Discover Isère... there's something for everyone
Isère, France's third-biggest mountain destination has a ski resort with something for everyone!
With four mountain ranges and 21 mountain resorts, Isère has it all; a winter sports playground with a wealth of natural assets, the stunning peaks are home to glaciers, forested valleys, three natural parks (Vercors, Chartreuse and the Ecrins National Park), world-renowned ski resorts, plus pretty, traditional villages.
Peak Retreats features bustling Les 2 Alpes, family-friendly Vaujany, Oz 3300 (previously Oz en Oisans) and Auris en Oisans, great value Chamrousse, hidden gem villages like Villard de Lans/Corrençon, and Les 7 Laux - whose slopes are highly-rated by locals - and also internationally renowned Alpe d'Huez. These resorts offer a wide variety of skiing and accommodation to suit all party types and budgets.
Getting There: An Ideal Location
Grenoble lies just at the gateway to the Alps, boasting an ideal location with superb transport links to discover the diversity of Isère. Whether catching a train or a plane, it's easy to access the whole of the Isère area.
Train
Travelling by train can mean that you're closer to the beautiful resorts of Isère. Catch the Eurostar to Paris and hop on a TGV to Grenoble Station; you'll be there under 6 hours, skiing down the slopes in no more than 7! Find out more about catching the train to the Alps.
Driving
Boarding a train or ferry to Calais is the best for flexibility and value for money. With the luxury of no luggage restrictions, the ability to stop en-route to break up the journey or get to the mountains early for an extra afternoon of skiing, driving has a lot of benefits. Find out more about driving to the Alps.
Flying
Direct transfers from Grenoble Alpes Isère Airport to the main resorts can have you donning your skis in as little as two hours from touch down. Take a direct private transfer (which we can pre-book). Flights can be booked independently (we don't book these) through major airlines such as easyJet, Jet2, British Airways, etc - find out more about flying to the Alps.
Isère Ski Resorts
There are 21 resorts in Isère. Discover eight of our favourites below. All of these resorts have been awarded the prestigious Famille Plus Montagne quality hallmark by the French Ministry of Tourism, meaning the whole family can enjoy a special welcome and top-notch facilities specifically geared to families, and activities that the whole family can enjoy together.
Just a 1-hour drive from Grenoble (75km), Les 2 Alpes is surrounded by dramatic mountain scenery and has slopes on both sides of the resort so you’re never far from a lift.
Highlights:
- High-altitude skiing with an excellent snow record.
- It has above-average sunshine conditions.
- It had a major facelift this season in the Vallée Blanche sector of resort, making it more accessible, efficient and environmentally friendly
- It's excellent for all standards of skiing, with massive off-piste potential
- Great après ski with plenty of bars, restaurants and nightclubs
- Nighttime ski descents are back for the 23/24 season
- Dedicated 'under-10s' freestyle area
Vaujany is a very pretty, charming, and peaceful mountain village resort built on a sunny slope in an area where a micro-climate ensures optimum sunshine conditions. Vaujany has first-class skiing for all with great snow conditions and is a fantastic resort for children.
Highlights:
- New ESF programme for teenagers to help improve their freeride and freestyle skills
- First class skiing for all, with excellent snow conditions
- Access to the massive Alpe d'Huez Grand Domaine ski area
- The 160-person cable car can transport you to 2,800m in just 15 minutes
- Aside from the skiing, there are two fantastic free museums, a magnificent leisure centre with a swimming pool, bowling, spa and indoor climbing wall
- There is a lot going on in the village with storytelling evenings, carriage rides, and disco parties for the whole family.
- Give curling or Eisstock (mixture of curling and pétanque) on the indoor ice rink
- Why not try out the fondue evening, with a return trip back to resort in a piste basher!
In a great accessible location just 35 minutes from Grenoble, Les 7 Laux is made up of three lift-linked villages and has access to 120km of piste in the Belledonne mountains.
Highlights:
- A very short transfer.
- Home to one of the best-rated snow parks in France.
- New BBQ stations around the ski area - free-to-use and ideal for a lunchtime BBQ on the slopes
- A good size Nordic Park, with marked slopes for Nordic skiing and snowshoeing.
- Treelined skiing below 2000m.
- Top height of 2400m and 120kms of piste.
- Superior self-catered accommodation with indoor pool, hammam, sauna, and hot tub.
- Wiz Luge mountain coaster; a 723m track with speeds of up to 40km/h
- Non-ski play area with play trails, a wooden labrinyth, tunnels and safe sledging areas for children ages 4-12
Just 30km from Grenoble, Chamrousse features a varied alpine ski area set among attractive fir trees. It's a popular resort for young families or families taking to the mountains for the first time.
Highlights:
- Easily accessible - it's one of the most accessible ski resorts in the Alps.
- Attractive village with stunning 360° panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and Grenoble.
- It extends on two levels: Chamrousse 1650 (Recoin) and Chamrousse 1750-1700 (Roche Béranger - Bachat-Bouloud) linked by ski slopes and fantastic forest tracks.
- Try the fun Family park and enjoy thrills together in a safe environment, or for youngsters growing in skills and confidence, the Kids' Park has a jump area, an obstacle course, and a parallel slalom!
- This resort has great ski history - it hosted the Winter Olympic Games in 1968 when the famous French skier Jean-Claude Killy won three gold medals.
- Quality family time isn’t confined to the piste, there’s also sunset sledding, dog-sledging trips, and snowmobiling too.
- Three dedicated ski touring routes - two go through the forest and one especially for night skiing
- !New! - sitting at 1950 metres long, the resort have installed the world's longest zipline with intermediate pylons. 2km long, the zipline runs parallel to the La Croix gondola and finishes in the heart of the resort
Villard de Lans is connected to Corrençon. These two lift-linked villages form the Espace Villard-Corrençon ski area, the largest and highest Alpine area of the Vercors. Villard de Lans is a lively village with a large market centre including lovely mountain restaurants, bars, and shops.
Highlights:
- Traditional French ski resort.
- Year-round working village resort with a market.
- Great ski resort for families and mixed ability groups with 125km of varied level piste.
- Near Corrençon en Vercors, which stands against the backdrop of the largest Natural Reserve in France.
- The area offers an array of celebrated and protected local produce; Grenoble walnuts, Picodon cheese (goats' cheese), the Clairette de Die, and the Châtillons en Diois wines, Fario trout, and Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage cheese.
- Visit the dairy co-operative to see how the Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage cheese has been produced for over 600 years!
- Share one of the largest Alpine and Nordic ski areas in the Vercors
- Luge and ski park - where you can try luge, snake gliss, yooner and airboards
Known around the world thanks to the Tour de France, Alpe d'Huez is situated on a large sunny plateau above the tree line. One of the oldest French ski resorts, founded in 1936, Alpe d'Huez has grown from mountain pastures to the well-loved resort we know today.
Highlights:
- A friendly ski resort with a lively atmosphere.
- On average, Alpe d’Huez is lucky enough to get an impressive 300 days of sunshine per year!
- Snow cover guaranteed the whole season thanks to 1000 snow cannons.
- The 250km of piste skiing is spread over a huge area, providing endless opportunities and terrain for all levels of skier and boarder (including an incredible vertical drop!).
- Excellent for beginners who can access the nursery slopes without a lift pass, and families will love the two new fun play skiing areas.
- Ski the famous 16km Sarenne black slope, the longest in Europe.
- Exceptional off-piste area.
- Plenty of events designed for children such as carnival parades, lantern processions, fireworks, concerts, face-painting, and ice sculptures.
- New this season, the ESF have laumched 'Ladies Camp' - a 100% women's ski programme, this 3 half-day programme is led by experienced female instructors and combines skiing with yoga and wellness
Auris-en-Oisans is located on the edge of the Ecrins National Park at 1600m. From Auris, there is a spectacular panoramic view of la Meije mountain range and the national Parc des Ecrins peaks. Another great value resort, linked to the same impressive ski area as Alpe d'Huez.
- 80% of the residences give easy and direct access to slopes.
- Guaranteed season-long skiing due to being lift-linked to Alpe d'Huez and the rest of the Grand Domaine.
- Easy access to Alpe d'Huez via chairlift which takes 10 minutes.
- Just 90 minutes from Grenoble airport.
- Ideal small, quiet, and family-friendly resort.
- Switch off and enjoy the simple beauty of pale winter sunlight streaming through snow-laden branches on a winter walk through one of Europe’s highest spruce forests on the new marked trail.
- All-terrain electric 'fat' scooters and a forest trail to explore (imagine 'fat' bike wheels on an electric scooter)
Located between the Belledonne and Grandes Rousses mountain ranges, Oz 3300 (previously known as Oz-en-Oisans) is set amidst fir trees just above the village of Oz. It's an easy 45 minute drive from Grenoble and perfect for families and those seeking a peaceful base.
- Easy access from Grenoble.
- Part of the huge snow-sure ski area and linked to Alpe d'Huez.
- Convenient location - all amenities are a short walk away.
- Small and friendly resort for families.
- The resort provides access to 240 km of slopes at altitudes of between 1100m and 3330m.
- Experts can take a series of black and red runs from the Pic Blanc at 3300m down to Vaujany village where you can catch the gondolas back up to get back to Oz.
- Ski back to your residence on a choice of gentle blue or red runs.
- There is a whole host of activities on offer in Oz 3300 including ice climbing! Discover the ephemeral world of ice in the Grandes Rousses mountain range with the mountain guides.
- Dog-sledding for even the littlest mushers - 3-8 year olds can try out a sled specifically designed for them and learn how to drive a team of dogs
- Sunset experience - descend from the Dôme des Rousses (2800m) with a guide and see the sun set over the mountain
Isère has all of the elements to make a ski holiday unforgettable, from exhilarating afternoon fun on the zipwire to chasing the sunset descending one of Isère’s beautiful summits. Why not try a BBQ on the piste in Les 7 Laux, or have a go at outdoor yoga in Vaujany.
In the midst of the mountains, you'll find a resort for everyone...
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