Les 3 Vallées

One of the world's largest linked ski areas, connecting Courchevel, Méribel and Val Thorens, Europe's highest resort, with 600 km of pistes.

Les 3 Vallées lies in the Tarentaise area of Savoie, France, on the northern edge of Vanoise National Park. It is made up of three parallel valleys – Courchevel, Méribel (Les Allues) and Belleville – linked by lifts, with about 600 km of pistes in total, making it one of the largest connected ski areas in the world. In the east, Courchevel is split into four villages: 1300 (Le Praz), 1550, 1650 (Moriond) and 1850, the last famous for its five-star hotels, Michelin-starred restaurants and altiport. In the middle, Méribel is a British-flavored chalet village that hosted women's alpine skiing and ice hockey at the 1992 Winter Olympics, with Mottaret above it linking the valleys. In the west, the Belleville valley is home to Val Thorens (2,300 m), Europe's highest ski village, family-friendly Les Menuires and Saint-Martin-de-Belleville with its old stone houses; Cime Caron (3,195 m) is the highest viewpoint in the area. The ski season runs from about early December to late April (Val Thorens stays open longest), with the best snow in Jan–Mar; Christmas and the French February school holidays are the busiest and most expensive times. In Jul–Aug some lifts open for summer, when you can hike to Lac de Tueda and Lac du Lou, go mountain biking and enjoy alpine lakes beneath the glaciers. Getting there: the nearest train station is Moûtiers (Moûtiers-Salins), about 4.5 hours from Paris by TGV, with direct Eurostar services on winter weekends; shuttle buses run from Geneva, Lyon and Chambéry airports (2–3 hours); and Courchevel's altiport takes small planes and helicopters. For a ski trip, plan on 5–7 days: pick one village as your base and use a full-area pass to explore. Tips: the full 3 Vallées pass costs about 20% more than a single-valley pass; the high-altitude resorts are windy and cold, and visibility is poor on overcast afternoons; ski-season accommodation usually changes over on Saturdays.

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