Val Thorens
France
The highest ski resort in Europe, a purpose-built village at 2,300 metres above the tree line at the top of the Trois Vallées, where nearly every bed is on the snow
Photo by Joan Oger on Unsplash
Photos by Sam McAllister, Joan Oger, Joan Oger and Urban Sanden on Unsplash
Best time to visit all of France
December to April — the resort is built for the ski season, opens late in autumn and runs into spring, and is close to shut the rest of the year
Climate month by month
The next sixteen daysOpen-Meteo
Average high and low · °C
Rainfall · mm per month
Best months to visit This month · wettest 110mm in Nov
Where it is
45.30°N, 6.58°E Open in Google Maps
Things to do
A week easily- Go up the Cime Caron on the first clear morning, not the last
- Price the Val Thorens-only pass against the Trois Vallées one before buying
- Ski over to Orelle for the sun when the main bowl is in cloud
- Pack goggles for flat light, not just sunglasses
- Drink water and go easy on the first night at altitude
Val Thorens travel tipsthe general rules
Currency budget France
Very expensiveEuro, and cards everywhere on the mountain — lift passes, ski hire, huts and bars. Cash is worth having for the odd small hut and a tip for the ski school. Never change money at a resort exchange desk.
ATMs & cards
The village has a few bank machines and they are busy on changeover Saturday. Draw in Moûtiers or before leaving home, use a bank’s own machine, and always decline the conversion.
Avoid these
- Euronet
- independent machines that offer to charge you in your own currency
Use these instead
- Crédit Agricole
- Banque Populaire
- Société Générale
- La Banque Postale
Decline the conversion. The village machines run short on changeover Saturday; Moûtiers in the valley has more.
Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.
Safety all of France
Very safeVery comfortable as a place, and the hazards are all about height. The village is at 2,300 metres and the lifts go to 3,200, so altitude headaches on the first night are common and the cold is serious: it is regularly below −15°C with wind at the top. There are no trees, so in cloud the light goes flat and you cannot see the slope. Off the piste is glaciated, avalanche terrain; check the bulletin every morning.
Where to walk, and where to pay attention (6 areas)
Comfortable, including after dark
Worth more attention
- the off-piste and the glaciers above the resort — avalanche terrain with crevasses, reached straight from the lifts; go with a guide
- the top lifts in wind and cloud — no trees for contrast, so flat light hides the slope, and the wind chill is serious
- the first night at altitude — 2,300 metres gives many people a headache and poor sleep; drink water and go steady on the alcohol
Our own assessment, not a sourced index.
Entry & visa France visa rules
No visa needed
Freedom of movement — no time limit, and no visa. Bring a passport or national ID card.
Other passports
No visa neededup to 90 days
90 days within any 180-day period, counted across the whole Schengen area, not per country. ETIAS, a paid online authorisation, is being introduced for these passports — check the official link for whether it applies to your travel dates.
Visa required in advance€90 (Schengen short-stay visa)
A Schengen short-stay visa is applied for before travel, at the consulate of your main destination.
How to get it: Apply at the consulate or visa centre of the country you will spend most time in, typically 15 working days ahead and no more than six months before travel.
Entry rules change often and depend on your passport, not where you live — the official page above is the authority, and the airline checks before you board.
Health & emergencies all of France
Excellent and cheapRequired to enter
No vaccinations are required for entry from Europe or North America.
Jabs worth having, and what happens if you need a doctor
Worth having
- Routine vaccinations up to date
Getting treated
EU/EEA and Swiss visitors are treated on the same terms as residents with an EHIC or GHIC card; UK visitors use a GHIC. Everyone else pays, and travel insurance is worth having for the repatriation cover rather than the treatment.
Orientation, not medical advice — entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history. Check with a travel clinic four to six weeks before you go.
Food tip
GoodResort food at altitude prices, with a couple of serious kitchens at the top end. Savoyard throughout — tartiflette, fondue, diots in white wine, beaufort — and the self-catering supermarket in the village is where the week’s money is saved. Lunch at the huts costs more than dinner in the village.
Travel tipsNightlife
One of the biggest après scenes in the Alps, starting on the mountain mid-afternoon and moving into the village after the lifts close, young and loud through the season.
- La Folie Douce — the afternoon party on the piste under the Plein Sud chair
- The Frog and Roast Beef — the British pub on the piste at the edge of the village, packed as the lifts close
- Malaysia — the big underground club in the centre, for after midnight
Closing: Around 04:00 or later at the club in high season.
Getting around
Limited- UberWorks here
- BoltWorks here
- G7Works here
- FREE NOWWorks here
G7 the taxi fleet, by app
- Against a taxi
- Much the same. The flat airport rate is a taxi rule and the apps price against it.
Time zone and your working day
Europe/Paris — 6 hours ahead of you
2 hours of overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are — 09:00–11:00 your time, 15:00–17:00 theirs.
No overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are. Working from here means one of you keeps odd hours — their day starts at 03:00 on your clock.
office hours both at once night
Their 09:00–17:00 is 03:00–11:00 on yours.
The difference from the UK, Europe, the US and ten more
Worked out against America/New York, which is where this request looks like it came from.
eSIM
A data eSIM for France, installed before you fly and working the moment you land:
Works here
Works hereRevolutIn the app
Must-see
Travel tipsNearby day trips
Travel tipsSay a few words
French
- HelloBonjourbon-ZHOOR
- PleaseS'il vous plaîtseel voo PLEH
- Thank youMercimer-SEE
- Yes / NoOui / Nonwee / non
4 more phrases
- Excuse meExcusez-moiex-koo-zay MWA
- How much is it?C'est combien ?say com-BYEN
- The bill, pleaseL'addition, s'il vous plaîtla-dee-SYON
- Cheers!Santé !son-TAY
Open with bonjour before anything else. Launching straight into a question without it reads as rude, and explains a lot of reputed French coldness.
Travel tipsReligion
Catholic, and strictly secular
Laïcité is a constitutional principle: religion is kept out of public institutions, and conspicuous religious symbols are banned in state schools. Cover shoulders in cathedrals.
Travel tipsDo's and don'ts
Do
- Say bonjour before anything else, every single time you enter a shop
- Keep your voice down in restaurants and on public transport
- Keep both hands visible on the table while eating, wrists on the edge
- Dress a notch smarter than you would at home — it changes how you are treated
Don't
- Do not ask for a doggy bag or substitutions; the dish arrives as the kitchen intends
- Do not start with English without at least attempting bonjour, parlez-vous anglais
- Do not tip more than rounding up — service is included by law
- Do not eat while walking; it reads as slightly uncivilised
Where to stay in Val Thorens
No Holistay rentals in Val Thorens yet — the platform is just opening up. Every listing here will have a video tour and the option to negotiate the nightly price directly with the host.
In the meantime, here is Val Thorens on the sites that do have the inventory — each search is already filled in:
- Booking.com hotels, guesthouses and apartments — the widest coverage almost everywhere
- Airbnb whole homes and apartments, and the better option for a week or more
How to get there
Fly into Geneva GVA
3hfrom the airport· 111 km as the crow flies
About three hours by transfer or coach; longer on a winter Saturday, with the last hour climbing from Moûtiers.
Also worth pricing: Lyon Saint-Exupéry LYS — about three hours by road, often cheaper in season; Chambéry is closer but has winter charters only.
Google Flights · Rome2Rio for the trains, buses and ferries as well as the flights
