Morzine Mountain Biking

Morzine is a mountain bike downhill and cross-country destination in the Portes du Soleil region of the French Alps, with lift-served trails from the Pleney and Super Morzine gondolas on either side of the valley. Trails are colour-graded green through black and range from short beginner runs to descents of 30km or more, and the valley also carries a network of gravel and road cycling routes. There is easy access to neighbouring Les Gets and Avoriaz across the wider Portes du Soleil network.

The Trails

Morzine sits at the heart of the Portes du Soleil, one of the largest lift-served mountain bike networks in Europe, with five bike parks and around 22 bike-friendly lifts sharing a single pass. Two gondolas give access to riding on either side of the valley.

The Pleney gondola rises from the village to 1,560m, with a vertical drop of 560m over a 3.25km descent linking down toward Les Gets and Mont Chery. Trails here are colour-graded green through black, from gentle blue runs such as La Family, around 4.5km long, to the black Mainline run. New for 2026 are three black singletracks at Pleney: Woodride, which joins Mainline halfway down, and Legal 1.0 and Legal 2.0, short technical extensions off the blue Twisty trail. The blue Chevreuil run has also been reshaped into a more authentic bike park trail, and the run formerly known as Retour Morzine has been redesigned and renamed Repeat.

On the other side of the valley, the Super Morzine gondola serves downhill trails toward Avoriaz, with connections into the Swiss side of the Portes du Soleil network.

Only official, waymarked trails should be ridden. Riding or building off-piste lines in the woods around Morzine is against French law, and since 2025 the lift operator has been closing and signposting unauthorised trails, with police patrols and fines for riders who ignore the signs.

Gravel Riding

Away from the lift-served bike parks, the valley also has road and gravel routes for a change of pace, including a gravel-specific stage of the Route des Grandes Alpes that runs through the Dranse Gorges into Morzine. The annual Pass'Portes du Soleil weekend now includes a gravel route alongside its mountain bike and e-mountain bike days.

Guides, Shuttles and Hire

The lifts are the uplift here: a Portes du Soleil or Morzine bike pass carries you and your bike up the Pleney and Super Morzine gondolas and on across the network, so there is no need for a van shuttle to ride the bike park. Lessons with French-qualified instructors, guided days and bike hire are all available in the village, a short walk from the Pleney gondola. Because riding off the waymarked trails is illegal and enforced here, ask any guide which routes it rides and how they fit the rules.

• Alpes Attitude: a mountain bike school with MCF-qualified instructors, running three-hour bike park initiation and performance sessions for riders aged 11 and over and mountain rides from age 10, as single half days or three half-day courses that include the bike, protection and lift pass, plus bike hire, based in Morzine.
• Bike Morzine: half-day and full-day guiding and coaching tailored to the group, including e-bike guiding and kids' coaching, alongside bike hire, lift pass sales and mountain bike holiday packages, based in Morzine.
• Ecole VTT MCF Morzine: the village's Moniteurs Cyclistes Français school, with group and private lessons for adults and children at all levels in downhill, enduro, e-bike and discovery riding, meeting at the Mathias Sport shop between the tourist office and the Pleney gondola.
• MTB Rental Morzine: a bike-only shop hiring downhill, enduro, electric and children's bikes, with sales, spares and a workshop, open daily through the summer season, based in Morzine.
• Pleney Sports: downhill, enduro and children's bike hire with helmet and protection included, based next to the slopes at the foot of the Pleney in Morzine.

Some of these operators publish little online, so contact them before you travel to check they're running.

Getting There from the UK

Geneva is the nearest airport and has the widest choice of flights from the UK, at around an hour and a quarter by road from Morzine. Lyon Saint-Exupéry is around two and a half hours away. Shared and private transfers run from Geneva, and Altibus coaches link Geneva airport with Morzine bus station, though summer timetables are thinner than in winter, so check before you book.

By rail, take the Eurostar to Paris and a TGV from Paris Gare de Lyon towards Haute-Savoie. TGVs run to Cluses and, on some days, to Thonon-les-Bains, and from either station a local bus climbs to Morzine in under an hour. Allow three to four hours from Paris to the valley, plus connections. Bikes need planning on the high-speed legs: Eurostar and TGV each have limited bike spaces or require the bike to be bagged, so reserve a space or pack your bike before you travel. Regional TER trains take bikes free, space permitting.

Driving from Calais or the Channel Tunnel is around 900km, roughly nine hours on toll motorways via Reims, Dijon and Geneva, then the A40 to Cluses and the D902 up through Taninges and Les Gets to Morzine. Having a car makes it easy to bring your own bikes and kit and to reach the other Portes du Soleil resorts.

Once in Morzine, the main bike park base is the Pleney gondola, Route du Telepherique, 74110 Morzine, where there is a pay car park. The Super Morzine gondola on the Avoriaz side of the valley offers a second access point.

When to Go

The Pleney gondola usually runs daily from mid-June to mid-September, with pre-opening weekends in early June some years and evening sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays in July and August. The upper lifts on the Pleney side, and many of the lifts linking across the Portes du Soleil, only run from early July to the end of August, so that window gives you the full network. Dates vary a little each year, so check the resort's timetable before you book.

July and August fall within the French school summer holidays and are the busiest months, peaking around the 14 July and 15 August public holidays. The Pass'Portes du Soleil ride, which draws thousands of riders, takes place on the last weekend of June each year, and neighbouring Les Gets has hosted UCI Mountain Bike World Cup rounds in recent summers, so book early for those weeks. Late June and early September are quieter, with the Pleney and Super Morzine gondolas still running but fewer links open.

Morzine village sits at around 1,000m and the Pleney top station at 1,560m, while the Avoriaz side climbs higher, so it can be cool and windy up high even on a hot day in the valley. Summer thunderstorms tend to build through the afternoon and can close lifts temporarily, so start early, carry a waterproof layer and check the forecast each morning. The trails get dusty and loose in dry spells and slippery after rain.

Where to Stay

Morzine centre is the natural base: the Pleney gondola, the bike schools, hire shops, restaurants and bars are all within walking distance. Staying on the north side of the valley, near the Super Morzine gondola, suits riders who plan to spend more time heading towards Avoriaz and Switzerland, and the smaller villages of Montriond and Essert-Romand, just along the valley, are quieter alternatives with the lifts a short drive away. From Morzine you can ride into Les Gets, Avoriaz and Châtel, and across the border to Champéry, Les Crosets, Champoussin and Morgins.

Accommodation runs from catered and self-catered chalets, including specialist mountain bike chalets that add guiding, bike storage and a bike wash, to hotels, apartments and campsites in the surrounding valley. Many places to stay sell the Portes du Soleil Multi Pass, which covers the pedestrian lifts and dozens of valley activities, which suits non-riding family members, but it does not replace a bike lift pass.

Women's Groups and Sessions

Atlas Ride Co runs a week-long women's coaching camp from a chalet in central Morzine, with five days of coaching on the Portes du Soleil trails led by Emily Horridge, a Masters Downhill World Champion, covering body position, cornering, braking, drops and jumps.

Beyond the Trails

Morzine is a full alpine resort as well as a bike destination, with hotels, chalets and apartments to suit every budget, and bars and restaurants in the village and up at altitude. Summer visitors can also take on 18 waymarked hiking routes with two staffed mountain refuges, try via ferrata and other adventure activities, paraglide, ride horses, play golf or cool off at the lake. A Multi-Pass gives discounted or included access to dozens of other activities across the valley for anyone looking beyond two wheels.

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