A charmingly quirky resort that’s a top ski destination for families and particularly popular for snowboarders, Avoriaz boasts a prime position in the centre of the enormous Portes du Soleil. With some of the best snow in the area and some of the best freestyle terrain in Europe, it’s well worth putting at the top of your must-ski list.
Established in the 1960s as the brainchild of Olympic champion skier Jean Vuarnet, Avoriaz is a purpose build resort with tonnes of character. The wood-clad buildings have a striking appearance that set it apart from other destinations. Even more impressive is the 360° panorama of the Alps. Avoriaz is brilliantly located right in the centre of the Portes du Soleil ski area.
Completely ski-in ski-out, a holiday in Avoriaz means you don't have to lug your equipment around and you can maximise time on the slopes. It's also wholly car-free – there is a large car park and arrivals area where you can unload luggage and travel by snowmobile or horse-drawn sledge to your accommodation. This is a charming start to your ski holiday.
In 2019 Avoriaz was voted 'Europe's best family ski resort' by the European Destinations of Excellence Network (EDEN) and in 2012 the World Snow Awards vote Avoriaz the 'Best Family Resort.' It is a top destination for kids learning to ski and snowboard thanks to the central children's village and offers some wonderful family activities indoors and out.
A huge attraction for families and non-skiers is the incredible Aquariaz water centre, where you can relax in a tropical climate while looking out over the snow-covered Alps (bizarre but very enjoyable). Off slope activities certainly don't stop here and contribute to a lively and varied après scene that suits all ages and tastes.
As a pioneering snowboard destination, Avoriaz was voted 'Best Snowboarding Resort' by EDEN in 2019. You'll find five fantastic snow parks including the world-famous and eco-friendly Burton Stash Park, one of the few remaining full-size super-pipes in Europe and an additional 25 smaller fun parks and board/ski cross courses.
Known as 'Avoriaz 1800' for its high altitude, this is the best place to book accommodation in the Portes du Soleil if you're looking for great snow. The local pass gives access to 130km of varied high altitude pistes while for those seeking more, the Portes du Soleil pass covers a massive 650km of terrain over 12 resorts in France and Switzerland.
The nearest airport to Avoriaz is Geneva at 80 km or about 90 minutes by car
The nearest ski resorts to Avoriaz include Morzine, Les Gets.
Featured in the Michelin Gourmet plate guide, La Reserve is a place to fine-dine in style. Alongside a few of the pubs, Chez Flo serves up hearty dinners and for a pizza restaurant in Avoriaz, try Piz'Burg. The 'Why Not Restaurant' which serves pizzas and burgers to eat in or take away. They specialize in "gallows" blazed meat and wine. There are often themed evenings at te 'Why Not Restaurant'.
Restaurant Chez Flo If you’re on a ski holiday in Avoriaz, make sure you pay a visit to Chez Flo for one of your meals. The restaurant seats 160 and has a lovely sun terrace which can seat up to 250. It’s really easy to get to for both pedestrians and skiers, making it a great location for the whole group to meet up for lunch. Service is friendly and fast and you’ll enjoy fantastic food for great prices including delicious local cuisines, salads, meats, pasta and lovely tartiflette – there’s something for everyone.
Avoriaz has worked hard on its apres game in the last few years, with the addition of a well-known apres go to 'La Folie Douce' for winter 2018. It has an array of bars and off-slope activities that contribute to a lively après ski scene. Le Tavallion is an English themed pub for a home-from-home atmosphere, Shooters is good for party-lovers while Le Yak tends to be the venue of choice for late-night clubbing.
The Place This live music bar in Avoriaz is ‘The Place to be’ for après ski in Avoriaz - live music on through the season, reasonably priced beverages, lots of dancing and an absolutely buzzing atmosphere.
Other indoor activities include a bowling alley and cinema. Outdoors, there's plenty of activities for all ages: ice skating, husky sledding, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, paragliding, ice diving and night sledding. 2400m2 of tropical paradise can be enjoyed by all ages at the Aquariaz water centre. Children will love the treehouse, paddling area and water playground. There's a giant slide and 'Tarzan rope' for the adventurous. While those seeking a more relaxing environment will appreciate the jacuzzi and waterfall in the 'lazy river'.
Aquiraz Discover a tropical paradise in the middle of the Portes du Soleil at Aquiraz! You’ll find tropical trees and plants, rocky scenery and even a river in this amazing aquatic centre. Children will enjoy the playhouse and paddling pool and youths will love the thrilling slidewinder and climbing walls complete with Tarzan ropes! For a more relaxing experience, there are massage benches and a lovely open air spa.
Avoscoot Snowmobiling For a fun après ski activity on the snow with your friends or family, Avoscoot offer Snowmobile rides and tours when the pistes close from 17:30pm each evening (every hour until 22:30). Your session will last one hour and begin with a 10 minute introduction to snowmobiling. Passengers: 10 years+ Drivers: 18 years+ Pre-booking now for a fun activity in Avoriaz!
Rustine School, Discovery bike rides Go for a bike tour with Rustine School for a fantastic experience of the local area. With different routes for different levels of ability including family friendly tours, there is something to suit everyone. Visit local attractions including the waterfall, local animals and even stop off for a swim in the lake! Enjoy refreshments at Restaurant Flame and take the lift back to Avoriaz with an optional pick up and drive for the last stretch. Don’t forget your camera – the views are amazing!
Evolution 2: Snowshoe & Sled 3 hour snowshoeing sessions are one of Evolution 2’s discovery activities, letting you explore the Portes du Soleil at a different pace. Their night sledding is also hugely popular, setting off from Avoriaz and arriving at Prodains a thousand metres later.
Evolution 2: Paraglide, Sky Dive & Heli Tour Paragliding with a guide from Evolution 2 shows you the landscape from a whole new perspective – where you can enjoy the sights as an experienced driver steers the aircraft. Up the pace on a skydiving adventure, or book a helicopter ride to fly you over the peaks.
Evolution 2: Ski Doo, Fat Bikes & Segways Drive your own Ski Doo or share with a partner – either way zooming over the landscape is an amazing way to experience the Portes du Soleil. Fat bikes and Segways are also available – get in touch with Evolution 2 Avoriaz directly for more information on the activities available.
With more than two dozen shops in Avoriaz, there is have a good choice of products and services on offer including grocery stores selling Savoyard goods and products including local wines and cheeses, plus souvenir shops. Slightly more than half are ski shops including two Intersport outlets and several specialist snowboard stores. There's also a photographic store, a pharmacy incorporating a perfumerie and a newsagents. For a further selection of shops it's easy to get down to Morzine and you can take your rucksack over to Switzerland to stock up on chocolate, watches and Swiss cheese should you wish.
Sherpa Take advantage of the two Sherpa supermarkets at the station to discover typical French mountain products as well as traditional bread, sweet breads and buns baked on site. For your festive and sociable evenings, with friends or family, try our take away menus and take advantage of free loaner equipment: raclette and Savoyard fondue. A catering service and hot take away dishes are also available. In order to arrive relaxed at the station, remember our online ordering and holiday home delivery service. You will also find a few English products dear to your heart. Avoriaz Falaise : $avoriaz.falaise@sherpa.net$, + 33 4 50 74 73 25, 103 Passage du Malinka – Quartier Falaise – 74110 AVORIAZ Avoriaz Snow : $avoriaz.snow@sherpa.net$, + 33 4 50 74 03 31, 61 place du Snow – 74110 AVORIAZ
Absolut sport shop Located right in the middle of the ski resort, Absolut Sport have provided specialised ski and snowboard rental for the last 20 years. They have 500+ pairs of skis to suit your needs and ability including the best brands. Rent with one of their special packages: Prestige, Gold, Silver, Bronze, Junior, Baby and Snowboard Adult and Junior. Helmet and Sledges are also available to hire. Open all week 8:30am to 8:00pm
View our detailed Avoriaz snow report to see skiing confitions now. Our Avoriaz snow history shows you what snow depths have been in recent years month-by-month. If you're visiting soon, use the Avoriaz snow forecast to see predicted snowfall over the coming days.
We have 7109 ski holidays in Avoriaz. Search all Avoriaz ski deals or pick your preferred accommodation type below:
Maximum and minimum adult Avoriaz lift pass prices ranged from €191 to €225 for 6 days access to the Avoriaz ski lift system at the start of the 2025 winter season. Our lift passes are part of a packaged Avoriaz holiday with accommodation, so prices vary depending on chalet or hotel suppliers. Confirm price for the lift ticket before booking your holiday.
Lift Tickets | Child | Adult | Senior |
---|---|---|---|
1 Day Price | €28 - €28 | €37 - €37 | €33 - €33 |
6 Day Price | €144 - €169 | €191 - €225 | €173 - €203 |
Age Range | 5 - 15 | 16 - 59 | 60+ |
Most of our ski holidays to Avoriaz packaged with flights include airport transfers. We can also arrange private transfers to Avoriaz from nearby airports
Flights from London take about 1h 45m to Geneva, Grenoble, Chambery, Lyon. This table shows approximate transfer times to Avoriaz from the nearest airports, smaller airports can be more prone to delays.
Airport | Distance to Avoriaz | Transfer Time |
---|---|---|
Geneva | 80 km | 90 minutes |
Lyon | 200 km | 2 hours 30 minutes |
Annecy | 100 km | 1 hour 30 minutes |
Browse our self-drive ski holidays which include your car channel crossing, or go choose accom-only and book your car ferry or tunnel later.
The transfer time from alpine train stations are generally shorter than from airports, Call us for details of Avoriaz transfers.
Station | Distance to Avoriaz | Transfer Time |
---|---|---|
Thonon Les Bains / Cluses | 45 km | 45 minutes |
Avoriaz Tourist Office Avoriaz has been awarded the French Qualité Tourisme (High Quality Tourism) label in 2020. A lovely warm and welcoming space for all visitors! The Tourism office accepts visitors throughout the year to provide information and help with booking certain excursions. As experts on the resort and true mountain enthusiasts, the team at the tourism office have plenty of good ideas and wonderful advice to meet your specific needs and ensure your holiday is a success! The Tourism Office also offers Working center by Miliboo with free wifi area and smartphone recharging stations Wifi pod rentals Rental of external batteries. (free) Printing 3 ski sleds for people with reduced mobility Adaptable to all types of 4-wheel manual wheelchairs. Sleds available at the Avoriaz Tourist Office Opening Hours: Winter: Monday to Sunday: 9am to 7pm non-stop (switchboard assured until 7pm) Summer: daily, from 9 am to 7 pm. Off-peak season: Monday to Thursday from 9am to 12pm and from 2pm to 6pm and Friday from 9am to 12pm and from 2pm to 5pm.
Avoriaz Medical Centre The medical center is open every day, including weekends and holidays. Full equipment on site. The facility can deal with General medicine, traumatology and sports medicine, emergencies including blood analysis and X-rays. The also offer physiotherapy and Osteopathy. Appointments can be made on Doctolib.fr Opening hours Summer: 09h00 - 19h00, with free consultation between 9h00 and 12h00 or 16h00 and 18h30. Winter : 09h00 - 18h30. Emergencies are provided without appointment, 24 hours a day.
Need help choose your Avoriaz ski holiday? Call us on 020 7770 6888 or click Enquire - we love to help!