6 reasons why Val d’Isère in the French Alps should be on your bucket list

1. The village

While a giant in the ski world, Val d’Isere feels small and intimate. The village has one main street and it is so easy to get around that it will make you and the kids feel at home.

You’ll be walking in the footsteps of history. The baroque Church of St Bernard de Menthon was built in 1664, 106 years before Captain James Cook sailed into Botany Bay. The town’s first hotel opened its doors in 1888 and, in 1932, the first ski school began operating.

You do get that sense of history as you walk around among the ski shops, trendy hotels and restaurants, with many buildings constructed in the traditional materials of stone and wood.

2. The skiing and snowboarding

Talk about wow. Since the first lift went in 1934, the resort has gone from strength to strength.

Val d’Isère ski area now has 75 lifts and together, with neighbouring Tignes, offers 300 kilometres of terrain to explore. The mix is perfect, with plenty of areas for skiers of all abilities and, even if you are an absolute beginner, never fear, they will be spreading their wings after just a few days of lessons in one of the excellent ski schools such as Oxygène. Head up the Solaise, ski down to the hamlets of Le Fornet, Le Daille or Le Laisinant and, to really test the chops of the experts in your family, there is the revered run that hosts a World Cup downhill event every year, La Face de Bellevarde. Even just looking at it going up the Bellevarde Express ski lift, you can see how steep it is.

3. The activities for kids

After the lifts close for the day, there are plenty of things to see and do. Centre Aquasportif has a series of heated indoor pools – do laps, float around in the leisure pool or let the massaging jets do their thing.

To make the most of the mountain scenery, go dog sledding, ice skating, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing or sledding. Village des Enfants offers excellent childcare and ski lessons.

Open for its first winter in 2021, Val Aventure’s tree-top adventure course is now open for a fun and energetic new après-ski activity. All kinds of rope bridges, zip wires, nets, beams and walkways are dotted along the course.

The Yeti Mountain course is a fun activity to inspire curiosity. It aims to teach children 5-12 years old on how to respect the mountain environment. The course combines adventure and education over 4 half-days, starting with analysing snow and trapper activities in a yurt, a snowshoe treasure hunt through Val d’Isère’s forest, igloo-building, and finishing with Savoyard Olympics.

The Village Perdu is a new adventure area on the slopes for children and teenagers perched in the heart of the forest at an altitude of 2,000m. Stroll through the trees on suspended walkways that lead to wooden treehouses and up into the eagle’s nest.

4. Family-friendly dining

There is so much choice at Val d’Isere you won’t have to eat at the same place twice – unless you love it.

For lunch, ski down to Le Fornet (or take the shuttle bus) for L’Atelier d’Edmond, or dine on the mountain at La Fruitiere. You can also head to La Folie Douce, where you’ll get the Folie Family experience. Throughout lunchtime, families can enjoy bright and colourful cabaret shows filled with music and dancing.

This December, the Folie Douce will open a brand new restaurant that celebrates local French and Italian ingredients through authentic Italian cuisine, made by a 100% Italian team.

Also on the mountain is La Peau de Vache – with tables outside and hay bales for seats. In the village, there’s cheesy goodness at the Fondue Factory, and easy atmospheres at Le Garage, on Avenue Olympique.

5. Val d’Isère loves little kids

Little kids love snow, and Val d’Isère loves little kids.

Located on the ski area, the 4 Val Kids areas are located in altitude and designed especially for children from 3 to 10. It encourages them to try their hand at snowsports and learn about mountain professions. Kids at 4 Val Kids learn how to ski and have fun at the same time.

This adventure program features a playground to find out more about mountain professions like first aid post, control panel and slope groomer. As well as a kid’s play slope to learn to ski over a gentle slope, a sledging area to discover the joy of gliding in the snow and the boardercross “P’tit cross”, where kids will develop their ski technique through fun practice modules.

6. Great places to stay

Val d’Isère has great family-friendly hotels.

K2 Chogori hotel

The five-star K2 Chogori hotel is opening for its first winter in Val d’Isère in December 2021. The hotel has stayed loyal to the K2 Collections tradition of hospitality and Tibetan touch.

K2 Chogori offers just 21 rooms and suites, with cozy views out over the village and the valley. The hotel showcases fine dining with Altiplano 2.0 restaurant.  which serves Peruvian-inspired cuisine. It also boasts a range of facilities, including the Goji Spa par Valmont for a private health and beauty experience.

Val d’Isère hotel

Built in 1968, the three-star Val d’Isère hotel has been recently renovated to breathe new life into this convivial hotspot. Located in the very heart of the village, the 47 rooms and 4 apartments offer panoramic views of the village and the slopes.

Ski Lodge and Victoria Lodge

Cozy and accessible, the three-star hotel’s, Ski Lodge and Victoria Lodge, are also a nice addition to the accommodation on offer.

Hôtel Mont Blanc

The four-star Hôtel Mont-Blanc, Val d’Isère has the perfect balance between access to ski runs and the village. The hotel built on the slopes, but it’s only a gentle 400-metre decline into the village.

Alaska Lodge chalet & and Vail Lodge apartment complex

Alpine Collection comes to Val d’Isère with the Alaska Lodge chalet & and Vail Lodge apartment complex, designed as authentic mountain chalets. Alaska Lodge houses 6 apartments in one single wood and stone building located just off one of Val d’Isère’s streets while Vail Lodge, boasts a prime location next to the Santons slope and allows guests to revel in the peace and quiet but still ski in and out.

Hôtel les Barmes de l’Ours

Hôtel les Barmes de l’Ours offers 76 rooms and suites and three restaurants. The hotel is a five-star Relais & Châteaux property.

Hôtel les Barmes de l’Ours has 1000m² spa, Spa Sisley. Relax in one of the spa’s 11 treatment booths, swimming pool under a starlit sky, jacuzzi with a view, steam room and saunas. The Spa des Barmes does not neglect children either with a fun collaboration with Toofruits.

Le Refuge de Solaise

Finally, for views, it’s difficult to beat Le Refuge de Solaise. At 2,551 metres, with soaring vistas out over the ski runs, perhaps its biggest drawcard is the isolation. No hustle and bustle of the ski town below, just you, the kids, and the slopes. What more could you want?

Getting there

Fly into Lyon or Geneva, book a transfer to Val d’Isere or catch the fast train from Paris. You can view our complete family-friendly guide to France, with more useful travel information, here.

This article appeared in Holidays with Kids magazine. To subscribe to the latest issue, click here.

Images courtesy of Tourism Val d’Isere