---
title: "11 Places to go skiing (in France)!"
url: https://ohhshegoes.com/11-places-to-go-skiing-in-france
description: "Eleven French ski regions and the sort of trip each one actually suits, from the high linked networks to the quieter Pyrenees."
published: 2026-09-06
updated: 2026-09-06
---

# 11 Places to go skiing (in France)!

Published 2026-09-06

Europe · France

Published January 22, 2022 · Updated February 21, 2022

France has more linked ski terrain than anywhere else, which is a wonderful problem until you try to choose between it. The big Savoie networks are not interchangeable: they differ in altitude, in how the villages feel and in how much of the terrain suits an intermediate.

Eleven places, with what each is genuinely good for. Snow conditions vary year to year, so treat altitude as the most reliable guide.

## Eleven places to ski

1. ChamonixA real town at the foot of Mont Blanc rather than a purpose-built resort, with separate ski areas linked by bus rather than by lift. Famous for serious off-piste terrain, but there is plenty of ordinary skiing too, and the town has a life of its own in the evening.
2. Val d'IsereHigh, snow-sure and linked to Tignes in a very large shared area. Strong for confident intermediates and above, with a village centre that has kept some stone-built character.
3. TignesThe higher and more functional half of the same network, with a glacier that extends the season at both ends. Architecture is frankly utilitarian; the skiing is the point.
4. CourchevelThe best known of the Trois Vallees villages, arranged in several levels up the mountain. Wide, immaculately groomed pistes and excellent tree skiing lower down.
5. MeribelThe middle of the Trois Vallees and the easiest base from which to reach the rest of it. Chalet-style building and a gentler feel than its neighbours.
6. Val ThorensThe highest resort in the Alps, which makes it the most reliable for snow in a poor season. Almost entirely above the tree line, so a low-visibility day is genuinely difficult.
7. Alpe d'HuezA large sunny plateau above the Oisans valley with an exceptionally long descent to the valley floor. Good beginner areas near the village and serious terrain higher up.
8. Les Deux AlpesA long narrow resort with a glacier at the top and a strong tradition of summer skiing. Popular with younger visitors, and cheaper than the Savoie giants.
9. La PlagneEleven separate villages spread across a wide bowl and linked to Les Arcs by cable car. The most family-oriented of the large networks and the friendliest to nervous intermediates.
10. Serre ChevalierIn the southern Alps near Briancon, with more sunshine, more trees and a string of old villages along the valley. Considerably less expensive than the Savoie resorts and much less crowded.
11. The PyreneesCauterets, Font-Romeu and their neighbours offer smaller areas, shorter lift queues and a completely different landscape from the Alps. A good choice for a first ski trip or for anyone who finds the big networks overwhelming.

If you are still learning, altitude matters less than the size of the beginner area and the length of the transfer. If you ski well, go high and go linked.