Chamonix (Les Houches)
Atmospheric ski village with breathtaking scenery. Perfect for advanced skiers
Les Houches resort guide - a general overview
Les Houches is situated 6km from Chamonix and is covered by the regional Mont Blanc pass including the resort of St Gervais. It is a pleasant village sitting in the shade of the Mont Blanc Massif comprising of a pretty church, with modern chalet developments spreading towards Chamonix. Its ski area has the largest number of prepared runs in the Chamonix valley with almost entirely wooded slopes which are popular in bad weather, and when the threat of avalanche closes other areas. In good weather the slopes tend to remain quiet, but snow cover on the lower runs is not reliable despite a fair amount of snowmaking.
The high-altitude ski area of the Grands Montets (Argentiere) is a short drive away and is covered if you buy the full area pass. The highest skiing on the Grands Montets is over 3,800 metres so there are no snow reliability issues there.
The village of Les Houches is quiet at night with a pleasant selection of bars and restaurants, although buses run in and out of Chamonix all evening.
Resort stats
152km
1,010m - 1,794m
Level of skiing
- Beginners
- Intermediates
- Experts
- Snow sure
- Off-piste
- Ski area
Qualities
- Charm factor
- Non-skiers
- Nightlife
- Resort layout
- Fine dining
- Short transfer
- Resort value
Airports
- Geneva
- 1hr
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Good for beginners and intermediates with nice open and gentle blue runs at top of main lifts
- Great tree skiing on the back of the mountain towards St Gervais
- A good place to stay and then to drive and discover nearby resorts
- Good value for money mountain restuarants with great views of Mont Blanc
- Families looking to stay in the Chamonix Valley
Cons
- Village is spread out so getting to lifts can involve a car or bus journey
- Queues to get up the mountain can get bad on peak weeks
- Snow cover on lower slopes is not reliable but there is a fair amount of snowmaking
- Nightlife is quiet with just a few local bars and restaurants
Restaurants
Chamonix (Les Houches) Resort Restaurants
The village of Les Houches is quiet but there are some pleasant restaurants. Marmotte offers traditional dishes and Savoie specialities and Basilic has traditional and seasonal dishes. There are a few hotels with restaurants you are able to dine in including Saint Antoine, Pele and Caprice. Or if you just fancy a take away pizza, make a visit to Piccolina.
Chamonix (Les Houches) Mountain Restaurants
In good weather Les Houches is a great area to go have a quiet lunch and enjoy the views from several lovely restaurants, which are often cheaper than those in the Chamonix Valley. Try Hors Piste, Cha, Chalette or Prarion.
Chamonix (Les Houches) Apres Ski
There are some bars in Les Houches and a few new bars have been opened recently. It is also easy enough to experience the apres ski in chamonix and then get the resort bus back to Les Houches (or you could see if you chalet hosts can come and get you!).
Chamonix (Les Houches) Nightlife
There are four main areas for nightlife; Le Prarion, La Bellevue, Le Centre and St-Antoine, which are all along the main road running through Les Houches.
Funicular
Cable Car
Gondola
Chair lift
Drag lift
Property
