Ski Accommodation in Courchevel, France

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Description

Courchevel makes up part of the Three Valleys which is the world’s largest ski area with a total of 600km of pistes.

Courchevel is made up of 4 villages - Le Praz/1300m, Village/1550m, Moriond/1650, and 1850m. 1850m is one of the most prestigious resorts in the world and is home to a host of expensive shops, restaurants, chalets and hotels. There are 13 5-star hotels in 1850 as well as 2 out of only 8 hotels in France that have been awarded a 6th star ‘Palace’ rating.

Better value accommodation can be found in the lower villages of Courchevel.

Getting There

There are four local airports to Courchevel:

149km from Geneva (3hrs)
187km from Lyon (3hrs)
110km from Chambery (2hrs)
174km from Grenoble (2hrs)

Geneva and Lyon have the most flight options and are open all year round. Chambery and Grenoble are only open during the winter.

There are several companies who offer shared and private transfers from the airport to resort:

Alps2Alps provide private transfers from Geneva, Chambery, Grenoble and Lyon.

Alti Bus provides shared transfers from Geneva, Chambery and Lyon.

Bens Bus provides low cost shared transfers from Geneva, Grenoble and Lyon.

Cool Bus provides private transfers from Geneva, Grenoble, Chambery and Lyon.

Europe Transfer provides private and shared airport transfers from Geneva, Lyon, Grenoble and Chambery.

Ski Lifts have been awarded the world’s best ski transfer operator in the world ski awards. They provide private and shared transfers from Geneva, Grenoble, Lyon and Chambery.

Snowbus provides shared transfers from Geneva on Saturdays and Sundays and private transfer from Geneva, Grenoble, Chambery and Lyon every day.

3VT provides private transfers from Geneva, Lyon, Chambery and Grenoble.

The nearest train station is Moutiers which is approximately 25km from Courchevel. Direct trains run from London St Pancras and Ashford in Kent.

To drive to Courchevel from the UK, you can either take the channel tunnel which runs from Folkestone every 15 minutes or the ferry from Dover to Calais. There are several tolls along the route in France which cost approximately €75.

When to Go

Where to Stay

Courchevel is made up of 4 main villages - Le Praz/1300m, Village/1550m, Moriond/1650m, and 1850m.

Le Praz/1330m is the lowest village and is a quiet and traditional alpine town. There are a few restaurants here but not many bars. The piste offers good access to the slopes but dues to it’s low altitude the home runs can get slushy.

Village/1550m is a quiet and peaceful village and is a popular choice for families. It is not the prettiest of the villages and there aren’t many bars here but the quieter atmosphere makes it a popular choice for families.

Moriond/1650m is the most down-to-earth and reasonably priced village in Courchevel. There is plenty of accomodation here as well as shops, bars and restaurants.

1850m is considered the main hub of the resort and is targeted at the ultra-rich. This is the most expensive part of the resort and is filled with luxury chalets and hotels as well as designer shops and michelin starred restaurants.

Getting around

There are 7 free bus routes linking the resort

Line A and C: Le Carrey – Saint-Bon – Le Praz – Village – Aquamotion – Moriand – Courchevel
Line B: Le Praz – La Tania
Line D: Village – Les Brigues
Line E & F: Jardin Alpin – Pralong – Altiport
Line G: Courchevel– Chenus

Line H: Moriand – Belevedere

If you plan on getting a taxi in resort, it is recommended that you book in advance.

Apres

Courchevel is the lesser lively resort in the Three Valleys compared to Meribel and Val Thorens but there still a fair few good places and it is not too far to ski over to the neighbouring resorts.

The famous Folie Douce is located near the mid station of Saulire Express. The open terrace is known for its wild entertainment with DJ’s, singers, dancers and musicians putting on a fantastic show; and The ‘Ronnie’ (Rond Point) have some of the best live music and parties around.

If you want to stay in Courchevel itself then Verdons Restaurant is located at the top of 1850 and has a large outdoor terrace.

Kudeta is located at the foot of the slopes in Courchevel 1850 and is open from midday. The bar has a large outdoor terrace so you can pop in for a few après ski drinks and party late into the night.

In the evenings, there are a few options....

In 1650, Funky Fox is a great place to party. The bar hosts specialist nights including the infamous Bubble and Crisp DJ set on Sunday Funday.

There are several nightclubs in Courchevel 1850 , these include La Grange, Les Caves, L’Equipe, Nokken and Le Coyotte.

Eating out

Courchevel has a good selection of Michelin starred restaurants - the majority of which are in 1850.

L’Azimut         1*
Farcon (La Tania) 1*
Le Baumanière (Strato)    1*
Hotel Le K2        1*
Chabichou          2*
Les Airelles          2*
K2 Altitude       2*
Cheval Blanc                3*

The better value restaurants are found in 1650m.

Activities

Courchevel offers a range of activities for non-skiers including:

Ice Skating
Nordic walking
Bowling
2km toboggan run
Aquapark and wellness centre
Plane and Helicopter flights
Skydiving
Cookery courses
Snow cat driving

Ski School

Getting around

Line H: Moriand – Belevedere

If you plan on getting a taxi in resort, it is recommended that you book in advance.

Family ski

Courchevel attracts every type of skier including families. For families looking for childcare, there are several routes which they can go down.

ESF operate a creche for children from 18 months in resort and for families looking for in-house childcare, Esprit ski offer a range of childcare from 17 months and ski lessons from 3 years in their Chalet Hotel Crystal 2000 in 1850m.

There are also several private nanny companies in resort who offer flexible levels of high quality care:

Merinannies is a professional private nanny service in Courchevel that has been providing first class childcare for skiing families.

Snowbug provides friendly and trustworthy private nannies.

My Travelling Nanny is a family run specialist holiday nanny agency who match families with the perfect Travelling Nanny for their holiday.

Group Ski

Childcare

Courchevel has a great deal to offer for children. From the gentle pistes to the outstanding ski schools and childcare options, along with the non-ski activities in case of bad weather, it’s a resort well-suited to families with younger children.

The slopes in Courchevel 1850 sweep down gently from the Saulire peak and peter out nicely towards the base of 1850 before continuing down through the forest towards le Praz at 1300 metres. The majority of the slopes here make for an excellent gradient for children learning to make their first turns on the snow.

Parents looking for in-house childcare in Courchevel, with easy ski access as well as childcare programmes, entertainments and pastoral care throughout the day, can check out the hotel Crystal 2000. (http://interactiveresorts.co.uk/france/courchevel/crystal-2000 ) This property offers a wide range of family-friendly facilities and parents can book the children in to everything from ski lessons and supervised lunches to kids clubs and excursions out into the resort, all under the care of the in-house childcare team.

For further childcare options, there’s a great range of external nanny services on hand, offering well-qualified and competent childcare to parents in need. Examples include Jelly and Ice Cream (http://www.jellyandice-cream.com/childcare-in-courchevel/ ) and Snow Bugs (http://www.snowbugs.co.uk/ ) who both offer fully CRB checked and experienced nannies for a wide range of childcare services in resort. Snow Angel Nannies (http://www.snowangelnannies.co.uk) are another company offering similar services.

Courchevel offers some of the finest ski tuition in the Alps and a superb range of high quality ski schools have been operating here for a great many seasons. Of course ESF are here but families with beginner children can choose from many other ski schools, all with multilingual instructors, including Magic in Motion, Supreme Ski and The Snow School to name but a few.

The Piste

There are four beginner ski areas in Courchevel known as ‘Evolution Zones’.The best area is located next to the altiport at Pralong, near Courchevel 1850. Another good area is the network of greens sandwiched between the Biollay and Jardin Alpin lifts.

Courchevel is well suited for intermediates with around 70% of the runs being blues or reds. 1650m has some of the easier blues and reds, with the more challenging intermediate pistes located in 1850m, in particular the ones off the top of the Vizelle and Saulire lifts.

For expert skiers, the Saulire/Creux area offers plenty of red and black runs, in particular the Grand Couloir piste from the top of the Saulire cable car and the black runs down towards Le Praz which are ideal when visibility isn’t very good.

Some of the best off piste is found in the Bel Aire area above Courchevel Moriond. Col du Fruit and Vallee des Avals area also well known off piste areas.

Ski School

Equipment Hire

Lift Passes

There are two lift pass options available in Courchevel, the local area pass and the full Three Valley pass.

The prices are based on the current rates in resort and may change at the time of booking:

6 Day Ski Pass   Courchevel Valley Pass    Three Valley Pass
Adult (13-64yrs)       €256                              €300
Child (5-12yrs)         €205                            €240
Senior (65-75yrs)     €231                              €270

Groups of two or three will be able to benefit from a small discount. This is only valid for passes bought online for the same duration in a single transaction. Special discounts are available for groups of 20 or more.

6 Day Courchevel Valley Pass Three Valley Pass

2 Persons Duo Pass €240 €290

(price per person)

3 Persons Tribu Pass €241 €285

(price per person)

Free passes are available for under 5yrs and over 75yrs, proof of age is required.

Family passes are available for families or 4 ( 2 adults and 2 children ) where all members pay the child rate. The pass is only valid when all passes are bought at the same time for the same duration and ski area.

Beginner passes are available in the following areas:

1850: Altiport, Bellecote, Cospillot, Etoiles, Ferme, Rocher de l’Ombre, Sources, Jardin Alpin, Verdons & Golf
1650: Belvedere, Mickey, Petit Bosse, Ariondaz & Petit Moriond
1550: Roys, Grangettes, Tovets
1300: Envolee & Le Praz
La Tania: Troika, Tania & Mon Tania