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Living in the UK, France has been our top family holiday destination summer or winter. It’s just next door. We’re just back from Paris in fact, as taking the Eurostar is as easy as it gets and probably the most sustainable way to travel any significant distance. We also often take a car though and the ferry, when it’s over a week’s stay or we have luggage and sports gear. France has always been good to us; we love the French cuisine, the mindset of the French people, and there is just so much to see and do!
What I love most is the variety of experience, depending on where you decide to go in this physically very large country. Southern-France, Normandy or head for the mountains – it’s always like different country within a country. The mountains in fact, are a big favourite. We even went to Mont Blanc in summer, one year, and it’s just an amazing travel experience all year. Undoubtedly, the the mountains are unmissable in winter, the French Alps have always seemed to me to be the epitome of luxurious winter holidays for skiing and winter sports. For me, no other nation quite compares, so here’s why you should pick France for your next ski holiday.
So Many Interconnected Ski Resorts
France is home to some of a the biggest and the largest interconnected ski areas. The biggest in the world is also located in France: Les 3 Vallees with over 600 kilometres of runs. (There is actually a fourth valley too, but the area is known as 3 Valleys.)
If you like to ski hard all week, these huge linked ski domains are the ones to pick. Our family favourites are:
- Les Trois Vallees (posh Courchevel, fun Meribel and snow-sure Val Thorens)
- Espace Killy (relaxed Tignes and upmarket Val d’Isere)
- Paradiski (family friendly La Plange and often overlooked Les Arcs)
Fine Dining On Every Corner and Many Even On The Piste
And why not, since we’re in France! There are many good cafes and even better restaurants in the French Alps. For example, the above mentioned Les 3 Vallees has 16 Michelin stars between 10 of its restaurants. Isn’t that amazing? But if fine dining is a little too fancy, the French Alps is filled with little bistros and boulangeries with local delicacies to indulge on. They tend to take their cuisine quite seriously even in the mountains, using fresh, local produce in traditional Savoyard recipes.
Snow Conditions Are Fairly Reliable Skiing In France
Although climate change causes warming in several areas on Earth, and even some snowfall problems for lower lying destinations, the high altitudes in the French Alps get a decent amount of snow throughout even the warmer winter seasons. Plus, the ski areas and the resorts have been investing in new technologies like re-mineralisation and they help to ensure sufficient amount of snow and to top up the natural snow fall.
Lots Of Off-Slope Family Activities
Apart from skiing and other winter sports, France offers a plethora of leisure activities: cultural delights of museums, galleries, modern and fine art, spas, mindful shopping at local markets, wine tasting – like anywhere else in France, shopping for local specialities, whether it be food or drink, is the most fun way to explore the mountain resorts for me.
France Is Perfect for Kids To Learn To Ski
If you’re a true snow lover, top of your priority list will be to ensure your kids get the bug too. Family ski holidays are one of the best ways to keep your tribe together later in life, when they hopefully invite you along with their own kids, so get them hooked now and skiing will be one of your favourite features of the family calendar for years to come.
My top tip for teaching them to love it, is it go when the winter weather is less wild and scary. Our favourite time of year to ski with the kids is April, when you can ski all morning until a late lunch, and then play in the sunshine all afternoon. These half-days on the slopes also mean they don’t reach the usually mid-week point and crash, as their little legs get the chance to recover each day.
Best Way to Get To The French Alps With Kids In Tow
There’s no doubt that the greenest way to ski in France from the UK is to take the snow train. It takes longer than flying, but can be a lot more relaxed, provided you take games and thing about how you’ll entertain each other. The other benefit of ski holidays by train, especially with all the ‘stuff’ that a family needs to take, is that there’s no weight limit like you get on a flight. We always use reliable British operators to book all travels. Similarly, when booking a ski holdiay, just look for a package ski holiday in France so that you can get the whole thing ATOL protected, and of course, consider to pay a little bit extra to offset the carbon from the travel.
If you take the slower route in a ski train holiday, make sure you take chargers for their devices and maybe some of their favourite treats, as the onboard options can be a bit limited.
Memories That Last A Lifetime
Because they are more of an adventure, you’ll make more memories going away skiing together than you would on a simple fly-and-flop beach holiday. It takes a bit more preparation, but your extra effort is rewarded with a bonding family experience, in some of the most epic alpine landscapes that France has to offer.