Villas in Portes du Soleil

Champéry suits skiers who want a real village, Les Crosets ski-in access and Champoussin quiet family weeks, but low slopes can lack snow. This is chalet country on the Swiss side of the Portes du Soleil, one of the largest linked ski areas in the Alps, shared with Avoriaz and Morzine in France. In summer it turns into a mountain-biking and walking area.

Where

Villas: 61
From, per week: £448
Cheapest month: November
Nearest airports: Geneva is the closest airport, around an hour and a half by car. By train, change at Aigle for the mountain railway to Champéry, around two and a half hours in all. Flights from London to Geneva take around an hour and a half.

Where to stay in Portes du Soleil

Champéry

Champéry is the main village of the Val d'Illiez, a long street of old wooden chalets under the Dents du Midi, with bars, restaurants and a sports centre with an ice rink. The cable car climbs to Croix de Culet in under five minutes, where the slopes connect to Les Crosets and over the Swiss Wall to Avoriaz. A red mountain train runs down to Monthey and Aigle. Geneva airport is around an hour and a half away.

Best for: Skiers and walkers who want a proper village with shops and bars

Not for you if: You want to ski from the door: the slopes start at the top of the cable car.

Les Crosets

Les Crosets is a small, high-altitude resort built for skiing, at around 1,700 metres above Val-d'Illiez. Most chalets and apartments sit on or near the slopes, and the lifts connect quickly to Champéry, Champoussin and the steep Chavanette run (the Swiss Wall) on the French border. Snow here is more reliable than down in Champéry. The village is busy by day and very quiet once the lifts close.

Best for: Keen skiers who want to step out onto the pistes

Not for you if: You want evening life: Les Crosets has a handful of restaurants and little else.

Champoussin

Champoussin sits on a sunny, open shelf between Les Crosets and Morgins, with easy runs close to the chalets and links into the wider Portes du Soleil. It is smaller and calmer than Champéry, which suits families with younger children. In summer the open pastures make for easy walks with views to the Dents du Midi. Supplies mean a drive down to Val-d'Illiez or Monthey.

Best for: Families who want gentle slopes and a quiet base

Not for you if: You want a range of shops and restaurants: there is very little in the village.

Val-d'Illiez and the valley floor (Collombey-Muraz)

Val-d'Illiez is a farming village a few minutes below Champéry, on the same railway line, and usually cheaper to stay in. The road up to Les Crosets and Champoussin starts here, around 15 minutes by car. Collombey-Muraz is lower again, on the Rhône valley floor near Monthey, and suits a summer stay mixing Lake Geneva with the mountains. Champéry is around 25 minutes from there.

Best for: Value, with the slopes a short drive away

Not for you if: You don't want to drive to the lifts each day: there is no ski lift in the village.

When to go to Portes du Soleil

The ski season runs from mid-December to early April. Christmas, New Year and February half-term are the busiest weeks. Champéry sits at around 1,000 metres, so snow in the village is not guaranteed, and early or late in the season you may need to ride the cable car down. Les Crosets and Champoussin hold snow better. Summer runs from late June to October, when the bike park and walking trails open. May and November are dead, with lifts shut and many restaurants closed.