An expert guide to La Plagne, the cornerstone of family skiing in France
La Plagne is part of the giant Paradiski area, along with Les Arcs and Peisey-Vallandry. The three resorts together have 425km of runs best suited to lower intermediates and families, served by 129 lifts. With a new top lift, Glacier gondola, opening this winter (2024/25), ascending to a snow-sure glacier at 3,080m, it's one of the most reliable snow destination in the Alps.
Rather than having one resort base to stay in, La Plagne is made up of no less than 11 separate “villages” scattered across a giant and largely gentle plateau alongside a steep mountain, making it important to be aware of location when booking a holiday here.
Stay on track with the essential facts from the resort below, and scroll down for our insider guide to a day on the pistes, expert ratings and advice. For further La Plagne inspiration, see our guides to the resort's best accommodation, restaurants and après ski.
In this guide:
Inside the resort
With its 11 spread-out base villages, La Plagne lacks a single identity and character. Four of the options to stay in are traditional farming villages – rustic Champagny-en-Vanoise to the south of La Plagne, Plagne Montalbert on the western edge of the ski area, Montchavin-Les Coches at the northern edge of the area and La Plagne Vallée bordering the Isère and villages perched on the slopes of the Versant du Soleil.
The rest are purpose-built ski resorts at different altitudes. Montchavin les Coches is modern but traditional in style. Plagne Centre is the main hub of the resort. Below Plagne Centre is Plagne 1800, while above are Plagne Aime 2000, Plagne Soleil and Plagne Villages, over a ridge from the final two, Plagne Bellecôte and Belle Plagne.
One unusual extra-curricular attraction in La Plagne is a 1,500m long Olympic bobsleigh run with 19 bends. Rides down it are available in a four-seater bob raft that reaches speeds of about 80kph, a single-seater speed luge (riders lie on their back and travel down feet first at up to 90kph, surrounded by a protective cage), or a four-seater racing bob with a professional racing driver at speeds of up to 120kph. The most daring visitors can try their hand at piloting their own ride.
The volume of apartments and tour operator-catered chalets on offer makes La Plagne a sensible choice for families. However, its popularity with them means the slopes can be crowded during high season, and particularly over February half term.
The fragmented nature of La Plagne limits nightlife opportunities, and a large percentage of family guests means the resort isn’t famed for its après. Belle Plagne is the liveliest of the villages, where the Wild West-themed Le Saloon stays open till 5am.
La Plagne has 225km of marked pistes of its own, including plenty of wide and gentle runs. The rest of the Paradiski area is equally intermediate friendly, but while Paradiski is extensive it is not as well linked by lift and piste as the big name, big area rivals the Trois Vallées and Val d'Isère/Tignes. While the ski area is not ideal for experts, there are still plenty of black and red runs, and long, steep off piste descents to lure daredevils.
La Plagne also has Europe’s longest snow-cross course – the Funslope, a long track with jumps and steep banked curves. And the resort also hosts a quirky festival at the end of each winter called Subli’Cimes, which stretches across the resort’s five spectacular summits, free to anyone who has a valid lift pass.
On the slopes
Much of La Plagne's local ski area is on a gentle plateau made up of wide, undemanding slopes way above the tree line. As these descend into the forest on the south and north faces, they become steeper.
Towering over this largely beginner and intermediate playground is the 3,417m summit of Bellecôte, its slopes the starting point for some challenging, long off-piste descents. The top lift, Glacier gondola, opens this season (2024/25) and ascends to a snow-sure glacier at 3,080m and a snack bar with terrace overlooking the Vanoise glaciers. In a unique twist, this gondola offers an “Aérolive” experience: two glass-free cabins, entirely open to the elements.
The spectacular Vanoise Express cable car links La Plagne to Les Arcs, spanning a valley 1,800m wide and 380m deep; the two resorts together form the enormous 425km Paradiski area (an area that celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2023/24).
La Plagne's most distant outpost is the traditional village of Champagny-en-Vanoise. It's possible to travel from here across half a dozen valleys to the outskirts of Villaroger at the far end of the Les Arcs area. However, it entails a frustratingly long time spent on lifts. If on a week's holiday it makes sense to mainly concentrate on the substantial amount of slopes La Plagne has to offer and make a one-day foray to Les Arcs.
Beginners and intermediates will get the most out of the ski area by staying in one of the higher accommodation centres, such as Belle Plagne and Plagne Centre, with best access to the plethora of easy blue runs. While many of the key lifts in the area are fast, the layout of the ski area does not lend itself to those who enjoy covering miles of piste in the same way as Méribel (in the Trois Vallées) and Tignes/Val d’Isère, and queues at peak times can be frustrating.
Experts may want to head immediately for the 2,739m Roche de Mio and its more challenging runs and for black pistes and good off-piste opportunities. The south face has the easier terrain, a warm-up for the stomach-churning traverses and narrow couloirs of the north face. It’s essential to hire an off-piste mountain guide to do these runs.
The Belle Plagne snow park, now called “Riders Nation”, relocated to the Dos Rond sector in Montchavin-Les Coches in 2022/23 (accessed by the Bijolin chairlift or the Leschaux draglift). With four freestyle runs and a 650m boardercross, it remains accessible with its progressive zones and signs that identify the different levels from XS to XL and the modules, and offers a visitors' trail and chill zones.
There are two further snow-cross courses at Les Coches and Champagny, and Europe's longest snow-cross – the Funslope – in Plagne Bellecôte.
A Paradiski app, Yuge, provides information on where the queues are and anticipated waiting times, as well as a digital piste map, weather forecasts, ski itineraries and tracking information.
Who should go?
La Plagne is largely a beginner and intermediate playground with a vast amount of terrain to cover thanks to the link with Les Arcs. Families flock to the resort thanks to the variety of accommodation, most of which is ski-in/ski-out and the number of activities available off the slopes to suit all ages including a Deep Nature spa at Belle Plagne and overnight stays in a luxury converted snow groomer. It is possible to easily reach La Plagne by train, in less than nine hours. Aime la Plagne station is a 20-40 minutes bus ride away, depending on which village you stay in.
Where to stay
Some of the 11 villages that make up the resort of La Plagne are not only miles apart but in different valleys, so where you stay can make a big difference to your holiday. There’s a choice to make between the low-lying traditional farming villages of Champagny-en-Vanoise, Montalbert, Montchavin-Les Coches, or the higher, purpose-built ski villages including Plagne Centre (the main hub of the resort). Standards of accommodation differ across the villages too. There are plenty of budget-to-moderate self-catering apartments, also several catered chalet options from British operators, plus a handful of luxury chalet-hotels and upmarket self-catering.
How to get there
La Plagne is a resort featured by all the mainstream UK tour operators, including Crystal Ski (crystalski.co.uk) and Ski Solutions (skisolutions.com), with accommodation mainly in the higher ski villages. It is possible to easily reach La Plagne by train, in less than nine hours – Inghams (inghams.co.uk) offers seven-night, Saturday-to-Saturday rail-based holidays from London St Pancras to Moûtiers, with a 45-minute resort transfer. Ski World (skiworld.com) and Sunweb (sunweb.co.uk) also have options, and Ski Weekends (skiweekends.com) for short stays. All-inclusive breaks available with Club Med (clubmed.co.uk) and self-drive deals through Erna Low (ernalow.co.uk). Aime la Plagne station is a 20 to 40-minute bus ride away (timing depends on which village you are heading to). Closest airports are Chambéry, Geneva and Lyon.
When to go
2024 opening date: December 14
2025 closing date: April 26 (Champagny en Vanoise and Plagne Montalbert close April 21)
While the high volume of affordable apartments and tour-operator-catered chalets on offer makes La Plagne a sensible choice for families, its popularity means the lift queues can build up and the slopes can be crowded during school holidays – particularly over February half term. Best, if possible, to opt for the quieter January and March weeks. The resort’s 1,500m-long Olympic bobsleigh run hosts top-level competitions. This year, the Junior Luge World Cup took place in December, and the resort hosts the Ice Climbing World Cup from January 31 to February 2.
Know before you go
Essential information
British Embassy/Consulate: (00 33 1 44 51 31 00; ukinfrance.fco.gov.uk)
Ambulance (samu): dial 15
Police: dial 17
Fire (pompiers): dial 18
Emergency services from mobile phone: dial 112
Tourist office: See la-plagne.com, the website for the La Plagne Tourist Board, for weather reports, lift status, webcams, traffic details and local event listings. Pick up maps, leaflets and other information from the office in Plagne Centre.
The basics
Currency: Euro
Telephone code: from abroad, dial 00 33, then leave off the zero at the start of the 10-figure number.
Time difference: +1 hour
Local laws & etiquette
When greeting people, formal titles (Monsieur, Madame and Mademoiselle) are used much more in French than in English.
The laws of vouvoiement (which version of “you” to use) take years to master. If in doubt – except when talking to children or animals – always use the formal vous form (second person plural) rather than the more casual tu.
When driving, it’s compulsory to keep fluorescent bibs and a hazard triangle in the car in case of breakdown. Since 2021, it’s also compulsory to have snow chains in your car or winter tyres from the beginning of November until March.
