Skiing Les Arcs 1800 and La Plagne – A Long Weekend in the Paradiski Area
Great snow, quiet runs, and a few unexpected adventures along the way.
Travel Snapshot
Where: Les Arcs 1800 & La Plagne, French Alps
Ski Area: Paradiski (one of the largest ski areas in Europe)
Duration: 4 days
Flights: Lyon – £30 each way (including baggage)
Drive: Lyon Airport to Les Arcs – about 2.5 hours
Highlight: Skiing from the summit of Aiguille Rouge at 3,226m
Unexpected lesson: “Flat for 2km” sometimes means uphill
A long weekend away with my kids, just the four of us, catching up and having a blast. These really are the best of times and, given they live so far apart, it’s a chance for them to get together and re-live their childhood (and for me to be a kid again).
We booked a cheap flight to Lyon Airport (£30 each way including baggage) and hired a car.
From there we headed to Les Arcs 1800, about a two-and-a-half-hour journey from the airport. The drive through the French Alps was easy enough and the tolls only came to around €22.
After a bit of research, we parked the car in Les Arcs 1600, where there was free roadside parking.
From there we caught the free bus up to our central bijoux apartment overlooking the slopes at 1800.
That decision saved us around €25 per day in parking – money far better spent on beer.
We checked into our cosy apartment in Village du Charvet, right in the middle of the action.
It was perfect for our stay and great value for such a central location.
***Top Tip***
Free roadside parking is available in Les Arcs 1600. Catch the free shuttle bus to 1800 and you can save roughly €25 per day in resort parking fees.
Les Arc 1800
Les Arcs 1800 is well known, and I can now see why.
It’s huge, with a vast ski area and multiple purpose-built apartment complexes plonked right in the heart of the slopes.
The entire resort is packed with bars and restaurants.
Some come to life mid-afternoon, après-ski style, while others stay open much later into the evening.
The village is more lively than most of the others in the region.
It’s also well placed, as you can ski straight in; it genuinely feels like the heart of the mountain.
Accommodation caters for all budgets, some apartments more upmarket, others less so, but they all share the same incredible ski area right on their doorstep.
The blue skies and sunshine we experienced made for a perfect trip, especially coming just a few weeks after the biggest snow dump of the season which meant the conditions were about as good as they get.
This was my first ski holiday ever in Paradiski, but my second in France this season.
Oh là là!
A few years ago my experiences in French resorts were marred by poor service and eye-watering prices in the Three Valleys region not far from here.
This year, however, my experience has been much better and has definitely changed my mind – with the exception of my accommodation host, who decided to hide the prices for linen and bedding, springing an unrealistic charge at us by text after we got back home. But I’m not going to let that spoil what was a great trip. I’ll provide their details at the end – so you can avoid them!
La Piscine 1800 + Sauna
Included in our ski pass was free entry to the Les Arcs 1800 swimming pool.
For a modest €9 we extended the visit to include the wellness area, which included multiple saunas, steam rooms and host of other facilities.
I’d definitely recommend this one.
There’s no time limit, so we spent a few hours there mid-holiday resting our tired legs.
La Folie Douce – Apres Ski Bar
The après-ski scene at 1800 is excellent. Incredibly vibrant and lively.
A bar called La Folie Douce comes alive in the afternoon and early evening with music and entertainment designed to lift the mood.
Not that it needed much lifting with the conditions we had.
Skiers end up partying long after the lifts have closed and the sun has set, before heading down the mountain, many on skis and boards.
Some a little worse for wear.
Hmmmmm.
I’d like to say not us…
But when in Rome!
Other top bars and restaurants.
We spent the weekend indulging in cheese, wine and skiing far too fast for our own good.
There are far too many bars to choose from, but a couple stood out.
The Igloo Ice Bar, near the bottom of the Arcabulle lift, is well worth a visit. Outside high season it’s free to enter.
L’Escale Gourmande served the most gorgeous fondue.
Rodeo Luge
This was a hoot.
We left it until the final few hours of the last day, mainly due to the risk of injury.
It was also great value at €7.
La Plagne
Crossing the Valley
A quick hop across the valley on the famous Vanoise Express cable car opened up a whole new playground.
The double-decker cable car links Les Arcs and La Plagne, connecting the two sides of the Paradiski ski area.
Sarah, Natty and I headed over for the day, setting off early for the crossing minutes after the lifts opened. Our route to Plan Peisey was practically empty and in near-perfect conditions.
Loz sat this one out on account of an injury she picked up the day before.
Perfect Runs
On the other side of the valley we discovered dozens of amazing runs, equally as good as those in Les Arcs.
Perfectly groomed and with loads of elbow room.
Our favourite run was called Tunnel, which linked Roche de Mia to Belle Plagne.
Wide, empty and gently flowing.
But the “other side” of the Carella ridge towards Champagny-en-Vanoise, was awesome. We spent time there chilling on the reds and blues above the village. I noted that there appears to be some fantastic freestyle zones over here – maybe next time, and with some fresh powder!
Snowboarder Warning – for the return trip to Les Arcs:
The sign on Route des Batches says flat for 2km.
It isn’t flat.
It’s uphill.
If you’re on a snowboard… find another route
On the plus side it was a gorgeous ski back through a tree-lined run.
But we were all pretty exhausted by the end of it, so we ended up catching the bus back to 1800 from Plan Peisey.
Wimps!
Zip Line
Near the bottom of the Aiguille Rouge cable car is the Tyrolienne zip-line down to Arc 2000.
So we decided to have a go.
Natty was wearing ski boots so had to use the chair – as opposed to the superman position.
In honesty that was probably the better way to experience it as you get a much better view.
He was also able to carry the GoPro and captured some great footage.
I did have to edit out the expletive though.
The operator caught him off guard and released him long before he was ready.
Aiguille Rouge and Les Arcs 1950
After Natty and I threw ourselves down the Aiguille Rouge black run, a 45° slope at the highest point in the Les Arcs mountain range at 3,226 metres, we headed for the village at Les Arcs 1950.
I needed a wee drink both before and after.
Les Arcs 1950 was, for me, the most chocolate-box Alpine village we visited.
We stopped for a lovely meal at La Bohème.
And the sun was ridiculously hot.
A great four day trip
We spent four days in this resort but, in truth, it felt much longer.
On top of the places mentioned above – we visited several other spots too, including Vallandry, with its tree-lined runs and quaint village at the bottom.
There’s so much to do here, whether skiing or not.
I suspect I’ll be back at some point…
Probably with Emma.
Worth Knowing…
• Paradiski is one of the largest ski areas in Europe
• Free swimming pool entry included with the ski pass at Les Arcs 1800
• Sauna and steam rooms cost about €9 extra
• La Folie Douce is the liveliest après-ski spot
• Rodeo Luge costs about €7 and is great fun
• Les Arcs 1950 is the prettiest village in the area
