At the foot of the Col de L’Iseran, the highest road pass in the Alps, Val d’Isère is the last and highest village in Savoie’s deep Tarentaise valley. In the heart of the unspoilt countryside and at the gateway to the Vanoise National Park, the village and its hamlets welcomed their first skiers in the 1930s, making it, along with Megève and Chamonix in particular, one of the first ski resorts in the French Alps. The village quickly grew around its iconic local stone bell tower.
Val d’Isère, an unspoilt mountain village, is fast becoming a white paradise for international skiers. As the tourists poured in, the first ski competitions were held and the ski lifts set off to conquer the summits, the village became a place of exalted status. The ‘Far West of white gold’, the ‘Rome of skiing’, the ‘Skiopolis’: all these nicknames are intended to emphasise the remarkable quality of its snow cover and ski area. Its high altitude and immediate proximity to the Italian border mean that it regularly benefits from the famous ‘easterly returns’, guaranteeing snowfalls that are both heavy and local… This ensures a long winter season, with skiing generally available from early December to early May.
International and sporty, Val d’Isère is also gaining a firm reputation for the excellence of its après-ski and accommodation: gourmet restaurants, 5-star hotels and prestigious chalet rentals rub shoulders with numerous boutiques and luxury brands to offer holiday makers a top-of-the-range experience, both on the slopes and in the village. Find out more about Val d’Isère.