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As a country where many of us have happy childhood memories – France is a firm British favourite when it comes to introducing our nearest and dearest to the slopes. It doesn’t just rest on the laurels of its hulking great ski areas and famously tasty tartiflettes. Pulling out all the stops for families, the French invest millions to keep lift queues minimal in the school holidays, make the slopes fun and safe and ensure there’s plenty to do for all generations.
The ministry of tourism here’s so on the button with making tots, teens, parents and grandparents alike feel welcome. It awards the finest family resorts with the prestigious ‘Famille Plus Label’ – a standard which requires resorts to host special events and devise financial incentives to attract parents to their pistes. There are currently 43 resorts sporting the label, but we’ve whittled them down to the ten very best.
France: Top 10 Ski Resorts for Families
Avoriaz keeps the lugging of equipment to a minimum by being 100% ski in, ski out which can be a godsend on family ski trips. The main mode of transport are sleighs, it’s completely car-free - adding to the Alpine magic. You’ll struggle to keep kids away from the enormous Village des Enfants, which has everything from nursery slopes to child-friendly après and the diddy boarder’s Riglet park (if they want to learn to board, this is your resort). When they’ve flown the nest of the kid’s area and two children’s parks, budding Jake Burton’s will get a kick out of the Stash’s wooden features until the lifts close. At the end of a busy ski day, swap mountains for tropics at the Aquariaz with its wave machines and gentle flowing rivers, hop on a Segway tour en famille, or catch one of many kids’ events like the Magical Light Show. No wonder this was in recent years voted the Top Family Ski resort at the World Snow awards.
“Children are royalty” runs the motto of the Esprit rangers at La Rosiere, which reflects the general feeling in this teensy resort, where ski lifts are no more than a 1 minute from any of the accommodation. The quiet, unintimidating pistes around the resort were made for youngsters seeking to improve their technique, and are paired with the special “Yeti village” beginner’s area, which experts at the Evo 2 or ESF ski schools use to introduce skiers as young as three to the snow. Tiny travellers feeling a snow shy will still have tonnes of fun at the Les Galopins club or in the care those loyal subjects at the Esprit creche, while parents ski across to Italy and the amazing pizzerias in La Thuile, or indulge in heli-skiing (this is one of the only French resorts which permits it). Closer to home, refuel in child-focussed restaurants like Aux Trois (where nippers will adore the teddy bear’s picnic area) and don’t miss a cuddle with one of the St Bernards who make frequent appearances in the town centre.
Meribel has a place in the heart of many British families, as well as being physically in the heart of the colossal 3 Valleys, where more confident family members can ski their socks off between Courchevel, La Tania, and Val Thorens. Those nearer the start of their skiing careers are also extremely well looked after, with independent ski schools like New Generation and Parallel lines and the beginner-only Zen Zones and mascot Kenotte to provide encouragement. It may only recently have been awarded its Famille Plus label, but it’s more than made up for lost time – opening child-friendly ski sites like the Inuit Village’s banked turns, mini slaloms and the Moon Wild piste, which is dotted with Alpine animals. That’s not to say the fun stops once the lifts do. There’s always bowling, the cinema, the Parc Olympique, inner tubing, and failing all that the Big Air Bag to put a grin on faces of all ages.
Flaine was built specifically to make access to the slopes a breeze, which makes it a dream for families. Little ones will love the Ballacha sector’s fun zone and the banks, slaloms and tree-lined trails of fairy-tale themed Ze Forest. The ESF’s Rabbit cClub and ESI’s Green Mouse group will take good care of them during the day, while you set off to explore the Grand Massif. Skiing back to the town is as easy as setting off, and there are a lot of things to ski back for, from indoor climbing walls and bowling to the pools (and spa facilities) at the Aquatic Area.
There’s a reason La Plagne draws the largest number of skiers to its snowy slopes every year (2.5 million), and that’s because it checks so many different boxes - including a big fat tick for families. With 10 villages plonked around the best parts of the mountain, trips to La Plagne can be planned according to whether your clan needs an apartment, a chalet, somewhere central and surrounded by nursery slopes (try Plagne Centre), or a quieter outpost bordering on some great blues (Belle Plagne has you covered). And the skiing side of things is just as flexible: Get the local pass for those who are happy pottering around on 200 odd km (including oodles of lovely blues and reds), stick to nursery slopes around any of the satellite villages for free, or opt for mahoosive Paradiski area pass and cover 425km around the neighbouring resorts. Reward good behaviour with a go on the historic bobsleigh – a thrill-filled 1500m course which hosted the 1992 Olympics - and adrenaline-pumping activities like skidooing and paragliding, or take a more sedate trip to the magical Igloo Village and stunning Ice Cave.
Taking the same tack as neighbouring Avoriaz and Morzine, Les Gets provides tonnes of family activities in the rustic little package of a 12th century dairy farming village. Newbies can learn to ‘plough on fun slopes like the Piste des Indians, in the Grand Cry – a cowboys and Indians themed ski village, mixing skiing with treasure hunts and drawing competitions, and will love being ferried from lifts to the Mont Chéry area on Les Get’s mini train. If they’re too young for the ESF ski school, leave them in the award-winning hands of the Fripouilles nursery while you explore every corner of the gargantuan Portes du Soleil, and finish off the day with a trip to the Chalet du Chocolat letting the little monsters get messy. Christmas is when Les Gets really comes into its own: In recent years, little ones have been spoiled with enchanted trails, elf workshops, and meetings with Santa in his wooden cabin.
Sun and fun abound in Alpe d’Huez, a resort sitting in a sunny bowl that somehow manages to turn up both sun and snow to maximum. This creates a much more kiddie-friendly environment for explorations of the masses of greens and blues, which can be accessed straight from the town or on the dinky “yoghurt pot” lifts. If the clouds ever roll in, take tots to the open-air pool, where a splash about in the falling snow will go down swimmingly or, play laser tag in the ice mazes - and worry not about having any bored bambini. Reducing the risk of transfer tantrums, the resort’s only an hour from Grenoble, though prying them from the piste at the end of the week’s another matter entirely…
Strike off on the stonkingly huge 3 Valleys by day, then ski the Biolley blue back to this gorgeous Savoyard commune, the “village of the 3 valleys”. You can still buy pails of milk and watch cheese being made in this slice of old world France, which it’s hard to believe is part of such a bustling ski area. Modest in the nursery slope department, it’s probably best suited to tots who are up to speed with their parallel turns. Leave them in small classes with the New Generation ski school, and return from further afield to mini Chemmys and Bells, who can show off their new tricks in the afternoons on the blues around the resort. We especially like the one to Lake Tueda from the Roc des Marches chair lift (and the Vanoise National park’s an incredible background for your next family photo). There’s plenty of financial incentive for family skiing here too. In recent seasons, the ticket office have had a beginner’s pass which saves money and keeps learners on the terrain that suits them, as well as frequent deals allowing all the family to ski for children’s rates.
Families with a mismatch of teens and tots can’t get enough of this super snowy resort, especially the 100% ski-in/ski-out Arcs 2000. Connected to Vallandry and Peisey-Les Arcs, and to La Plagne via the fun double-decker Vanoise cable cars, it links to the Paradiski. This is one of the biggest ski areas in France, with miles of cruisey blues, white-knuckle blacks and everything in-between - so no-one is getting bored on Les Arcs’ watch. If your tots are too tiny for ski school, or you’d like a little more time on the piste in the afternoons, the Cariboo kids’ club here is renowned for special activities, like taking young children on their first toboggan rides and older siblings on snowshoe walks, so that they aren’t just tucked away indoors. There’s plenty more in store for the evenings, taking dog sledge rides together through the Tarentaise Valley or making trips to the Igloo Village, where little Elsa’s and Olaf’s can run around while grown-ups sit back with hot cider on sofas carved into the snow.
Often, crowds are thinner here than in the better known French resorts, which is music to the ears in the school holidays (and, with 80% of the slopes being above 2000m, the snow should be in good nick all season long). The authentic French atmosphere is lovely, especially in Chantermine where you can have them practicing their p's and q's en francais in the local cafes. The tourist office have dotted the resort with picnic spots (nothing beats a scenic sarnie at the top of the Bachas chair-lift) and you’ll also find a number of baby-changing rooms and signs for buggy-friendly walks.
Many things make France fabulous for families, but if you want to consider other countries too, check out our Top Ten lists for family skiing in Austria, Italy and Switzerland.
For a real family treat, book your brood a trip to one of the most child-friendly ski resorts on the planet – take your pick from our ten favourites worldwide and enjoy a snow holiday of a lifetime.
France - best family ski resorts
| Resort | Best features |
|---|---|
| Avoriaz | Ski in/out resort, kids parks, super leisure centre |
| La Rosiere | Ski France & Italy, quiet resort, super family chalets |
| Meribel | Huge ski area, British ski school, kids pistes |
| Flaine | Short transfers, snow sure, ski in/out resort |
| La Plagne | Ski in/out chalets and hotels, big & snow sure ski area |
| Les Gets | Quiet resort, fantastic family chalets, children’s pistes |
| Alpe d'Huez | Sunny ski area, tons of activities, varied ski area |
| Saint Martin De Belleville | Quaint 3 Valleys ski resort, super for intermediates |
| Les Arcs | Ski in/out chalets & hotels, vast & snow sure ski area |
| Serre Chevalier | One of the quieter resorts, good snow record, plenty to ski |
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