Val d'Isère family holidays and breaks

Val d’Isère offers great family skiing holidays at a snowsure altitude, and a pleasing town – a long-time Brit colony – to go with it.

Val d’Isère’s slopes are part of the 300km Espace Killy shared with Tignes – the resorts have a seamless join rather than being connected at the edges. Val’s skiing goes up to 3,300m on the Glacier de Pissaillas, while Tignes’ reaches 3,455m on the Grand Motte glacier – the latter is particularly good for enthusiastic youngsters, with easyish runs all the way down.

In fact, while there’s challenging stuff from end to end, the endless pistes are wonderful for families, even if there are some steep bits above town. Beware that Val constantly underplays its runs, though, so watch out when exploring with children.

Ski schools take children all around Val d’Isère's mountains, so they can get the most out of the area. Mums and Dads can dash around and barely ski the same run twice during a holiday. It’s not always convenient, with a lot of the accommodation needing a bus hop to one or other of the base areas, but it’s simple enough going up and down the road.

14.00

Today

18°C
66°F

Flying Time	1.75 hours
Carbon Footprint	0.72 tonnes CO2
Timezone	GMT +1
Local Currency	Euro

What to do

There are two main entrances to Val d’Isère's skiing. In the centre of town is the nursery area – big and busy but a great place for even the youngest tot to start out. Trouble is, there’s not much to progress on to, with steep runs coming down from the Solaise area to one side, and the Bellvarde – and fast skiers criss-crossing with timid beginners – to the other. Once you’re past that first hurdle, though, there are places to go: the La Daille area 1.5km or so from town, with a big, rugged apartment complex near the base, is a good family spot.

The Funival underground funicular takes you to the top of Bellvarde, from which a sometimes steepish but comfortable red run weaves all the way back down. Or you can take chairs up for some easy cruises, or meander over to Tignes, where you’ll find lots of simple slopes (as well as plenty of exciting ones), all of them snowsure. If you want to experience Val’s skiing but feel it might be a little over the top, Tignes’ Val Claret area has plenty of space to learn and is packed with family apartments right on the slopes.

Val d’Isère has a swimming pool and sports centre, and there’s an ice rink at the beginner slopes.

Where to stay

This is a busy but fun place to stay, with a great choice of child-friendly chalets, apartments and hotels, and while there are some super-posh options, there are plenty of reasonably priced choices too.  Take a look at both our hotel and self catering options to the right.

When

The Val d’Isère ski season lasts from the end of November to late April.

How

Fly to Geneva from most British airports, it takes an hour and a half from London. From there it's a three hour transfer to Val d’Isère by coach. Chambery is a closer airport (two hours transfer), though with fewer flight options from the UK you may find it more difficult to find times to suit your family. Check deals with British Airways, and a host of low cost airlines with Ebookers. The train is another option, Eurostar runs weekly direct from St. Pancras day time and overnight services to Bourg St. Maurice.

Eat

From Michelin-starred establishments to humble bistros serving traditional mountain dishes, Val d’Isère's 70-plus restaurants cater to everyone. Because of the large Brit family presence – you’re as likely to hear an English voice as French – there are lots of pizza and pasta options, even though a vast number of holiday-makers eat in their chalets.

Cost

As a guideline, at the time of writing a week at the handy La Daille apartments with Thomson started at £365 per person. We also like Mark Warner’s cosy Cygnaski chalet-hotel, between the town centre and La Daille, from £597 per person.

Related features

• Family holidays
• Breaks & Days Out
• Special Offers
• Features
• Favourites
• Travel Tips
• Family forum