Courchevel
The Three Valleys, from the top.
A French resort built in 1946 to ski. By 1970, to ski very well. By 2010, to ski with a watch on. Courchevel is the highest, most polished, most decorated village in the Three Valleys, the world’s largest connected ski area, and the only place in the Alps where the lift queue takes off its goggles to look at your jacket.
- Where
- Savoie · Tarentaise, France
- When to go
- Mid-December to mid-April
- Established
- 1946
Courchevel, in full.
Courchevel gets photographed for its fur and its watches and remembered for its piste maintenance. We file it under Old Money because, of all the Alps, it carries the dress code most seriously, but the actual mountain, eight Michelin-starred restaurants, six-star hotels, the world’s longest connected ski domain, is genuinely unrepeatable.
A village built to ski very seriously
Courchevel is the village France built in 1946 to host the postwar Olympics it never staged. The Saulire bowl, between the Tarentaise and Méribel valleys, was identified by a state engineering corps as the best lift-served snow in the Alps; by 1947 the first chair was running. By 1980 the village had eight three-star hotels; by 2003 it had six Michelin stars; by 2024 it has eight, more than any other ski village in the world. The skiing, six hundred kilometres of pistes connected to Méribel, La Tania, Brides-les-Bains and Val Thorens, total in the Three Valleys, is, on a good week, the best in Europe and quietly known to be so by the people in front of you in the lift line.
Le Praz, Village, Moriond, 1850, Altiport
The Courchevel address goes by altitude. Le Praz (1300m) is the original village, wooden, working, the cheapest beds; the new Olympic Cap Horn village. Village (1550m) is a small mid-mountain stop. Moriond (1650m) is the family-friendly mid-tier with sun all afternoon. 1850m is the canonical Courchevel, the runway, the palaces (Cheval Blanc, Aman Le Mélézin, K2 Palace, Les Airelles), the Michelin map. The Altiport at the very top is a tiny mountainside airfield where private jets and small planes land directly on the snow. Sleep at 1850 if the budget allows; sleep in Le Praz if it doesn’t, the lift up takes seven minutes.
Saulire at 9, Cap Horn at 1, La Mangeoire at 11
The Courchevel day has shape. First chair on the Saulire at 9.05, the bowl on the Méribel side runs out empty for ninety minutes. A morning over to Méribel for the long Foulet run, back via the bubble. Lunch is the only event that matters: Cap Horn on the altiport for the institutional one (table by 1pm); Le Bouc Blanc in the Le Praz forest for the truffle pasta; La Soucoupe at 2150 for the fondue at altitude. Afternoon laps until the Bellecôte goes pink. Aperitivo at the Cheval Blanc bar; dinner at Le 1947 (three Michelin stars in the Cheval Blanc) or Le Chabichou (one star, the locals’ choice). La Mangeoire by 11 if you mean to dance; bed by 1.30, first chair waits.
Cashmere, fur, and a watch on the slopes
The Courchevel dress code is the only one in the Alps that genuinely costs something. By day: a Moncler or Fusalp jacket, mirrored goggles, a cashmere bonnet, mid-weight gloves with a buckle. The watch comes off only at night. Faux fur is everywhere; since 2023 most palaces have quietly banned real fur in their restaurants. Boots are technical (head, lange), never decorative. By night: navy or charcoal cashmere, a polished sole, a silk pocket square, never a tuxedo (only Cheval Blanc’s Saturday gala invites it). The cardinal sin is looking like you bought it last week, the Courchevel uniform is mid-cost, classic, and worn for many seasons.
The Three Valleys, and a jacket for dinner.
A place, accounted for.
- 600
- kilometres of pistes (Three Valleys)
- The world’s largest connected ski area. One lift pass, three valleys, and a connection through Saulire to Méribel and over to Val Thorens.
- 8
- Michelin stars in the village
- More than any other ski resort on earth. Three at Le 1947 (Cheval Blanc), two at Le Chabichou, one each at Le Sarkara (K2 Palace), Le Coin Savoyard (Les Airelles), and Le Montgomerie (K2 Altitude).
- 2008m
- altiport runway altitude
- The shortest commercial-grade snow runway in Europe. Watch from the Cap Horn deck; planes land at 11am.
- 1947
- first lift opens
- Built by the French state engineering corps as the country’s first purpose-designed ski resort.
- 2738m
- Saulire summit
- The highest point connecting Courchevel to Méribel. The view at the top, on a clear day, covers Mont Blanc.
Before the first weekend.
What separates the first weekend in a place from the second.
- 01
Get there
Fly Geneva (1h 40m from London); transfer by car (2h 30m clear, 4h Saturday); chopper (35m); Eurostar/TGV to Moûtiers (4-9h).
- 02
Reserve
Le 1947, Le Chabichou, Cap Horn, La Soucoupe, early September. Lift pass online; ski school by November.
- 03
Sleep
Place du Tremplin in 1850 (Cheval Blanc, Aman, Airelles, K2) or wooden Le Praz (Le Saint Joseph). Manali Lodge in Moriond as the cost-conscious 1650 option.
- 04
Wear
Moncler / Fusalp on the slopes; cashmere off; faux fur fine, real fur quietly out; technical boots; a watch off-piste only.
- 05
Eat
Cap Horn lunch (Wednesday), Le Bouc Blanc (Thursday), Le Chabichou dinner (Friday), La Soucoupe (Saturday), Le 1947 (one night, in cashmere).
- 06
Ski first
Saulire bowl 9.05; Méribel-side Foulet at 11; Val Thorens lap on day three; reserve a guide for the off-piste at 1pm.
- 07
Drink
Cheval Blanc bar at 6.30; nightcap at La Mangeoire from 11; tea at Aman in between if you have the calm in you.
- 08
Tip
Cash, folded, €50 to the maître d’; €20 to the cab; €10 per ski-school day to the instructor in their hand.
What you will actually be doing.
- 01
First chair on the Combe de la Saulire at 9.05 with the bowl entirely yours.
- 02
A long lunch on the Cap Horn deck, the altiport runway visible behind you, the planes landing through espresso.
- 03
A descent of the Méribel-side Foulet at 11am, before the Trois Vallées crowd reaches it.
- 04
Aperitivo at the Cheval Blanc bar with the Bellecôte going pink at 5pm, and dinner at Le 1947 (three Michelin stars) at 9.
- 05
A 6pm fondue at La Soucoupe (2150m) with the cable car running you back down at 7.30 by reservation.
- 06
A nightcap at La Mangeoire, the dance floor where Courchevel has reliably ended every great evening since 1969.
The year here, month by month.
Dec
The 22 Dec to 5 Jan window is the carnival, Russian, Mexican, Italian, Saudi families filling every palace. Lifts run all day; the dinners are at maximum amplitude.
Jan
After 5 January and before February half-term, Courchevel is the locals’ resort. Cheaper rates, the Three Valleys empty, deep cold powder, the long-skin walks possible at last.
Feb
French and British half-terms make February the second carnival. Family-heavy at the Manali Lodge end; Russian-and-Saudi-heavy at the palaces. The skiing is excellent; the dinners are reservation-only.
Mar
The first three weeks of March are the canonical Courchevel, long sun-warm days, fast snow, kinder rates, every restaurant reservable. Sleep at 1850 if the budget allows.
Apr
Lifts close mid-April. The first week is excellent slush-skiing; the second week is short days. The Saulire bowl on a Tuesday morning is the best photograph of the whole season.
May-Nov
The mountain shuts; the village is empty. Cheval Blanc opens for a single mountain-bike summer week in late July. Otherwise: walk the Tarentaise valley villages, eat in Moûtiers, drive to Annecy.
The villages, and which is which.
- 01
Courchevel 1850
The canonical address, palaces, Michelin map, the runway.
The Place du Tremplin is the village heart. Sleep here for the proper week; the lifts and the dinners are at your door.
- 02
Courchevel Moriond (1650)
Family-friendly, sun all afternoon, half the prices.
A 1985 Italian-inflected sub-village. Manali Lodge for the calm; Bistrot Le C for dinner; the Ariondaz piste for the late-day sun.
- 03
Courchevel Village (1550)
A mid-mountain stop, chairlifts only, modest hotels.
A working alternative if 1850 is full. Ten minutes by lift to the centre; cheaper rooms.
- 04
Courchevel Le Praz (1300)
The original wooden village in the forest at the foot of the mountain.
The 2018 Olympic ski-jump tower; the Bouc Blanc lunch; the Cap Horn night-life of Le Praz. The honest base.
- 05
Méribel
The middle valley, wooden chalets, central in the Three Valleys connection.
Twenty minutes by lift from Courchevel 1850. Stay here for half the price and direct access to the Foulet pistes.
- 06
Val Thorens
The highest of the Three Valleys at 2300m, guaranteed snow.
A serious skiing day-trip from Courchevel: up the Saulire, down to Méribel, up the Mont Vallon, down to Val Thorens. Lunch at La Bouitte (3-star) on the way.
- 07
La Tania
A small forested village between Le Praz and Méribel.
Reachable by lift from 1850; quieter, more affordable, family-oriented.
- 08
Saint-Bon
The valley village that gives Courchevel its postal code.
A working Savoyard village twenty minutes by car below the resort. Worth a half-day for the church and the cheese shop.
Where to eat, drink and sleep.
Eat
- Le 1947 (Cheval Blanc)Courchevel 1850
Three Michelin stars in the Cheval Blanc palace. Yannick Alléno’s tasting menu is the canonical Courchevel evening; book three months out, in cashmere.
- Le ChabichouCourchevel 1850
A two-Michelin-star institution since 1968. The locals’ serious dinner; less hushed than Le 1947, more honest food, the Stéphane Buron kitchen.
- Cap HornAltiport
A glass-walled deck restaurant beside the altiport runway. Lobsters, bouillabaisse, a glass of Châteauneuf at 11am, planes landing past the deck. The Courchevel lunch.
- Le Bouc BlancLe Praz
A wooden chalet in the forest mid-mountain above Le Praz. Truffle pasta, charcoal-grilled meat, a wood fire. Reservation required by mid-November.
- La Soucoupe2150m mid-mountain
A cable-car-only piste-side fondue at 2150m. Reserve the 6pm slot; the cable car runs you back at 7.30 by reservation. The most romantic Alpine dinner in France.
- Le Sarkara (K2 Palace)Courchevel 1850
The world’s only Michelin-starred dessert restaurant, pastry chef Sébastien Vauxion runs a 12-course sweet tasting menu. The afternoon, never instead of dinner.
Drink
- Le Bar Cheval BlancCourchevel 1850
The pre-dinner aperitivo. Wood-panelled, fire-lit, wood-grain bar. A Negroni at 6.30; the cocktail-list piano at eight.
- Le Bar AmanCourchevel 1850
In the Aman Le Mélézin. Smaller, quieter, lacquered Japanese aesthetic. The right pre-dinner if Cheval Blanc is full.
Stay
- Cheval Blanc CourchevelCourchevel 1850
LVMH’s flagship Alpine palace. Thirty-six rooms, Le 1947 (three stars), an indoor pool, the most photographed lobby in the Alps.
- Aman Le MélézinCourchevel 1850
Aman’s Alpine flagship. Thirty-one rooms in calm Japanese-Alpine aesthetic, ski-in-ski-out, the only Aman in the French Alps.
- Les AirellesCourchevel 1850
The Versailles-of-the-Alps palace. Sixty-seven rooms, Pierre Gagnaire’s Le Coin Savoyard, an underground swimming-pool-and-spa floor.
- K2 PalaceCourchevel 1850
A modern French-design palace. Thirty-four rooms, three Michelin stars between Le Sarkara and the K2’s gastronomy room, a Goldfinger spa, ski-in-ski-out.
- Manali LodgeCourchevel Moriond
A more affordable, ski-in-ski-out chalet hotel at 1650m. Forty-six rooms, a spa, the Bistrot Le C dining room. Half the rate of 1850; ten minutes uphill.
- Le Saint JosephLe Praz
A small Savoyard hotel in the original wooden village. Thirteen rooms, a fireplace lobby, the cheapest of the proper Courchevel beds.
See
- Combe de la SaulireSaulire bowl
The signature Courchevel piste. A wide steep north-facing bowl with the longest-held snow on the mountain. First chair, every day.
- Altiport runway2008m
A mountainside snow runway for private jets and small planes. The shortest commercial-grade airstrip in Europe; planes land by reservation through the tourism office. Watching from the Cap Horn deck is free and worth it.
- Saulire summit cable car2738m
The cable car to the summit between the Tarentaise and Méribel valleys. The view at the top covers a third of the French Alps; on clear days, Mont Blanc.
- Olympic Ski Jump (Le Praz)Le Praz
The 1992 Albertville Olympic ski jump tower. Climb the staircase for the view down to Le Praz; a 2026 renovation is restoring the international-grade jumps.
Dance
- La MangeoireCourchevel 1850
The 1969 nightclub on the Place du Tremplin. The dance-floor side of the village; Russian, Italian, French, Swedish, depending on the week. Open until 4am.
- Les Caves de CourchevelCourchevel 1850
The other Courchevel late hour. Beneath Les Airelles. The DJ, the bottle service, the 3am decision-making.
Every way in, compared.
| Route | Time | From | Line | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drive from Geneva | 2h 30m-4h | €80 fuel + tolls | Geneva (GVA) → A41 → Moûtiers → Saint-Bon → Courchevel | The Tarentaise road from Moûtiers is steep, hairpin-heavy, and reliably snowy. Hire a 4WD; chains are required by law in winter. |
| Helicopter from Geneva | 35m | €600/seat (group) | Geneva (GVA) → Courchevel altiport (CVF) | The right call on a Saturday in February. Hélicoptères Mont Blanc, Helsetra, Helitop. Lands directly on the resort runway. |
| Snow Train from London | 8h-9h | From £350 | London St Pancras → Moûtiers (Friday night, Saturday morning) | Eurostar Snow Train, December to April, weekends. The civilised way; full restaurant car; arrives in the village by lunch. |
| TGV from Paris | 5h 30m | €80-€180 | Paris Gare de Lyon → Moûtiers | Three direct trains a day in winter; six on Saturdays. Forty-five-minute taxi from Moûtiers to the village. |
| Private jet to Courchevel altiport | Minutes | It depends | Anywhere → CVF | The shortest commercial-grade snow runway in Europe. Permission required; a special-rated pilot. The most theatrical arrival in the Alps. |
The rules the regulars keep.
- 01
First chair, every day
A 9.05 lift on the Saulire is non-negotiable. The bowl is empty for ninety minutes; lunch tastes better afterwards.
- 02
Reserve in September
Le 1947, Le Chabichou, Cap Horn, La Soucoupe, books open in early September for the season. Christmas and February half-term go in seventy-two hours.
- 03
Sleep at 1850 or Le Praz
Sleep where the mountain works for you, at the top in the Place du Tremplin, or at the bottom in the wooden Praz. Anything in between is the wrong compromise.
- 04
Cashmere over technical
Off the slopes, cashmere wins. Outdoor brands belong on the chairlift, not the dining room.
- 05
Tip in cash, not chip-and-pin
A folded €50 to the maître d’ at Le Coin Savoyard, €20 to the doorman at Cheval Blanc. Always cash; never on the bill.
A short, polite list.
- 01
Don’t drive the resort road from Geneva on a Saturday in February. The Tarentaise valley road is solved one way only, leave at five or arrive Sunday.
- 02
Don’t book a chalet through a London catalogue without a reference. The genuine catered chalet companies (Bramble Ski, Consensio, Eleven) are listed; the others are mostly resells.
- 03
Don’t expect lift-side service in shoes. The slopes have a dress code; the lift queues are technical-only.
- 04
Don’t order a beer with dinner at Le 1947. Wine list, somm, the right Burgundy for the cheese. The beer is for après.
- 05
Don’t skip Méribel and Val Thorens. The Three Valleys is the point; staying only on the Courchevel side is a fraction of the lift pass’s value.
Practical, briefly.
When is the best time to ski Courchevel?
The first three weeks of March are the answer, long days, deep snow, the lower-end of seasonal pricing, the carnival of Christmas and February half-term done. January (between New Year and February half-term) is the locals’ window. December and February are the priciest weeks; April is short days and slush by the second week.
How do I get to Courchevel from London or Paris?
Fly to Geneva (1h 40m from London Heathrow); transfer by car (2h 30m on a clear day, 4h on a Saturday in February) or helicopter (Helsetra / Mont Blanc Helicopters, 35 minutes, €600 per person in a group). Train: Eurostar to Paris, TGV to Moûtiers (3h 50m), taxi (45 minutes). On the right week, the Snow Train (Eurostar Snow Train) runs direct from London to Moûtiers in 9 hours.
Where should I stay in Courchevel?
Splurge: Cheval Blanc, Aman Le Mélézin, K2 Palace, Les Airelles in 1850. Serious budget: Manali Lodge in Moriond, Le Saint Joseph in Le Praz, the Hôtel Annapurna in 1850. Family: Le K2 Altitude or Manali Lodge for the half-board chalet style. Avoid the catered-chalet category unless it’s a brand you know, quality varies wildly.
Do you need to ski to enjoy Courchevel?
No, but don’t come for the spas alone. Courchevel’s non-skiing offer (snowshoeing, the spa floors at Cheval Blanc and Les Airelles, helicopter scenic flights, the Aquamotion swimming pool, dog-sledding, the Tuesday market in Moûtiers) is excellent, but the village itself is a skiing village, and the off-piste hours run shorter than they would at, say, St Moritz.
How expensive is Courchevel really?
A serious ski week in 1850: hotel €1,500-€5,000/night for a palace room, dinner €250-€500/head with wine, a ski instructor €600/day, lift pass €380/week. A modest week (Le Praz or Manali Lodge): €350/night room, €60/head dinner, lift pass the same. The mountain is the same; the dinner is the variable.
How does Courchevel compare to Megève or Val d’Isère?
Courchevel is higher, more polished, more decorated, more expensive, and connected to the world’s largest ski domain. Megève is older, lower, prettier as a village, more horse-drawn-sleigh, slightly more French. Val d’Isère is the sportier, harder-skiing, more relaxed-aesthetic alternative. Courchevel for the dinners; Val d’Isère for the skiing; Megève for the village.