Thinking of switching up your vacation next year?
How about swapping sun, sea and sand for snow, skis and schnapps?
A skiing holiday in the French Alps combines all the excitement of swooshing down freshly-powdered slopes with cosy accommodation, lip-smacking cuisine, off-piste family activities and thrilling après-ski ̶ with a sprinkling of gorgeous Gallic hospitality thrown in for good measure!
If you’re not sure where to start, the following info on five French winter wonderlands will help ̶ let’s hit the slopes!
More: 4 AWESOME COWORKING SPACES TO CHECK OUT ON YOUR NEXT SKI VACATION
1. Avoriaz
Perfectly located on a high-altitude south-facing plateau in the Morzine Valley, snow-sure Avoriaz is part of the popular Portes du Soleil ski area which spans France and Switzerland and boasts a plethora of blue and red pistes for intermediates, black runs for experts and freestyle parks for boarders. The Village des Enfants teaches children from age 3 upwards to ski in a supportive and fun environment and off-piste activities include electric snowscoots, laser quest and tag archery.
2. Méribel
Méribel is part of the Three Valleys, the world’s largest ski area, so this charming resort with plenty of traditional chalet-style accommodation unlocks access to over 600km of pristine pistes for skiers of all abilities. There are several ski schools catering for children, including Parallel Lines, which offers lessons in English, and there’s ten-pin bowling, swimming and a cinema for days off the slopes, as well as excellent après-ski with live music and comedy in establishments like Jack’s Bar.
3. Val d’Isère
Situated at a heady 1850m in the Tarentaise Valley, Val d’Isère is part of the Espace Killy ski area, which boasts 300km of high-class pistes linked by 78 efficient lifts and the highest slopes underneath the Pointe du Montet summit are above 3400m. If you like to party this is the place to be, with venues like the Doudoune Club attracting headline acts like DJs Pete Tong and Roger Sanchez in the past. However, the Val Kids programme makes it family-friendly too and it’s easy to book a break that suits everyone from an established ski holiday agent like Erna Low.
4. Chamonix
Chamonix is a charming ski village set in spectacular scenery at the foot of Mont Blanc with 150km of pistes, a resort altitude of 1035m and access to slopes well over 3000m. There are pistes for all styles and abilities, but it’s particularly good for advanced skiers who like off-piste action and freestyle skiing. The leisure activities are legendary too, with saunas, steam baths and hot tubs aplenty where you can relax and unwind.
5. Les Carroz
This bijou traditional Alpine ski village is just 45 minutes’ drive from Geneva Airport, offers high-altitude skiing up to 2480m and is part of the Grand Massif Ski Area, which has 265km of skiable terrain and 141 groomed runs. There are lots of cruisy blue runs for intermediate skiers and a fun snowpark for snowboarders. The après-ski is a little more mild than wild in this family-friendly resort, but you can still dance the night away at nightspot Club 74.
That’s our list! Share your own favourite French ski resorts in the comments section.
The post Winter Wonderlands – 5 French Ski Resorts You’ll Love was first published on Coworkaholic.