Les Houches MTB trails
Long mountain bike descents to the valley floor from the gentle to the advanced
Trails here range from gentle intermediate to advanced tree and steep gradient runs.
A favourite run with locals is the descent from the top of the Prarion gondola down to the village of St Gervais and Le Fayet. There are a number of different options, offering long and exhilarating runs down to the bottom.
A nice link up from St Gervais down to Le Fayet is the “Pipeline”, which follows (you guessed it) a large water pipeline, from the bottom of the Bettex cable car in St Gervais, down to the Thermal baths in Le Fayet, close to the train station. There are a couple of sections with long wooden steps in and some tight switchbacks, which will keep you on your toes - a great end to the ride down from Les Houches.
Once you're in Le Fayet you can either take the valley train back to Les Houches or Chamonix, or the tramway back up to the Col de Voza and top of the Bellevue cable car allowing you another downhill descent for the way home.
The original purpose made MTB trails which descended from the Bellevue lift have been abandoned in favour of the recently built track from the Prarion gondola. These old Bellevue trails still exist, along with a small handful off hidden trails in the woods on this side that will definitely challenge you (i.e. definitely not for beginners), but they are no longer being maintained and Compagnie du Mont Blanc is not encouraging their use.
Fortunately the new Prarion track is excellent, with a variety of blue and red options on the way down to keep you interested and allow for a wider range of riders and bikes to use it, though a full face helmet and body armour is recommended.
Another local favourite ride is a long trail that comes off the fire road after the tunnel close to the Prarion gondola. The track hairpins back to your left, down through the woods and into meadows on some really fast and flowy single track. If you're really going fast it might take you between 12-15 minutes to get all the way back to the road near the lifts at the bottom, though remember it is a shared use trail so don’t scare other users and risk losing the right to ride there!
Check out the trails near the Prarion gondola on this map. (Passerelle = north shore, Balise = trail marked - blue/red).
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What to see
Sights in Chamonix
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Montagnard museum
Situated in a house dating back to the 1750's, this museum showcases mountain lifestyles from the reconstruction of three pieces of traditional housing and objects from everyday life.
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Les Houches summer lifts
Les Houches sits at the bottom end of the Chamonix Valley and is a popular place for hikers, mountaineers and mountain bikers in the summer months.
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Parc de Merlet
Parc de Merlet is a great place to spot some local animals in their natural environment. A nature reserve, rather than a zoo, the park is perched on a large plateau high above Les Houches.
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Les Bossons glacier
This small two person chairlift is only open for a short time in summer, but it's great if you want to take a close up look at the bottom of the Glacier des Bossons.
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Tramway du Mont-Blanc
The Tramway du Mont Blanc runs from the bottom of the valley in Le Fayet all the way up to the Nid d'Aigle at 2,380m above Les Houches.
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Maison de l'Alpage museum
This little museum is housed in the same building as the post office and library in the village centre of Servoz.
Where to lunch
Restaurants in Les Houches
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Kitsch Inn Bar & Restaurant
Quirkily decorated, as the name suggests, this restaurant has different rooms for different moods. Grab a quick coffee and a snack at the breakfast bar, enjoy a casual meal in the retro formica kitchen area, or sit and take your time over dinner at one of the large tables in the dining room. They also have a large sunny terrace where they serve up a nice BBQ in the summer and a kids play area.
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Rocky Pop Restaurant
This restaurant is part of the popular Rocky Pop Hotel, opened in December 2016, whose ethos is "joy and togetherness".
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Le Delice Restaurant and Café
Le Delice in Les Houches serves fresh seasonal dishes made from scratch, including two flavour-packed burgers with homemade fries. There are veggie vegan and gluten-free options, plus a great drinks list with beers on tap cocktails and local liqueurs. Whether you're after lunch dinner or just a drink it's a welcoming spot with something for everyone.
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Gandhi Restaurant
This restaurant serves tasty, good value Indian cuisine for lunch, dinner and to takeaway.
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La Ferme des Agapes
This restaurant is located right in front of the Bellevue cable car in Les Houches.
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Les Vieilles Luges Restaurant
An authentic Alpine farmhouse with a charming ambience and great food. Located right in the middle of Les Houches ski resort, this chalet serves delicious home-cooked local produce.
What to do
Things To Do in Les Houches
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Chamonix Valley Vortex Walk
Chamonix-based photographer and writer Teresa Kaufman has been hosting Discovery & Photo Walks since 2011 in the beautiful and energy-charged environment of the Chamonix Valley. Orignally designed for budding photographers visiting Mont Blanc, Teresa’s walks have started to appeal to a different kind of visitor - those looking for a digital detox from the internet and social networks in order to reconnect to nature in Chamonix’s fantastic landscapes.
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Adaptive Sensory Walks in Chamonix
In 2012, the photographer/author Teresa Kaufman hosted her first group of autistic adolescents on a Discovery & Photo Walk in the valley of Chamonix. She is now introducing a 5 Senses Walk for disabled visitors - visually impaired, hard of hearing or autistic youngsters.
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Teresa Kaufman Discovery Walks & Mini-Photoshoot
An opportunity to get in the picture with Teresa Kaufman as your personal photographer, guide and story teller. This is the perfect activity accessible to everyone; children, adults, grandparents - easy walking, incredible scenery, a moment to share. Non-skiers will love it in the winter. An activity to experience with loved ones or to give as a gift.
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Ski Joering Mont Blanc
This is the original form of back-country sking and is horse drawn, plus great fun!
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Mont-Blanc Forest
Zip wires, rope bridges and tree top courses in the woods in Les Houches.
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Indoor Climbing Wall
The Chamonix valley is home to one of the largest indoor climbing walls in France. The Mont Blanc Escalade is located in Les Houches and is open all year.
