Discover Les Menuires: Big Skiing, Better Value

Skier carving through fresh powder on a bluebird day in Les Menuires

Ski-in/ski-out access, reliable snow conditions, great food, some of the best piste skiing in the region, and events galore – for just a fraction of the cost. You’ll struggle to find a place that does a better job of ticking all the boxes.

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Don’t get us wrong. Les 3 Vallées’ larger resorts, such as Courchevel and Val Thorens, are quite rightly magnets for winter sports fans who love to ski hard and play hard. But what if you want ski-in/ski-out access, reliable snow conditions, great food, some of the best piste skiing in the region and events galore, for just a fraction of the cost? Welcome to Les Menuires.

📸 Headline image: David André

A family-friendly resort known for its wallet-friendly accommodation, groundbreaking architecture and brilliant restaurants, it’s a great base for skiers who want easy access to Les 3 Vallées’ terrain, but who are keen to experience the family-friendly facilities and unbeatable value for money for which Les Menuires is famous.

This is a resort that has forged its own identity, and its architecture is key to this. Much of the resort was designed by legendary architect Philippe Douillet. Structures such as the Brelin, with its 562 apartments, may look very different to the alpine chalets you’ll see elsewhere, but Les Menuires’ buildings were designed to have minimal ecological impact. Then again, Les 3 Vallées, and Les Menuires specifically, has always been one step ahead when it comes to the environment. Here, ski lifts double as platforms for solar panels (there are 600m² of solar panels producing 140 MWh/year), and snow groomers use biofuel made from vegetable oil.

Mountain restaurant and ski lifts at the summit station in Les Menuires

📸 Vincent Lottenberg

EASY-ACCESS SKIING

You’ll struggle to find a place that does a better job of ticking so many boxes, and one advantage of staying in a resort that didn’t evolve from a farming village, but which was built from scratch, is the access to the slopes.

Almost all of Les Menuires’ accommodation is ski-in/ski-out, so you literally have world-class skiing on your doorstep. You can go from bed to epic powder-blanketed terrain, for which Les 3 Vallées is famous, in the click of a ski pole.

This easy access is one of the many reasons why Les Menuires is such a hit with families (proof of which is its Famille Plus accreditation).

Snow-covered alpine village of Les Menuires nestled in the French Alps

📸 Vincent Lottenberg

EPIC TERRAIN, EPIC VALUE

Les Menuires’ Pixel Park is a reminder that, unlike in other places, you don’t have to base yourself in a ski area’s biggest (and often more expensive) resort to get the easiest access to its best bits. This is just one of the ways Les Menuires offers fantastic value for money. The lift passes are another example. Buy a Family Flex Menuires pass, for example, and you can enjoy six days of skiing for the price of five, while child passes are available for anyone aged 17 and under.

The resort’s accommodation options are also incredibly wallet-friendly, and this winter the newest crash pad is the sleek Alpeen Hotel, where 33 rooms sleep between two and eight people.

Prices start from just £109 for a double room on a bed and breakfast basis. The most popular spot in this gorgeous property is the restaurant’s terrace, where you can soak up views of snow-dusted peaks while you feast on local Savoyard cuisine. Bring on the cheese!

Cable car high above snowy peaks in Les Menuires, part of Les 3 Vallées ski area

📸 Vincent Lottenberg

A Resort With Something for Everyone

This is a resort that has a knack for winning over every type of visitor. It has a packed calendar of events for all tastes and interests – crazy, relaxing, charitable, culinary… If you’re visiting in January, don’t miss Winemakers Week, when you can meet some of France’s top vineyard owners (and, best of all, sample their wares).

Meanwhile, proof that this is a resort for the fun-at-heart (and a resort that doesn’t take itself too seriously) is ‘Complètement à La Masse’, which takes place on 29 March in 2025. Highlights of this annual fun-filled (and decidedly wacky) event include a 4.3km obstacle race for skiers and snowboarders. The prize? The first adult over the line wins their body weight in local beer, while the first child bags their body weight in sweets (sorry, mum and dad!).

And then there’s that aforementioned terrain. Skiers can rest assured there’s no shortage of the white stuff, partly because 85% of Les Menuires’ slopes are located above 1,800m. The resort’s position at the heart of Les 3 Vallées – the world’s largest connected ski area – puts a wide range of slopes within easy reach. And we’re not just talking about the 54 green runs, 142 blues, 111 reds and 35 blacks, but also the six snow parks and 37 fun zones. The best bit? One of the most popular parks, the Pixel Park, is in Les Menuires. With a boardercross course and jumps designed for beginners through to experts, it’s perfect for everyone from adrenaline-junkies-in-training to experts with a love of big air.

USEFUL INFO

Visit lesmenuires.com for heaps of practical information about the resort and its activities, and go to en.locationlesmenuires.com to book your stay in Les Menuires and take advantage of discounts on ski passes.