La Plagne — France

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la Plagne bobsleigh track. Photo © la Plagne tourist office

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A group of linked resorts with terrain and accommodation for every taste, La Plagne forms a part of the massive Paradiski area, is easily accessed by snow train from London and is made of of seven altitude resorts and four traditional villages.

La Plagne is a diverse and functional ski and snowboard destination in the Northern French Alps. It comprises seven main 'resorts', with excellent slope access as well as four traditional villages in the surrounding valleys. The skiing ranges from glacial powder runs to tree-lined cruisers. The area also boasts a halfpipe and snowpark for the freestylers in your group. The piste skiing is most suited to intermediates that want to cover lots of ground. La Plagne alone offers 225km of runs, which can be plenty for a week, particularly if you've never been here before. If you choose to ski the full Paradiski area, that increases to over 400km, and on top of that, there is some excellent off-piste.

Urban design

The 1960s purpose built developments have an odd urban feel with shops and restaurants accessed via 'commercial galleries', but they do have the advantage of being truly ski in and out. Many of the more recently built accommodation has been designed with a more tasteful and traditional feel. If you are willing to trade some convenience for a more authentic village atmosphere, Champagny-en-Vanoise is a great option, and probably a fair bit cheaper.

You won't get bored

Off the slopes, La Plagne is not known for legendary nightlife, but there are plenty of other things to do, and each resort does have at least one bar, if not several. Try the 80kms of cross-country ski trails either on skis or snowshoes, paraglide around the peaks on a tandem flight, or for a unique adrenalin rush, try the 1992 Olympic bobsleigh course. See our “Things to do” section for more info.

Gravity defying Vanoise Express

The double-decker Vanoise Express cable car links La Plagne to Les Arcs, ensuring a vast domain of skiing and snowboarding for everyone. The cable car is quite a feat of engineering: 2km long, transporting 200 people at a go and only taking four minutes to do it!

Where's the catch?

A downside of this popular area is the busy school holidays, when it pays to avoid certain bottlenecks, where lift queues can be long. There are also some fairly flat sections within the ski area which, without careful route planning, can prove quite frustrating for snowboarders. La Plagne is a family favourite and spread out into a number of resorts so it lacks the party ambience of some other resorts. If you can get past these minor niggles, La Plagne might turn out to be a favourite that you return to again and again.