Courchevel 1850
Courchevel 1850 is a glitzy, ritzy stylish hub crammed with designer shops, top end hotels, Michelin-starred restaurants and stunning chalets. It is definitely the ‘people watching’ capital of the French ski resorts.
Of course it benefits from being the highest of the villages with snow conditions more assured. There are exhaustive accommodation options here from glamorous hotels to some of the world’s most impressive chalets, and of course there is a premium price tag to match.
Designer shops, cocktail lounges and Champagne bars ensure that there are a wide variety of things to do for skiers off the slopes or non-skiing members of the party. Courchevel 1850 is also ideal for families as children who don’t have to walk too far in (unfamiliar) ski boots, as the many of the green runs come right into the centre of the resort.
The resort of Courchevel as a whole is in the commune of St-Bon-Tarentaise and is the most eastern resort of the world renowned 3 Valleys in France. One of the most famous and glamorous alpine resorts, Courchevel offers fantastic skiing, stunning scenery and a smart, stylish resort. The ski area, which is the largest lift-linked resort in the world, offers 600km of piste and some great itinerary and off-piste runs.
Originally planned during the Second World War, work started on building a ski village in 1946. Courchevel 1850 became the first purpose built resort in France, as all previous mountain visitors had stayed lower down in the valley. Up until that date, the area had only had summer visitors who from the early 1900s and since the extension of the railway to Moutiers, had been coming to the mountains and the thermal spa at Brides-les-Bains for health reasons.
Le Praz or Courchevel 1300
The most rustic and village-like with a friendly atmosphere and cobbled winding streets. The village boasts some extremely stylish chalets and a couple of excellent restaurants (one with a Michelin star) as well as 2 gondolas up to the skiing. One gondola will take you directly to the slopes of Courchevel 1850, and the other to the slopes of La Tania from where you can hop across the valleys to Méribel and beyond. In 1992 Le Praz hosted the ski jumping as part of the Albertville Winter Olympics and the ski jumps as well as the Olympic flame can be found at the end of the village. Le Praz is well suited to family groups and those looking to enjoy a peaceful village setting, yet with access to a vast and world-class ski domain.
Courchevel 1550
Now called Courchevel Village, is the quietest of the four areas. There are some lovely chalets here with fast access into the slopes of Les Trois Vallées provided by two ski lifts – one at either end of the village. This will suit keen skiers looking for quick access to the skiing, without necessarily paying the Courchevel 1850 price tag. The spectacular new aquatic centre is being built on the road between 1550 and the Courchevel Moriond at 1650.
Courchevel 1650
Now called Courchevel Moriond, is an attractive, bustling village with some great accommodation and a good selection of shops, restaurants and friendly après bars. The skiing in this area is great with lovely swooping wide slopes great for intermediate skiers, and it is really easy to get up to 1850 either on skis or using the excellent local bus service. This is a great area to ski as it is usually much quieter than 1850 but with some great runs and great lunch stops. There are some excellent ski-in, ski-out properties located on the slopes above the village, with good hotel options at the foot of the slopes too.
The resort is made up of four main villages, each with their own character and style.
