Discover Val d'Isère

Things to Do in Val d'Isère - Discover the Resort’s Main Activities

Val d'Isère: The History of this Unique Destination

Not-to-be-missed Events in Val d'Isère

Hit the Slopes in Val d'Isère - Piste Map and Webcams

Stay in Val d'Isère: Our Selection of Chalets and Apartments

At the source of the Isere river which has dug the valley of the Tarentaise, concentration of the largest number of ski resorts, nestles Val d'Isere.
By choosing its resort for its skiing holiday, one leans sometimes for the quality of the ski area, sometimes for the life of village, or for the quality of service, for the excellence of the accommodation, or for the authenticity .

The resort
Activities
History
Events
The ski
Accommodation

Many resorts offer some of these assets, Val d'Isere is one of the very few resorts to concentrate them all.
If Val d'Isere retains a very technical resort reputation, let's remind that the domain is quite suitable for beginners with 21% green runs and 38% blue runs throughout the area. Finally, Val d'Isere is the paradise of freeriders and ski touring with an infinity of off-piste skiing.

Geography

In a very mineral valley, surrounded by 360 °of mountains and larches, the resort of Val d'Isere stretches 4 kilometres from La Daille to Fornet. Obligatory passage of the mythical Col de l'Iseran, Val d'Isere is alive winter and summer, with the advantage of being near Italy.

This geography gives Val d'Isere a snowfall envied by its European sisters. Indeed, the meteorological phenomenon called "east return", coming from the Italian summits, sprinkle the ski area of Val d'Isere with snow generally more abundant than on the other Alpine massifs. So that at the equivalent altitude (1850m), Val d'Isere enjoys guaranteed snow and a superior snow quality than other resorts.

Val d'Isere enjoys one of the longest winter seasons in Europe, from late November to early May.

The ski Area

The ski area of Val d'Isere, linked to Tignes, forms the so-called Espace Killy, among the largest, most technical and varied ski areas in the world. You can not talk about skiing in Val d'Isere without evoking the mythical Face of Bellevarde. It impresses all the skiers and walkers of the center of Val d'Isere although an easier ski return is planned for novices. The Face connects the rock of Bellevarde with the snow front in the center and offers technical and slope to its skiers.

More generally, the massif of Bellevarde is very extensive and allows to easily switch over to the estate of Tignes or to return to La Daille. Going down to the snow front, you reach the Solaise domain, which leads to Italy, on more flared trails, the big boulevards but also the Pissaillas glacier or the Iseran Signal.
On this side of Val d'Isere, there is also skiing on the Laisinant domain and up to Fornet, which offers its share of small technical corridors as well as intermediate level slopes.

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The architecture

A traditional style, still intact

Because the village existed before skiing, Val d'Isere has kept its charm, its authenticity and its very Savoyard character.

The municipality has always been careful to preserve an architecture of old Savoyard village with the systematic use of Val d'Isere stone, lauzes, spruce essence, etc.

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The atmosphere

A ressource full resort

Like the internationally renowned resorts, Val d'Isere has a number of mythical establishments, such as the Blizzard, Les Barmes de l'Ours, the Yule, and the restoration of L'Atelier d'Edmond ** , and after skiing thanks to the Folie Douce, the Baraque, Chez Jules.

. and families of locals who have forged the character of the resort for decades to give to Val d'Isere a real personality: friendly, warm, engaging, sporty, proud and demanding. Each year, the resort is animated by numerous events of diverse themes, which range from music festivals to competition and leisure sports.

Val d'Isère Neighborhoods

Val d'Isere's center

The center of Val d'Isere, the Old Village and the Snow Front, essentially pedestrian, are the obligatory passages of all avaliners. The lively squares and streets, the light show and the music give the heart of Val d'Isere its subtly festive atmosphere and without excess.

After skiing activities are appreciated as much on the snow front by drinking a glass (at Cocorico, at La Doudoune .) or by tasting pancakes (La Grande Ourse, Brussel's, Sun Bar .) An authentic old village where the alleys tangle around the baroque church.

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La Legettaz

Close to the center, the Legettaz district offers a natural and mineral environment with views over the very wild Manchet valley or Bellevarde.
Completely skis on foot or almost, the Legettaz concentrates a very good choice of high-end accommodation such as Club Med, the Centaurée apartment.

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Les Carats

The Carats district is undoubtedly the most "VIP" of Val d'Isere. There, some large chalets and residences overlook Val d'Isere from their rocky promontory that borders the Bellevarde trail. The Carats district is reached by a spiral tunnel with barriers. The privileged guests of the chalets reach the centre by elevator on the mountainside.

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Petit Alaska

The hamlet of Petit Alaska is unique in Val d'Isere: 400 meters from the snow front, nestled against the cliff, ten top-quality chalets such as the Tasna and the prestigious residence La Canadienne (picture) cohabit In a small hamlet with a cozy and residential atmosphere.

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Le Fornet

The Fornet is a charming authentic village was built on each side of the river that crosses a charming small bridge. It is made up of authentic stone chalets, of which we can notably mention Chalet Hermine Blanche.

At the end of the valley, the village of Fornet offers a very alpine decor and a postcard landscape of a mountain village frozen in time. One minute by car from the centre, the Fornet is served by the eponymous cable car and offers an ideal ski return for all the chalets of the village.
It is also home to L'Atelier d'Edmond, a restaurant that has received two stars in the Michelin Guide.

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Rent in Val d'Isère

Chalet Markhor

Val d'Isère - Centre

14 guests ⸱ 6 bedrooms ⸱ 580 sq.m

From 65 000 € /week

Apartment Arolay 3

Val d'Isère - Le Fornet

8 guests ⸱ 4 bedrooms ⸱ 159 sq.m

From 6 500 € /week

Chalet Marius

Val d'Isère - La Legettaz

10 guests ⸱ 5 bedrooms ⸱ 259 sq.m

From 23 000 € /week

All the stays in Val d'Isère

Buy in Val d'Isère

Amazing chalet with swimming pool

Val d'Isere

6 bedrooms ⸱ 6 bathrooms ⸱ 536 sq.m

15 500 000 €

All the properties for sale in Val d'Isère

Discover the activities for an
exceptional vacation in the heart of Val d'Isère

Explore activities, useful information and great deals with our experience booklet.

Experience Booklet

All winter activities in Val d'Isère

Val d'Isère Aquasports Centre

Dedicated to fitness and well-being, the Val d'Isère Aquasports Centre has a wide range of fitness and wellness zones and activities on offer including the aquatic area, a fully-equipped gym, spa facilities and yoga classes.

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Spend an Evening in a Refuge

Get off the beaten track and away from the crowds by ski touring to one of Val d'Isère's three refuges located in the heart of the Vanoise national park. Choose from Refuge de Solaise, Refuge de Prariond, or Refuge du Fond des Fours for a complete change of pace and scenery.

Ski Touring: Discover the Great Outdoors

Put on your touring skis and set out from Val d'Isère to discover the mountains in a different way. Aided by your skins, you can head up the Solaise mountain through the forest, a climb of 400 metres, before a well-deserved and exhilarating descent through the powder. The perfect way to get away from it all in nature.

Map of ski touring areas

Cross-country Skiing: Head into the Heart of Nature on Your Skis

A gentle, all-round form of exercise, cross-country skiing is ideal for anyone who enjoys a sporting challenge, snow and nature. There are 20 kilometres of marked Nordic trails around the resort, allowing you to discover the quieter side of Val d'Isère in peaceful solitude.

Map of cross-country ski trails

Snowshoeing

There is nothing like a walk in the snow, with or without snowshoes, to discover the peaceful side of Val d'Isère. Get away from it all and discover the beautiful landscapes by following the many marked trails and paths to places such as Baillettaz nature reserve, Le Fornet, La Daille, and Lac de l'Ouillette.

Map of snowshoe trails

Sensational Fun on a Fat Bike

With fat tyres designed to ride on snow, Fat Bikes, or "snow mountain bikes", are a a fun and different way to enjoy the mountains in winter. Don't be apprehensive about giving it a go - Fat Bikes are surprisingly stable, and Val d'Isère is even organising free introductions open to everyone.

Moonbike

This is the new activity in Val d'Isère! Discover the moonbike, an ultra-light electric snowmobile. In addition to being three times lighter than traditional snowmobiles, moonbikes are silent and environmentally friendly.

During the activity, once you've got the hang of it, you'll be riding in the heart of the larch forest. Enjoy a magnificent setting in complete freedom on board a new machine!

Val d'Isère Village — Crédit photo : ©© Val d'Isère Tourisme

The Authentic Charm of a Mountain Village

With its Baroque church and stone and slate chalets, Val d'Isère has retained its traditional mountain charm, with a timeless atmosphere that still pervades this buzzing resort. Savour the finer things in life with delicacies such as the exquisite pastries at Maison Chevallot, or a gourmet meal at the Michelin starred Atelier d'Edmond, just two of the many gastronomic delights the resort has to offer.

The history of Val d'Isère

Unlike some resorts built on natural sites, Val d'Isere testifies to a human presence even before the Christian era since traces of the pastoral life led by Celtic tribes were found in this valley perched at 1850 meters above sea level!

Since then the site, despite its isolation, will always be inhabited and becomes a parish in its own right when the Pope gave it its independence in 1637. A church is then erected on the remains of a Roman edifice, the inhabitants no longer have to to go to Tignes to celebrate the cult. Life is rough in the Alpine hamlet totally isolated from the world in winter. Val d'Isere has only a handful of inhabitants who take advantage of the summer to do their agricultural and pastoral activities. Nevertheless, the isolation of Val d'Isere guarantees its security, in a context where the region of Savoie is the object of greed and passes successively from hand to hand.

The birth of tourism in Val d'Isere. It all begins in 1888

Tourism in Val d'Isere begins in 1888 with the opening of the first hotel in the village, L'Hôtel Parisien. It was in 1933 that the village began its long transformation into a ski resort with a first key figure, an Alsatian industrialist, Charles Diebold. During the winter of 1936-1937, he was the first to open the first ski school. The birth of skiing in Val d'Isere from 1932 to 1934 is also fueled by the arrival of Austrian instructors who offer ski lessons and initiate local Frenck skier to their techniques: René Bazile, Adolphe and Fernand Bonnevie, Marcel Bonnevie. They are very quickly emancipated from the presence of the Austrians to offer their own courses to the few tourists. Val d'Isere then has 4 hotels.

The creation of the ski school in 1936 by Charles Diebold allows to structure the activity. The following year, the road to the Col de l'Iseran is open, enabling the village to be opened in winter and summer, and opens up new possibilities, as tourists arrive on foot from Tignes.

The foundations are laid for Val d'Isère to begin its moulting and gradually pass from the status of isolated village to that of ski resort of international fame.

1937 is also the year that laid the foundations for the resolutely sporty character of the future resort, with the first summer skiing contest on the Pissaillas glacier, consecrated by a trophy award by the President of the Republic Albert Lebrun. A first sign of recognition that is only the beginning of a long series! For the general public, Val d'Isere already has a ski lift since 1934, the Rogoney. The first large-scale ski lift was completed in 1942: the Solaise cable car, which will have to wait until the end of the war to allow more and more skiers to descend the slopes of Val d'Isere.

Post-war development

Jacques Mouflier, industrialist of the North of France, joins Charles Diebold and Nicolas Bazile, the mayor, in a common vision of the extraordinary potential of Val d'Isere. From then on the development of the resort accelerated considerably, the peasants of Val d'Isere became hoteliers, ski instructors, shopkeepers, the quality of skiing and the authenticity of the village, its reception, bear the reputation of Val d'Isere beyond the borders of the hexagon.

In 1942 Val d'Isere grew and counts. 242 inhabitants (today 1600, in the census of 2014). Once again it is through competition that the station will develop its notoriety. In 1947 Charles Diebold created the Spring Prize, which in a few years became a major sporting event. The Spring Prize will become the Critérium of the first snow in 1955, passing from spring to early winter (early December).

The Criterium of the First Snow is an international competition whose success and popularity continue until today still, including a man's giant event, a men's slalom, a super combined women's, a women's downhill and a super g ladies it remains a mythical rendezvous of the world elite of the ski.

Val d'Isere can also count on its children to ensure its reputation, such as Henri Oreiller who won gold at the Olympic Games of Saint Moritz (downhill and combined) or René Moris who will win the first National Challenge of Monitors organized in Meribel in 1951.

Another event with a considerable impact on the resort, the 3rd International Ski Congress was organized in Val d'Isere in 1954, and the municipality took advantage of this opportunity to make new investments. The ski area developed in the meantime, a new cable car opened in 1952: the Bellevarde cable car.

A population that doubles in 15 years

From 1942 to 1956 the population more than doubled, the municipality grew from 242 inhabitants to 528 inhabitants! It now has 36 hotels and its reputation as a high altitude resort is well established. In 1957, the Isere river overflowed resulting in a flood. Work was carried out the following year to contain the Isere which ended in 1959.

The creation of the National Park of Vanoise in 1963 brings additional light to Val d'Isere, which is one of the gateways.

The sixties will be those of the great sporting consecrations of the children of Val d'Isere. In 1964 Christine Goitschel and Marielle Goitschel became giant and slalom Olympic champions. In 1968 Jean-Claude Killy won three gold medals at the Olympic Games in Grenoble by winning the downhill, the giant and the slalom, Marielle Goitschel won a gold medal with the slalom. These three sportsmen will become emblematic of the resort of Val d'Isere, the area linked to Tignes-Val d'Isere is was known as Jean-Claude Killy, Espace Killy.

The 80s': maturity of the resort

After a sustained development lasting nearly 30 years, the mid-'80s marks the age of maturity for the resort, which now focuses on sustainable development, integrated architecture and respect for the traditional style. It is the development of Val Village, a neighbourhood in the traditional style in collaboration with the architect Jean-Louis Chanéac. Val d'Isere will also re-establish its initial direction 10 years later by favouring pedestrian traffic, greenery and landscape.

The 80s also saw the Funival come out of the ground, it is then the first mountain funicular in France. A new detachable cableway will complete the ski lift park in Val d'Isere in 2002, it is Olympe installed on Bellevarde.

L'Iserane

June 22nd 2025

Every year cyclists set off to tackle the Col de l'Iseran from Val d'Isère and Bonneval sur Arc. The challenge is great, the Col de l'Iseran is the highest road pass in Europe! See you at the end of the effort for a souvenir photo at an altitude of 2770 metres!

High Trail Vanoise

July 5th to 7th 2024

Val d'Isère is an expert race organizer in both summer and winter, hosting the French Trail Championships over two weekends. At an altitude of 1850 m, the village offers a unique training and competition ground with its high-altitude courses in the heart of nature reserves and the Vanoise National Park. The event will close with the fête nationale ball.

Skiing in Val d'Isère

The ski resort

Today, the ski area of Val d'Isère extends over 146 kilometers of tracks connected by 47 lifts. The 79 ski slopes of the domain are divided into 15 green runs, 28 blue runs, 24 red runs and 12 black runs so that everyone finds the track that matches their level.

Val d'Isere offers a lot of play areas in two areas: Bellevarde and Palet. In the first, the most experienced and stunt players will be able to venture on the Expert's Boarder X, in search of strong sensations in the tight corners and the long straight lines where you will reach high speeds.

For children and adults, the Snow Park is suitable for all levels of skiing and riding. 6 levels of difficulty, ranging from small jumps to long 20-meter tables, through the Half-Pipe, the Bellevarde Snow Park is ideal for experiencing new emotions and relive them through the TV-screen at the bottom of the park area.

Skiers can now compare their performance to the best skiers in the BMW X Drives Skimovie Slalom. This mad race will be recorded and compared to other performances to elect the best slalom of the day.

Skiing on the mythical Face of Bellevarde in a must! Triple Olympic champion Jean-Claude Killyinstigated the creation of this black level ski slope overlooking Val d'Isere, with a difference in altitude of more than 950 meters.

In the area of Palet, two Boarder Cross will delight lovers of long loops and steep slopes. A Snow Park is also available for acrobats and stuntmen of all kinds.

For late afternoon skiing, new styles of riding can be tried out on the Snow front: Snake Gliss, Yooner and Airboard will diversify your activities on the snow.

The ski area: Val d'Isère - Tignes

Originally named in honor of the Olympic champion of the avalin country, Jean-Claude Killy, Espace Killy linking the Val d'Isere and Tignes resorts was renamed "Tignes Val d'Isère" in 2016. Its 300 kilometers of ski slopes are connected by numerous ski lifts: 4 cable cars, 2 funiculars, 4 cable cars, 23 detachable chairlifts and 22 fixed as well as 34 ski lifts to go from the Pisaillas Glacier to the Aiguille Percée.

All ski enthusiasts and experts will be delighted: 11 000 hectares of skiable terrain, 2 000 meters of altitude on 154 slopes, some of which are 10 kilometers long! Beginners will practice on the 22 green slopes and then become acquainted with the 61 blue slopes before joining the confirmed skiers on the 46 tracks and red and the 25 black slopes of the Tignes-Val d'Isere ski area.

The snow

The Val d'Isere ski area is one of the highest ski areas in France. With a maximum altitude of 3 300 meters, the tracks of the Massif de Solaise have an east exposure which allows them to keep the snow as long as possible. A massive glacier overlooks its 17 kilometers of trails: the Pissaillas Glacier, culminating at 3 300 meters

Thanks to a network of snow canons producing 2 500m³ of snow per hour, Val d'Isère's Snow Workshop guarantees optimal conditions all winter long. Due to its ideal snow conditions, only 17 snow canons, of which 9 are independent, compensate for the natural snowfall of the resort. Hence only 40% of the 150km of slopes are equipped with snowmakers. This installation could cover a football stadium with one meter of snow in less than an hour! The water consumption for a winter season in Val d'Isere represents 0.28% of the capacity of the Tignes dam.

ski area map