The four main areas of Saint-Gervais have different advantages and characteristics. While Le Bettex has the best slopeside access (virtually on-piste), Saint-Nicolas offers quick lift access to Mont Joux. Saint-Gervais-les-Bains and Le Fayet are best for non-skiers, the latter being cheaper (as the farthest from the slopes), the former where you’ll find all the après-ski action.

Regardless of where you stay, you’ll want to check out the main resort village of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, which has a strongly nostalgic feel thanks to the iconic Mont-Blanc Tram (TMB) which rolls through town. Opened in 1909, it’s one of France’s last rack-and-pinion trains and runs along one of the highest tramways in Europe from Saint-Gervais to the tiny village of Les Houches. With an all-inclusive Les Houches-Saint-Gervais winter pass, you can ride the tram and explore the 55km of slopes making up Saint-Gervais’ next-door neighbour.

If you’re renting a car (though Saint-Gervais is perfectly accessible by public transport), you’ll find a free, multi-storey underground car park in town.

Accommodation

There’s a fantastic choice of accommodation in Saint-Gervais, ranging from budget hotels to luxury, self-catering apartments. The resort is well known for its old farms-turned-chalets, a good example being Chalet Rémy in Le Bettex—formerly an 18th-century barn.

Within Saint-Gervais-les Bains, Résidence Castel Des Roches offers families some of the best value for money. Les Arolles is our top pick for self-catered accommodation, just 900m from the St Gervais-Bettex gondola. For that rustic farmhouse feel, using craft products from local suppliers, try La Ferme de Cupelin.

Those used to a five-star suite should check out the newly renovated Mont-Blanc rooms at Hotel Armancette, located in charming mini-chalets just outside the main building in Saint-Nicolas. If you’re in a large group, Chalets 4810 is the ultimate chalet experience, offering exclusive slopeside access, a sauna, a heated indoor pool, and a home cinema for up to 20 guests.

Ski/snowboard equipment hire

Saint-Gervais contains a dozen or so rental shops, including several well-known chains. In both the main town and Le Bettex you’ll find Sport 2000, Intersport, and Skiset. You’ll also find independent suppliers unique to the resort, like Unlimited Sports.

As with most rental shops, it’s best to book online to qualify for a reduction.

Non-ski activities

Given Saint-Gervais’s longstanding status as a spa town, Les Thermes de Saint-Gervais is by far its biggest non-ski draw. Like Austria’s Gastein, the resort’s thermal springs were a popular attraction for 19th-century health tourists, although the present spa complex dates to the 1990s.

Following renovations in the 2010s, today’s Les Thermes de Saint-Gervais combines geothermal energy with natural mineral water to produce baths, saunas, steam rooms, spa and massage treatments. In 2023, the spa unveiled a new 45-minute “Après-ski treatment”, designed to treat feet in pain from ski boots via thermal clay, a heat wrap, special scrubs, and repairing balms. After a hard day’s skiing, Saint-Gervais’s hot springs are the perfect remedy.

History and architectural buffs will find many relics of the pre-ski era while wandering through Saint-Gervais-les-Bains. The Église Saint-Gervais-et-Saint-Protais, a 17th-century church, has exquisite Baroque frescoes and is open daily from 8am to 7pm.  Meanwhile, the 13th-century Maison Forte de Hautetour runs contemporary art exhibitions within its fortified medieval walls: check out their website for a winter programme.

Photo: Boris Molinier

Saint-Gervais offers a range of outdoor activities, including snowshoeing, dogsledding, ice hockey, ski touring, and ice skating. The resort’s indoor ice rink is open to tourists and regularly hosts ice hockey tournaments, as well as an “Ice Garden” on Tuesdays: a chance for kids to play games and obstacle courses on the ice. For more information regarding non-ski activities, pop into the Office de Tourisme on the town’s high street.

Within Le Fayet, you’ll find a state-of-the-art indoor climbing facility, Le Topo, established in 2022. Le Topo is open year-round for ages 4+ and is run by a family of mountaineers. Non-climbers can relax in the bar or peruse the facility’s restaurant menu. For your full health fix, Le Topo runs yoga classes too.

Perhaps most exciting, Saint-Gervais recently became the first (and only) resort in Savoy to offer bungee jumping and the home of the only sheltered bungee jump in the world, thanks to a viaduct completed in 2012. Even in winter, adrenalin junkies can take the 90m plunge into the cascades of Bonnant Gorge, while less restless travellers can traverse the walkway instead.

Childcare

Saint-Gervais provides a range of childcare options, with private babysitters available. For children aged 4–12, the MJC Centre in Saint-Gervais-les-Bains opens during the French school holidays from 8:30am to 6:00pm on weekdays, with meals and activities included.

Tinier tots, from six months to six years can be dropped off at the Garderie des Neiges Crèche in le Bettex, open throughout the winter season. For those staying in Saint-Nicolas, Saint-Nicolas Nursery offers childcare for two to six-year-olds and is located directly below the ESF Ski School.

Festivities 

As a quieter, cosier resort, we see Saint-Gervais as the perfect spot for a family Christmas. As well as enjoying classic Alpine fare in snowy surroundings, the resort runs two unique events immediately before and after Christmas.

In the days leading up to Christmas, you’ll find the Christmas Craft Market in the centre of Le Fayet, complete with artisan goods stalls and activities for the little ones.

Between Christmas and New Year’s, Saint-Gervais hosts a festive light show. If you’re familiar with Lyon’s iconic Fête des lumières, you’ll recognise the illuminated displays appearing throughout the resort, as the two events are officially partnered.