Ski holidays France
Why book ski holidays in France?
What are the main reasons to spend your ski holiday in France? This beautiful country attracts many tourists each year and the reasons are versatile. Is it its cultural and scenic diversity, or perhaps its culinary specialities? At least one of these should be reason enough! France offers one-of-a-kind, delicious food and classically world-famous wines.Even though France offers a seemingly endless selection of delicacies, that still isn't a reason why you should visit the country in winter. The spectacular skiing and snowboarding conditions, however, are! The French ski regions are among the largest and highest in the world. The French Alps are not only beautiful and snow-sure, but also offer perfectly groomed pistes and excellent deep snow opportunities at high altitudes. Just imagine: The perfect descent awaits you, the snow glistens in the sun and the Mont Blanc massif towers majestically in front of you. What more could you want?
France also offers unique day trips and interesting sights. One city you shouldn't miss is Grenoble, where the Winter Olympics were held in 1968. The city is located in the middle of the French Alps and offers almost everything your heart desires: museums, a citadel with a breathtaking view over the city and the surrounding mountains. Another bonus point: a winter holiday in France is usually pretty inexpensive too!
Where to go skiing in France?
So many ski areas and sporting activities don’t make it easy to choose. That being said, the largest ski areas are located in Savoie. In the Vanoise Massif in the southern Savoie Alps, you can find the famous resorts of La Plagne, Val Thorens, Tignes and Valmeinier. At some point, this region will transform into the largest ski area and winter sports territory in the entire world! The ski area Trois Vallées offers over 600 km of piste, 200 ski lifts and are connected with the following resorts: Courchevel, Méribel, and Val Thorens/Les Menuires. The Trois Vallées are quite snow-sure and a popular place to go early on in the season: Val Thorens is even the highest ski resort in Europe, with an altitude reaching up to 2,300 m. Isère is possibly the most versatile ski region in France, reaching from the marginal mountain ranges of the French Pre-Alps to the Écrins massif. The Écrins massif also offers a truly majestic, high-mountain view of the Dauphiné!Even more majestic is Europe's highest point, the Mont Blanc (4,810 m) which lies in the Haute Savoie. Haute Savoie is located in the eastern part of France, just along the border of the Swiss cantons of Valais and Geneva and also along the border of Italy. Majestic mountain scenery meets pristine landscapes with lakes and rivers sprinkled throughout the valley. Chamonix is quite a popular destination, having hosted the 1924 Winter Olympics, and has everything nature-lovers and winter sports fans adore. Here alone, you can select a variety of ski areas like Chamonix, Les Portes du Soleil and La Clusaz. Les Portes du Soleil, offering a total of 650 km of piste! These all compose 12 interconnected ski resorts that can partly be found in Switzerland, so crossing the border and back on skis has never been easier! Also worth mentioning are the unforgettable views skiers and snowboarders can take in on sunny days.
Another destination to consider is the Aiguille du Midi (3,842 m), where a glacier run starts, of which is one of the longest and most spectacular deep snow ski runs in the world with 20 km running through the Vallée Blanche down into Chamonix.
Mont Blanc isn’t the only high mountain in France, though. Lots of high peaks are located in the Hautes Alpes: The Barre des Ecrins (4,102 m), the southernmost 4,000 m peak or the Le Meije (3,983 m) and the Mont Pelvoux (3,946 m), both of which nearly touch the 4,000 m barrier. With all of these massive peaks available and a plethora of diverse ski areas, winter sports fans are sure to find something in France.
Regions France
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Resort (region) | Pistes |
Ski area altitude from – up to |
---|---|---|
250 km | 1,125 - 3,330 m | |
250 km | 1,125 - 3,330 m | |
53 km | 974 - 2,276 m | |
150 km | 1,100 - 2,952 m | |
172 km | 1,000 - 3,275 m | |
90 km | 1,400 - 2,250 m | |
146 km | 1,100 - 2,200 m | |
150 km | 1,100 - 2,738 m | |
265 km | 697 - 2,480 m | |
120 km | 1,800 - 2,603 m | |
100 km | 1,500 - 2,500 m | |
65 km | 1,350 - 2,750 m | |
225 km | 1,207 - 3,167 m | |
143 km | 1,190 - 2,800 m | |
310 km | 1,100 - 2,620 m | |
310 km | 1,100 - 2,620 m | |
200 km | 1,280 - 3,523 m | |
120 km | 1,350 - 2,400 m | |
200 km | 1,200 - 3,226 m | |
265 km | 697 - 2,480 m | |
225 km | 1,207 - 3,167 m | |
160 km | 1,450 - 2,850 m | |
100 km | 1,550 - 2,720 m | |
192 km | 1,000 - 2,069 m | |
263 km | 850 - 2,353 m | |
150 km | 1,100 - 2,952 m | |
265 km | 697 - 2,480 m | |
192 km | 1,000 - 2,069 m | |
100 km | 1,850 - 2,725 m | |
229 km | 1,500 - 2,500 m | |
192 km | 1,000 - 2,069 m | |
75 km | 1,400 - 2,700 m | |
185 km | 1,650 - 2,750 m | |
310 km | 1,100 - 2,620 m | |
265 km | 697 - 2,480 m | |
250 km | 1,200 - 2,800 m | |
310 km | 1,100 - 2,620 m | |
165 km | 1,250 - 2,403 m | |
310 km | 1,100 - 2,620 m | |
150 km | 1,450 - 2,850 m | |
100 km | 1,500 - 2,500 m | |
300 km | 1,550 - 3,456 m | |
125 km | 1,300 - 2,800 m | |
230 km | 1,500 - 2,576 m | |
300 km | 1,550 - 3,456 m | |
70 km | 1,550 - 2,737 m | |
160 km | 1,430 - 2,750 m | |
160 km | 1,430 - 2,750 m | |
165 km | 1,250 - 2,403 m | |
150 km | 1,825 - 3,230 m | |
185 km | 1,650 - 2,750 m | |
250 km | 1,125 - 3,330 m |