Les Trois Vallees, France
Les Trois Vallees Holiday Rental Chalets - Les Trois Vallees Apartments
Les Trois Vallees, (The Three Valleys), is a ski region in the Tarentaise Valley. Situated in the famous Savoie department of France, above the town of Moutiers and within the Vanoise National Park, Les Trois Vallees comprise the resorts of Courchevel, La Tania, Méribel, Brides-Les-Bains, Les Menuires - Saint Martin, Val Thorens and Orelle.
The advantage with a visit to Les Trois Vallees is with just one ski pass you can ski all of the world renown valleys - a dream for any keen skier renting a holiday chalet or apartment in Les Trois Vallees, France. They’re all connected with ski lifts and slopes resulting in 18.5km² of groomed runs. In addition, there are 120km for cross-country skiing.
Les Trois Vallées has 183 ski lifts, which can transport 260,000 skiers per hour. Other equipment owned by the operating companies include 1,920 snow cannons and 76 piste bashers. Employees in the area include 424 ski patrollers and 1,500 ski instructors!
As implied by its name, the area originally consisted of three valleys, Saint-Bon, Allues and Belleville. The skiing area has since been extended into a “fourth” valley, the Maurienne valley. It is adjacent to Val Thorens, but can also be accessed using a long gondola lift from Orelle.
Each of the villages in Les Trois Vallees is different, Meribel is considered the prettiest with traditional Savoyard buildings. Courcheval is the largest and most prestigious of the resorts and offers the most vibrant night life. Val Thorens is the highest ski resort in Les Trois Vallees. La Tania is well worth a visit, set in a forest. Brides-les-Bains is primarily a spa resort, worth visiting on a rest day when stay in Les Trois Vallees holiday rental accommodation!
Snowshoeing is increasingly popular and there are many new trails created. If you want to try more extreme activities such as off-piste skiing, ski raids and icefall climbing then contact the Mountain Guides' Office when you get there. It's also possible to hire snowmobiles or join a dog-sledge tour. And each resort has protected areas reserved for sledges.
Of course, this area is also stunning for a summer holiday too, with amazing views for great hiking, horseriding and mountain biking. The mountains are truly breathtaking at any time of the year. The winter season is from December to April and the summer season ends in early September which can be a rainy month. The sun when skiing can tan the skin and even on summer days where it's normally in the 60s the sun can be very strong.
Travelling to your Les Trois Vallees holiday rental chalet: Via airports at Lyon, Geneva, Chambery and Grenoble with daily bus transfers. The Eurostar connects with the TGV stopping at Moutiers is considered the easiest way. From Calais it’s around a nine hour drive and from Paris a 5 hour drive. A43 motorway to Albertville, and the RN90 to Moutiers.