Val d'Isère

Val d'Isère is one of the great all-round ski towns of the Alps: a real village with a stone church and year-round life, set at around 1,850m near the head of the Tarentaise valley. It shares a huge linked ski area with neighbouring Tignes, with around 300km of pistes and some of the best lift-served off-piste in France.

The skiing is high, varied and serious. The Face de Bellevarde, built for the 1992 Olympic downhill, is a famously steep and relentless black, and there are glaciers, big open bowls and endless off-piste for strong skiers — alongside plenty of good blues and reds for intermediates.

The après is legendary too: La Folie Douce, now famous across the Alps for its rooftop cabaret parties, started here. Val d'Isère is not cheap and it is a long transfer, but it is one of the best-value-for-thrills ski weeks in Europe for confident skiers.

Winter usually runs from late November or early December until early May, with altitude keeping the snow reliable. January is cold and quiet; March and April are sunny and lively. In summer (July and August) Val d'Isère becomes a quiet hiking and road-cycling base, with the Col de l'Iseran — one of the highest paved passes in the Alps — on the doorstep.

Geneva is around 3 hours by transfer; Chambéry and Lyon are alternatives. By rail, take the train to Bourg-Saint-Maurice, then a bus or taxi up the valley for about 45 minutes. Free shuttles run through the village between the lift stations.