The place to be. Superb skiing and food, the most expensive ski resort you can think of.
Stayed here
1850 mForecast at 1850 m today: low / high, modelled snow depth, and new snow in the last 24 hours.
Yes, if you can afford it. For us it is the best village in the 3 Vallees: the pistes are beautifully kept, the terrain covers every level, and the food is among the best in the Alps.
It is also a show. Plenty of people come here not to ski, or barely, and treat the slopes like a fashion week. You see a lot of glamorous Slavic women in designer ski suits, and you hear a lot of Russian spoken. The top five hotels are all here, and prices follow.
Start with the Grand Couloir, which starts right by the top of the Pas du Lac gondola at the Saulire. It curves around the mountain like a huge half-pipe, wide and well shaped, and it is spectacular first thing.
This is where Courchevel shines: lots of wide, interconnected blues and reds, groomed every night. If the Couloir looks too much, take the lift down and ski the rest of the sector.
There are gentle areas around the village, but beginners will not use most of what they pay for here. A smaller resort, or a lower Courchevel village, makes more sense.
Find a run you love near where you stay and be on it when the lifts open. The groomers finish at dawn, and that first hour sets you up for the day.Our insider tip
3 day routes from here. Highlighted steps are specific to Courchevel 1850. Tap a profile to see it on the map.
The Mottaret and Courchevel classic, built around two of our favourite runs. Drop into the Grand Couloir from the top of the Pas du Lac gondola, then come back over the Saulire and down the tangle of bumpy reds on the Mottaret side.
Do the Couloir early. By afternoon it is busy, bumpy and often icy. Intermediates can take a lift down instead.
A quieter, prettier way between Meribel and Courchevel than the Saulire, through larch forest on the Courchevel side.
Courchevel to Val Thorens and back in a day, with Orelle if your legs and the weather allow. The size of the area hits you on this one.
The classic first-timer mistake is getting stuck on the wrong side of a ridge when the lifts close. Know your last lift home before you set off.
Courchevel holds its snow well into spring. Our March and April weeks here have been fine, while the lower villages down the valley turn slushy on warm days.
Drag to move, scroll or pinch to zoom. Highlighted: the lifts and runs named in each route. Pistes, lifts, forests, lakes and villages © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Terrain from Mapzen/AWS Terrain Tiles.
Stay in 1850 for ski-in, ski-out and the scene. For the same skiing at a lower price, 1650 and 1550 are a few minutes down the road and barely different on the snow.
This is one of the best places to eat in the Alps, on the mountain and in the village. We will add the restaurants we know soon.
Fly to Geneva, Lyon or Chambery and drive up the Tarentaise to Moutiers, then up the valley. Trains reach Moutiers, but most people use a car or a transfer.