Family Holidays: Les Gets family skiing and activity holidays

Take the Family holiday rating 4½ stars out of 5

Why

Les Gets has a great range of skiing and boarding throughout the winter and becomes a fantastic base for mountain biking and a multitude of other sports in the summer. Both seasons are ideally suited to families and the resort is a good base for exploring the wider area.

Away from the pistes is a French village dating back to the 11th Century. Les Gets offers a real insight into traditional life in the French Alps, combined with modern conveniences geared to making your holiday as hassle free as possible. There are a variety of bars, an ice rink, a bowling alley, a museum and a cinema. There is also a wide range of shops and a traditional weekly market.

Top left: Family Biking
Top right: Gondola

Bottom left: Children in a row
Bottom right: Les Gets in summer

When

The ski season runs from mid-December through to mid-April. Although Les Gets is a fairly low resort snow cannon cover is excellent and the grass based pistes hold the snow well into April. As in many resorts February half term is both busy and expensive. Mid-January and mid-March are ideally suited to families not tied into school holidays.

The summer season is relatively short and runs from early June through to mid September. Temperatures in July and August are typically in the high twenties and you can expect plenty of sunny days. Colder and wetter alpine weather can, however, roll in unexpectedly.

How

take the plane

There are numerous flights into Geneva from a variety of UK airports and the transfer to Les Gets is a little over an hour.

take the car and ferry

Alternatively Les Gets is one of the closest resorts to the channel with a driving time of approximately eight hours from Calais. Almost all of this is autoroute and there are plenty of reasonably priced hotels en-route if you want to break the journey.

Do

Skiing – Les Gets is part of the largest ski area in Europe. Via the Portes du Soleil network it links into resorts including Morzine, Avoriaz and Chalet. This vast skiing area has something for everyone, from peaceful nursery slopes in the heart of Les Gets to the notorious “Wall” on the Swiss border.

For non-skiers or anyone wanting a break from the slopes, there are numerous other activities available including snowshoeing, dog sledding, paragliding and ice skating. A beauty Salon offers a range of massages, facials, seaweed wraps and other services.

Summer – There is a huge variety of activities and sports available in Les Gets and the resort has become famous for the quality and variety of mountain bike trails on offer. You can try your hand at everything from pony trekking to paragliding but leisurely days beside the lake are also a firm favourite.

Eat

If you're staying in a chalet or hotel you'll be looked after for dinner. However, there are a wide variety of restaurants in the resort suiting all budgets. During the day you can try a variety of mountain restaurants, some of which have outstanding views across to Mont Blanc.

Cost

See accommodation section above and note that costs vary significantly depending on when in the ski season you plan to travel with your family, with school holidays putting more pressure on your budget. During February half term adults may not expect much change from £1,000 with ski passes and equipment on top. At other times prices can be half that amount.

In the summer Les Gets represents great value with self catering accommodation starting from just £685 for a family of four, including ferry crossings, on peak August dates. Activity costs can add up but there are plenty of things to do without spending extra money