The Rothschilds' alternative to St. Moritz — Savoyard chic
Megève was invented in 1920 by Baroness Noémie de Rothschild, who wanted a French alternative to St. Moritz that felt genuinely French rather than Swiss. The result is a perfectly preserved Savoyard village with a cobblestone centre, horse-drawn sleighs, and more Michelin stars per resident than almost any other ski resort. The skiing across three linked areas covers 445km of pistes. Paul Bocuse and Marc Veyrat both had outposts here. It lacks Courchevel's Russian-oligarch brasher edge, maintaining a quieter, older-money Parisian elegance.
Megève was a farming village until Noémie de Rothschild commissioned architect Henry Jacques Le Même to design chalet-style hotels and infrastructure in 1920. Le Même's Savoyard architecture became the template for French ski resort aesthetics. Pre-war Megève drew Coco Chanel, Gary Cooper, and Marlene Dietrich. The village centre remains largely unchanged — Megève has resisted the tower-block expansion that ruined many neighbouring resorts.