Les Arcs Ski Resort France
Les Arcs ski resort in the Tarentaise valley is a sensational French mega ski area that includes the more petite Peisey Vallandry. Combined, Les Arcs - Peisey Vallandry provides a total ski holiday destination with huge & diverse terrain, quirky accommodations, superb snow & wonderful ease of access from the transport hub of Bourg St Maurice. Lift-linked with neighbouring La Plagne to form Paradiski, there is a lifetime's skiing exploration to be had here, and on some lovely high elevation, snow-sure terrain too.
When the Powderhounds reviewed Les Arcs a few seasons, we were pleasantly surprised that this oft-maligned ski area truly has something for everyone & provides evidence that sometimes bigger can be better. So much so that it has been previously rated by us in the Top 5 Best Overall Europe Ski Resorts.
Pros & Cons for Les Arcs Ski Resort
Pros
- Massive interlinked ski area.
- Diverse off-piste terrain with bowls, trees & super-long steeps.
- Amazing variety of on-piste trails for all levels.
- Loads of beginner ski terrain and facilities.
- Huge range of ski-in ski-out apartment & hotel accommodation.
- Possible to ski entire 2,000m vertical.
- Quality and consistent snow record with the majority of terrain above 2,000m altitude.
- Lift connected to La Plagne (for the sake of diversity if nothing else).
- Wonderful valley and mountain views.
- Excellent après ski options.
- Easy access via train and funicular from Bourg St Maurice.
- Value for money local lift pass (but less so the Paradiski pass!).
Cons
- Some piste trails & lifts can get overcrowded.
- Off-piste will get busy on a powder day.
- On-mountain accommodation can be expensive & is often 'compact' in size.
Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)
- Arc 1600, 1800 & 2000 villages are visually challenging.
- 7 different villages (2 valley, 5 alpine), so no real centre, which can be a blessing or a curse.
- Majority of accommodation is apartments.
- Limited nightlife due to nature of villages.
- A French mega resort that you will either love or hate! (We loved it.)
Skiing & Snowboarding, Lifts & Terrain
Les Arcs is two resorts, but that information is in some ways purely academic. In practical terms, we consider the ski area of Peisey Vallandry, to be part of Les Arcs. Peisey Vallandry provides some beautiful, sheltered tree lined lifts & runs, but in reality, the latest lifts passes don’t discriminate between the two areas.
Skiing Les Arcs can be an on-piste lift to lift, village to village groomer fest or can be off-piste high adventure freeriding 2,000m verticals from the 3,226m high Aiguille Rouge. It rates highly in the overall statistics for that reason of diversity. The total of 200km of piste trails heavily favour the easier side of the ledger (over 50% rated beginner/easy), but that still mean nearly 100km of intermediate/advanced pistes. And there are over lifts to move you about.
Check out the ski trail map for Les Arcs below.
One cannot forget though, that Les Arcs is a big ski resort with a massive number of on-mountain beds. Lift queues exist at certain locations at mid-morning & just after lunchtime. The TransArc gondola & Grand Col chair can be particularly busy, but overall, the lift capacity is good enough to not notice the volume of humanity here. Goes without saying that starting early & having an early lunch is the best policy at Les Arcs.
Les Arcs is also 'interconnected' with neighbouring La Plagne to form the mega ski resort of Paradiski, more than doubling the ski terrain & lifts available. The term 'interconnected' is a bit of an illusion though. A double-decker cable car links the two resort areas across the valley, but it is not possible to ski to the other resort. Skiing both resorts in a day is not really an option either - simply due to the area's size.
Where is Les Arcs France?
Located in the Savoie (pronounced Savwa) region of France & part of the legendary Tarentaise valley in the French Alps, Les Arcs ski resort is perched high above the town of Bourg St Maurice. Bourg St Maurice is about 190km east of Lyon & a similar distance south of Geneva. Distances to the resort are interesting. ‘As the ptarmigan flies’ the highest village of Arc 2000 is only 7km from Bourg St Maurice however by road it is 26km (35min).
The resort village of Arc 1600 is directly connected to Bourg St Maurice by a funicular which departs from the train station, a few minutes’ walk along the platforms at the opposite end to the main terminal. Other alpine villages can be accessed by bus from the top of the funicular. The other Les Arcs villages of Villaroger, Peisey & Vallandry are accessed from different points in the valley (refer Accommodation section below).
Gateway airports for Les Arcs are Lyon (LYS) & Geneva (GVA). In winter, weekend flights from the UK & within Europe arrive at Chambery (CMF), the closest airport to the Tarentaise. Paris & London are in play by virtue of their fast train connections to Bourg St Maurice.
Search & book train tickets to Bourg St Maurice.
The train is the recommended mode of travel to Les Arcs, however, once in Bourg St Maurice (unless staying at Arc 1600 near the top of the funicular) we recommend looking at a private transfer from the train station (particularly if in a group of 3 or more people). Search & book all private transfers to any of the Les Arcs villages.
As with all of the Haute Tarentaise ski areas, Les Arcs can be easily reached by rental car from any of the major airports. Having a car allows for a flexible, extended stay, travelling to a new resort every day if you wish.
Les Arcs Accommodation
The ski resort of Les Arcs is an amalgam of extraordinarily designed villages spread across the ski area. The architecture appears questionable at first, seemingly at odds with the natural environment. But as one skis the resort & notes the jagged rocky outcrops under the Grand Col chair a begrudging admiration for the architects grows bit by bit. They were perhaps before their time & though much maligned, we think have stood the test of time (from the outside anyway!). Of all the villages, if we had to choose where to stay, it would be in Arc 1950.
Search & book Les Arcs ski accommodation.
In the sub alpine zone amongst pine forest there is Peisey Vallandry (1,600m) to the resort’s largest village called Arc 1800 & on to Arc1600 (which links to Bourg St Maurice by funicular). Over the ridge in an upper alpine valley the pretty Arc 1950 is below the visually confronting Arc 2000. Way below Arc 1950 lies the tiny village of Villaroger (1,200m), a world away from the hustle & bustle of the ski resort. All the villages have direct lift & piste links into the resort, with the majority of accommodations, ski-in. Hotels are thin on the ground, but self-contained apartments of varying quality are everywhere. Numerous chalets are also available for rent.
All the Arc villages are road linked to Bourg St Maurice. Peisey Vallandry is accessed via the road from the valley town of Landry. Villaroger is in the opposite direction off the road to Val d’Isere.
There is plenty of accommodation choice when planning a trip to Les Arcs, but you can also choose to stay off the mountain in any one of the valley villages & towns. Use the funicular or Villaroger chairs to access the hill every day. Staying off the mountain allows for greater exploration of this sensational ski region.
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Ski Rentals, Lessons, & Guiding
Ski rentals are available in multiple locations in all of the Les Arcs villages with our local partners. Receive a discount when you search & book via our Les Arcs Ski & Snowboard Rental page.
If looking to head into the Les Arcs off-piste but are unsure about your abilities, off-piste ski lessons & guiding can make all the difference. Or perhaps you just want to improve your n-piste technique. For more information & booking, see our Les Arcs Ski Lessons & Guiding page.
Review
The Powderhounds last reviewed Les Arcs several seasons ago & had an amazing time despite some initial misgivings. The villages are visually intriguing, access from Bourg St Maurice train station is outstanding, and it has some truly awesome of-piste terrain & freeride descents. We are due to return again soon. Click on the review link in the left column (or at the top of the page if on a mobile) to read its inciteful & witty prose!
See how La Plagne compares to other French ski resorts on the France ski resort ratings page and to the rest of the European ski resorts on the Europe ski resort ratings page.
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