Christmas in Morzine: What to Do and Where to Eat

There aren't many more magical places to spend Christmas than in an Alpine ski resort like Morzine. Ski your way through the festive period, celebrate with events across the resorts of the Portes du Soleil, and (hopefully) wake up to fresh snowfall on Christmas Day.

Here's everything you need to know about spending Christmas in Morzine.

What's on over Christmas in Morzine?

Christmas Eve is the main event of the holidays here in France and celebrated in style by the tourist offices of Morzine, Avoriaz, and Les Gets. Be sure to cosy up with a vin chaud or hot chocolate and watch the fireworks over the Pleney slopes on the 24th.

Morzine transforms into an Enchanted Village for two weeks over the Christmas period, with festive shows, live music, parades, and of course Father Christmas himself!

Ski around the Portes du Soleil during the days, then soak up the atmosphere around town in the evenings when all the bars and restaurants open their doors. 

What about Christmas dinner?

Christmas dinner is a huge part of Christmas Day but you don't have to swap turkey for tartiflette when you come to Morzine.

There are a number of restaurants in town that serve a traditional turkey Christmas dinner, complete with all the trimmings. In Morzine town centre, More Mountain favourites, La Grange, always serve up a delicious dinner. Le Local also offer a set Christmas menu, or for a spectacular setting beside lac de Montriond, check out Hotel du Lac. 

In France, the main Christmas meal is eaten on Christmas Eve and is usually based around seafood, with fish, fruits de la mer and oysters often served throughout the festive season. 

The Clin D’Oeil is located near the Carrefour supermarket in Morzine (ideal for guests staying in La Poste), and an excellent choice for a more traditionally French menu including superb duck dishes. 

At La Rotonde you can enjoy great French and Italian food with a twist, or for dishes made from local produce and cheese made on-site, how about La Ferme de Fruitiere (next to Cerf Penthouse, Apartment Ressachaux, and Apartment Les Echos).

Whether you want to go for the traditional UK turkey dinner, or try something else, if you want to eat out on Christmas Day we strongly recommend booking as early as possible!

Celebrating Christmas on the Mountain

Of course, you might want to have your Christmas meal on the mountain - you are spending it in a ski resort after all!

Eating on the mountain means you can have a few runs in the morning with your family and friends, then head straight to the restaurant. Where you'll usually be greated with a cosy log fire and a glass of vin chaud - perfect for warming those fingers and toes! If you have never skied to a Christmas dinner before, this is a really fun and exciting thing to do.

Here are our top picks for mountain restaurants around Morzine for Christmas, even for non-skiers. Just remember, you may have to ski back down the mountain afterwards, so go easy on the festive tipple!

Avoriaz

Avoriaz is a great option for Christmas dinner on the mountain because it is very easy to get to the restaurants for both skiers and for those on foot. Pedestrians can get on the Prodains lift, which takes you straight into Avoriaz.

At the top of the lift there are some great restaurants within walking distance, while skiers can ski right to the door.

Les Trappeurs is the first restaurant you see when you get off the Prodains lift. The food is typically Savoyard with plenty of local specialities and daily chef’s specials.

Chez Flo is similar to Les Trappeurs by way of style of cuisine and quality. Therefore, you can have an equally good time at either. But Chez Flo is probably the best option for a pre-Christmas dinner drink because they have the Round Bar: An igloo shaped conservatory bar outside the restaurant, which is a nice little stop off before dinner. If the weather is good, they remove the roof to let in the sun, making it great during spring too.

Village Igloo on the slopes just above the top of the Prodains lift is a bar and restaurant made entirely out of ice. It's a great place to have a few drinks, or share a traditional savoyarde fondue.

Lindarets

Lindarets is the area of chairlifts and restaurants at the top of the Ardent lift. It is easily accessible from Avoriaz or Chatel too. Its accessibility makes Lindarets a great meeting point for many groups of people, especially for those that have non-skiers in their party.

Les Marmottes is a little characterful restaurant in Lindarets and one of our regular stop offs as the food is great and reasonably priced. At the very least, it is the ideal place to warm up on a cold day with hot chocolate.

Le Chaudron is in the Lindarets Goat Village. This is the small village you will come across as you ski down to the Ardent car park. The Chaudron is very popular with More Mountain guests thanks to its fantastic food, which is typically French with traditional Savoyard dishes. The Chaudron is perfect for a cosy lunch on the mountain this Christmas.

Plaine Dranse

Plaine Dranse is the area above Chatel and is accessible from the top of the Chaux Fleurie chairlift in Lindarets. This area tends to be a bit quieter than Lindarets, and has some great pistes, so you can have a good ski in the morning before your Christmas dinner.

Our pick for restaurants in the Plaine Dranse is Chez BaBeth. If you are looking for an experience, you will get one here! Babeth herself will entertain you with her outgoing personality and showmanship. If you are lucky she will even give you a Christmas present! Babeth serves a set menu for Christmas. In the past, we have experienced goose and turkey Christmas dinners, served with Champagne and canapes.

Pleney

The Pleney side of the valley has some great tree lined pistes, which are great for all abilities. Riding around snow covered trees makes it feel a bit more Christmassy too. The other advantage of being on Pleney is that it is very easy to get back to the village after dinner. Either take one of the blue runs or the Pleney lift back down.

Le Vaffieu is located at the top of the Belvedere chairlift. Non-skiers can walk up to it from the top of the Pleney lift. The menu is very traditional but high quality Savoyard style. This place has a great atmosphere too. You will easily spot it from the top of the Belvedere lift, as it usually is the one playing music outside.

Nyon

Nyon is the big pointy mountain accessible from the Pleney side of the valley. There is lots of snowy terrain for beginners and experienced skiers alike. Therefore, it is a great place for families to have a pre-Christmas dinner ski. On a clear day, you will be treated to stunning views of Mont Blanc and Lake Geneva from the top of Nyon itself.

Chez Nannon is one of those places returning More Mountain guests go to every year. Again, they serve fantastic traditional Savoyard food. Think local meat and cheese with a lot of wine! The great thing about eating at Chez Nannon is that if you eat later in the afternoon, by the time you are ready to leave the pistes are deserted. This means you have them to yourself for the ski back down to Morzine.

How More Mountain Does Christmas 

Fully Catered Chalets

If you are staying in one of our fabulous catered chalets, you won’t have to go anywhere for Christmas dinner because we will take care of everything.

Wake up to a breakfast of Buck’s Fizz and smoked salmon, open your presents, then we'll drop you off at the slopes to enjoy the day on the mountain.

When you've finished skiing for the day, we'll pick you up and take you back to the chalet where we'll have mince pies and vin chaud waiting for you.

Then it's time to tuck into the main event - a traditional turkey roast dinner with all the trimmings (even pigs in blankets)!

All cooked, served and cleared away by your fantastic Chalet Hosts so you don't have to do a thing other than kick-back, relax, and enjoy yourself More Mountain style.

Self Catered Apartments

For our self catered guests that don't want to go out for Christmas dinner, we have a few options available for you:

Cook at Home

All our kitchens are well-equipped and have everything you need to cook your own Christmas dinner. If you have any specific food requirements (maybe a turkey...?) then get in touch with us as soon as possible and we can help.

Private Chef

Let someone else do the hard work so you can all enjoy the day together. We recommend a number of excellent private chefs who all make superb food and are great company to have any day of the year, let alone Christmas.

Even if you're just considering hiring a private chef in Morzine over the Christmas period we strongly recommend getting in touch with them as soon as possible to check their availability because we know they'll get  booked up! 

Meals on Wheels

La Grange provide our exclusive Meals on Wheels service of pre-prepared restaurant quality meals delivered direct to your apartment. This service is available throughout the winter, and Christmas dinner is no exception.

Our concierge team collect your meal from La Grange and deliver it to your chalet or apartment so when you are ready to eat, you just need to heat up your meal as per the included instructions and enjoy in the comfort of your More Mountain pad. Christmas dinner sorted without the hassle of food shopping or cooking!

Morzine is a great place to spend Christmas - to experience it for yourself, take a look at our Christmas properties and festive special offers.