Les Arcs

Les Arcs is a family of ski villages — Arc 1600, 1800, 1950 and 2000 — above the town of Bourg-Saint-Maurice, linked by the Vanoise Express cable car to La Plagne in the vast Paradiski area. A funicular runs straight from Bourg-Saint-Maurice railway station up to Arc 1600, making it one of the easiest big resorts to reach by train.

The skiing is excellent and varied, with lots of tree-lined runs for bad-weather days and high, open terrain above. The headline is the Aiguille Rouge, the resort's high point at around 3,200m, from which a long run descends all the way to Villaroger — one of the biggest vertical drops in the Alps.

The villages were built in the 1960s and 70s and are functional, though Arc 1950 is a newer, more village-like development. Les Arcs is generally better value than the 3 Vallées and suits families, mixed-ability groups and anyone keen to travel by train.

Winter runs roughly from mid-December to late April. January is quiet and cold, February half-term is busy, and March and April bring longer days. In summer the lifts reopen for hiking and mountain biking, with access into the Vanoise National Park.

By rail, the train runs to Bourg-Saint-Maurice, and the funicular takes you up to Arc 1600 in around seven minutes. By air, Geneva is about 2 hours 45 minutes away by transfer, with Chambéry and Lyon as alternatives. Free buses link the villages.