Who doesn’t dream of vacationing in France? The country of famous wines and cheeses, historic cities, castles, churches, beautiful countryside and sunny beaches. Yet we are not to forget the wonderful possibilities for winter sports here. Skiing in France can make you feel like you truly are in a wonderland, and with a holiday home in France you can be sure you made the best choice for spending your vacation.
Skiing in the third largest country in Europe will guarantee you some real fun in the snow because it has a great variety of excellent ski resorts. To get a better idea about skiing in this country, here are some useful information and tips to save money on a skiing holiday.
Some of the best ski areas in France are: The Three Valleys in the Alps, Espace Killy and Port du Soleil.
Now it’s one thing to know the perfect regions for skiing and winter sports, but because we would like you to have the best of the best when it comes to vacationing in this land, we dug a little deeper. When we talk about ski resorts in France, there are more than a few worth mentioning: Val d’Isére, Meribel, Val Thorens, Tignes, Les Arcs, Courchevel, La Plagne, Alpe d’Huez, Les Deux Alpes, Chamonix, and these hosting only a small part of the country’s wide array of winter sports opportunities.
So, let’s see what some of these marvelous places have to offer for you to spend a unique skiing holiday, with your loved ones.
Val D’Isère
Open from November 30, 2023 to May 4, 2024, in the Espace Killy area, Val D’Isère is one of the few resorts in the world to stage the World Cup, World Championship and Olympic competitions. Its 150 km of ski piste (between 1550 m to 3450 m) for mixed abilities, also sets this resort among the top ten in the world when it comes to ski area size. You will also find 44 km of cross country pistes, and around 50 ski lifts. This is the venue chosen by the International Ski Federation, to stage the first European downhill race in the annual World Cup each December. After a long day on the adventurous slopes, let’s see though what is the après ski atmosphere here is like. Dick’s T Bar for example is known for its videos and lasers, Le Graal is another major nightlife attraction and let’s not forget La Foret, a cozy place where you can let out your free spirit in a song, with karaoke nights.
When you get hungry, you’ll have plenty of restaurants to choose from, where you can indulge yourself with traditional french food (le plat du jour with the house wine is highly recommended), as well as international cuisine. Some places to consider would be Les Clochetons at the bottom of the Santons pistes, La Ferme (a rustic treat) in the mountains, La Grande Ourse and Sur La Montagne at the resort.
Meribel
In the Three Valleys area, open from the 7th of December 2023 to the 25th of April 2024, has 150 km of ski piste (1100 m to 2950 m), 33 km of cross country pistes and 61 ski lifts. Méribel has more high-speed gondola lifts than any other resort in the world these days. Given its location, this resort allows you to make the best of the Three Valleys area. If you get really caught up into the winter sports activities, why not try to help others enjoy what you know to be wonderful leisure time: the ski and snowboarding school here employs staff that are able to teach in some of the world’s major languages.
When you decide to leave the “slippery slopes” for a bit and enjoy a nice meal, here’s where you can try some delicious dishes: L’Allodis, with a fabulous terrace (menu a la carte €50 to €60), or if you want to try something a bit fancier, La Fruitière has a unique layout, specializing in Savoyard dishes (prices from €70 to €80). As for après ski facilities, you will find some of the liveliest ones in the area here.
Tignes
150km of Piste (1550 m to 3450 m), with the Grand Motte glacier, accessed by underground funicular, it is open from October 10, 2023 to May 4, 2024. With 20 km of cross country pistes, 47 ski lifts, 216 snow cannons, your skiing vacation is guaranteed to be a fun one here. Up at the Grande Motte glacier there are numerous wide gentle trails for beginners, while the intermediates can enjoy the 100 blue or red runs. Runs like ‘The Wall’ and the ‘Double M’ are a real challenge for the experts, the Aiguille Percée has also a fearsome reputation.
As for restaurants here, you can try out Lo Soli at the top of the Chaudannes chair, The Chalet du Pain for a quick lunch, or Pignatta for pizzas. You can experience the nightlife in places like Val Claret, The Drop Zone with live music, and Grizzly’s.
Chamonix
Open from December 7, 2023 to April 26, 2024, with 152 km of piste, The Grand Montets is a major part of Chamonix’s reputation, as well as L’Aiguille du Midi with the famous 22km off-piste descent. It also has lively nightlife, you can try out the Ice Rock Caf, Wild Wallabies, casinos, bowling alleys and many others. As for restaurants, some of the well known ones are La Cordée with traditional food, Satsuki (Asian specific), L’Impossible (Italian), etc.
As you can see, there is never a dull moment when vacationing in these amazing locations. Do not let any more time go by. Book a holiday home in France and make your dreams come true with a wonderful winter sports holiday.
