The highest resort town in the Alps might not be the most beautiful, but you'll find some of the best high-alpine skiing, a lively and friendly town and plenty of options to suit all tastes and budgets.
Photo: Financial Times
Getting There
Located in France's Savoie region, home to some of the world's biggest and best resorts, Val Thorens is easily accessible from nearby airports or the train station at Bourg St Maurice. You'll find transfer information in the post on Val d'Isere where the same information applies.
The Resort
Val Thorens is part of the world's largest ski area - Les Trois Vallées - along with Courchevel and Meribel. The town sits at 2300m which makes it the highest resort town in the Alps and helps ensure that the slopes above are spared the worse effects of low snow periods like the start of 2023.
VT is a purpose built resort that celebrates it's 50th anniversary in 2023. Perhaps not the most beautiful or charming village but there are some excellent places to stay, eat, party and of course ride. The town itself is fairly compact with a main road running through it connecting the different parts of the village.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Areas
If you want to stay in the heart of the action close to the restaurants, shops and bars; opt for somewhere in the lower or mid-level part of the town where there is a wide variety of accommodation from luxury hotels to apartments. Alternatively, the Les Balcons area is at the top of the village and a little quieter. It's a relatively easy walk of around 10-15 minutes (downhill) into the centre of the village but you will find better value accommodation in this part of town.
Lower village area late afternoon
An alternative to VT itself is Les Menuires sitting at around 1450m and about a 15 minute drive away. You'll find cheaper accommodation options in "Friendly Les Menuires" and easy lift connections to Val Thorens but its lower altitude can mean patchier snow coverage early and late in the season. It's also much more low-key than VT so if you fancy livelier nightlife and après scenes this might not be the best choice.
A more unconventional alternative is to stay in Orelle in the next valley and included in the Val Thorens pass. You can connect to VT via the Col de Thorens, Col de Rosael or Cime Caron. An authentic rural village with easy access to Les Trois Vallées might just be the secret!
Looking down towards Orelle from the top of the Thorens lift
Getting Around
If you are reasonably ambulant, VT is easy to walk navigate on foot. There is a free local bus (Navette) that runs regularly and serves all areas of the resort. You won't find many taxis in VT so if you need a car to get around it's best to choose centrally located accommodation.
The Mountain
Leaving aside the rest of Les Trois Vallées, Val Thorens is a beast in its own right. There are 30 lifts and around 150km of slopes with some legendary runs like the Combe de Caron (black) and Boismint & Plan de l'Eau (red). The lift system is well designed for easy connections with an impressive combinations of cable cars, gondolas and chairlifts. An army of groomers keep the slopes in great condition for the corduroy lovers out there.
Snow permitting, there is also some incredible off-piste riding here. Sadly, early season snow conditions didn't allow us to fully sample what's on offer aside from a few high altitude moments, however it's obvious there is some sick terrain to be ripped.
Even when the rest of the Alps is struggling with snow, VT delivers the goods
The green runs that funnel everyone down to the lower part of the village are almost impossible to avoid and by far the most dangerous part of the mountain with out of control learners, man-made snow and narrow, crowded slopes. Many hotels and apartments enable ski-in/ski-out access including in the Les Balcons area (snow permitting) where you can take the Plein Sud chair through the village and ski down to or close to your accommodation.
Good luck with that
There are three choices of lift pass depending on where you are staying and how adventurous you are. Prices are 2023 peak season adult day pass.
Val Thorens / Orelle - access to this area only. (€63)
Trois Vallées - access to the whole area - Val Thorens, Meribel and Courchevel. (€72)
Les Menuires / Saint-Martin-de-Belleville ski - access to this area only. (€58)
If you are a first time visitor or don't want to venture too far afield, you will find more than enough to keep you amused even for a week with the Val Thorens pass. However, for the relatively small amount extra, the Trois Vallées pass opens up access to the full 600km of pistes and 183 lifts.
Best Spots
The majority of the on-piste runs in VT are reds and blues but as mentioned, also a huge range of off-piste areas to explore. For the best snow, head to the Cime Caron cable car or the Grand Fond. Even if you are mixing it up in a group with on and off-piste skiers, it's relatively easy to connect back together at the various lifts in this area. You may have to wait a bit for the Caron cable car but the long runs and views from the top are worth it. This side of the mountain also seemed a little quieter.
Photo: Poma
The middle part of the mountain (Moraine, Thorens and Grand Fond lifts) tend to be busier but also have some excellent runs. We tried to avoid the area above the village (Lac Blanc, Peclet lifts) as it tended to be more crowded with beginners and intermediates (and the Folie Douche - see below). However, it does provide the access point to Meribel.
Meribel & Courchevel
If the 150km of runs in VT aren't quite enough, you have another 450km available in the adjoining two valleys. Plan on a full day trip if you are venturing all the way to Courchevel but that opens up a phenomenal amount and variety of terrain available on your Trois Vallées pass. Access is not difficult but can be time consuming so its worth planning out your route and timing in advance. In bad weather connecting lifts may close so keep an eye on the signs if things start deteriorating.
When connecting back from Meribel to VT, it's best to take the Cote Brune lift and keep left to get you as high as possible and allow you to ski back to the town without zigzagging up multiple lifts or ending up in Les Menuires.
Ski School
See the Val d'Isere guide for further details which also apply to Val Thorens.
Restaurants
You won't struggle to find good places to eat in Val Thorens from pizza to fine dining and there are options spread out across the whole village. As with most European resorts you won't find a huge amount of variation from the location cuisine but the following independent guide does a great job of summarising the different options: https://www.valthorensguide.co.uk/restaurants.html
Photo: ValThorensGuide.co.uk
On-Mountain
There are also plenty of on-mountain dining options. We liked the Les 2 Ours near the bottom of the Boismint lift - easy to get a walk-in table, good food and friendly service. Les 2 Lacs at the top of 2 Lacs lift has a more formal (and expensive) option for sit-down dining however it also has a cabin outside selling hotdogs and Croque Monsieur with a lot of outdoor seating which is great on warmer days.
Sunny spot for a mid-afternoon pause at Les 2 Ors
At the top of the Grand Fond life you'll find a picnic area a short ride along the Bd rosael run, otherwise follow the picnic table icons on the piste map if you are doing sandwiches in the snow. The Chalet du Thorens is a large and popular spot both during the day and for après partying. It's promimity to village and the learner areas means it's very popular. The downstaris noodle bar area wasn't very appealing but other parts might be nicer.
La Folie Douche - Photo: Trip Advisor (click link for a useful guide to the 10 best bars and clubs)
But if getting your top off and dancing on the tables is your thing, VT is also home to an outpost of the famous La Folie Douche. Located at the top of the Plein Sud lift, it's not the largest Folie but that doesn't seem to dampen the enthusiasm of the punters.
Overall
Would I come back? Yes, although Val Thorens took a few days to grow on me. The skiing is outstanding and the facilities are as good as it gets. The town wasn't as immediately engaging as other French resorts but overall it has a good vibe and like most things, looks much better covered in snow! VT fans tend to be loyal ones and it's easy to see how this could quickly become your go-to resort. One stand-out experience was that the staff at everywhere we visited were the friendliest we had experienced anywhere in France. Val Thorens can also be a strategic choice if you are traveling early or late in the season when other lower elevation resorts may be struggling with snow coverage. Pick your accommodation and location carefully and with good snow, its right up there with best places to ski in France and indeed the world.
All photos Road Warrior unless indicated.
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