Walking

 Walking in Morzine, French Alps

Morzine and the Portes du Soleil is the perfect place to visit for your walking holiday in the Alps. There are over 200 km of alpine walking and hiking trails to suit all ages and abilities. Thanks to the MULTI PASS, the Portes du Soleil area of the French and Swiss Alps has been truly opened up for alpine walking holidays. The Multi Pass is included within your Simply Morzine holiday if catered or at a subsidised rate if self-catering. This pass gives access to over 20 mountain lifts across the Portes du Soleil, making travel across different valleys and resorts (and even 2 countries!) accessible to all. The Multi Pass avoids the need for strenuous ascents and makes a huge variety of terrain easily accessible for your walking holiday in the Alps with Simply Morzine.

Gentle family-friendly Morzine walks

There are plenty of trails starting and finishing in and around Morzine itself for your family walking holiday. The circuit in Parc Dérèches is perfect for young children, taking you around the park with bridges crisscrossing the River Dranse. There is a beautiful lakeside walk around Lac Montriond which you can extend with a little climbing to the spectacular Ardent waterfall. Another trail starting in the heart of Morzine takes you along the river and through the woods to the stunning Nyon waterfall. Using the Pleney cable car gets you right up into the mountains, from where a number of walks start – including one all the way to neighbouring Les Gets and its swimming lake. For stunning views of Mont Blanc and the surrounding French Alps, the circular walk from Mont Chery to Mont Caly is not to be missed.

Medium walks in the local French Alps

Alpine walks such as the hike to the Col de Cou or Col de Bretolet, following the path used by the French Resistance during World War II to cross into Switzerland, prove to be firm favourites for any walking holiday in the French Alps. Other popular walks close to Morzine include a section of the famous GR5 traverse of the French Alps en route to the picturesque village of Samoëns, or making your way to Chatel with the aide of chairlifts to reach the amazing Fantasticable zip wire which crosses a steep alpine valley.  As with all walks, alpine restaurants provide much-needed rest and refreshments along the way.

Difficult alpine walking and treking

There are plenty of trails to challenge serious hikers looking to trek high into the French Alps for stunning mountain scenery.  The long ridge ascent in the Dents Blanches offers great scrambling with stunning alpine views of the magnificent Mont Blanc. The classic Roc d’Enfer, a dramatic ridge route with chains for support on some scrambling sections, rewards your efforts with breathtaking views. There are also the famous three peaks dominating the scenery in Morzine: Ressachaux, Nyon and Nantaux. Each challenging “vertical kilometre” hike gives you amazing views of the Portes du Soleil and the surrounding Alps. These trails are demanding for even the most experienced walkers, offering a true sense of achievement in conquering even one. Hiring a local French mountain guide is a safe and enjoyable way to enjoy the more extreme routes on offer for walking in Morzine and the neighbouring French Alps.

We look forward to welcoming you to Morzine for your alpine walking holiday in France.

The official Morzine Avoriaz Summer Walking Guide has lots of useful information which you can download here.