The Skiers' Guide to Val d'Isère

Well rounded runs. All types from blues to blacks. Speed is very good as it has foli deuce and many other bars down below like cocoricos. Easy access to tignes which is very similar but a bit cheaper. On the more expensive side but a very nice town

I travelled to Val disere as a beginner and was impressed at the runs and views it had to offer. I would say if you arent an athletic / confident person I would recommend going to a more beginner friendly resort as even the green runs had some steep parts that are scary for new boarders / skiers.

Val DIsere is rightly known as one of the best resorts in Europe. From the moment you step into the town you get the true feel of an alpine resort with it being much higher than other resorts.
The skiing is unmatched for options no matter what level and quality of runs. If you want cruisy blues or hard blacks you have everything!

Day time food and drink is expensive on the mountain but the views and feel is great.

Apres after a great days skiing is brilliant with anything from on snow coco rico for partying to quieter more traditional bars.

Any holiday here wont be disappointed

Great place with access to multiple mountain ranges. Scenery develops as you get further down into the valley for nice places to have lunch. Can ski into Tignes also. Great for a week or longer as so many different slopes for all abilities.

Great resort with incredible space to explore every day. Great atmosphere for après ski and some lovely restaurants to try authentic alpine food.

Extensive ski area. Some great off piste runs but a guide is essential. Can be icy and visibility poor in storms. I keep going back and have lost count of the number of visits.

Val D'Isere offers a fantastic combination of great piste skiing, challenging offpiste terrain and a nice village. A lot of awesome offpiste runs can be found hidden within the ski system while other bigger runs are easily accessible from the ski lifts. One can find a variety of options if you know where to find them - big snowfields, steep coloirs, lark tree areas, ski touring trips etc. And if you add some hiking the options are innumerable. The great lift capacity makes it possible to do more loops during a day than the legs can handle.

If your aiming for the slopes, one can find great carving pistes in different degrees of difficulty. With some planning one can easily get 6000+ metre vertical before lunch. And options for ski safari are many since the area is linked with Tignes.

Where do I start!

Ive been skiing in Val DIsère for nearly 20 years and, having visited many other resorts, it stands head and shoulders above the rest.

The skiing is always sure to be amazing due to the resorts altitude and location near the Italian and Swiss border, giving it an heavier average snowfall. The resort infrastructure is second to none, with heated and fast chairlifts. The ski area is gargantuan - I even spent a whole month there a few years ago and there are still parts of the resort Ive not explored.

The people are lovely - perhaps this is because theyre having such a good time - and the aprés ski is amazing. Restaurants can be expensive and get booked up in advance, but there are still some cheaper options including Le Pub and Blue Note. Head to Bananas or Dicks for partying into the wee hours. Cocoricos still does the best early evening party Ive ever been to on a ski holiday.

Its great for families and for more serious skiers alike. You can also head over to Tignes if you fancy mixing up the terrain. Val DIsère is more beautiful, with more trees and nicer architecture, whereas Tignes is barren and made up entirely of 70s brutalist buildings, but very high altitude.

Val DIsere is, in this humble critics opinion, the best ski resort in all of France.

A great resort for intermediate and advanced skiers. The off piste skiing is brilliant from the relatively easy to very difficult.

Lots of mileage available and great selection of piste options if open. If windy and the lifts are shut then can be very congested.

Very busy, so lift queues can be long and lift passes expensive.

Accommodation is very expensive for what you get in resort. The swimming pool is really lovely design and get a free visit with a weeks lift pass.

I think its a little over rated as a resort.

Huge area, high altitutude and hot apres!
The area, when combined with Tignes is huge. Due to the high altitude the snow is pretty much guaranteed. Wide range of good restaurants and buzzing apres ski.

I have been skiing the Val D'Isere/Tignes area since 1979 and as an expert skier the area offers plenty of variety to keep coming back year after year, the lift system has been updated on a regular basis and equals anything found elsewhere. If you still have energy there is some excellent apres ski to suit all pockets as well!

Wonderfull selection of pistes for intermediate to expert skiers. Not good for beginners. Great apres ski & restaurants around the resorts for coffee stops & lunch

As with Tignes you get what you pay for by going high. Not quite as high though at billage level at 1850 m but pretty famed good with vary fast gondas whisking you out of the main village straight about to 2000m plus in 3 to 5 minutes.
The village is a party place with great venues such as cocaricos and folie douce.
Cheaper food is available but there are some high end lunch and dinner spots both on and off the mountain.
Two lower priced lunch on mountain venues are well worth visits at Marmottes off Belvarde mountain and at Cascade up in the Fornet sector. Platvde jour at approximately 13 ! Coffee 2.5 bargain!

An excellent, snow sure resort - fabulous for off piste and touring.

Great retail offer, really decent food and beverage options and enough car parking

Has it all for a mixed ability and age skiing groups.
There are also activities for non skiers and skiers alike.
It is an established town with an authentic alpine vibe, which makes it pleasant for an after ski stroll.

Fantastic choice of runs and off off-piste, all served by excellent fast lifts and Funival. Plenty of choice of restaurants and bars on the mountain and in the village, but few cheap options.

A excellent resort which due to its hight is usually snow sure. The resort is trying to make it more beginer friendly and some areas at the top of the mountain with good snow have opened up. There are some moves in the town centre to modernise the town, but there are fears that are trying to attract richer clients with high cost designer shops. The keen skiers are hoping there is still space for those that have not got plenty of money. Overall the best lift system in the alps.

Skiing with ski club is excellent a informal group who offer companionship and friends to ski with whether there for a day or season nothing better

Learnt to ski hear. Amazing resort, though a little pricey. The ski area itself is indelible and the town is really big with plenty of nice hotels, restaurants, bars etc. and family friendly too. Very popular with the brits so lots to cater to our bizarre needs.