Chamonix or Flaine?
They split the categories 3–3. This comes down to the kind of week you want rather than which resort is better.
France
Chamonix
A real town with the most serious mountain terrain in the Alps and the shortest transfer from Geneva. The ski areas are separate and bus-linked, which makes it a poor choice for families and a superb one for everyone else.
Worth knowing. The ski areas are separate and bus-linked, which costs an hour a day.
Choose it if
A non-skiing partner
About £1,215 a week from London
France
Flaine
A snow-sure north-facing bowl an hour from Geneva, and one of the shortest transfers to a big area in the Alps. Bauhaus concrete village that families forgive because everything is ski-in/ski-out.
Worth knowing. A treeless bowl and a concrete village. Families forgive both; nobody else does.
Choose it if
Families with young kids
About £1,084 a week from London
Side by side
| Chamonix | Flaine | |
|---|---|---|
| Snow reliability | 66/100 | 62/100 |
| Size of the ski area | 155 km | 265 km linked |
| Top lift | 3842 m | 2500 m |
| Cost before travel | €1190 | €1040 |
| Families with young kids | 4/10 | 9/10 |
| Snowboarders | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| A non-skiing partner | 9/10 | 3/10 |
| Budget and après | 6/10 | 5/10 |
| Off-piste | 10/10 | 7/10 |
Bold marks the winner. Rows where neither is bold are close enough that the difference would not change a decision. Cost excludes travel, which depends on where you leave from.
Piste kilometres, lift counts and prices are indicative and compiled from public sources — they have not yet been checked against the resort's own figures for this season. Costs are planning estimates, not quotes. Spotted one that is wrong? Tell us.