais, there is the option of train transfer, coach or by car. Car is the quickest option and it takes roughly 45min – 1 hour.
Prices:
Ski hire: Blanc Sport
Lift passes: https://www.ski-saintgervais.com/en/h1-tarif-evasion-mt-blanc
Ski school: https://www.ski-school-saint-gervais.co.uk/adults/
Snow-show walking: https://evolution2.com/en/saint-gervais/snowshoes-hike-in-saint-gervais?v=2520
Thermes Saint-Gervais: https://spa.thermes-saint-gervais.com/en/Tarifs
Robert Thorne’s trip was hosted by Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc Tourist Board .
Image top: © Boris Molinier
