Val d’Isere Ski Resort France
Val d’Isere is a premium alpine resort in France that oozes charm & panache, plus also happens to have some of the best ski terrain in the world, providing fun & challenge for everyone that skis there. Along with nearby Tignes ski resort, Val d’Isère, forms the French Alps self-titled "Most Beautiful Ski Area in the World". Tignes-Val d'Isere was formerly known as 'Espace Killy', named after Jean-Claude Killy, the legendary French champion alpine ski racer who dominated the sport in the late 1960s. Its friends just call it 'Val'!
Whilst we don't necessarily think it is the most beautiful ski area in the world, Val d'Isere is certainly one of the world's best ski destinations. As well as having the most reliable snowpack in the French Alps, the vast & challenging terrain holds a lifetime of skiing & snowboarding. You'll just need to push your way through the crowd to get to it some days! Wake up early, elbows up, here we go.....
Pros & Cons for Val d’Isere Ski Resort
Pros
- Huge, world-class on-piste terrain for all levels of skier & snowboarder.
- Most reliable snow cover in France.
- Modern lifts and facilities.
- Massive off-piste freeride & backcountry terrain for all levels.
- Enormous skiable vertical.
- Delightful resort village.
- Lift pass linked to Tignes represents fantastic value for money.
- Fabulous après ski.
- Relatively easy to get to via train & bus.
- Wide range of activities for non-skiers.
- Village transport is frequent, efficient & convenient.
Cons
- Busy to a point of being overcrowded in the peak season.
- Expensive accommodation, food & drink (with a few notable exceptions).
- Main on-piste trails can become mogul fields by lunchtime.
- Off-piste terrain can get tracked out remarkably quickly during peak periods.
- Lift system still has a handful of ancient relics that need replacing (ancient Vallons plus Col 1 & 2 finally getting replaced in 2024!).
Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)
- The valley in which Val d'Isere is located can be isolated in times of heavy snowfall and/or avalanche danger.
- Day car-parking costs money.
- Choice of three villages, which is no choice at all because it is all so well connected by bus, ski lift & footpath!
Skiing & Snowboarding, Lifts & Terrain
The Val d’Isère ski resort has three main sectors: the comparatively remote Le Fornet (includes the Glacier du Pissaillas) at the top of the valley, the busy Solaise & diverse Bellevarde; both above the main village. All zones are generally well-served by modern high-speed lifts including high-volume gondolas, cable car, and a funicular. The Bellevarde has no less than 5 lifts converging on its 2,827m summit. The exception is the ancient Vallon gondola linking Fornet to the Pissaillas glacier area. An affordable lift pass for the Solaise sector makes skiing here very cheap for novices.
Check out the ski trail map for Val d’Isere below, and then imagine what it looks like with Tignes attached to the right (see link further below!).
On its own, Val d’Isere provides 150 km of piste on wide, highway-like runs. However, it is what the 'highways' turn into through the day that marks down the ratings on Val's piste trails. Whilst novice & beginner pistes make up nearly 60% of the resort's trails, skiers should note that many of these runs are 'dark blue' in the morning, evolving into 'dark red' or even black as the ski day progresses & the bumps start to appear in high traffic areas. Take care to avoid ending up black & blue!
Val is an off-piste freeride skiing & snowboarding paradise with an abundance of first-class free-ride opportunities throughout the resort including alpine bowls, steeps, couloirs plus larch & pine forests down lower. A quick reconnaissance will reveal multiple options accessible from the ski lifts, and even more within a short skin or boot-pack.
For more information on ski lifts, terrain, lift passes & maps, see our Val d'Isere Skiing & Snowboarding page.
Interlinked with Tignes
In combination with the neighbouring Tignes, Val d’Isère offers 300km of piste, 78 ski lifts, 10,000ha of off-piste and 2 glaciers (both available in summer for the moment, but who knows how long that will last). It’s a mega resort for sure! The resorts are linked by lift, piste & lift pass, effectively creatively one massive ski resort - how typically French! See the Tignes-Val d’Isere ski trail map to get a sense of the possibilities.
Summer Skiing & Snowboarding at Val d'Isere
The all-round nature of the Val d'Isere ski resort continues into summer. From mid-June to mid to July (depending on snow), 2 lifts access 6 piste trails on the Glacier du Pissaillas. Do it sooner rather than later as summer heat & rain is diminishing the glaciers rapidly these days.
Where is Val d’Isère France?
Val d'Isere lies in the Haute Tarentaise valley of the Rhône-Alpes region, southeast France, only 5 km (3 miles) from the border of Italy. With a rental car, Chambéry (CMF) (144km / 2½hr) is the nearest airport to Val d'Isère, followed by Geneva (GVA) (187km / 3½hr) & Lyon Saint Exupéry (LYS) (221km / 3½hr). Regular buses serve all the airports and various airport transfers are available. Note that Chambery airport operates on a limited basis. Search & book direct private transfers to Val d'Isere.
An excellent mode of travel to Val d'Isère is via train. The Bourg St. Maurice train station is 30km (20 miles) away and is on the schedule of numerous ‘fast’ train lines such as TGV and Eurostar from London & Paris. Book train tickets to Bourg St Maurice here. Bus services run regularly from Bourg St. Maurice direct to Val d'Isere, or you can take a local taxi. Buy bus tickets at the Bourg St Maurice train station.
For more information on the best ways to get to the ski resort, see our Travel to Val d'Isere page.
Val d'Isere Accommodation
Originally a small alpine farming village, Val d'Isere (the town) has developed into an extensive, modern, alpine resort whilst maintaining its village feel and sense of tradition. The 'old town' is undoubtedly pretty, with quaint stone properties lining narrow snow-filled streets, topped by the requisite church steeple against a backdrop of mountains. Val d'Isere (the valley!) is made up of several hamlets all slowly being linked into one large village, namely Le Cret, Le Joseray, Le Chatelard, La Legettaz, Le Laisinant, Le Daille & Le Fornet. Ski lifts serve the main village centre, La Daille, Le Laisinant & Le Fornet.
Search & book lodging via our Val d'Isere Ski Accommodation Listings page.
Val d’Isère is home to around 50 hotels most of which are 3 & 5-star rated. Hotel tariffs are high relative to other European ski resorts, but there are still a few affordable 3-star hotels for those on a tight budget. For 5-star accommodation next to the ski lifts, the Hôtel Les Barmes De l'Ours or Airelles Val d’Isère are the most exclusive places to stay. If on a budget, fabulous options include the Victoria Lodge Hotel, the simple Village Vacances de Val d'Isère, or further afield at the resort's Le Fornet sector lifts & pistes, the Chalet Hotel du Fornet. If hotels are not available, the ski resort has a vast quantity of chalet (including some incredibly luxurious ones) and a self-catering apartment (condos) accommodation available for holiday rental. Apartment quality can vary greatly so read the reviews carefully.
For detailed information & recommendations about the best accommodation, see our Where to Stay in Val D'Isere page.
Non-Ski Activities
There is plenty for non-skiers to do in the valley including snowshoe walks, husky-sledding, ice-climbing, ice-skating, ice-diving, and indoor climbing. Less active entertainment includes visiting the wellness centres, the casino, taking the cable-cars to mountain restaurants and viewpoints (including sun decks!), visiting the local Alpine history museum, or some serious shopping in the 'fancy-pants' shops.
Ski Rentals, Guiding & Equipment
Ski rentals are available from our partners in seven Val d’Isere village locations & another at the La Daille valley station. Receive a discount when you search & book via our Val d'Isere Ski & Snowboard Rentals page.
A truly confuzzling number of ski instructors, mountain guides & ski schools ply their trade in the Haute Tarentaise valley & Val d'Isere is no exception. Guides can help find the best untracked powder at this busy resort. To narrow down the field, search & book a mountain guide, instructor & private or group lessons with the best providers via our Val d’Isère Ski Lessons & Guiding page.
Nearby Ski Resorts
Val d'Isere is part of the legendary skiing region called the Haute Tarentaise. Whilst you may not feel the need to visit anywhere else, a festival of wonderful French ski resorts, from mega resorts to 'secret stashes', are within an hour’s drive of Tignes. The world's largest fully interlinked resort, the 3 Vallèes (Courchevel, Meribel and Val Thorens), huge Paradiski (Les Arcs and La Plagne) plus the smaller (but super) La Rosiere (linked to Italy's La Thuile) and the fabulous Sainte Foy are all close by. It is so easy to get distracted in the Tarentaise!
Review
The Powderhounds first reviewed Val d’Isere many seasons ago and aside from the bumped-up piste & mega crowds, found it to be a fascinating ski experience that merits a longer stay than we could accomplish! We returned in March 2023 & had a fabulous time exploring deserted pistes and delicious tracked powder in the off-piste. We plan on returning next season. You should too! Click on the review link on this page to read our sparkling repartee.
See how Val d’Isere compares to the rest of the French ski resorts on the France ski resort ratings page, or compare to the rest of Europe on the European ski resort ratings page.
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