off the bike

You may already have noticed that we focus pretty heavily on bikes and riding. However, we recognize that quite a few people like to take a rest from riding on one day of their holiday, or bring along a non-riding partner or friend, so we’ve got together a few of the options to fill your non-riding time.

Morzine

Whether you want adrenalin or relaxation there’s plenty of non-bike options. Lac Montriond is a beautiful place to while away a few hours or a day. Take a book with you, read, swim and go for a walk round the lake. Or just head straight to the outdoor pool in Morzine.

There are loads of great hikes around. We can help you find a marked route to suit the time and difficulty level you’re after. Or head to the local stables for a different mount than usual! There are also a couple of golf courses around.

Want an adrenalin rush? Well, there’s some great white water rafting or a trip to lac Leman to try wakeboarding or windsurfing. You could even take to the skies in a parapente for an alternative view of Morzine. We can also highly recommend the Fantasticable at Chatel which can even be factored into a days ride. There are fantastic adventure parks for kids, plus rock climbing and the summer luge.

If you’re after a spa then the best has to be at Lavey les Bains. It’s a couple of hours drive away, but well worth it, especially as it’s a beautiful drive through the mountains. Once there you can relax in the thermal pools, Jacuzzis, saunas, flotation pool or get a massage.

If you’re into road riding then you can have a go at a few of the classic Tour de France climbs, such as the Joux Plan. Be warned though, it’s not for the faint hearted!

As for the evenings….there are too many bars and restaurants within an easy walk to mention them all here. We can recommend great places for a quiet drink in the sun or for night long drinking and dancing.

Alpe d’Huez

There’s plenty to do here too if you can tear yourself away from the trails. Alpe d’Huez has really done well in including loads of extras in the week long lift pass. As well as giving you access to all the lifts you need for biking or trekking, your pass will let you in the swimming pool, the outdoor skating rink, tennis courts and the mini golf pitch.

If you can’t resist it then there’s the legendary 21 hairpins of the road climb up to Alpe d’Huez. OK, so strictly that is still biking, but as it’s road biking and pretty different to riding the Mega we’re keeping it in this section.

If you like heading upwards on rock as well as down then there’s plenty of climbing and Via Ferratta to try. You could take to the skies in a parapente, or stick firmly on the ground with a round of golf.

There are also plenty of playgrounds for children as well as various organized activities.