Samoëns Reviews & Ratings

Excellent resort, can get extremely busy in peak weeks. Lots of eateries on the slopes with great access to other resorts in the ski domain (Grand Massif). Plenty of off piste and loads of groomed runs. Not much in terms of apres, but some great bars still. Plenty of blues, greens and reds with enough black runs for the advanced among us.

Been going here for years. Place used to be 100% locals, now more touristy but still a classic French village. Connection to the Grand Massif area is great, if you can go to Flaine then do so as it is much higher (albeit with far less trees). It is not designed for apres ski - that is either a positive or negative depending what you like! There are 2 or 3 places in the town itself that are effectively just loud pubs. Tiffanie is the boulangerie - essential to visit every morning

If you are a beginner or using Ski School. then Samoens is a good base as the gondola goes straight to the plateau where the ski schools gather. Otherwise, it's a good base to start from to explore the wider Grand Massif area, with Flaine, Morillon ans Les Carroz all within easy reach.
On cold mornings, if the piste is really hard parked, then the Aouia piste down to the Coulouvrier lift can be quite challenged for beginners - wait for the sun to get on it first.
For beginners, avoid both blue runs down to Coulouvrier in warm spring snow conditions unless you are comfortable with large heavy snow bumps. If there is a huge queue for the gondola, it can be quicker getting the bus to the Vercland lift.
The red Marmotte is a great run back down - likely to have a few moguls on the top section, but can be better than the top of the blue Perce-Neige run from Tete Des Saix at the end of the day.
The red Chamois from Test Des Saix is steep, but usually in great condition and it takes you down to the snow park.
Been here every year for 10 years - don't worry about the lack of snow at town level. The Grand Massif area is generally snow sure and there will always be somewhere to get some good skiing in the area. The Cascade run down to Sixt from Flaine is excellent, but check snow conditions first. The last part is the summer road and in shade most if the day.
Take note of wind warnings when crossing over to Flaine as there is no ski bus service connecting back to the Samoens / Morillon / Les Carroz / Sixt side.
The moutain restaurants are generally really good, but try to avoid the self service places. Only a couple of these around and there are far better options near these places.

Samoens is a beautiful traditional town, and the town lays on lots of things to do and see. The skiing and boarding is extensive with good access to Morrillon, Flaine and Les Carroz. Just an allround lovely place to be in the mountains. Lift queues can be a problem at peak times, but away from these, the lifts and mountains are practically empty.

Loved our stay in Samoens Feb 2023. Being only an hour from Geneva airport, it is ideal for a short break. Great ski school and plenty of choice of runs for advanced beginner/intermediates. Cant wait to go back.

Stayed at club med, the food quality was very poor. A lot of people had food poisoning, including me girlfriend. The lower slopes beneath the hotel were green grass, which meant there was only one lift to access the whole mountain, which was closed one of the days meaning we were stranded, with only one green run accessible all day.

The skiing was pretty good when we got up into Flaine and we had 3 days of top tier skiing conditions. The grooming was pretty hit and miss, with the inconsistent weather conditions some nights the bashers just didnt come out, making for very slushy conditions the next morning. Overall we enjoyed the holiday, however, unlikely to visit Samoens again

Really quiet runs which was great but poor snow quality and you can get stuck with one green run if there is high wind because there is only one lift access flane.

I really enjoyed Samoens. If you are looking for a family friendly, value for money resort, then its great. The slopes arent busy at all and the surrounding scenery is beautiful, its also an easy link into the grand massif. With over 250kms or runs, its more than enough for a weeks trip.

Everyone says they have never heard of the grand massif, but for me (I have been ski ing for 50 years) it is super and samoens is just the most perfect place to stay. I have traditionally gone at Easter and it is always snow sure and never had bad weather.

Lovely family friendly resort. Good ski school options. Beautiful traditional French village that is really easy to access by car.
Limited apres ski, but some lovely restaurants and good village facilities.

Samoëns and Morillon form part of the Grand Massif resort, alongside Flaine. It is easily accessible in just over one hour from Geneva, making it perfect for a quick getaway.

The accommodation options are plentiful (we had a catered chalet called Chalet Brio, which was outstanding) and there are buses to take you around the resort. It is a quiet resort perfect for beginners to intermediates and ideal for families or groups who are looking for a lot of skiing without the queues.

The downside to that is that the apres options are limited and that the towns are very quiet. The upside of course is that the lifts are rarely full and the slopes are easily navigable!

There are plentiful moguls in two areas - the route to Les Carroz which is lower down and very slushy; and of course the majority of the route to Flaine, which is south facing and very popular. For more proficient snow riders, the area above Flaine is full of red and black runs as well as significant off piste areas, and the entire resort has runs between trees which make for a great experience. Unfortunately several runs were shut including the two longest ones - Marvel and Piste des Cascades, because of a lack of snow.

The ski school offer is fantastic. Many of our party had lessons from Ecole 360, who are brilliant instructors despite their terrible website. I had some private lessons via Maison Sports which was outstanding also. Whatever your level, you can always improve, and the wide and enjoyable slopes here are the perfect place to do so.

Overall, this is my favourite ski resort and a little known secret, mostly populated by locals. I don't know what I'd want to see improved other than perhaps the mogul slopes being groomed during the day or having alternative routes. Definitely go here!

If you want to head out for Aprés then Samoëns probably isnt for you.
If you want to enjoy some of the quietest hidden gems of the alps then youre heading to the right place!
A grand masif pass will unlock more off piste than you can possibly handle in a week!
And its lack of footfall later in the season means youll be enjoying some perfectly groomed pistes with a good chance of not seeing another soul. PERFECT.
Love this place !

Bad tike of year to come with poor, warm weather not helping. Looks like they havent even bothered to groom! probably due to the lack of snow. But ski area is good with access to Flaine, and town has a few spots for drinks and food. Would love to come back at the height of winter when snow is plentiful!!

Great place definitely worth it great for all abilities in a single player mode with the same level as a regular player mode but not the entire thing you need for the first time to play the first game in the first place is the best game of the year and you can play it with a lot of fun to get the most out of it if youre a beginner player or something and the first time I was playing with my friend who had to get the first player in a group to get a feel of what

Connection to Flaine not ideal. Limited on-piste restaurants. Ridiculous end of day short chairlift to get back down to town. Needs investment or rework.

This part of the grand massif is extremely dependent on the amount of lower altitude snow fall. There were only a hand full of slopes open when we went. We were staying in the village and had to get the bus then bubble up to the top then over into flaine. Unfortunately even in January the snow isnt great as this part of the resort isnt very high. I can only review based on that. Lots of man made snow which was on top of extremely icy slopes. Lifts are great and the village is nice, although its very hard to Find a place to eat without pre booking.

Really nice resort, perfect for both beginners and advanced skiers. Quieter compared to other more mainstream french resorts.

A lovely resort for all abilities. Been many times and now they have the high speed lift from the valley its even better. Going again in April and cant wait. Links into the Flaine system with extensive runs and lots of variety. Runs through the trees, open pistes and good uplifts. Great restaurants near to the lifts so easy to grab some lunch. Quaint town with a supermarket nearby if youre self- catering. One of my favourite places. We also go walking in the summer there and my husband mountain bikes.

Great resort, lots of different runs for skiers with different abilities , can get busy at the gondola at the bottom in the mornings and evenings as only way up and down.
No apres ski as lifts close early so have to go into Samoëns town where there are multiple apres ski bars which are very nice! Went during new year and lots of event in in town so very good for familys. Lots of great shops and good restaurants for all tastes!