4.9
4.6The most popular day trips from Val d'Isère are Bourg-Saint-Maurice, Albertville, Tignes, Chambéry and Annecy. Find out what you can do in these day trip destinations and how to book your journey from Val d'Isère on Omio.
Bourg-Saint-Maurice is an Alpine town in the Tarentaise valley, known as the gateway to Les Arcs. It combines a practical mountain base with Savoyard character, river views and quick access to skiing, hiking and high peaks.
Albertville is best known as the host of the 1992 Winter Olympics and sits where the Arly and Isère valleys meet. Its character blends a practical modern town with the medieval hilltop quarter of Conflans and clear Alpine scenery.
Tignes is a high-altitude Alpine resort in the French Alps, known for its vast ski area with Val d'Isère. It has a practical, modern feel and draws travellers for reliable snow, mountain sports and summer days by the lake.
Chambéry is a historic Savoyard city with an elegant old town and a strong Alpine character. It is best known for the Fontaine des Éléphants, the Château des Ducs de Savoie and its links to the House of Savoy.
Annecy is known for its old town, winding canals and the deep blue waters of Lake Annecy. With Alpine scenery framing medieval streets, it feels both elegant and relaxed.
Originally a small alpine village, Val d'Isere first became popular for skiing in the 1930s. With excellent snow coverage throughout the skiing season, it boasts over 300m of pistes as well as extensive trails for snowboarding. Venue for the downhill and the giant slalom events in the 1992 Winter Olympics, it also hosts the annual FIS Alpine Ski World Cup.
Val d'Isere has 96 ski lifts handling as many as 150,000 visitors per hour. The village offers a choice of hotels, apartments, converted farmhouses and chalets, most of which are a short ski ride from the slopes. There are nearly 20 ski hire shops; many, such as Freeride, will deliver directly to clients. Over 20 bars, 60 restaurants and numerous high-end boutiques are packed into the main street, and there are over 20 ski schools, most with English speaking instructors.
The village of Val d'Isere is situated 1850m above sea level in the Tarentaise valley in southeast France, close to the Swiss and Italian borders. The nearest airports are at Geneva, Chambery, Grenoble and Lyon, Geneva being the most convenient for British tourists with regular flights from Gatwick and Heathrow.
The closest train station is at Bourg St-Maurice, which is on the Eurostar route, and from where it is 45 minutes by bus to the resort.
Altibus operates direct services to the resort from Chambery, Lyon and Geneva.
Driving from Calais it is just under 1000 km to Val d'Isere via the A26 to Dijon, and then the A6/A43/A430 past Lyon, Chambery and Bourg St-Maurice. Those travelling by road from Geneva airport should head to Annecy, and then take the D1508 along the lake to Abertville, the N90 to Bourg St-Maurice and the D902 the rest of the way. Snow chains are necessary for the last leg of the journey.
The main 2015/16 season runs 19th December - 1st May. Two types of passes are available, local area and full access, from as little as half a day and as long as 15 days. A 6 day full access pass costs 270 Euros. There are discounts for under 14s and senior citizens, while under 5s and over 75s can ski free of charge. A 6-day lift pass is 49 Euro.
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