We are considering a few days in Megève over the summer (if we can get our campervan conversion sorted). It looks really pretty but I’m struggling to find out much about it. Anyone been?

Looking for advice on mountain biking mostly but we will have road bikes with us. Also keen for campsite/food recommendations.
Cheers

There is some info here regarding Megève mountain biking on Graham’s excellent Chamonix Bike blog http://www.chamonixbikeblog.com/tag/les-portes-du-mont-blanc,megeve,combloux/

Get Graham to take you out for a day and he can show you all the best trails! http://alpineflowmtb.com/

Been on skis, only thin I can say is that out of everywhere I have been in the alps it’s the most expensive. Nice though.

Spent a few days there last year and it was OK as it’s in the Alps and it’s pretty, but not amazing for MTB although we didn’t go too mad looking for back country trails or have a guide, so what we rode was quite old school VTT routes. Having last been c. 4-5 years prior, it had quite a good bike park with multiple lifts but none except the main lift were running last year as far as we could see and much of the higher trail network looked really un-used (probs as the lifts were shut).

E-bike tours seemed to be the big thing, so maybe less need for the lifts.

Road riding in the area looks pretty good however.

We camped at Camping Bornard which was a nice spot but a few km’s out of town. http://www.camping-megeve.com/

The town is pretty bling, didn’t eat out there but it looked a bit spendy when we went for a wander.

We stayed there last summer for a few days. Enjoyed it. Nice town, good food, quite pricey, very good swimming pool/leisure centre, good toboggan.

MTB is patchy though. Lift up over the golf course takes you up to Mont d’Arbois, and there are some nice blue runs for the kids down the other side, towards the Le Bettex lift station, above St. Gervais. Gervais has some nice trails but they are harder to find, and you need a proper map to find them, not just a ‘trail diagram’.

On the other side there is also a lift (Télécabine du Jaillet) but the trails down aren’t very good, and badly marked too.

Not the best imo. I’ve been, it pissed down, I crashed lots, beer was expensive. I’d nip back for a day but not a full trip. Some rooty old school lines which I usually love but i didn’t really gel with the place. Oh and the cable cars are terrible. Compared to the modern setups for bikes feels very antiquated.

Megève positions itself to the upmarket visitor, with hotels, shops, restaurants and events catering to this. Whilst you can still find good value options in Megève if you look beyond to eat in one of the nearby villages (Praz sur Arly, Combloux, St Gervais etc) you will find your money goes further.

I’ve been to the area three times in the past 3 years (3 weeks total) and found the weather pretty good, probably because it’s only at 1300m altitude. If you have a dodgy few days there are other options. The Palais Des Sports in Megève has great pools (indoor, outdoor, spa) and ice rink. A horse jumping competition takes place opposite the Palais in July and there is a jazz festival too, with other events in nearby villages.

There are lots of MTB trails in the area, with Megève, Combloux etc tourist information offices selling a map covering the extended area. https://www.prazsurarly.com/vtt/ has some PDF maps or look at the MB Race route and http://utagawavtt.com for some inspiration! They are definitely more XC orientated, with downhill options limited and with ageing telecabines as said before. It’s easy to go off course as waymarking can be poor.

Road biking routes are numerous with options in all directions. A couple of suggestions are Col des Aravis for a short ride but good climb (and cafe at the top) or Col de Joux Plane for a big day (~120km, 2500m total) from Megève with a return via the Côte de Domancy.

I’ve not camped in either but there two campsites near Demi Quartier / the Princesse lift which is a good location for getting around albeit a couple of km out of town. They are Camping Bornand and Camping la Demi Lune, both look fine.

It is a pleasant town but I wouldn’t recommend going there to for MTB as there are much better set up places not too far away. Looks like it used to be pretty reasonable but now it seems set up to get the most out of ebike rental with guided tours of fire roads and tarmac lanes. Lifts to the areas that seemed best for riding don’t run in the summer anymore.
I did have a good day exploring with a map and linking up some of the official published routes with walking paths to avoid fire road descents. There is definitely some good enduro trails but probably need some local knowledge to find them.

Stayed at the Half moon campsite, it’s nice enough basic site It’s a fair walk to the closest shops/bakery.

The campsites are small so getting available pitch seemed to be pot luck.

If you’re in that neck of the woods Forget Megève and visit Col Des Saisies – there’s loads of good trails including an epic down the Albertville. Great little campsite in Beaufort just down the hill, which is a lovely little village with cheap eateries and a little supermarket.

Oh and a free bus from Beaufort.

Seconded everything here; it’s our fave Alpine town as it’s so lovely. The towerist office will sell you a combined forfait for swimming (amazing pools) and the luge and possibly even some cable car trips – can’t remember. The mountain biking isn’t very extensive but it’s a nice place for a few days with a family. Take the time to go over to Chamonix and if the weather’s good see if you can get up the Aiguille du Midi, which is something everybody ought to do once in their life, hang the expense. Once you’ve reached the top come back down, get out at Plan Praz half way and walk along the Grand Balcon to Montenvers railway station on the Mer de Glace then come down in the train – the same ticket covers this.

https://www.chamonix.com/aiguille-du-midi-step-into-the-void,80,en.html

Cheers all for your advice. We are in the van so will go to a few places and wondered if Megeve was worth adding to the list. I agree about La Saises Mildred, we have stayed there before up at the Alpage of Jorets site which was stunning.

Not tried Megève, but would give a big thumbs up to Les Saisies. Had a great trip there last summer. L’Adret Naline is a fun line but I would avoid Areches No12.