Resort guide: Flaine and Les Carroz
Flaine and Les Carroz make up part of the Grand Massif ski area which straddles the mountains just an hour away from Geneva Airport in France's Haute Savoie region.
The Grand Massif has a reputation for providing a wide variety of winter skiing and summer mountain activities, with accommodation spread across several resorts. Flaine offers high-altitude snow-sure skiing and snowboarding in a surreal setting, whilst Les Carroz is more of a traditional alpine village.
Flaine, on first view, isn't the most attractive ski resort in France with a lot of concrete apartment buildings. However, the big advantage of Flaine is that it was purpose designed and built in the early 1960s to be the perfect car-free ski in, ski out resort and it works.
Everything is very well laid out and arranged in Flaine. The three main areas of the Forest, Forum and Snow Front are all linked by covered walkways and lifts and each has shops, cafes, bars and restaurants, which may go some way to explain why Flaine is listed as a heritage site.
In recent years Flaine has seen a lot of property development with top class tourist residences offering alpine chalet style accommodation in areas such as the Hameau de Flaine, connected to the main resort by shuttle bus and pistes.
As for the skiing, Flaine has a well-deserved reputation for excellent snow cover. At 1600m, the resort isn't especially high, but the resort is in a huge bowl reaching up to 2500m, which boasts superb snow retention, offering skiing from mid-December to the end of April each year.
In fact, the name Flaine comes from the local legend of a giant living in the valley who laid down to rest his head in this open bowl shape and 'Flainoz' is colloquial French for 'pillow'!
The 265km of pistes that make up the Grand Massif ski area will keep you easily entertained for a week of skiing and there are 13km of cross country skiing and 7km reserved for snowshoeing.
Les Carroz d'Araches (to give the resort its proper name) is on the road on the way to Flaine. This resort sits at 1140m on a plateau and skiing first came to Les Carroz in 1939.
Since then, the resort has developed gently into a family favourite resort, with a nice range of pistes, good leisure facilities and easy access from Geneva airport. The resort boasts a creche welcoming babies from three months to three years old and the ski schools are all excellent.
During the summer, the Grand Massif attracts hikers and mountain bikers alike. Flaine is pretty quiet in summer, but it is worth heading up there to see the incredible landscape without snow - huge swathes of fissured rock, which is really quite impressive.
Summer is very pleasant in Les Carroz and makes for a good base for exploring the Grand Massif and Haute Savoie. There are always bars and restaurants open and the outdoor swimming pool, volleyball courts and skate park will keep the kids happy.
Mountain Drop Offs provides private transfers for between one and eight persons door to door from Geneva and Grenoble airports direct to Flaine and Les Carroz. With Flaine being completely car free, we can drop you off right outside your accommodation and you save money on hiring a car that will just sit in a paying car park all week!
Things to see and do in Flaine and Les Carroz
* Pop your skis on and ski the 265km of pistes straight from the door of your accommodation in Flaine with amazing views from the DMC cable car
* Drive a Subaru Impreza or even your own car on the ice driving circuit in Flaine
* Go on an evening snowmobile tour - either drive yourself for 85€ or go as a passenger for 45€ - a magical way to see the area as night falls
* Take a hot air balloon ride from Les Carroz. This 'must do' activity, bookable at Les Carroz Tourist Office, costs 200€ for 1hr15mins flying over the Grand Massif
* Hike up to Lac d'Airon above Les Carroz at 1500m. You can fish for trout in the lake and the nearby Ferme Auberge sells homemade cheeses and other produce
* Play a round of golf with impressive views at Flaine-Les Carroz golf course on the col de Pierre Carree
* Put you and your mountain bike to work on the downhill pistes from the top of the Kedeuze bubble lift in Les Carroz
* Visit the Goyave workshop in Les Carroz to learn all about gemology - the study of precious stones and jewels
* Enjoy the mountain food all year round at restaurants such as Le Chalet des Molliets at the foot of the Molliets lift on the road between Les Carroz and Flaine - we love the homemade dessert cabinet!
Some useful links for Flaine and Les Carroz
- Flaine Tourist Office - the official website for Flaine resort with lift opening, events calendar, piste maps and more
- Les Carroz Tourist Office - the official information site for Les Carroz d'Araches with all the info you need for a summer or winter holiday in resort
- ESF Les Carroz - the website for the French Ski School in Les Carroz in French. You can book lessons online.
- ESI Grand Massif - the Ecole de Ski et Snowboard based in Flaine is an independent ski school
- ESF Flaine - the website for the main ESF ski school in Flaine
- Snow Forecast Flaine - weather and snow details updated daily for Flaine and the Grand Massif
- Grand Massif - the official website for the whole of the Grand Massif taking in Flaine, Les Carroz, Morillon, Samoens and Sixt
- Neilson Holidays - providers of package holidays and accommodation only deals to Flaine
