In the French Alps' Savoie region, La Plagne was established in the early sixties and now consists of 11 villages: 7 purpose built villages and 4 traditional villages.
The aptly named Plagne Centre at the heart of the resort is the main hub of shops, restaurants and après ski. Just underneath lies Plagne 1800, a cluster of chalets spread across a steep hillside. Higher up are Aime-la-Plagne, Plagne-Soleil and Plagne-Villages, all accessible via chairlifts from Plagne Centre. Plagne Bellecote rests over a low ridge to the west as you look up the hill, with Belle Plagne sitting just above it. Most of the higher altitude villages are ski-in ski-out, making the slopes extremely accessible and eliminating the chore of lugging ski equipment up and down slippery mountain roads.
Below Plagne Bellecote are the villages of Montchavin and Les Coches. Champagny and Montalbert complete the set to the east. As you look up the hill - traditional mountain hamlets, they have the less hustle and bustle than the higher altitude bases and are well worth skiing over to if you're staying elsewhere. Most of the resort is wonderfully backdropped by the mighty Mont Blanc.
The lift system's recently been updated which has done a lot to relieve the bottleneck queues of previous seasons. There are several options when it comes to ski passes. Opt for the local pass, which will give you a fairly extensive 225km to work with, or double the area with the Paradiski pass that joins La Plagne up with Les Arcs. The neighbouring resorts of Peisey Vallandry and Les Arcs are directly linked to La Plagne by the spectacular Vanoise Express ski lift. Starting at Monchavin, the double-decker cable car takes just 4 minutes to transport skiers and snowboarders to reach the village of Plan Peisey, just below Arc 1800.
Location: France, Alps.
Established: 1961
Open: December - April
Downhill: 225km
View our detailed La Plagne snow forecast or snow report and see all live webcams, piste maps, road and travel maps and lift pass prices. For a picture of historic snow conditions see the snow depths month by month with our La Plagne snow history.
Nearest Airport & Transfer Time: | |
Chambéry (CMF) | 110 km, 2 hrs |
Geneva (GVA) | 197 km, 2 hrs 30 |
Lyon (LYS) | 196 km, 2 hrs 15 |
Grenoble (GNB) | 199 km, 2 hrs 15 |
Ski Train - Aime | 30 mins |
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Top Altitude: | 3250m |
Bottom Altitude: | 1250m |
Resort Altitude: | 2000m |
Longest run: | 15km |
Slope Orientation: | N S E W |
Vertical Drop: | 2000m |
Skiable Vertical: | 2000m |
Night Skiing: | Yes |
Glacier: | Yes |
Downhill Runs: | 225km |
Beginner slopes: | 65% |
Intermediate: | 28% |
Advanced slopes: | 6% |
Lift Pass Price: | 310€ (adult 6 day Paradise Unlimited pass) 271€ (adult 6 day La Plagne pass) |
Nearby resorts: Les Arcs |
There are plenty of nursery slopes with access to free beginner lifts and a wide choice of different ski schools for those new to skiing. The slopes around the Belle Plagne area are particularly suitable for beginners. The blue run linking Les Bauches to Montchavin provides a manageable step up in difficulty from the nursery slopes.
For those who class themselves as intermediate skiers, La Plagne is paradise. 77% of the runs are graded either blue or red. Particular favourites are the run from La Grand Rochette to Champagny, Les Sources (red run), Arpette (blue run) and Levasset (blue run). The La Plagne Centre main bowl offers plenty of wide motorway pistes to practice your carving.
More advanced skiers will enjoy 18km of black runs, with the best found on the glacier at Bellecotes. The black run from the glacier down to Montchavin descends 2000 metres and will provide a great challenge to anyone. Also, there are extensive opportunities for off-piste skiing. If you want to get serious, get an off-piste mountain guide for a real adventure and pick up plenty of useful tips for skiing in powder snow.
La Plagne's snowboarding offerings keep getting better with long, wide pistes, modern lifts and a boardercross. There are terrain parks at Belle Plagne, Montchavin and Champagny. Bellcote has a halfpipe. The 7 Cube Snowpark has an unprecedented combination of modules spread over a 900 meter-long freestyle run, very American in design.
It might not rival Val d'sere or Verbier for their wild party scenes, but this is an exceptional resort for unique après ski opportunities. Try snowmobiling at night, ice climbing in Champagny, husky sledding, paragliding, extreme tobogganing and more! One experience not to be missed is the bobsleigh track, used for Olympic training. There are various ways you can choose to go down it, but they are all guaranteed to give you a thrill as you will hurtle down at speeds ranging from 80 km/hr up to a lightening 120 km/hr. That's not your lot, with outdoor skating rinks and the chance to go swimming in a fabulous outdoor heated pool.
Across the 11 villages, there's nightlife if you know where to look for it. The Spitting Feathers bar in Plagne Bellecote is an excellent choice for live sports. Le Cheyenne, La Tete Inn and Le Saloon Club are lively options for a night out in Belle Plagne. La Mine Bar and Le Bobsleigh Bar are your top options if you are staying in Plagne 1800. For the best selection of bars, head to Centre and try out Le Luna Bar, Igloo Igloo Bar, Bar Fort Colorado, La Bergerie (for apres) and Scotty's Bar. In total there are 50 bars, 5 night clubs and a bowling alley, so you'll never struggle to find some form of entertainment.
You can expect to find the usual range of foods that are offered in French Ski resorts. There are over 90 restaurants to choose from with excellent choices on and off the slopes. On piste, you can get a cheap burger, chips and a drink at McCotes in Bellecote and Monica's in Soleil, or for a speciality of the Savoie region, Chalet des Verdons Sud above Champagny does some great food with a modern twist.
With 70% of the Paradiski above 2000m including the Bellecote and La Chiaupe glaciers, La Plagne has access to some of the best snow conditions in the Alps. The artificial snowmaking here is state of the art, with a hoard of snow cannons and piste maintenance machines making sure the slopes are ship shape. All this has added up to a history of reliable snow from December through to April, and sometimes you can even ski the glaciers in the summer months. For the sunniest skiing at the beginning of the season, we love the south-facing slopes around Champagny. Towards the end of the season, some of the best spring skiing can be found up on the Bellecote above 3000m.
Christmas is traditionally celebrated with a bang here - fireworks and street parades accompany decorations and festive markets to create magical Christmas in La Plagne. La Plagne Christmas ski holidays ‣
New Year in La Plagne usually sees torchlit descents that light up the mountain and the legendary Nuit du Pompon Rouge for those want to party. La Plagne New Year ski holidays ‣
Families will find lots to do over February Half Term in La Plagne. Snow conditions should be excellent and there are plenty of fun activities like the Bobsleigh and ice skating. La Plagne Half Term ski holidays ‣
This is one of the most snow-sure resorts in the Alps, and year after year has seen great skiing in warmer conditions over Easter in La Plagne. Look out for traditional Easter festivities like Easter egg hunts, which children will love. La Plagne Easter ski holidays ‣
La Plagne is a really family-friendly resort; there are a total of 17 free lifts for beginners and lots of different ski schools to choose from, making it a great place for little ones on the slopes. As well as all this there are lots of different childcare options available so adults can have some real fun tearing up the mountain for a couple of hours whilst the kids are thoroughly entertained in a kids club. There is a range of off-slope activities too - from swimming to the cinema to keep children amused as well as special events on peak dates such as Christmas and Easter like the annual Easter egg hunt and the theatrical visit from Pere Noel at Christmas. We have a great range of accommodations to suit all types of families, whether you want a self-catered apartment with a great location, somewhere near the slopes or a catered chalet that will take all of the workload off you, so you can all relax and maximise quality family time!
La Plagne is well suited to group skiing as the vast ski area ensures that there is a range of terrain for all levels of skier and ‘boarder, making it great for groups of mixed abilities. There’s also a great range of activities such as bobsledding, swimming and shopping if you’re planning to take any non-skiers with you. The accommodation is extremely varied in La Plagne, with 11 different villages to choose from, and we offer hotels, chalets and self-catered apartments to suit any group. Our range of catered chalets will offer you a personalised holiday; find one with the right size for your group to ensure that you avoid paying supplementary fees. Check out the different villages in resort to find out which has the best accommodation and nightlife to suit all the members of your group. Look out for special offers to take advantage of group discounts.
Accommodation | Number of nights | Price (per person) from |
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CGH White Pearl Lodge & Spa | 7 | £ 539 |
Chalet Campanula | 7 | £ 972 |
Chalet Hugo | 7 | £ 1073 |
Chalet Hepatica | 7 | £ 1079 |
Chalet Hellebore | 7 | £ 1193 |
Chalet Silene | 7 | £ 1213 |
Chalet Benoite | 7 | £ 1569 |