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La Plagne Reviews
83 reviews of La Plagne in France.
Voted 12th out of 29 reviewed ski resorts in France
- Superb(35)
- Good(41)
- O.K.(6)
- Poor(0)
- Awful(0)
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Amazing
Reviewed 20 Oct 2020
After a hazardous time with another big ski school in France we gingerly booked with New Generation. From the word go they made us feel comfortable and ensured the number of children in their lessons did not exceed 8. It turned out that our son and his friend were the only children in the lesson and they had a fantastic time. Their instructor was perfect and the children improved beyond belief. I would not hesitate to book them again.
Family trip to La Plagne 04/16
Reviewed 9 Jun 2016
I managed to book lessons with Lime Snow Sports in advance, they just do skiing and my wife and daughter who had the lessons said that the instructor was really good. I also booked my daughters some private lessons with a ski school in Plagne Centre and would definitely recommend private lessons – they’re more expensive but they have the potential to move you on light years quicker. My daughters had progressed as far as they would in 2-3 weeks in usual lessons.
The snow conditions were pretty good in April – most of the time… On the last day conditions were foggy and icy and my youngest fell and broke her wrist in 2 places.
In general I would recommend La Plagne to beginners and early skiers, it has plenty of nice slopes that beginners could use and once you’re up to a certain level you can really explore.
Love it!
Reviewed 6 Jun 2016
We love La Plagne, I think the level of snow and the number of snow parks are the best things. We stayed in Belle Plagne last year and 1800 this year. It’s a top notch resort.
Prefer 1800 to Soleil
Reviewed 1 Jun 2016
This year we were in Plagne Soleil whereas previously I’d stayed in 1800. 1800 is a bit more central with more going on, whereas Plagne Soleil is fairly quiet. The La Plagne ski area is great. Weather was OK… Snowing when we got there and temperatures of -10 to -20 sometimes in early March!
February half term in La Plagne
Reviewed 26 May 2016
Still some runs closed at bottom of les Arcs over February half term. Snow generally elsewhere was good. Wouldn’t recommend for beginner boarders as a few flat sections, but good for beginner skiers and very varied terrain. Nice restaurants nearby, had a lovely fondue! Pub Quiz at the Mine Bar was good fun.
LP Feb 2016
Reviewed 25 May 2016
I thought La Plagne was good, it has lots of different slopes which worked well for me as an intermediate – there’s a good range of runs for different levels. It was the end of February and we had quite a lot of snow so visibility wasn’t good, but the slopes were fresh. We went up to the Aguille Rouge which is the highest point in the area, it was pretty cool.
Nice varied ski area and good weather
Reviewed 24 May 2016
We had good weather and good snow at the end of March in La Plagne. Our party is a big range of all ages, and the resort worked well.
Skiing for everyone
Reviewed 23 May 2016
We had never been to La Plagne before but would definitely go back. The ski area covers literally every level and you can go everywhere. There were a few runs that might have been a bit dodgy for a complete novice, where you ski a blue and get to the end which is harder, but I think you get that everywhere.
I ski here a lot
Reviewed 17 May 2016
For easy skiing / beginner to medium – really good.
For medium to advanced skiing – good.
Lots of nice restaurants and a nice feel to the place, skied here a lot.
Done 6 seasons, still coming back - wicked resort
Reviewed 13 May 2016
I have done about 6 seasons working here, so I know it like the back of my hand. It's great for a blue bird day, not as much for a white out. The powder whilst I was here was great! It takes a lot longer than Les Arcs to get tracked, so you generally get more time in the powder! I’d say it’s great for beginner to intermediate skiers.
Fantastic resort
Reviewed 13 May 2016
The resort is fantastic!! I would definitely go back, especially when my little girl starts to learn to ski. All the lifts were updated and seemed “high tech”. Usually I’m a bit worried about the ski lifts, but these slowed down so that you have enough time to easily get off. It was also very easy to get from one resort to another. The slopes were nice and wide and catered for all levels of skier. I would certainly recommend it for intermediate skiers.
There was a wonderful pizza take-away shop right near us (they also do burgers) and it was really good. Also we went to K2 which we highly recommend! The food was fantastic.
Bobsleigh was awesome!
Reviewed 9 May 2016
A fantastic week in La Plagne, where the weather and snow was perfect. La Plagne’s skiing is absolutely fantastic, I would say it’s best for intermediates and above. There were no queues on the tow lifts and the actual resort was nice. We went on the bobsleigh which was awesome – skiing gives you a bit of a rush but this takes it to another level! Transfers from Grenoble were fine but the airport itself was a bit cattle-like, I suppose that’s par for the course!
Have skied here a lot
Reviewed 9 May 2016
Skied in La Plagne several times and got to explore bits we hadn’t skied down to before. We had the full area pass and were skiing 40-50km each day.
Where to find the best runs in the Alps
Reviewed 5 May 2016
I love the fact that La Plagne is so wide open, with miles and miles of skiing. It has the best of all worlds. I can’t decide which is better, La Plagne or the Three Valleys.
It’s definitely worth going over to Les Arcs and skiing the runs in the trees around Vallandry, the 6 or 7 runs there are the best runs in the Alps – wide, long and variant from blues to blacks. We were lucky as we had the first snowy week of the season, with a mix of snow and sunshine.
Wish we were there!
Reviewed 3 May 2016
My first holiday in a long time and my daughter’s first ever – we had a great week. Weather was nice and the ski area is really good. I would recommend La Plagne to other families. Wish we were still there!
Amazing for families!
Reviewed 26 Apr 2016
La Plagne is amazing! We totally want to come back. We wanted to ski all day long, even when the weather wasn’t perfect with very heavy snow. I would definitely recommend La Plagne to other families.
Top marks for families
Reviewed 26 Apr 2016
We skied a lot and loved how incredibly easy everything was. It was busy and a couple of lifts broke so queues could be long, but you can’t complain about that over February half term. It depends what you’re looking for in a holiday, but for families looking to ski, 5/5! We’ll never use ESF again after a previous holiday – this time my wife had lessons with Oxygene and we thought they were good.
Ski here a lot - Fly to Geneva!
Reviewed 26 Apr 2016
We’ve skied in La Plagne a number of times. This time we stayed in Plagne Villages, but we usually stay in Plagne Soleil. I think Soleil is better as there are some nice bars and restaurants there – we always go to Monica’s bar at some stage of every day, we know the owners as we come every year and my name’s on the wall which only certain people are allowed! My daughter’s boyfriend is diabetic and they catered for him well, as did the other resort staff.
Grenoble Airport was absolute chaos – having flown into Grenoble, Chambery and Geneva on previous trips to La Plagne, I would definitely say Geneva is by far the better airport and much more organised.
La Plagne
Reviewed 20 Apr 2016
Very large piste area for all abilities and good bars & food.
Family Holiday La Plagne
Reviewed 14 Apr 2016
The ski area has loads of runs; we always started from the main area after dropping my daughter at ski school and went all over the area. The kids really liked it and I would recommend it to families. We went to a great restaurant in Plagne Bellecote where they cooked the meat on an open fire – can’t remember what it was called but it was fantastic.
A favourite
Reviewed 14 Apr 2016
La Plagne is one of my favourites. It’s both boarder friendly and skier friendly, a bit more beginner and intermediate so if you want hardcore stuff it’s probably not the best. There are amazing views at the top and you’ll find some really nice reds to the left of the mountain from the highest point where the glacier is, and not many people know about them which is what makes them so good. There’s not really much of a party scene but there are a couple of nice places in Belle Plagne, La Saloon has a happy hour and cheap drinks and there’s another good one further down near the lifts.
Snowy, though a little flat
Reviewed 11 Apr 2016
So much snow one day that we could hardly get out of the doors! Loads of nice wide blue runs if you like easy skiing, but quite a few flat bits too which isn't great for snowboarders or advanced skiers.
Great resort!
Reviewed 19 May 2015
We thought La Plagne was great as you can cover such a big ski area. There were a lot of black runs shut due to fear of avalanche, but from a family point of view that wasn’t a problem, there was plenty else to ski. There are a few bars and restaurants so you could potter about in the evenings if you wanted to, though we tended to stay in our chalet hotel.
Outstanding
Reviewed 5 May 2015
My main reason for going to La Plagne was that I got a great deal with SNO - after an outstanding week I can’t speak more highly of the resort. La Plagne’s conveniently located – it’s well linked in terms of getting over to Les Arcs and the transfer wasn’t bad at all. It snowed a bit on the first day and again at the end of the week so I had an amazing last day of skiing – it got a bit slushy towards the end of the day but on the whole the area was never short of snow. There’s a great mix of slopes including plenty of nice blues and the town has plenty of bars and restaurants (I found some cracking places to eat in the centre). I did the bobsleigh and parapente, both were fantastic and I would highly recommend having a go.
Big enough ski area to stick with local pass, would happily return
Reviewed 29 Apr 2015
A massive ski resort, you can ski all day and not see the same thing twice. Because of the size of the area, there’s a good mix of slopes for different abilities - every chair lift has either a blue or a red going from it, so you can choose the easier option if you’re less confident.
This time, we didn’t bother getting the pass that includes Les Arcs – I’ve been to Les Arcs before and it’s a nice place to ski, but there’s so much to ski in La Plagne that I didn’t think it was worth the 40€.
The slopes are quite high which means good snow. We were a bit worried in January because it had been a bit of an unlucky year in terms of snow, but the conditions were okay.
I’d more than happily return to La Plagne again.
Pleasantly surprised
Reviewed 23 Apr 2015
I was pleasantly surprised with La Plagne and pretty thrilled with the ski area – I skied over to Les Arcs and up there and then all the way down the valley. I’d advise anyone in La Plagne to cover the whole thing – go across all the valleys right from one edge of Paradiski to the other.
The area has a mix of slopes including plenty of open pistes and red runs. The lifts were good and the weather was a mix of 2 perfect days and 4 with tough visibility.
The village isn’t picturesque, but it’s made up for by the good skiing and once you get up high on the mountains it’s very beautiful.
Really good off piste
Reviewed 20 Apr 2015
La Plagne’s quite a nice resort – the off piste is really good. I wouldn’t say that it’s the best place for snowboarders however as there are lots of flats.
Amazing ski area
Reviewed 20 Apr 2015
We returned to La Plagne because we know the slopes – it’s an amazing, big area that’s easy to get around. We didn’t bother with the bigger Les Arcs pass because we knew La Plagne had enough. There are some great reds and blacks as well as easier runs if you want a break. Other than skiing, we did the Orientation pub crawl which was fun, we also meant to go on the luge but got lost – although people who did have a go said it was amazing. It isn’t as lively as other places but that didn’t bother us, we had gorgeous weather and a great week overall.
Good beginner skiing
Reviewed 14 Apr 2015
I’m not the most experienced skier but I thought La Plagne was really good, it’s definitely a nice place for beginners. I was booked into ski school with ESF but I wasn’t really happy with the lessons on the first few days (on one day the instructor just left us and told us to ski round & round…). I spoke to the rep at my chalet and changed to a different group which was a lot better. It snowed in the daytime at the beginning of the week which wasn’t the most pleasant weather to ski in but meant we had good conditions on the slopes!
La Plagne February 2015
Reviewed 14 Apr 2015
We had a good week, you can’t do much about the weather so you have to take the rough with the smooth – we probably had too much snow. The main thing with La Plagne is that you need to be aware of where you’re staying with regards to the rest of the resort as La Plagne’s quite a big, spread out resort. I’d stayed in Belle Plagne before which is a little further up from Plagne 1800 where we were this year. I’d checked out where it was before we booked, so I knew it had a good layout and was well connected to the rest of the resort.
Good skiing for mixed ability groups
Reviewed 31 Mar 2015
I’d been to La Plagne 2 or 3 times before this trip so knew what to expect. We stayed in Belle Plagne (which is one of the less concretey areas) and were very happy with the location.
Luckily, it snowed the week we went so the pistes were fine and we managed to find some soft off-piste.
It’s a good ski area if you’ve got a mixed ability group (which we had) as everybody can find something to do. We managed to get onto the glacier (though it takes forever to get there) and there are some really nice blues and reds around as well as quite a lot of safe off piste between the runs, which a lot of people who hadn’t gone off piste before thoroughly enjoyed. I didn’t get the whole area pass as I knew I wouldn’t use it (had skied in Les Arcs the year before) and several people who did buy the bigger pass didn’t use the whole area either.
Travel times were quite good and the people at SNO sorted us out with some good flight times, we left Gatwick around midday (delayed a bit but nothing bad) and got back late afternoon at the end of the week.
First time visiting La Plagne.
Reviewed 24 Mar 2015
There was massive snow as we arrived, so we were stuck in a 24 hour traffic jam but it worked out well because we had brilliant conditions for the week. La Plagne is tiny with only a couple of pubs but we knew that before we went. The ski area has good variety – not many black runs but a lot for intermediates.
New Year in La Plagne
Reviewed 24 Mar 2015
La Plagne’s New Year celebrations were quite spectacular: they built 3 huge volcanos and in the top of the tallest they had dancers with a DJ in the middle. There was a real carnival atmosphere with floats going up and down and they had the bubbles open all night so you could go up the mountain to see the spectacle from above. There were thousands of people there, it was a massive party and a great way to see in the year.
Conditions weren’t brilliant. There wasn’t enough snow and it skied out too quickly, we had a great first couple of days but then it became really patchy – especially on the Champagny side.
Christmas week in La Plagne
Reviewed 19 Mar 2015
First time skiing La Plagne - stayed here over Christmas week 2014. The resort wasn’t particularly Christmassy with not much to do on the 25th (Christmas Eve is the big thing here and our hotel did make an effort to celebrate).
The skiing was rubbish because there wasn’t any snow –they did a good job with the slopes so there was always something to do, but it was quite rocky and bare. This was the week when there was a sudden dump of heavy snow on the Friday and it made national news because so many roads closed… luckily our coach driver managed to get us back with some crazy driving!
I didn’t get round to it, but if you’re in La Plagne I’d recommend having a go at the luge, which seems to be a big attraction here.
Not sure whether I’d go back here, I think I’ve been a bit put off by the lack of snow (just back from Chamonix however which was amazing).
La Plagne - TJ
Reviewed 29 Oct 2014
The resort is huge with a massive selection of runs for all abilities. The runs are long and wide and rarely felt overcrowded. Having the option to go the Les Arcs is also a bonus but I only felt it was necessary to do once. It does take a fair bit of time to get across. La Plange however, is my favourite resort to date.
Tips after a season in La Plagne
Reviewed 17 Sep 2014
I spent five months living and working in here over the 2012/13 winter season. I absolutely love La Plagne, even though I first had my apprehensions about whether the resort would have enough challenging skiing and a lively enough night scene to keep me entertained (I wasn’t disappointed though!).
The majority of runs range from green to red, with very few black runs (only 15), which means for families and beginners it’s spot on. We still found plenty to keep the more advanced skiers happy. The ski park is easy to get to via the Roche De Mio in Bellecote - definitely a favourite amongst seasoned skiers. As well as this, there’s plenty of off-piste which is really easy to find throughout the whole area. My favourite is the run from the top of the colossus chair lift in Bellecote which leads all the way down the Champagny. The run is long and wide but also with some very steep bits. The Champagny ski area itself is stunning and has some really lovely restaurants - loved Chalet des Verdons Sud. The Arpette was also one of my favourite places to stop and have a glass of vin chaud on the deck as it had some amazing views out over the valley. I’d also recommend Le Forperet which is slightly hard to find and is a bit of a hidden gem, tucked away off Le Gentil piste above Montalbert.
It first seemed that there wasn’t much going on in terms of nightlife (groups wanting to party all week should try Val d'Isere) although we soon worked out that if you know where to go, there’s enough. There are two main bars in La Plagne centre; Mouth and Scotty’s bar. Scotty’s bar is a great place to go for apres as the party kicks off quite early, around 5pm and earlier on Wednesday’s. Scotty’s often has live bands and the drinks there are very reasonable. Mouth bar is a little more laid back, although it does sometimes have live music and feature events. The club, Le cosy bar in Bellecote is a great place to end the night, as it plays current music and features a few different rooms.
One of my favourite resorts thus far!
Reviewed 17 Sep 2014
I loved my first time skiing in La Plagne! We got the ski pass which allowed you to go everywhere so the ski area was huge! We particularly loved our day trip over to Les Arcs. Considering it was Easter we actually had a fair bit of snow (sleet down the bottom), which was nice for a bit of powder up the top, but not ideal for visibility and I remember coming in soaked through on two days. There were some really nice blue runs that went lower through the trees (down to Montchavin I think) which we kept doing as they were so much fun – would have been even better with some more snow. We had our first experience in a catered chalet on this holiday -the young guests all dragged me out to the Mine Bar as it was actually my 19th birthday when we stayed, where the whole bar and the live band all sang me happy birthday whilst I downed a pint – a birthday I won’t forget. It was a great place to stay as a family – there was only that one bar in 1800, so there wasn’t a rowdy atmosphere – and there was a good bus link to the main centre where you could go for a bit more atmosphere. I would definitely recommend La Plagne to anyone who like to ski and a really pleasant atmosphere.
Been going since a toddler!
Reviewed 22 Aug 2014
I have been to La Plagne many, many times and (apart from the first visit as a toddler) always stayed in Montchavin. At 1250m it’s the lowest village in the entire Paradiski area. The snow can be a bit bare at Easter and the last run home is always icy but because the village is low its yet to have been invaded by major building work and the skyscrapers that can ruin a little town's charm. The locals still leave their cows in a shed in the middle of the village, which gives you a clue of how rustic it is. In my opinion it’s the best looking part of La Plagne and the views are fantastic: on a clear day you can see through the whole valley and to Mont Blanc itself. There's a couple of bars in town: Camp de Base is by the bottom of the Poma and sells 'Mont Blanc' beer which is green and super fun. Dos Rond is in the village and there's always football on. The bar food there is good as well; the portions are massive, which is a general theme throughout La Plagne. That’s about it for après – you could join the locals ‘dans le club’ but it’s usually pretty desolate. The Bovate, in my opinion, is the best restaurant in town. Their steak with chanterelles mushroom and crozat pasta, combined with a glass of Saint Joseph Red, is one of the best meals I’ve had. The Bovate is run by Montchavin’s mayor Anthony and he’s a good guy to chat to if you want to hear the local news or weather conditions. To be honest any of the Savoie dishes taste great after a day’s skiing: Pierrade (hot plate on which you cook your own selection of meat), Tartiflette, Croziflette… Anyway, Montchavin is great but La Plagne’s main attraction is undeniably the skiing. Linked with Les Arcs by the Vanoise express the two areas form the 2nd largest skiable are in the world. Its phat. I’ll start with beginners. The three blues into Belle Plagne are easy to get to, long, nearly always groomed and seemingly never ending. There also serviced by the fastest lift in the whole resort (Arpette) so you can get back on them super quickly. If it’s a sky blue day then Champagny has these three blues that are just like nothing else in the resort: steep enough for a bit of speed but wide enough to get turns in. Again there’s a lift (Rossa) going over them so you can mess about all day. The restaurant at the bottom of Rossa has a huge outdoor terrace and seriously nice food – best steak hache a cheval for sure. For intermediate skiers the rest of the resort is basically free reign as long as you stay above 1800m where nearly all the good runs are. Take the double bubble from Bellecote for some long reds or go to Aime and sneak onto the downhill practise slope to get some speed. There’s beginners, intermediate and pro jump parks above Bellecote all of which can be reached by one drag so you can keep hitting them. Right, for the pros: hire a guide, get an ABS bag and ski from the top of the Roche de Mio bubble off the side of the mountain. Just do it. Go through the avalanche zones, all the powder, no one else around you and roll into Les Boches. You’ll feel about 10ft tall. Those are my favourite parts of La Plagne but there’s so much more. I haven’t even really gone into Les Arcs - head there if there’s low visibility because the tree cover is great. I hope you enjoy this place as much as I do!
Belle Plagne is the best area
Reviewed 25 Jun 2014
La Plagne is good. We were lucky because it had snowed recently and the weather was good. Belle Plagne is the most attractive area, the buildings in the rest of La Plagne aren’t very nice.
I recommend Oxygène ski school
Reviewed 25 Jun 2014
It’s a really nice resort, I liked it. We had really good snow although it was late in the season. In terms of the skiing, it’s not particularly challenging around Belle Plagne where we were staying. This was good for our group as we had a 7 year old with us. The ski school Oxygène met near our apartment in Belle Plagne as well. I would definitely recommend Oxygène ski school over the ESF.
Belle Plagne is a great area for families. We snowboard and there were some nice, easy runs for us. We like to play about on the sides of the slopes rather than just bomb it down. It was late in the season and I don’t think the area pass would have been worth it – you have to go quite low down to get over to Les Arcs and the snow wasn’t great down there apparently. I’ve been to Les Arcs too but I prefer La Plagne, the snow was better while we were here and there is more variety in La Plagne. Les Arcs felt quite open and exposed if the weather wasn’t good, but we found some nice runs through the trees in La Plagne.
We ate out in town one night and it was very nice. There’s a pub called La Tête Inn which had live music, and they have milk churns which they’ve turned into seats.
Don't think we would go back
Reviewed 23 Jun 2014
The resort was OK. The snow was very good while we were there. It’s not the nicest place – if I was going to go back to a resort I would rather go back somewhere like Wengen or Lake Louise which are beautiful, but normally we try a different place each year anyway. Plagne Soleil (the area that we were staying in) was fairly quiet – not really the right place for young people who want to go out in the evenings, but that's what we wanted.
We did the bob sleigh track one day which was good fun.
Excellent off-piste
Reviewed 19 Jun 2014
The skiing was superb! The town itself is an architectural desert. It’s not got the quaintness of Switzerland. There were a few good pubs down the road and they were more traditional buildings, but there were a lot of concrete blocks around. The holiday was great though, we skied over to Les Arcs with the Ski Club of Great Britain and that was jolly good, and we spent most of the time off-piste. Probably spent about 70/30 of the time off-piste compared to on piste. The conditions were excellent. Most of the areas for off-piste were quite forgiving, we weren’t suddenly confronted with cliffs or similar, and we stayed on low angled slopes as the avalanche risk was high.
Great intermediate resort
Reviewed 11 Jun 2014
La Plagne is great – it’s linked up to Les Arcs which doesn’t take long to get to, we went over there 2 or 3 times. We were there quite late in the season but most of the runs were open although it did get slushy in some places. The area is perfect for intermediates and the red runs are nice and wide. For more advanced skiers there aren’t many black runs at all, I can’t remember seeing any.
Sunshine every day, first time skiing, lovely week
Reviewed 10 Jun 2014
This was our first time skiing so I’ve no idea of other resorts, but I’ve spoken to quite a few people who really like La Plagne. We had lessons with the big ski school down in the valley (our chalet was in Plagne Village but the ski school nearer there is quite small). Our instructor was a young guy who was really good.
We only went out a couple of nights as we were usually worn out, the resort reps took us around all the bars one evening which was good fun.
We had absolutely beautiful weather all week; the only problem was that it got a bit slushy in the afternoon (we didn’t know any different but other people were complaining).
Would happily go back
Reviewed 9 Jun 2014
This was my first time in La Plagne and I really liked it as a resort. We did one day going over to Les Arcs which I’d recommend, there’s some really good skiing over there. The ski area is huge and there are more than enough other things to do like the Bob Sleigh and other bits and pieces. We did the tobogganing one night which is worth doing. You can do some pottering around other villages and there are plenty of restaurants and bars to explore.
Our holiday was at the end of January and we had 2 or 3 days where it was a white out, a bit dangerous but competent skiers could still go out. That’s just the risk you run at that time of year, obviously later in the season you’re more likely to get sunshine but you also get slushy slopes.
Really, really good!
Reviewed 4 Jun 2014
The snow was perfect while we were there. It dumped it down the day before we got there and then we had beautiful weather. We were very lucky. The snow started to go by the end of the week.
We got what we paid for in La Plagne, it’s really, really good. It was perfect for my level (intermediate). I had enough to do in the local area but advanced skiers and boarders would want to do La Plagne and more I think and go over to the other areas.
Buy the whole area pass and explore!
Reviewed 4 Jun 2014
I wouldn’t class the resort itself as a beginner place, there aren’t any greens and many of the blues are more like reds. A couple staying in our chalet were beginners and they struggled.
It was 22°C on some days during our week here, there’s one place that has a mini swimming pool where people come down the mountain to ski across the water and people where actually sitting there in bikinis!
The piste bashers did a good job in spite of the conditions, we had to stick high (the couple of times we did go down it was quite slushy). We got the full area pass and took the lift across so we could cover quite a lot of mileage. There are lots of ski parks including air bags and a couple of half pipes if you want to have a go at that.
We enjoyed dinner in a restaurant called l’Alpage in the centre of the resort (you can’t miss it).
Just right for us
Reviewed 3 Jun 2014
The skiing was very good for us and we’ve all skied 6/7 times but I would say the area works for any level of skier. It would be the perfect place to learn to ski or bring a first timer, although lessons are quite expensive. We skied the whole area which was fantastic, if you haven’t been here before my best advice is to just go out and try it all. There are plenty of bars and restaurants on the slopes but there’s no nightlife whatsoever.
Most days were very warm but the snow kept well – there’s nothing like sunshine skiing!
Everyone absolutely loved it
Reviewed 2 Jun 2014
Only one of our group had been here before but we all had a great time and would go back again. It’s not a huge open plan place which is very nice as you get lots of variety, with some open runs and others going down gullies and between trees.
Skiing for all levels, loads to do
Reviewed 2 Jun 2014
I’d been to Les Arcs and skied in La Plagne but this was my first time staying in La Plagne, and I can’t fault it. It’s a brilliant place across the board for most levels. While my son was in lessons (Oxygene ski school are fantastic) I went over the back and did the skiing over there. The lifts were pretty efficient, which was surprising considering it was the half term week. You also have the bowling alley and restaurants and there was a swimming pool but we didn’t get round to using it.
Huge area
Reviewed 2 Jun 2014
La Plagne has a huge area but it’s very crowded (we were here over one of the half terms). If you went off and found the right areas you could escape the crowds. There are lots of things to do, we went to the top where they have ice sculptures and things and there are tonnes of restaurants and cafes.
Prefer Tignes but La Plagne is great for families
Reviewed 30 May 2014
I’ve been to plenty of resorts in France; this was my first time in LP. There are some really good mountains and if you have plenty of time on your hands you can do a lot of skiing. It was my son’s second week of skiing, he started off in the kindergarten bit which has a little track you can go up and down but by the end of the week he was doing blue runs. I spent most of the time with my son so didn’t get to do the whole area, but the bits I saw were really good and there’s still lots do ski that I didn’t get to do this time round. I wouldn’t say there’s plenty of advanced skiing like you get in Tignes, but as far as general skiing, boarding and accommodation go, it ticks all three boxes.
Quiet resort with a good range of slopes
Reviewed 22 May 2014
My big tip for La Plagne – don’t fly into Grenoble airport. It’s terrible. It’s old and dated and our flight was delayed, so we found that when we arrived we didn’t get our luggage for ages.
I like La Plagne, I like the range of slopes. There’s not much there in terms of après but that’s not what I was there for. It’s fairly quiet – in fact if you want to go out and party then don’t go to Plagne 1800, there’s not much there. La Mine bar in 1800 is alright but the central area of La Plagne is probably better to stay in to go out and has the best access to the lifts. Don’t stay up in the highest areas of La Plagne if you want easy access to the lifts, it’s a long trek.
Make sure you ski across to Les Arcs
Reviewed 21 May 2014
We stayed in La Plagne 1800 last time and wouldn’t go back – it would be good if you wanted a really quiet holiday but there wasn’t enough for us. Only one restaurant, which was the canteen and a very small Spar shop. The outdoor swimming pool was also very cold!
Plagne Soleil where we stayed the previous year was still a bit remote but had more bars, restaurants and shops.
We’re good skiers and have been everywhere and skied La Plagne lots, we like that it has a range of runs. If we want more gentle skiing we can do that and if we want more of a challenge we have that too. It’s good if you haven’t done a lot of skiing but also has some off-piste, fantastic snowboarding and a good park. I would definitely recommend making the effort to go over on the Vanoise lift to Les Arcs. You can party or you can relax, so it really suits everyone.
One of my favourite French resorts
Reviewed 20 May 2014
One of my favourite French resorts. There’s loads to do there and it’s easily accessible. There were no excessive queues. As someone who only skis once a year and is basically a novice it was great, there were plenty of nice blues and greens. There is access to a big range of skiing. Unless you want to cover a lot of ground I would stick with the La Plagne lift pass only (not the full Paradiski area including Les Arcs).
There are some nice bars around – Colorado bar which is on the easy blue Colorado piste is a good spot to sit in a deckchair in the sunshine. I went to La Mine a few times too which is a very good bar in Plagne 1800 with a nice atmosphere that has live music on. Also the bar under the Mark Warner hotel, Scotty’s, has live music quite often and is quite lively.
Lots to keep us occupied and a good resort for boarders
Reviewed 20 May 2014
There was loads in resort to keep us occupied, I would definitely go back. We all really liked the resort. There were a couple of nice little pubs and some nice places to eat. We went to La Mine a bit which has an English speaking bar man. It had a good atmosphere and it was quite busy when the sports were on (the 6 nations were playing while we were there, so we watched some of it). There is also another bar called the Bobsleigh which is more of a sports bar and does pizza and burgers.
There are buses going round the different parts of La Plagne which is really good, and they run frequently. It’s worth trying to flag the buses down even if you are standing at a bus stop because otherwise they will just drive past you.
We didn’t do too much other than ski but a couple of people in our chalet tried the local bob sleigh run. They said it was great but it was almost over before it started (although I think they went down with a pro).
As a group of varying abilities we all enjoyed the skiing. I’m a learner boarder and it was good for me – it’s definitely a good resort for boarding. Plenty of blue runs. There are a couple of freestyle areas where you can do some jumps too.
Good mix of skiing for groups
Reviewed 19 May 2014
We hadn’t been to La Plagne before – we wanted somewhere in the area where we could fly direct to Chambery as we’re based in Jersey and also wanted a chalet we would have for ourselves, so that chose the resort for us!
When we got there it was all white and covered but it didn’t snow at all during the week and after 3 days it got a bit icy and slushy.
We found the skiing fine, there’s a good mix of runs which worked for our group as we’re all stages, with some complete beginners, intermediates and some more advanced. Some had lessons and others went over to Les Arcs.
The snowmobiling here is the best we’ve done, we had lovely deep snow and could go right around the mountain whereas in some resorts, you just have a track where you follow a leader. The tobogganing was good fun too.
Better than Les Arcs
Reviewed 19 May 2014
It’s a bit of a concrete jungle but from my eyes, La Plagne is better than Les Arcs even though you can ski the same area from both. Some of the blues there are nice and wide and go on for ages, whereas in Les Arcs they’re more limited.
If you’re in Plagne centre / Belle Plagne at the end of the day it’s an absolute bun fight. My best advice would be to go up over the mountain towards Champagny. It’s almost another valley over the top and is a lot quieter with some really nice runs. There’s a lovely blue there that’s 5-6km long and three blue runs that go parallel down the back, one of which is called La Rossa. You can ski for km and km without seeing another skier.
spread out but easy to ski between the different parts
Reviewed 18 May 2014
La Plagne is all very spread out. The resort is sort of in small segments and you can use the bus to get around. It’s easy to ski between the different parts. It’s probably more suitable for beginners and families because it’s not a big, bustling town and it doesn’t offer that much. Now I’m older I think I prefer resorts like St. Anton which have a defined town centre.
Something for just about every skiing ability
Reviewed 16 May 2014
La Plagne isn’t my favourite resort but most of the group I ski with really like it, and I’ve skied there a few times. Because we go as a group, we always need somewhere that can cater to all the different levels and La Plagne does this really well. It’s a big area so if you like doing miles and miles on the piste it’s great, as you can ski over to Les Arcs. There’s a lot of on-piste cruising for intermediate skiers and it’s a good resort for beginners as there’s so much choice.
It’s quite open so if the weather is bad it’s not the best place to be as visibility can be quite poor. When we got there, the snow was OK, not great but we had two good dumps during the week which made things much better.
Love this resort, one of my favourites
Reviewed 16 May 2014
La Plagne is lovely and I’ve been there 3 or 4 times – I’d definitely go back and would highly recommend skiing here if you haven’t before. Me and my husband are different levels (I’m a low level skier and he is really high) and the skiing suited us both perfectly. We’ve been skiing loads all over the world and been to places like Canada... I really like France because the chair lifts aren’t so high – I’m not usually scared of heights but the ones in Canada are really high! We didn’t have to wait too long at chair lifts which was good considering it was New Year’s week. I had lessons and the ski instructor was really good (can’t remember her name!). The food in the restaurants and everything is always really good and not too expensive either. La Plagne is also fairly easy to get to from London.
They did a massive party for New Year’s Eve and put on free buses down to where the party was. They had loads of entertainment which was amazing.
Plagne Centre is better than Plagne Soleil
Reviewed 16 May 2014
We stayed in Plagne Soleil which was quite dead. We did ski on the first week of January which is always quiet anywhere, but if we were to return to La Plagne we would stay in Plagne Centre which has a lot more going on. The snow conditions were ok although it didn’t snow while we were there. The good thing about the area is that there are quite a lot of different slopes and things. My partner and his friend did the bob-sleigh, I opted out when I saw the price which is 100 euros a person which isn’t cheap, when the lads came back they said they were terrified as it went up to 120 miles an hour! There’s a good toboggan run in Plagne Centre on mini sledges which was quite good if you have kids, it cost about 10 euros and you could do as much as you wanted for 2 or 3 hours.
an excellent resort
Reviewed 16 May 2014
I’ve been there 3 times now. I’ve always been a bit anti-France for holidays, but they have some of the best skiing in the world. I’ve been skiing since I was 16 and I’ve skied all over. I’ve got to say La Plagne is in my top 2 resorts! It’s world class. We skied over to Les Arcs every day, we like to ski as far as possible, and it is a huge ski area. There were plenty of places to grab a beer on the slopes or after skiing, and there is a supermarket in 1800 if you are self-catering.
A good resort for intermediate to advanced skiers
Reviewed 16 May 2014
I liked the skiing here. The glacier was really cool. It’s a good resort for intermediate to advanced skiers. Don’t bother getting the Vanoise Express over to Les Arcs the whole time because you have to ski quite a long way to get to it. We only went over there once I think. Bar wise La Plagne is good (really liked the atmosphere at Bar La Mine), I think it’s a good place for young people. It’s not like Val Thorens, people tend to just go out for a few quiet drinks in the evening. There wasn’t much snow while we were there but it wasn’t a problem.
Loads of slopes
Reviewed 13 May 2014
We’ve been to La Plagne quite a few times as a family – La Plagne is a fairly basic purpose built resort but the best thing is you have a big ski area with plenty of choice of slopes. We ski as a family and are all intermediate to advanced so I can’t comment on the ski school or the lower slopes – we just went off with the ski map and found our favourite slopes by the end of the week.
does what it says on the tin
Reviewed 8 May 2014
I’ve been to La Plagne several times and while it’s great for my family, it is a bit short on the adventurous skiing. There’s not much off-piste. There’s a bit of tree skiing further down the mountain, but it can get slushy, or at least it was while we were there. But La Plagne a good resort in that it does what it says on the tin and suits most levels of skier well. We didn’t bother going over to the Les Arcs side but there is more off-piste and adventurous skiing over there. It’s easier to get to Les Arcs from Plagne Soleil than from some of the lower levels of La Plagne (ie. 1800). It can be quite a long trip over to Les Arcs from some of the lower areas, almost not worth it. There are plenty of places to eat out in La Plagne, we’ve been to a few decent restaurants there.
Loved it
Reviewed 8 May 2014
La Plagne is unreal. It’s good for snowboarders and mixed ability groups and is an awesome place to ski. We stayed on piste mainly, but we did find a bit of off-piste close to home, on the way back down to Le Coche, I think just off a black run. There was also a really nice little bar as we came down which was good for a drink afterwards. You cannot beat the skiing here. The nightlife is quiet though.
Great intermediate resort
Reviewed 28 Apr 2014
There are lots of British tourists in La Plagne, so if you like to go somewhere where nearly everyone is English it’s perfect, but if you want to really escape it’s not so great a place.
La Plagne is very good for intermediates and is branded “Intermediate Paradise”, probably not so great for advanced skiers but it really is the perfect place to go if you’re an intermediate skier, and also for families with children.
The only drawback was that there were a couple of windy/icy days (we stayed here at the end of January) but the snow was good overall and I would definitely ski here again.
Awesome late season snow
Reviewed 28 Apr 2014
Very good place to learn – I learned in Belle Plagne a few years ago and we took the children to learn this time round. They got on fine and the ski school was really good. My husband is a more competent skier and enjoyed skiing the whole area, so they have a good variety for different levels. We tended to just ski and do local things for the week, on the last day we did an alpine walk as they have some nice routes in the area, it was a glorious day and a really nice alternative way to enjoy the area.
It was the end of March but we had the snow really late this season and it was fantastic. Although we were here in the school holidays, it wasn’t that busy at all. There were definitely plenty of people around but nothing was overly busy, the queues weren’t too long and the restaurants were never over full.
We got the overnight ski train to La Plagne this time round. My husband and sister in law loved it as they both slept for the whole journey! They’d get the train again like a shot as they don’t like flying and having to wait around in the airport! As far as convenience is concerned, using the train makes the resort really easy to get to and you also get an extra day in before you have to go home. You can pack whatever you can carry and don’t have to think about any weight restrictions. The way to the resort was more comfortable as we could spread ourselves out because there were lots of free seats, but the way back was fully booked so a little tighter.
All pretty good
Reviewed 28 Apr 2014
La Plagne is pretty big and has lots of options. You can get over to Les Arcs on the Vanoise express so you have a really big area to explore.
Last season I was there at New Years and the year before at the end of March. The weather in March wasn’t brilliant as there was so much snow we had a few white outs, New Year had pretty good weather but it was a bit patchy because there wasn’t quite enough cover.
I’ve stayed here with a mate and also my kids who are probably more advanced skiers, and would say it’s good for most kinds of holiday.
In terms of good things to do, La Mine Bar in Plagne 1800 is a good one, I couldn’t pick a particularly good slope as the skiing is pretty good all round.
Fantastic ski area - going back for 3rd year
Reviewed 4 Apr 2014
I can’t fault La Plagne, the ski area is fantastic and there are loads of blue and reds. I don’t think there are any greens but we were all sort of intermediate level skiers and it was brilliant for us. We skied loads the first week, went back the next year to ski more and will go back to ski the rest, it’s such a massive ski area I really can’t knock it!
The town is quiet and more family orientated which is exactly what we wanted, I especially like the Belle Plagne area.
Can't fault it
Reviewed 18 Mar 2014
La Plagne is alright, not my first choice of ski resort (prefer Italy as it’s a lot cheaper – France has got too expensive!) but I can’t fault it. The snow was amazing although because of a blizzard and a technical problem we were stuck in a ski lift for 6 hours... We got a free lift pass because of it though so are going back this year!
We’re the kind of skiers who love to travel the whole area, not keep going over the same bits, and always ski from the first lift to the last lift. It’s a good big area connected to Les Arcs and I would definitely recommend the whole area pass if you ski like us, but beginners probably won’t want to get the whole pass as it would be a waste of money.
La Plagne is a nice short transfer from the airport, an hour and a half from Chambery and about 2 hours from Geneva. We never ski in school holidays so always end up with no queues and a quiet time on the slopes.
Great even at half term!
Reviewed 13 Mar 2014
We have stayed in La Plagne both with a group of friends and as a family. It’s a good place for groups as the ski area is big and mixed (there’s a good restaurant part way up the slope where you can bum board down) and we took our kids to their first ski school here and they loved it.
We stayed here at February half term and had sun all week – it was a really good holiday. You had to wait for the lifts sometimes but never more than 5 minutes.
Almost a perfect 5/5 but not quite
Reviewed 7 Mar 2014
My partner and I had a brilliant time here!
The snow was not that great (we were here at the end of January), there was snow at the beginning of the week but it was quite icy which make the skiing a bit challenging. Also rained on the last day!
It’s such a big ski area though that you can always find somewhere to ski.
I’d give it a 5/5 if it wasn’t for the lift queues!
La Plagne resort altitudes, history & makeup
Reviewed 28 Jan 2014
The ten villages are spread between Savoie French Alps and the Paradiski area at a high altitude which means reliable snow. Top class eh! Sprawling over a massive 435km area, there really is no better place to be for everything ski and snowboard. Children are actively welcomed here as demonstrated by the nursery slopes in every village. We’d recommend Les Coches for those with young ones as it has its own ski school and a kindergarten. The resort is also perfect for couples and groups of friends as there are more than 50 restaurants serving all sorts of cuisines, and 10 clubs which music to suit all tastes. Oh and did I mention that there’s an outdoor heated pool, ten pin bowling, electronic golf and an ice rink. You could easily holiday here and not have time to ski! If you wanted to escape the resort then day trips are available due to the gondola which transports you to Les Arcs.
what skiing and where
Reviewed 28 Jan 2014
There are 11 Ecole du Ski Francais ski school to choose from in the La Plagne resort, offering not just standard lessons, but special and interesting packages. Try the off-piste guides tour or the ‘Modern Stages’ package is an education in sliding, which will make you a pro at power sliding. There is also a chance to release your competitive side as Tuesdays see floodlit slalom races in Champagny, complete with prizes.
Lots of quite different bases to choose from
Reviewed 28 Jan 2014
La Plagne is an interesting resort because there are several different areas to choose from which vary in altitude – the larger or more well known of these include La Plagne 1800, Belle Plagne, and La Plagne village. You can stay somewhere in the middle of the village close to all the amenities, or if you prefer you can stay further down the valley where accommodation is cheaper and more peaceful. We stayed in La Plagne 1800 in a self-catered chalet with a beautiful view down the valley. There are free shuttle buses linking the different areas and you can also ski between them. The skiing is more appropriate for intermediate skiers, although there are a few bunny ski lifts. La Plagne is part of the paradiski area which links with Les Arc so you can venture over to the other valley if you are feeling adventurous.
Good skiing in La Plagne
Reviewed 30 Nov 2013
So with 225km of ski slopes, La Plagne has of course made sure that every level of proficiency is catered for. Go Green: If this is your first time on the snow, then the nursery slopes are ideally located right on your doorstep as each village has a green run adjacent to it and each of the centres is linked by them. So feel free to slip about until you make it to that hot chocolate in the next village along. Red or Blue? La Plagne is for you: Over 70% of the slopes here blue and red runs. Favourites include the run from La Grand Rochette to Champagny but there are numerous beautiful and fun slopes to chose from. Adrenaline Junkie: There are of course black runs here to keep your adrenaline high. Choose from the numerous black runs on Plagne Bellecôte glacier or why not weave through the trees before heading off piste. Be sure to try the challenging route to Les Arcs. Boarders: There are masses of off-piste opportunities and even a dedicated park for boarders over at Plagne Soleil.
Ski holidays in La Plagne
Reviewed 6 Oct 2013
Notorious for being a ski resort to suit all and built to function, La Plagne is the perfect ski destination. It has everything from large sweeping pistes, perfect to swish down on with the little ones to slopes that will make you hang on to your hats and (hopefully) squeal with delight. While it is a very popular ski destination there are 225km of slopes here which means you’ll never be fighting for space. The resort itself consist of ten villages, again, design to suit people of all tastes. Want a traditional ski feel? Done. Or how about chic modern living? Check. The six day ski pass also includes access to Val d'Isere, Tignes, and the Three Valleys. So what are you waiting for? Go ski!
More a family resort than party central
Reviewed 4 Oct 2013
Great fluffy red runs with amazing views to the Tarentaise valley. Icy mogul areas parfait for thrill seekers! Forest off pisting areas are exactly what experts are looking for: “Don’t follow a skier of a better level off piste” here. Wise words of a sliding snow ploughing French woman we passed on the chair lift. Beginners are better off sticking to Plagne centre and Aime la Plagne for all its beginner zones and blue runs spidering off. From Plagne Bellecôte ski to Les Arcs and back- 2 resorts, all in a day’s work… so I’m told. More of a family resort than party central.
The holiday was a huge success
Reviewed 3 Oct 2013
We loved Belle Plagne and the Cassiopee Apartments, which are basic but clean and comfortable with free wifi access in the reception area. I would stay there again because of their central location in Belle Plagne and the proximity to the slopes and all the amenities. As we were self catering we ate out a few times in the nearby restaurants which were very good. There were several take away restaurants offering pizzas etc which we did a few times too and opted to cook in our apartment kitchenette with groceries bought from the nearby mini market which was well stocked and reasonably priced. We travelled with my nine year old son and 5 year old daughter, this holiday was a last minute break meant to introduce them to skiing. The holiday was a huge success. I cannot recommend enough the quality of the French ski school and the instructors at ESF who looked after my children so well. Both at the end of one week were able to ski competently and with a certain degree of proficiency. My children would be up early every morning eager to go into ski school and spend the morning with their new friends. We were apprehensive about putting them into ski school but we were immediately put at ease after the first morning when they were made to feel welcome by the instructors. My wife and I would than have some time to ourselves to ski some of the more challenging ski runs in the area. There is plenty to suite every level of skier in the area of La Plagne, its a large area with interlinking pistes so that all abilities can access a great deal of it in a short period of time, my sons particular favourite was "Le Tunnel".
very impressed
Reviewed 7 Jun 2013
After just a week of exploring I'm convinced that La Plagne (and the Paradiski area which also includes Les Arcs) is one of the best places I've ever snowboarded. The après ski isn't as extensive as the enormous piste network but, if you're looking for a great week of big mileage and big vertical drops, this place won't disappoint. For anyone who wants to really clock up the miles every day, I would say go for the full area lift pass, because you'll want to spend two or even three days across the other side of the huge linking gondola exploring the equally expansive ski map of Les Arcs. For a livelier time in the evenings, stay in or visit Plagne Centre, but for the prettiest atmos' I would choose a holiday in Belle Plagne and partake of a few late sherries in La Tete bar.
Great après ski, not picturesque
Reviewed 20 Feb 2012
Great après ski. Plenty of shops and restaurants. Not the most picturesque of places though.
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