The land of Mont Blanc

Chamonix and its valley, dominated by Mont Blanc, offer all Winter and Summer mountain activities but also the opportunity to live all year in a traditional yet international atmosphere.

In Winter, the ski areas of Les Houches, the Brévent, Flégère, the Grands Montets and Montroc / Vallorcine will fill the skier's dreams, in particular the majestic Vallée Blanche, which is accessed from the famous Aiguille du Midi cable car.

In Summer Chamonix is naturally the capital of mountain climbing, with all major summits on your doorstep, but many other activities are also available. The Mont Blanc Ultra Trail race is the highlight of the season but the less adventurous can also enjoy hiking, swimming, tennis or golf.

Access to Geneva airport, just over an hour away by road, is facilitated by numerous shuttle services all year round.

The gateway to Mont-Blanc

Nested between Chamonix and Megève at the foot of Mont-Blanc, Saint-Gervais les Bains and Les Contamines Montjoie are two picturesque villages with excellent quality of life for permanent residents and holiday makers. Saint-Gervais is the larger of the two with 6,000 inhabitants and Les Contamines has 1,500. Both are part of one of the largest ski areas in France, the Evasion Mont Blanc domain, which has 445km of pistes for all levels. Cross-country skiing, an ice rink and a new swimming pool complete the set-up.

The valley is also very welcoming in Summer and offers numerous trails for hiking, mountain biking and other activities such as paragliding, fishing, horse-riding and many others, including the thermal spa of Saint-Gervais. For permanent residents Saint-Gervais and Les Contamines have all amenities such as shops, doctors, dentists, schools, pharmacies, supermarkets etc.

A wave of investment in the last decade has largely benefitted the property market. Whilst prices are high by French standards, they remain fairly affordable when compared to Chamonix and Megève, as many foreign buyers have discovered. The continued improvement in public services and facilities has been followed by sustained construction of chalets, apartments and residences. However the valley has its own architectural tradition which makes it stand out from purpose-built resorts.

Peace and quiet, and convenience

Ideally located close to Annecy and Geneva, the villages of the Pays de la Filière offer the great quality of life of a rural environment and easy access to all amenities of the nearby large cities. Aviernoz, Les Ollières, Thorens-Glières, Villaz are all growing in popularity thanks to the quality of service there (schools and shops) and the local environment. Geneva is less than an hour away by car and Annecy only 20 minutes away, which makes it possible to benefit from the surroundings in the vicinity of a large centre of economic activity where one can work.

The shores of Lake Annecy are 20 minutes away by car and all ski resorts of Haute-Savoie less than an hour up the road. This makes the area very well suited to both full-time and holiday residence. The diversity of housing (chalets, traditional houses, farmhouses, apartments, new developments) will satisfy all requirements.