Les Saisies

Les Saisies is a a small, traditional village in the Espace Diamant ski area. Dubbed by some as the ‘French Tyrol’ it’s a family friendly resort in a spectacular Alpine setting. With fantastic views of the Mont Blanc and a position nestled amongst gentle hills, this is the perfect place for beginners to start skiing.

Les Saisies is comprised of two villages; Hauteluce and Bisanne 1500. The resort first became prominant during the 1992 Winter Olympic Games in Albertville. It is a charming traditional French village, with timberclad chalets and a surprisingly good selection of bars, restaurants and shops. The resort is best known for its cross country skiing, with gentle trails and breath-taking scenery, but the recent growth of the Espace Diamant means the resort is home to some good Alpine skiing too.

Les Saisies is located half way between the Beaufortain and the Val d’Arly valleys, easily accessed by motorway from Albertville and Megeve. The resort is roughly two hours from Geneva and an hour and twenty minutes from Chambery.

Les Saisies is not only a part of the varied, wooded Espace Diamant ski area, but it's also the premier cross country ski area in France, and boasts a range of olympic standard trails. The area is best for beginner and intermediate Alpine skiers, with much of the terrain in the Espace Diamant offering gentler, well groomed slopes that casual skiers of all abilities will love.

There are 140km of Nordic Skiing trails, and the resort hosted all of the Nordic events at the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympic. This world famous cross country ski area is one of the highest in Europe, and opens from December all the way through to April. As one of the best cross country skiing venues in France, Les Saisies is also home to an excellent Biathlon course. 

Although the area is less famous for its Alpine skiing, the Espace Diamant has recently expanded to cover 70km, ensuring there is enough skiing for Alpine and cross country skiers alike to enjoy themselves. This is one of only a small number of Alpine resorts that offers genuinely excellent cross country trails, and good Alpine skiing. 

Although Les Saisies is more popular in winter than in summer, it remains an excellent dual season option. As one of the flatter mountain villages, Les Saisies is a pleasant place to enjoy biking, hiking and horse riding. Children visiting the resort during summer always enjoy the leisure park and the via ferrata on the mountain. 

The village itself boasts a lively centre, with a range of restaurants, bars, pubs, pizzarias and grills available. Les Saisies has a good number of shops, with rental equipment, biking and hiking gear for sale. A pretty Savoyarde town set on a gentle slope, this is an exceedingly charming place to spend time during the summer months.

Those looking for attractions outside of Les Saisies itself can turn to nearby Annecy, with its famous lake, as well as the Aguille du Midi in Chamonix. The village is on the Route des Grandes Alpes, linking Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean, and gets a number of tourists travelling along the route each year.

There are very few resale properties on the market in Les Saisies, with chalets and apartments coming available rarely. New build apartments, although still fairly unusual, are slightly more available than resale chalets, and often have better positions in the resort; be it ski in / ski out or a central location close to the bars, restaurants and shops.

The bulk of property in Les Saisies is leaseback, making this an excellent choice for an investment property. The dual season popularity of the resort means that owners and investors will have a reliable annual income from the property, as well as being able to use it throughout the year.