Les Arcs

Les Arcs is a French ski resort located in the Haute Tarentaise valley in the Alps. It’s part of the ParadiSki region and consists of four interconnected villages at different altitudes: 1600, 1800, 1950, and 2000 meters. The resort is also connected to Peisey-Vallandry and La Plagne, creating a vast skiing domain for experienced skiers. To choose the best village, consider the available accommodation at the time of your visit. 1950 and 2000 offer a variety of restaurants and a spa, while 1800 has mostly residential buildings and apartments for rent. 1600 has more infrastructure and is connected to the town of Bourg-St-Maurice via a funicular.

Getting There

The closest airport to Les Arcs is Chambery, while other options include Lyon, Geneva, and Paris. Direct trains are available from French airports, but travelers flying into Geneva may need to connect in Chambery or book a transfer bus. To reach Les Arcs, you’ll need to get to the Bourg-St-Maurice train station, and then take a free funicular ride to Les Arcs 1600. From there, you can take a bus to either Les Arcs 1800 or 1950/2000.

Skiing Domain

Les Arcs skiing area is smaller than Les Trois Valles and Port Du Soleil, but still offers plenty of ski runs for experienced skiers to enjoy. The entire area is located on two sides of a single mountain ridge. If you want to explore more, you can purchase an advanced ski pass that grants access to La Plagne, which is connected by the Vanoise Express cabin. Both Les Arcs and La Plagne have beginner-friendly slopes, but also offer black runs for experienced skiers.

Skiing Trips

Many apartments in Les Arcs offer ski-in and ski-out access, making it convenient to rent equipment and start skiing from your room. If you’re based in Les Arcs 1950 or 2000, here’s our recommended day-trip itinerary:

Day 1 – Getting to know the area
Take a short run down to the Marmottes chairlift and start your day there. The lift takes you to the middle of the mountain, from which you can either go left to reach the Varette cable car or right to the ArcaBulle chairlift. If you go left, you’ll reach a dead-end but can enjoy the wide red piste back to the base. At the top of Varette, you can take the Aguile Rouge cabin to the top of the mountain at 3150 m.

Once you’ve taken in the views, ski back down to Marmottes and then head to ArcaBulle. This chairlift takes you to an overpass at 2600m and features nice red and blue runs back to its base. There’s also a separate path to the XXX chairlift, which has a red and a black run back to its base.

Day 2 –

Day 3 –

Day 4-

Choosing Acommodation

The villages that make up the Les Arcs resort have their own distinctive features. In total, Les Arcs has six small villages where you can stay. When choosing a home, you should consider all the options:

Arc 1950 attracts with its liveliness – you can stay in modern Radisson Blu apartments, Chalet Alouette or choose self-catering houses near the lifts of Residence Arc 1950 Le Village;

You should take a closer look at the following apartments in Arc 2000: L’Aiguille Rogue for a family, La Sources des Arcs with an excellent Spa or the five-star Taj I Mah;

You should give preference to the stylish Le Golf hotel or the Aiguille Grive chalet in Arc-1800. The Tetra chalet is suitable for those who are used to living in comfort;

Arc-1600 is the most budget-friendly resort. Here you can check-in to the UCPA hostel or to the inexpensive apartments of the Cachette hotel.

It doesn’t matter which village will be chosen initially – they are all connected by lifts. Additionally, there is a free regular bus.

Places to visit during the vacation

There are other types of entertainment for families with kids and for companies of youngsters besides skiing down the slopes. During your stay at Les Arcs you may visit the following places:

Restaurants
There are Chalet de L’Arcelle in Arc-1600, Belliou La Fumeee with its cozy atmosphere is located on the mountain in Arc-1950 and Chez Clarisse is a popular establishment with a good cuisine in Arc-1800;

Bars
There are Cafe Sol in Arc-1600, the cafe Ambiente or Le JO in 1800, Chalet de Luigi is a popular place in Arc-1950, Arc-2000 is famous for El Latino Loco with its live music;

Bowling
for those who like to knock pins there are bowling alleys in Ark-2000 and Ark-1800;

Mille 8
A leisure complex, located in Arc-1800 that attracts couples with children. There you can find a restaurant, an aqua center, snow yoga classes and other types of entertainment.