Avoriaz
Sitting at the heart of Portes du Soleil ski area (and marking its highest resort and ski station), Avoriaz has a 1960s post-modernist ‘pop art’ feel about it. Instantly identified by its tall apartment blocks scattered around winding roads on the cliff-top plateau, with a stunning vista over the valley and Morzine below. Thanks to its high position, Avoriaz celebrates a great snow record.
Avoriaz is a pedestrian town: All cars, buses, taxis and vehicles stop off at the entrée station on the outskirts of town, and everywhere from there is reached by foot, horse drawn carriage, or snowcat. This makes it an ideal location for families, and you can very literally ski in and out of your hotel!
A great resort for beginners, intermediates, skiers and snowboarders alike, there is a little something for everyone in Avoriaz. While the Portes du Soleil stretches over 650km in every direction, stretching over the border into Switzerland, there is still plenty to do off the piste as well with delicious restaurants in abundance, alongside bars and amenities in the centre of Avoriaz. There is potential to ski over to Switzerland for a day. There are also lots of family-friendly activities like ice skating, as well as more adventurous activities like parapenting for those seeking an adrenaline kick!
Skiing Levels
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Beginners
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Intermediates
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Advanced
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Snowboard
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Cross Country
Mountain Facts
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Ski area
150 km
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Runs
152
0
0
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Longest run
6 Km
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Snowparks
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Lifts
Drag lifts 105, Chairlifts 78, Cablecars 4
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Slope direction
N,E,S,W
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Ski/resort bus
False
Things to do in resort
Avoriaz restaurants, food and drink
Avoriaz has a great selection of restaurants for a variety of different tastes. The food in the area is predominantly French with Swiss influences, and be sure to try some of the delicious wines while you’re at it!
For family friendly on-the-go hearty burgers, curly chips and snacks in an ideal piste-side location, head to Changabang, located opposite the Prodains cable car summit station. However it can be quite popular on a sunny day!
Also in the area (and situated just below Changabang) is Chez Flo offering both inside/outside dining and a delicious menu of Savoyard dishes, croque monseuirs and chips. Next door is Les Trappeurs which is both a lively après bar as well as a good place to stop for a bite to eat, also offering Savoyard dishes but also some Italian specials, and wine!
For a finer dining experience in the evenings head to La Cabane, which serves steak, a mouth watering fondue board, tapas-style food, and more. There is also a bar on the lower levels with pool tables which can be popular in the evenings.
Les Fontaines Blanches sits in the Festival area of Avoriaz and is a highly popular destination with Inghams guests over the years.
If you are looking for something whilst on the go, head to Les Lindarets, or better known as 'The Goat Village'. Mamas restaurant here is family friendly and offers meals and snacks for everyone.
Avoriaz après, bars, clubs and nightlife
Après culture reigns supreme in Avoriaz, and plenty of the bars and restaurants come to life at 5pm when the lifts close and everyone is growing a little thirsty! Providing you get the last lift at 5pm back up to Avoriaz, Happy Hours Bar at the base of Ardent is a wonderful bar to wet your lips in, with imported beers on the tap, wines, and even fresh smoothies and milkshakes. Snacks are also served and there is live music occasionally.
La Kinkerne at the bottom of the Les Prodains cable car is a lively and popular après ski haunt for those staying in both Morzine and Avoriaz. Live music with DJs can be expected, and La Kinkerne hosts the Sun:Sets event with sports competitions, music, BBQ, and cheap-n-cheerful drinks. Will be back for 2017!
Back in Avoriaz and its getting late- head to Shooters Bar, which has a lively atmosphere and mostly indoors so you stay warm in the evenings. The Yak is a basement club and is open until early, with guest DJs, house music and good times!
Avoriaz shopping
Guests can expect the usual sporting goods stores, souvenirs, tabac shop, and a chemist (pharmacy) when shopping in Avoriaz. Most of the shops in the town are based along the Promenade du Festival which stretches past the tourism office. There are several Sherpa supermarkets for those who are living in self-catered accommodation and they are based very conveniently close to the hotels. You will find two ATM machines near to the tourism office on Promenade du Festival. If you’re looking for a little tasty treat then head to the Avo Saveurs bakery that does the most delicious Nutella sandwiches!
If you want a full day of shopping it might be best to head down the valley to Morzine, where you will find a much wider array of shops and facilities.
Avoriaz spas and relaxation
Inghams Hotel des Dromonts is home to the Pure Altitude Spa, one of the best spas in the town that offers a sensorial voyage down memory lane with a space age 1960s Alpine inspired spa. Newly refurbished to the highest standard of luxury, it almost looks straight out of a James Bond film! Here you can find various massages (including sports massage), beauty treatments, relaxation, Jacuzzis and saunas.
If you’re looking for something that’ll incorporate children too, head to Aquariaz swimming pool complex where you’ll be transported a thousand miles away to a warm sub-tropical climate even when the snow is falling outside. There is an open air spa heated to 34 degrees, as well as massage benches and a water playhouse to keep the kids occupied.
Avoriaz arts, culture and events
Avoriaz is a relatively new resort; purpose built in the 1960s with a ‘space age’ feel to it, but there is still plenty of culture to be had. With Rock the Pistes happening every year in March and the new Snowboxx festival migrating to this small town, it’s a real hot spot for music lovers.
The mountains around Avoriaz are also home to plenty of vista spots that stretch over France and neighboring Switzerland. For a wonderful experience and photo opportunity head up the Fornet chair lift and you’ll see what we’re talking about!
More culture and Alpine lifestyle can be found if you venture down into the much older and more traditional Morzine at the base of the mountain.
For more information on travel and transport visit our Avoriaz page
