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Samoëns

File:View_toward_Samoëns_from_below_Tête_des_Saix.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Samoëns (; Arpitan: Samouens) is an alpine commune on the Swiss border in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France. It was the principal commune for the canton that bore its name until it was abolished in 2015. The town of Samoëns is located in the French Alps' Vallée du Giffre (Giffre Valley), just southwest of Champéry in Valais.

OverviewAI-generated

Samoëns is a commune in France, situated within the Canton of Samoëns in the arrondissement of Bonneville, Haute-Savoie. It serves as the capital of the Canton of Samoëns and is part of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. The municipality has an area of 97.29 square kilometers and shares borders with Arâches-la-Frasse, Morillon, Morzine, and Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval. Its postal code is 74340.

The population of Samoëns is recorded as 2,513, comprising 1,193 males and 1,265 females. Another source lists the population as 2,581. The elevation above sea level is noted as 2,665 meters in one dataset, while other sources indicate elevations of 721 and 706 meters. The town is twinned with Fordongianus and is associated with the canton of Cluses for electoral purposes.

Synthesized by Vinony from 48 facts across 8 sources: Wikidata, Openweathermap, Open Meteo, OpenStreetMap, Firecrawl, GeoNames, Vinony graph, Geo. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

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Place details

Locality
Samoëns
Region
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Country
France
Population
2,581
Timezone
Europe/Paris

via OpenStreetMap · GeoNames

Key facts

French commune.name
Samoëns
French commune.commune status
Commune
French commune.image
View toward Samoëns from below Tête des Saix.jpg
French commune.caption
A general view of Samoëns
French commune.image coat of arms
Blason ville fr Samoëns (Haute-Savoie).svg
French commune.arrondissement
Bonneville
French commune.canton
Cluses
French commune.INSEE
74258
French commune.postal code
74340
French commune.mayor
Jean-Charles Mogenet
French commune.term
2020–2026
French commune.intercommunality
Montagnes du Giffre
French commune.demonym
Septimontains
French commune.elevation m
710
French commune.elevation min m
671
French commune.elevation max m
2665
French commune.area km2
97.29

via Wikipedia infobox

Official website

Accueil - Mairie de Samoëns

NOS HORAIRES D’OUVERTURE le lundi de 9h à 12h et de 15h à 18h, le mardi de 9h à 12h, le mercredi de 9h à 13h, le jeudi de 9h à 12h, le vendredi de 9h à 12h et de 14h à 16h.

mairiedesamoens.fr

Link to the official site · 37,343 chars · not written by Vinony

Travel guide

Get in

The nearest major airport is the international airport in Geneva, located about 45 minutes away by car and serviced by most major airlines as well as some discount carriers.

The European high-speed train, the TGV, can also take you from most major cities in Europe to its terminal in Geneva or a connector train from the terminal at Annecy can take you all the way to Cluses.

The SAT bus can be taken from Geneva or Cluses into the valley and will drop you off at multiple small towns including Samoëns along the way.

Get around

Taxis in this part of France are very scarce, so if you truly value your mobility, a car is a necessity in the winter months. During the summer, given the size of the town, one could easily get by with a bicycle.

See

Rated as one of the most beautiful national parks in France, Cirque du Fer-a-Cheval is a short drive away. On a clear summer day, do not miss the views of the Massif de Mt. Blanc from the top of the Col De Joux Plan, or the Cascade Du Rouget near Sixt.

Do

For the adventurous vacationer summer activities include: White water rafting, kayaking, para gliding, mountain biking at the local ski areas, hiking at the Cirque du Fer-A Cheval, cycling many of the Tour De France routes that criss-cross the valley, the "Indiana Park" or ropes course, mountain-climbing and 4-wheeling. For the less adventurous vacationer there are a number of out door cafes, bars, a weekly market, restaurants, a public pool and water slide, as well as many parks.

During the winter months this valley and the Haute Savoie in general are at the heart of the French skiing experience, Samoëns links up to the Grande Massif ski area with its more than 100 lifts and wide variety of terrain.

Drink

Samoens is not well known for its nightlife but there is actually plenty to be found for those who go looking. Coveys Irish Pub on the edge of town serves good draft beer and has a lively, cosy atmosphere. Guanacao bar is another lively nightspot worth checking out.

Go next

It is short drive out of Samoëns to both the Portes du Soleil ski area and the lovely towns of Morzine and Les Gets, a further drive in the opposite direction will send you towards Cluses and the A40 lead you to that most famous of all French mountain towns Chamonix.

Travel guide from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0)

~4 min read

Encyclopedic overview

8 sections
Contents
  • Population
  • Stonemasons
  • Tourist destination
  • Jaysinia and the Cognac-Jaÿ Foundation
  • Chapels
  • See also
  • References
  • External links

Samoëns (; Arpitan: Samouens) is an alpine commune on the Swiss border in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France. It was the principal commune for the canton that bore its name until it was abolished in 2015. The town of Samoëns is located in the French Alps' Vallée du Giffre (Giffre Valley), just southwest of Champéry in Valais.

==Population==

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Samoëns” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (3)

On the map

2 mapped locations