You may be wondering what's so special about the village of Les Carroz? Having visited many mountain resorts in most popular European destinations over the last 30 years, we formed a list of ideal requirements, and we believe that Les Carroz fulfilled all of them :-
- An established winter sports resort with an extensive ski area catering for all abilities.
- Close to an airport to avoid lengthy transfer journeys.
- Close to an airport with frequent flights from and to the UK, thus offering more choice of flights and departure points.
- A traditional Alpine village, not a purpose-built concrete town-ship.
- Close to other Alpine attractions.
- A year-round resort, instead of somewhere that only operates for the winter and is closed down for the rest of the time.
- A great atmosphere !
Les Carroz is in the northern French Alps, a welcoming and pretty Haute Savoie village perched on a large sunny plateau at 1140m overlooking the Arve Valley, south-east of the town of Cluses. It is roughly half way between Geneva and Chamonix. Tourism really commenced in 1939 when the first drag lift was installed, which was the longest in Europe at the time. Les Carroz is one of the 5 villages in the 'Grand Massif', being linked to Samoëns, Morillon and Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, and the purpose-built resort of Flaine, in 1981.The Grand Massif is developing into the largest ski area closest to Geneva.
Les Carroz is a genuine village unlike many resorts in the French Alps, and although tourism is the primary industry, the character of the village has not been spoilt. The centre of the village is a traditional busy square, around which there are cafes and bars, restaurants, ski-hire shops, local produce shops, a cinema and the Tourist Office. A typical French market visits the village every Tuesday, with stalls selling vast choices of local produce, such as cheeses, meats, breads and cloth. There are also doctors,
chemists, supermarkets and cash-points - everything that you would expect in a fully functional mountain resort. During the Winter months, a skating rink is in operation just off the square, whilst during the Summer, the open-air swimming pools are a great place to spend the day.
In terms of dining, Les Carroz has numerous excellent restaurants, cafes and bars to cater for your tastes - bistro, gourmet, traditional Savoyarde and Pizzerias. Throughout Winter and Summer, the square hosts many of the varied entertainment events, including live music performances, craft displays and children's attractions. We hope that you will enjoy Les Carroz and all that it offers as much as we do !
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Les Carroz
Ferme de la Chapelle, Les Carroz, Haute Savoie, France