Haute-Savoie at a glance

With popular ski resorts, spa towns and Annecy as its capital, Haute-Savoie is popular with property buyers looking for an outdoor mountain lifestyle

In Rhône-Alpes, the high peaks of the Alps stand majestically over Lake Geneva and Lake Annecy in Haute-Savoie, where property will set you back €340,000on average. Easily accessible by low-cost flights into Geneva or TGV from Paris, Haute-Savoie has a cluster of excellent ski resorts including Avoriaz, Chamonix, Megève and Morzine, alongside relaxing spa towns such as Évian-les-Bains and Thonon-les-Bains, and boasts the charms of its capital Annecy, an old medieval city with its network of canals and streams. With its fresh, clean air, reliably hot summers and cold winters, Haute-Savoie is perfect for those seeking to make the most of the outdoors: biking, hiking, horseriding, swimming, sailing and skiing to name but a handful of activities on offer here.

The food is equally robust: raclette, fondue, tartiflette and gâteau de Savoie all go down well with dry white Savoyard wine such as Crépy or Sessel.

What an expat says:

Julie and Tony McMahon run Family Friendly Skiing, a ski company in La Tania. They love the area. “The outdoor life is fantastic,” Julie says. “We do water sports in the summer and then we ski in the winter. It’s just buzzing with people doing things outside all year round.”

What a property agent says:

“Haute-Savoie is the ideal region to live in France, with quick and easy travel connections, amazing scenery, and lots of summer and winter activities for all ages and abilities. In the resorts, property can be expensive and this brings the average price up, but it can represent a good investment and bring a healthy rental return.” Carrie Smith, Pastures GreenerRead more about Haute-SavoieRead our quick guides to Morbihan and Dordogne