Ski Resorts | Plan Your Trip | Off-Piste | Beyond the Slopes | Winter Sun | Newsletter
France is the best place in the world to go skiing. The French Alps have more big, linked ski areas than anywhere else on earth, resorts built high enough to hold snow from December to April, and lift-accessed off-piste that draws freeriders from every corner of the globe.
Whether it’s your first week on snow or your twentieth, we’ll help you pick the right resort, get there, and make the most of it. Our French Alps ski resort guides cover everything from the 600 km of Les 3 Vallées to family-friendly villages like Les Gets, and our off-piste and ski touring guides go way beyond the pistes.
Not a skier? France is just as good in winter without skis. Go snowshoeing in silent forests, fly tandem over snowy peaks, or head south for coastal hiking on the Riviera, where the sun still shines in January.
Winter Activities
Skiing
Snowboarding
Off-Piste
Ski Touring
Heli-Skiing
Which French Ski Resort Is Right for You?
France has hundreds of ski resorts. Here’s where to start, depending on who you’re going with and how you like to ski.
SEE ALL RESORTS
Beginners & Families
Big Linked Ski Areas
Les 3 Vallées, Morzine & Avoriaz (Portes du Soleil), Les Arcs (Paradiski)
Snow-Sure & High Altitude
Off-Piste & Freeride
Village Charm
Best Value
Our Favourite Ski Resorts
Les 3 Vallées
Chamonix
Morzine
Plan Your Ski Trip
January and February usually bring the best snow, but they’re also the busiest weeks, especially school holidays. For quieter slopes and better prices, look at early January or March, and pick a high resort if you’re going early or late in the season.
Most of the French Alps is within two to three hours of Geneva, Lyon, Grenoble or Chambéry. Or skip the airport entirely: the Travelski Night Express sleeper train runs from London to the Tarentaise overnight. If you’re driving, hire a car with winter tyres and carry chains.
Ski the Legendary Vallée Blanche
Off-Piste Skiing in the French Alps
The French Alps have the best lift-accessed off-piste in the world, from mellow powder bowls a few turns from the piste to some of the steepest couloirs on the planet.
Chamonix is the obvious starting point, with the Vallée Blanche and the Grands Montets. La Grave is a single cable car, almost no pistes, and over 2,000 m of glaciated freeride. For more, try ski touring, heli-skiing over the Italian border, or the extreme steeps that made Chamonix famous.
Whatever you ski, go with a qualified mountain guide and carry avalanche kit.
Winter in the Alps Without Skis
Not everyone in the group needs to ski. The French Alps in winter are just as good on foot, in the air, or at the bar.
Snowshoeing is the easiest way into the winter mountains: no lessons, no lift pass, just quiet forests and big views. Tandem paragliding over snowy peaks is unforgettable, and Chamonix has some of the best après-ski in the Alps. Base yourself in a real town like Annecy or Chamonix and there’s plenty to do off the slopes.
Winter Sun in the South of France
Snow and freezing temperatures aren’t for everyone. The Côte d’Azur gets around 300 days of sunshine a year, and winter is one of the best times to explore it.
The coastal trails of the Riviera are at their best between November and March, from the Cap d’Antibes to Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. Road cyclists can train on the Col de la Madone with the pros, and mountain bikers head to Sospel and over the border to Finale Ligure.
And on the Atlantic coast, winter brings the biggest swell of the year. Hossegor is for experienced surfers only at this time of year, while Biarritz has more sheltered options. Either way, bring a thick wetsuit.
Already Planning Next Summer?
A Thrill-seeker’s guide
Born out of experiences too amazing to keep to ourselves, Ultimate France is a thrill-seeker’s guide to the best outdoor adventures in France — the French Alps, the South of France, the Pyrenees, and the Atlantic Coast.
Hiking, mountain biking, surfing, kitesurfing, rock climbing, canyoning, rafting, via ferrata, paragliding, skiing, and snowboarding — France has every adventure activity you can think of, all set against a backdrop of stunning landscapes. Every guide on this site is built on personal experience and designed to be the only resource you need to plan your trip.
Skiing Les Arcs: Aiguille Rouge 3,226 m to Villaroger
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