Samoëns is a French commune located in the southern department of Haute-Savoie, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, adjoining the Swiss border. Village of the community of communes of the Giffre Mountains, the municipality had 2,396 inhabitants in 2015. Its ski resort and ski area merged with the Grand Massif ski area. The municipality of Samoëns is located in the heart of the northern Pre-Alps in the Giffre Valley. This mountain town is one of the largest in the department of Haute-Savoie. The valley of Samoens and its nine hamlets are distinguished by the wealth of its heritage and a continuous activity throughout the year, mainly led by winter and summer tourism. The chief town is located at 703 meters of altitude, but the town culminates at 2,666 m at the forefront of Avoudrues.