Take the Family holiday rating
| Flying Time | 1.75 hours  |
|---|---|
| Carbon Footprint | 0.72 tonnes CO2 |
No matter whether your kids are budding racers or are putting on ski-boots for the first time, they’ll have a whale of a time in the Savoie département in the French Alps , which is home to three of the country’s – and in fact the world’s – greatest ski areas: Trois Vallées , Paradiski and Espace Killy . Parents who want to put in serious distances while the youngsters are in ski-school don’t have to hold back, but if you’re taking the children out yourself, you can be confident of finding a good way down. There’s world-class skiing everywhere, all lift-linked – and no bus-hops are needed to complete the circuit.
The three areas comprise eight of the Alps’ leading ski resorts, which offer everything from simple family apartments to expansive condos, from hip hotels to cosy chalets. There’s Europe’s highest ski resort and pretty low-lying villages, 1960s architectural monstrosities and the very latest purpose-built villages, busy towns and quiet backwaters. Many British tour operators have their own nurseries (usually top-notch) in their chalets and chalet-hotels, and some organise their own ski school-classes for children, which makes sure little ‘uns have someone to talk to.
As elsewhere in the French Alps , summer is a good time to visit the Savoie if you love fresh air, great scenery and outdoor activities: walking, biking, horse-riding, treetop acrobatics, and swimming and other lake-based watersports.
The ski season lasts from December to April, while summers sports enthusiasts can be sure of relative freedom from the crowds even in the height of summer.
In winter there are flights from the UK to the Savoie’s main town of Chambéry , and from there regular shuttles to the resorts, but the area is easily accessible year-round from the major hubs of Lyon (with TGV stations and an international airport) and Geneva in Switzerland. Check flight deals with British Airways or find fares from a range or airlines from Expedia .
As everywhere, self-catering can represent the best value for money and flexibility for families, although there are some very family-friendly hotels too (see below for some of our favourites).
Ski in the Trois Valleés , which does more than it says on the tin – you can now ski in four valleys. There are 450km of runs here, plus a lifetime’s-worth of off-piste. Everyone’s heard of Courchevel, the most exclusive ski resort anywhere, with its extravagant boutique hotels full of wealthy Russians. Yet it’s not all like that –even in Courchevel 1850, the true heart of the resort, where there are at least half a dozen 5-star hotels, you can find reasonable places to stay, such as Crystal’s chalet-hotel St Louis. And Courchevel also has less expensive satellite villages, all on the slopes – 1300 (Le Praz), 1550 and 1650.
Next valley over in the Trois Valleés is Meribel, a place colonised by Brits many years ago and now comprising a vast spreading community of chalets. Although it’s pretty, much of the accommodation is a tiring, hilly walk or bus-ride from the slopes. However, the Altiport area is wonderful for beginners – a long, fast chair with a long and meandering blue run. A modern slopeside addition, Meribel-Motteret, is excellent for easy connections but it’s the bottleneck at the heart of the region and can get very busy.
Still in the Trois Valleés, Les Menuires was once France’s ugliest resort – a collection of modern blocks in the middle of an open bowl, with nothing to disguise them. New buildings, however, are more traditional. Most accommodation here takes the form of apartments (there are just a few chalets), which, combined with its lack of trendiness, makes it the cheapest place in the area to stay. But beware – some of the old apartments are as depressing on the inside as they appear from the outside. All things considered, though, this is a perfect spot from which to explore the Trois Vallées, with a wealth of easy slopes both sides of the valley.
At the head of the Belleville valley (one of the Trois) is Val Thorens, at 2,300m the highest ski resort on the continent. Most accommodation here (apartments, several hotels) is right on the piste, where there are big nursery slopes. But the place can be bleak in bad weather, and can also be busy, with lots of people heading into the circuit. There’s great skiing for intermediates and experts here and over into the fourth valley, the Maurienne.
The Three Vallees also includes two smaller villages where you can avoid the crowds: La Tania, with excellent intermediate and nursery slopes (and mostly chalets), and St Martin de Belleville, traditional but with limited nursery slopes (and mostly chalets but some hotels and apartments).
Head for Paradiski, the linking of Les Arcs and La Plagne by the world’s largest cablecar, the double-decker Vanoise Express, into a 425km area. But they are very much still two areas connected at the edges, so view them as separate entities, each great for families. Les Arcs is divided into several modernistic slopeside villages – Arc 1800, 1600 and 2000, which, depending on your view, are either iconic or scary. That aside, they’re packed with apartments, and you can ski from the door. Each has a nursery area, and while the main slopes might be a bit steeper than is ideal, they make up for it by being wide and well maintained. Family chalet specialist Ski Beat, which offers excellent childcare, specialises in the quiet Peisey area by the lift to La Plagne. The new Arc 1950 is a lively resort in itself, and great for children, with nightly music, fireworks and the like. Built by Canadian developer Intrawest (creator of Whistler, North America’s biggest ski resort), it’s a pleasure to look at, all wood and stone, with apartments bigger than those traditionally found in France.
La Plagne, another family favourite, is a group of purpose-built villages, ranging from the plain (Plagne Centre) to the pretty (Belle Plagne, Plagne Soleil, Plagne Bellcote) via the traditional (Plagne 1800), plus some original villages (Montchavin, Montalbert and so on). There are plenty of beginner areas, Plagne Centre is home to Oxygène, one of the original and best independent, English-speaking ski schools, and as a place for youngsters to progress and families to ski together it is second to none. Even moderate skiers can head all the way from the 3,250m glacier to 1,350m villages. Accommodation is mostly in chalets. Our personal favourites are Mark Warner’s cosy piste-side Chalethotel Christina in Plagne Centre and any of Ski Beat’s stylish chalets in 1800.
Espace Killy is the 300km area that brings together the slopes of the traditional, glitzy ski town of Val d’Isère and modern, slopeside Tignes www.tignes.net. It’s a big place, but competent children ski from end to end – the centre of Val to the top of Tignes’ glacier – in their ski lessons.
Valmorel is modern but cute – a Disney-style ski area. Half a dozen rustic ‘hamlets’ of apartments sit among the trees, while the traffic-free main street has buildings covered with enchanting trompe l’oeil paintings. If only it didn’t sit at a lowly 1,400m, it would be perfect. If the snow’s good, though, so are the big beginner slopes, and the 150km area (Le Grande Domaine) is excellent for intermediates, with skiing over to pretty St François Longchamp.
Sainte Foy Tarentaise, on the road from Bourg-Ste-Maurice to Val d’Isère, is good for a quiet family break. There’s just 35km of runs but there are good, uncrowded easy slopes lower down and fast pistes all the way from the top. There’s also a handful of good restaurants, plus hotels, apartments and chalets.
Take a break from the slopes and get a double whammy of nature and culture at the Musée de l’Ours des Cavernes en Chartreuse or Cave Bear Museum, 25km south of Chambéry, Here, in 1988, was discovered one of Europe’s largest stashes of bear remains, from the several thousand creatures who lived here more than 25,000 years ago. As well as a reconstructed cave, there are interactive displays. In the same village you can go on guided donkey rides.
For our advice on eating in the Alps, see our French Alps page. Savoie’s famous cows produce the milk for a variety of cheeses, including the Savoie Gruyère
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Luxury resort at foot of the slopes More
* based on 2 adults and 2 children staying for 7 nights all inclusive.
Very close to slopes and ski school More
* per adult. Child discounts available.
A brilliantly positioned Mark Warner hotel for skiing More
* Based on 2 adults and 2 children for 7 nights, including flights, transfers, accommodation, welcome drinks & canapes, breakfast, afternoon tea, 3 course evening meal with wine. (ski equipment hire, lift passes, childcare and insurance are not included)
Intimate resort with hamlet of 15 traditional chalets More
* based on 2 adults and 2 children staying for 7 nights all inclusive.
designer ski resort in the heart of the Savoie Alps More
* Based on 2 adults and 2 children for 7 nights, including flights, transfers, accommodation, welcome drinks & canapes, breakfast, afternoon tea, 3 course evening meal with wine. (ski equipment hire, lift passes, childcare and insurance are not included)
50m from ski lifts, kids clubs & nearby in resort facilities More
* from £583 per apartment per week. Short breaks are also available.
At the heart of the resort, with comfortable apartments sleeping up to 13 More
* from £815 per apartment per week. Short breaks are also available.
At the heart of the resort, with comfortable apartments sleeping up to 13 More
* from £815 per apartment per week. Short breaks are also available.
Excellent location, with fantastic views, good standard of rooms & facilities More
* per room per night
Excellent location, with fantastic views, good standard of rooms & facilities More
* per room per night
