Megève

Rothschild-built belle-époque village: chic, family-leaning, Mont-Blanc-facing.

Megève is the showpiece of Évasion Mont-Blanc, a belle-époque resort built by the Rothschild family in the 1920s as a French alternative to Switzerland's St. Moritz. The pedestrianised village centre keeps medieval-and-Savoyard character (cobbles, horse-drawn sleighs, baroque church), and the lodging spans cosy auberges to high-end heritage hotels. Skiing is gentler than the Tarentaise majors; the area suits families and intermediates more than expert skiers.