An expert’s honest review of every (major) French ski resort
Scroll down for the 10 top ski holidays in France for this winter
At the last count, you could ski in 246 resorts in France. The figure falls each winter as climate change causes the seasonal snow line to creep up the mountain. So far, nearly all the resorts that have decided to close their lift systems have been local hills in the Jura, Massif Central and foothills of the Pyrenees. In the winters to come, no doubt bigger names will fall by the wayside.
Meanwhile, there’s a huge amount of skiing to be had in the ones still going strong. Here’s my alphabetical take on 40 of them, where I’ve enjoyed myself down the years.
Alpe d’Huez
The sprawling, snowsure resort is a bit of an ugly duckling. However, recladding makes it easier on the eye – and you’ve come to ski, not to gawp at the buildings. Suitable for all levels, with the challenging Tunnel run that scared me back in 1966 still breeding butterflies today. Popular with the French, the slopes are prone to overcrowding at peak times.
Read our expert guide to ski holidays in Alpe d’Huez
Les Arcs
This major resort shares the giant 425km Paradiski area with La Plagne. Les Arcs offers high-altitude skiing from four purpose-built villages set at different altitudes. My favourite is snowsure Arc 1950, which has a super-relaxed ambience and is ideal for families. Take the train from London to Bourg-St-Maurice and then a funicular directly from the rail station up to Arc 1600, from where free ski buses link to the other three villages.
Read our expert guide to ski holidays in Les Arcs
Argentière
The Grands Montets area provides some of the most challenging skiing in the Chamonix Valley. If that’s your kind of terrain, it makes sense to stay here rather than tackle the crowded bus commute from Chamonix. You can ski through 2,035m to the valley floor, but hardened experts come here for vertiginous off-piste descents like the Pas de Chèvres.
Aussois
This is a small traditional village of slate and stone houses in the Maurienne Valley at the foot of the 3,697m Dent Parraché. The ambience is authentically rustic – there’s even a communal village oven. The skiing is geared towards beginners and intermediates, but there are a couple of demanding blacks and some spectacular off-piste. Visit also La Norma across the valley, which shares a lift pass.
Avoriaz
Quirky, car-free and as futuristic-looking now as when it opened in 1966, Avoriaz is perched on a cliff above Morzine. “Whatever’s that?” I asked my lift companion in 1989, pointing at the single plank on his feet. The original European home of snowboarding attracts cool young riders and twin tippers to its five terrain parks. Downside: the top lift only goes up to 2,225m, and it’s crowded when snow cover is poor lower down in the Portes du Soleil ski area.
Read our expert guide to ski holidays in Avoriaz
Barèges
There’s some great skiing to be found in the French Pyrenees and this is one of my favourites. Ryanair operates direct flights from Stansted to Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees Airport, with a transfer time of just 50 minutes. The quaint old village is linked to purpose-built La Mongie and has 100km of piste and 30 lifts. This is what small ski resorts in the Alps used to be like, a fact reflected in the lower prices.
Les Carroz
Les Carroz is one of five resorts in the 265km Grand Massif ski area and is the best choice for families. At 1,140m, the traditional village is lower than Flaine (1,600m) but attracts good snow because of its proximity to Mont Blanc. Plus point: the transfer time from Geneva airport is only 60 minutes.
Chamonix
This ancient skiing and climbing town has some seriously challenging terrain above it, with skiing geared towards competent intermediates and experts. Families, groups of mixed ability and beginners are frankly better off elsewhere. But, if you’re a powderhound, Chamonix is a point of pilgrimage and one to which you’ll return.
Read our expert guide to ski holidays in Chamonix
Châtel
Back in the 1960s when Olympic gold medallist Jean Vuarnet, of sunglasses fame, linked a dozen villages to form the Portes du Soleil, he saw Châtel on the Swiss frontier as one of the most important of them. But, at 1,200m, it’s too low nowadays for guaranteed cover. Sure, the modern lift system swiftly takes you higher, but I’d rather stay higher. Cross-border smuggling rather than skiing was the original sport here – although the most successful contrabandiers combined the two.
La Clusaz
It takes 60 minutes to drive here from Geneva airport, making this one of the most desirable resorts for a weekend or a family week with small children. Despite being a ski resort since 1908, the market town long ago developed a life beyond the winter season. It suits beginners and intermediates best, but the La Balme sector has plenty to keep advanced skiers happy for a few days.
Les Contamines-Montjoie
The family resort in the Mont Blanc Massif within reach of Megève and Chamonix somehow manages to attract the first winter snowfall in the area. With 24 lifts and 120km of skiing, it’s an attractive village and a serious destination for all standards of skier. There are connections to St Gervais and Megève and some outstanding off-piste opportunities if you know where to find them.
Courchevel
France’s most famous resort is not one, but six villages. Courchevel 1850 has eye-watering prices and, in more peaceful times, was patronised by Russian oligarchs. I prefer increasingly popular Moriond (1650), where you’ll find cheaper restaurants and après ski. It has its own ski area tucked away from the piste traffic of the Trois Vallées. In 1850 the rebuilt cable car is back this winter with access to some heart-stopping steeps for experts.
Read our expert guide to ski holidays in Courchevel
Les 2 Alpes
The large glacier resort is in the Dauphiné between Grenoble and Briançon. Back in 1939, its sole lift fell down within 15 minutes of the opening ceremony. The new Jandri Express, which cost €135 million, will reduce the journey time up to the glacier at 3,200m to just 15 minutes this winter. There is plenty of skiing for all here for much of the year.
Read our expert guide to ski holidays in Les 2 Alpes
Flaine
You either love or loathe it – the architecture, I mean...and I love it. A Bauhaus masterpiece studded with Picasso sculptures, or a concrete monstrosity of the 1960s? The quality of the skiing for all standards is not in question – Flaine links into the 265km Grand Massif area, with modestly-priced apartments and a 90-minute transfer from Geneva airport.
Read our expert guide to ski holidays in Flaine
Isola 2000
You don’t expect to find a ski resort with views of the Côte d’Azur and the sparkling Med beyond. Sacré bleu – arriving at Nice airport carrying skis and a helmet attracts some bizarre looks! But it’s worth the 90-minute journey into the hills. Isola has 20 lifts and 120km of piste, an acclaimed snow park, and some not-so-pretty, functional buildings.
Les Gets
Poor cute Les Gets with its music box museum gets negative publicity when it doesn’t have much snow. This seems to be quite often. On the plus side, prices are low, and with nursery slopes in the village and more up the mountain, it’s an ideal base for families with small children. Parents can explore further afield into the 208-lift Portes du Soleil. Downside: the snow – or potential lack of it. Stay safe by visiting in February or early March.
Read our expert guide to ski holidays in Les Gets
Le Grand Bornand
This is one of the most popular resorts in France – for the French. It’s the ancestral home of Reblochon cheese: tartiflette on every menu. You rarely hear English spoken. Geneva Airport is 60 minutes away, and the Mont Blanc micro-climate gives it a sound snow record. The resort shares a lift pass and ski bus with more extensive La Clusaz nearby. Not for the lactose intolerant.
La Grave
Just mentioning that you happen to have skied here commands immediate respect. The 4,000m La Meije was the last great peak of the Alpes to be climbed in 1877 and La Grave sits at the bottom of its rugged slopes. With a guide – it’s too dangerous without one – you can ski 2,200m vertical between giant séracs and yawning glaciers. The ancient gondola that takes 30 minutes to trundle upwards is to be replaced with a cable car in 2025.
Les Houches
The family-friendly village near Chamonix has the best tree-skiing in the valley. It features an FIS downhill course considered by racers to be only the second in technical difficulty to the Streif on Kitzbühel’s Hahnenkamm. However, there’s 55km of skiing for all, with 15 lifts including two cable cars and an ancient (1905) tram. It’s no mirage; you’ll find it trundling along the piste at 1,800m. Hop on and experience the best vistas of Mont Blanc.
Megève
Megève’s finest hours were in the 1950s and 1960s when the likes of Brigitte Bardot, Charles Aznavour and Johnny Halliday partied here all season. They’d come for the snow. The trouble is that these days, with the village at 1,113m, there’s not always enough of it. The best time to visit is February or March. The regional lift pass gives access to 445km of pistes for all standards and the off-piste is sensational...when it snows.
Read our expert guide to ski holidays in Megève
Les Menuires
This is the best budget base in the Trois Vallées, except for tiny Orelle in the Maurienne, which provides a secret back door into the lift system. La Croisette, the centre of Les Menuires, wins no beauty contests, but its satellites like Reberty smooth the edges of the overall appearance. Its own La Masse ski area offers superb terrain for intermediates and upwards. The downside: the village slopes are south-facing and get slushy in springtime.
Read our expert guide to ski holidays in Les Menuires
Méribel
Méribel is the geographical centre of the Trois Valleés. From here, you can conveniently get to Courchevel at one end and Val Thorens at the other. It was founded by Scotsman, Peter Lindsay, in the late 1930s and vies with Val d’Isère the most popular resort for British skiers. Undeniably great skiing and partying, but the inescapable British overtones don’t sit too comfortably with me – I prefer Courchevel.
Montgenèvre
A small town on the frontier between France and Italy, and is arguably the country’s oldest resort (1907). This is the only French component of the otherwise all-Italian Milky Way ski area. There’s a colourful weekly market and budget accommodation possibilities. However, the links to other resorts that have superior skiing are protracted. I prefer to stay in Sestriere or Sauz d’Oulx and maybe visit Montgenèvre once during the week.
Morzine
An attractive mountain town with a sympa soul and a life beyond tourism. I first skied here over 50 years ago and regularly return. But, these days, at 1,000m, it’s too low for certain snow. That said, it has easy access to Avoriaz (1,800m) above it and the rest of the giant Portes du Soleil. Good for ambience, eating and plenty of reasonably priced accommodation. But hey, if you’ve come to ski, why not stay up where the skiing is?
Read our expert guide to ski holidays in Morzine
La Plagne
This giant snowsure resort is divided into 11 villages at different altitudes and linked to Les Arcs to form Paradiski with 425km of piste. Critics claim it is a giant ski factory short on charm and big on crowds. But it’s fine if you choose your village with care, and ideal for families with small children. The lower bases are picturesque, but short on ski convenience. I’m happiest mid-mountain at Belle Plagne or Plagne 1800.
Read our expert guide to ski holidays in La Plagne
La Rosière
The pleasant village for families lies beneath the Petit St Bernard Pass, which connects France and Italy in summer. However, I tend to head each morning for the lift-linked Italian resort of La Thuile. This has a more challenging terrain and delightful restaurants with much lower prices. St Bernard dogs are still bred here, but there is no sign today of an elephant (Hannibal probably crossed the Alps via La Rosière in 218 BC).
Read our expert guide to ski holidays in La Rosière
Saint Lary Soulan
Another ancient village of stone houses in the Pyrenees is the starting point for 100km of varied skiing through remote mountain terrain. It’s located just 70 minutes from Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees airport with direct Ryanair flights from Stansted. The skiing best suits beginners and intermediates.
Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise
Most visitors heading up the main road towards Val d’Isère and Tignes pass Sainte- Foy without knowing what they’re missing: a peaceful little ski village with mesmerising scenery, slopeside accommodation and no pretensions of grandeur. Its four chairlifts and 35km of piste are uncrowded and the off-piste is nothing short of astounding. Take a day trip from Val or Tignes and you’ll return for a week.
St Martin de Belleville
A more sophisticated alternative to Les Menuires, the old farming and cheese-making village in the Belleville Valley has been transformed in recent years into a precocious alternative to the big-name Trois Vallées resorts. You can’t visit without lunching at La Bouitte, the valley’s most cherished two-star Michelin restaurant in the nearby hamlet of St-Marcel.
Samöens
The village dates back to the 12th century with some fine stone buildings. It’s part of the 265km Grand Massif area, linked to Flaine, Les Carroz, and Morillon. The downside is that it sits on the valley floor at only 800m and has no piste down to it – you have to download by gondola. Snow cover in the village is occasional rather than normal. That said, the gondola works well and there’s comfortable accommodation at sensible prices.
Serre Chevalier
Serre Ché is the collective name for a dozen connected villages with a 250km mainly intermediate ski area next to Briançon. Think of Serre Chevalier as the laid-back, country cousin of big-name resorts further north. It’s smaller, less sophisticated, but friendlier – with oodles of Gallic charm. Stay in Villeneuve, Chantemerle, or Monêtier- Les -Bains. British ski school Eurekaski is one of the finest in France.
Les Sybelles
Les Sybelles is almost unknown in the UK, but this giant ski area with 68 lifts and 136 slopes in the Maurienne Valley is much beloved by low-budget French skiers. It covers four resorts: Le Corbier, St Jean d’Arves, St Sorlin d’Arves and La Toussuire. A visit here is a full immersion into French provincial surroundings where you rarely hear English spoken. It has nothing remotely challenging, but lots of blue runs and amazing scenery.
La Tania
Purpose-built as a dormitory for athletes at the 1992 Albertville Olympics, La Tania is considered part of Courchevel, but deserves its own entry here. It’s home to some of the best tree-skiing at this end of the Trois Vallées. Ideal for families, with doorstep skiing, and stays in chalets in the woods. Its 1,350m altitude means slushy snow early and late season, but there’s a swift gondola connection towards the higher resorts.
Tignes
Like it or not, this is vibrant, voluptuous Val d’Isère’s plain, but exceptionally sporty sibling. The two share a superb 300km ski, area, but there the family resemblance ends. It has a more extensive glacier and used to advertise itself as “Le 365 Day Ski Resort”. Global warming means it’s no longer so, but you can still ski here for most of the year. Think self-catering apartments rather than chalets, and it’s a bit cheaper than Val.
Read our expert guide to ski holidays in Tignes
Risoul
Located between Briançon and Gap in the Southern French Alps, Risoul forms the largest part of the mainly intermediate 185km Forêt Blanche ski area that it shares with Vars. It lies at 1,850m with lifts up to 2,540m, and has a reliable snow record throughout the winter. Vars has a speed skiing track for those who like to go fast. Frenchman, Simon Billy, set the current World Record here at a mind-boggling 255.50 km per hour (158.760 mph).
Val Cenis
One of my favourite resorts in the Maurienne Valley, where prices are so much lower than in the more fashionable Tarentaise. It’s suitable for all standards. Importantly, Val Cenis benefits from the retour d’Est, a micro weather pattern regularly drawing moisture up from the Italian coast and falling as heavy snow. It’s home to the 10km Escargot, the longest green run in Europe.
Val d’Isère
Crucially, snow cover is guaranteed all winter to early May. Surprisingly good for beginners, but wobbly intermediates beware of the long and challenging slopes – the red runs here are black elsewhere. The home runs are often icy, so don’t be shy to download. Exceptionally exciting and varied pistes and off-piste. Strong on village atmosphere and après ski/nightlife. Hotels and restaurants are expensive, so go for a chalet or self-cater.
Read our expert guide to ski holidays in Val d’Isère
Valmorel
A curious modernistic resort in the Tarentaise valley, Valmorel is linked across the ridge to St Francois Longchamps in the Maurienne. I went to the opening in 1976 and still don’t understand the layout concept. But it has 165km of piste for all and a charming faux main street lined with restaurants. The off-piste is exceptional, not least because most family visitors don’t venture into it.
Val Thorens
At 2,300m, it’s the highest resort in the Alps and, therefore, one of the most reliable for snow cover in the early or late season. Seven lifts exceed 3,000m. Suits all standards, has a buzzy après-ski scene, cool restaurants, and links seamlessly into the rest of the Trois Vallées. The downside is its lunar-like location; when the weather closes in, visibility is zero. Be forgiven for thinking you’ve stumbled onto the dark side of the moon.
Read our expert guide to ski holidays in Val Thorens
This sweet satellite of Alpe d’Huez is my preferred base in the region – I’ve been to 525 resorts worldwide, and I’ve chosen to spend 25 family Easters here. That must say something. Vaujany is a farming village with its own skiing, as well as speedy access by a giant cable car into the main 250km area. It’s grown exponentially in recent years, and farm animals sadly no longer outnumber humans.
10 top ski holidays in France for this winter
Ski-to-the-door chalet
VIP SKI (020 3892 4060) offers a week at Chalet Kobuk in Avoriaz from £1,599, chalet board, including transfers, departing January 19 2025.
Rooms with a view
Ski Solutions (020 7471 7700) offers Hotel Alpina Electric in Chamonix, from £1,669, B&B, departing February 8 2025.
Self-drive ease
Peak Retreats (023 9283 9310) offers Les Cimes residence La Clusaz from £756, self catering in a one-bedroom apartment for four, including return Eurotunnel crossing, with FlexiPlus upgrade, arriving January 15 2024.
All-inclusive luxe
SNO (020 7770 6888) offers a week at the four-star Parc Hotel & Spa in Serre Chevalier from £1,229, all inclusive, including flights and transfers, departing March 7 2025.
Snow-sure self catering
Iglu Ski (020 3131 2948; igluski.com) offers four-star Residences Village Montana in Val Thorens, from £1,473, self catering, departing March 22 2025.
Late-season deal
YSE Ski (01935 816 550) offers Chalet Patou in Val d’Isère from £5,900 total for four guests, chalet board, excluding travel, departing April 13 2025.
Easy-going apartment
Erna Low (020 3011 1222) offers Le Roc Belle Face in Arc 1600 from £573, self catering, departing March 22 2025.
Off-peak hotel
Inghams (01483 319 641) offers Hotel Alhena in Flaine from £1,392, B&B, departing January 11 2025.
Five-star resort for less
Le Ski (01484 548996; leski.com) offers Chalet Bouquetin in Courchevel Moriond from £1,888, chalet board, departing February 2 2025.
Family-friendly choice
Crystal Ski Holidays (020 8610 3123) offers a week at Hotel les Cimes in Vaujany from £848, half board, departing March 22 2025.
*prices are per person, for seven nights, based on two sharing including flights and transfers.
