Ski Holidays in Val d'Isère, France

Val d'Isère holidays are the most popular breaks for serious ski, board, and party enthusiasts in France. Val d'Isère and Tignes are part of the vast Espace Killy ski area boasting an excellent snow record. It is rated in the top five winter sport holiday destinations in Europe and in the top ten of the world. We go in April every year and between us at Iglu Ski, we have over 600 weeks of skiing and riding experience so we know what we like!

Val d'Isère Ski Resort

The Val d'Isère village is long and thin at the bottom of a deep v-shaped valley. As you approach the resort you pass by Lac du Chevril, under which the old town of Tignes (sunk in 1952) is found. You then enter Val d'Isère via La Daille where the Olympic downhill run finishes. This is a very popular way for skiers to leave the mountain on Val d'Isère holidays, as it is directly below the greatest après ski party in France at Folie Douce. The ski down at closing time is riotous but only recommended for strong intermediates and above. The resort itself offers a contasting mix of old and new accomodation which meanders along the valley floor from La Daille to the main centre. La Daille is also where the majority of self-catering apartments are found. Buses to town take seven minutes or it’s an easy 15 minute flat walk.

Val d’Isere has one main village centre and most of the accommodation is close to the lifts and shops. Loads of... read full	After good snow fall head to Le Fornet region and take the signal drag lift to experience great off-piste in the... read full
Avg User Review Score: from 10 Val d'Isere reviews

The central town of Val d'Isère is large and cosmopolitan with countless bars, restaurants and clubs. The nightlife is hectic and we recommend Bananas for après ski with a young crowd, The Moris Bar for live music and theme parties, Petit Danois for pool and shooters, The Pacific to watch all sports, The Underground for quirky French style partying, Victors for 2-4-1 cocktail happy hours, and of course you can’t visit Val without going to Dick’s Tea Bar after midnight.

Several new neighbourhoods have been built recently around town and have the nicest chalets. Look for Le Cret, Le Joseray, La Legettaz, Le Chatelard, or if you can stretch to it, go for millionaire’s row under the Bellevarde cliffs. The best of the British chalet companies are represented in these premier areas.

At the far end of the valley another 1.8km along is the pretty little farming hamlet of Le Fornet. It has an ancient stone bridge over the river and lots of traditional stone chalets. It has direct access to the skiing and some popular restaurants like the l’Arolay and l'Edelweiss. It is only 10 minutes by bus to town and they run until after 1am, but it is a world away in charm and style.
Val D'Isere is a ledgendary resort, perfect for those hungry to ski and party to the limit!

Val d'Isère Skiing

The resort of Val d'Isère is at 1,850m (6,070ft) and the skiing goes up to 3,550m (11,650ft). It includes three glaciers and around 10,000 hectares (24,700 acres) of skiable terrain along with 300km of marked piste. This vast size and height brings Val d'Isère holidaymakers and extreme skiers from all over the world from November to May. You could ski here for a month and still be finding new adventures each day. The terrain park is world class and often holds top level competitions that you can watch from the comfort of Les Marmottes restaurant outdoor deck. La Fruitière, next to La Folie Douce, is considered the best table-service mountain restaurant in Val d'Isère. The lift, funicular, gondola and cable car system is ultra-modern and very efficient, and queues are minimal once on the mountain.

Val d'Isère holidays are an expert’s paradise but are particularly good for strong intermediate cruisers due to the vast amount of pistes you can ski on from Tignes le Breviere all the way to Le Fornet. Beginners have plenty of free lifts and runs to start on but there is a lack of easy intermediates so the learning curve is steep. They should cruise the blue runs up high and then download on a gondola rather than take their chances on ‘La Face’ down from the Bellevarde, the ‘Olympic downhill’ in La Daille, or the ‘Solaise’ from the easy, cruise-like skiing area above Le Lasinant.