Morillon

Morillon is a small mountain commune in the Haute Savoie department of the French Alps. The town consists of about 500 year round residents engaged primarily in agriculture and tourist service business. It gained fame as the home town of skier Antoine Deneriaz the 2006 Olympic Downhill Gold Medalist. The town has a 15th-century church that has been remodelled, small restaurants, and a gondola that links it to the Grand Massif ski areas.

Get in

By car

Driving distance from Calais to Morillon 537 miles (approx 7hrs30) From Calais, take A26 Motorway towards Reims and Troyes, then Dijon, Mâcon then ‘Autoroute Blanche’ Motorway (A40 Mâcon – Cluses) Exit Cluses Scionzier. Follow signs to Samoens. After the Chatillon pass, follow signs to Morillon. It takes approximately 15 minutes from the motorway exit to Morillon.

By rail

Cluses 20 km - Shuttle bus to Morillon +33 450 98 07 81 or Taxi +33 450 34 90 90 www.giffre-transports.com - Cost is €27 daytime/midweek and €35 nights and weekends (for 1 to 4 people).

By plane

The nearest airport is Geneva, 55 km away. There is a shuttle bus (about €62 per person return children 4-12 half-price). For further information on car parking, transfers, etc consult the official site.

Get around

Morillon is quite small and once you have arrived you can easily get around on foot, however and especially if you are here in the winter and there is not enough snow to ski you will want a rental car to be able to fully enjoy the surrounding area and keep from going mad having to watch French television.

See
  • Le Bourg: Around the St Christopher church (16th century) the school and Town Hall, the solid bourgeoise houses have now become commercial premises.

Do

Winter

Skiing, both cross country and downhill are the primary winter sports in Morillon, the resort website provided in both French and English covers the ski area in depth as well as the possibilities of linking up on skis with the surrounding areas that comprise "Le Grand Massif."

Summer

In the summer they are replaced by hiking, Mountain bicycling, golf and other adventure activities like rock climbing and white water rafting.

Golf
  • Golf de Flaine – Les Carroz, ☏ +33 4 50 90 80 74. 18 holes, length 4063 m, par 63 Open 1/7-31/8, weekends only 15-30 June and 1-30 September. Green fees (daily) 18 holes €30, 9 holes €19 A spectacular mountain course at an altitude of 1900 m, fantastic views over the Alps. 
  • Practice de Golf du Lac aux Dames, Samoëns, ☏ +33 4 50 34 40 28. Length 150m. Open 1 July-31 Aug. Driving range over water and 9-hole putting green. 
  • Golf des Gets, ☏ +33 4 50 75 87 63. 18 holes, length 5264m, par 70. Open: 15 June-20 Oct. Green fees (daily) from €29 to €38, weekend passes available, Mountain golf course with a superb panoramic view. 
  • Golf d’Avoriaz, Morzine, ☏ +33 4 50 74 17 08. 9 holes, length 2923m, par 36. Open: 29 Jun-15 Sep. Green fees (daily) €21. Mountain golf links at the entrance to the resort of Avoriaz. Superb panoramic view. 
Adventure Activities

Buy

Being a typical small mountain village there are the rather typical shops:

  • Tabac The local newspaper and tobacco shop, also sells items like post cards, maps and souvenirs.
  • Bakery Tiffany A typical French bakery this small chain is specific to the Vallee du Giffre and has its main production just down the road in Samoëns
  • R.Roux Located in "le Messidor" at the edge of town he is the village butcher, he sells excellent local meat, prepared foods, pizzas, and pastries in the mornings.
  • Kevin's Sports Also located in "le Messidor" this sports shop operates primarily in the winter months as a ski shop.
  • Twinner Sports operated year round by the second local ski hero Phillipe Vernert this is the closest shop to the ski lift and one of the best in town.

There is a lively farmers market on Friday mornings in Morillon with local produce, pastries, cheeses, and meats.

Eat

With in Morillon and its environs lay a number of very good a well priced restaurants, almost all of them specializing in local dishes or Pizza. Among the best are:

  • Le Potet across the river in Verchaix, €10-15 for entrées
  • Le Tourne Piere locate a few meters from the center of town, €12-20 for entrées

A wide variety of prepared take away food is also available from R.Roux at the far edge of town and the local Hyper-Markets.

Drink
  • Bar Le Parisian - this bar is centrally located across from the church, it is a full service bar
  • Le Puzze - Located just across from the telecabin this bar is popular with English tourists and serves a limited lunch and dinner menu.

Sleep

The primary source of accommodation in Morillon is rental chalets and apartments many of which can be booked on the internet and a particularly simple option as many of the owners are British. There is one hotel centrally located in town the Hotel Le Morillon.

Splurge

Located Down the Valley in Samoëns:

  • Hotel Neige et Roc. A 3-star rated hotel on the north end of Samoëns, open year round and providing both hotel and apartment style accommodation. Rooms start at €120 in the low season for a half board room and rising to €160 in the high season for that same room 

Mid-range
  • Hotel le Morillon, ☏ +33 4 50 90 10 32, fax: +33 4 50 90 70 08, . Pool, heated spa for those cold winter days after skiing. Rooms can be reserved online, in typical French fashion food will be included as part of the price unless other wise specified by you. Prices here range from a very reasonable €55 a night in the low season up to approximately €90 in high season. 
  • Chalet Rentals. There are a number of very reasonable chalets and apartments that can be booked by the week or month. 

Budget

There are no traditional budget accommodations in Morillon such as hostels or motels due to the size of the town, however if one contacts the local tourist office rooms can be rented from some of the local farmers.

Go next

There are many easy local day trips from Morillon: by car Chamonix, Les Gets, and Sixt with its pristine Cirque Du Fer-a-Cheval national park and Cascade Du Roget are all easily reachable. Bicycling distance from Morillon is the larger village of Samoëns.

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