Courchevel: which village, hotel or chalet, and which week?

Say “Courchevel” and most people picture fur coats, private jets and a €40 plate of pasta. That side of it is real, but it’s mostly one village, Courchevel 1850. Below it sit five others, from a car-free forest village to an old farming hamlet with a lake, and they share the same lifts, the same slopes and the same 3 Vallées ski area as everyone else. The skiing doesn’t change with your budget. Where you sleep, and when you go, does.

This guide covers the choices that decide the trip: which village suits you, whether to book a hotel, a catered chalet or an apartment, which ski pass to buy, the weeks to aim for and the one to avoid, how to get there from the UK, and where people actually go after the lifts close.

The six villages, in plain terms

Courchevel’s villages used to be named after their height in metres, and the old numbers still stick. Officially they are Courchevel 1850, Courchevel Moriond (1650), Courchevel Village (1550), Courchevel Le Praz (1300), La Tania and Saint-Bon. All of them connect to the same ski area, and free resort buses run between them.

A few practical points the brochures skip. Le Praz and Village both have gondolas up to 1850 that keep running into the evening for foot passengers, so you can go up for dinner and come back without a taxi. Moriond doesn’t have an evening lift to 1850, so a night out up there means the bus or a taxi. Le Praz and Village have fewer true ski-in, ski-out places than 1850, so check how far your bed is from the lift. And at the end of the day you can usually ski home to Le Praz and La Tania through the trees, when snow at the lower level allows.

When to go

The Courchevel lifts are due to open on Friday 4 December 2026 and close on Sunday 18 April 2027. The full 3 Vallées area, which links Courchevel with Méribel, Val Thorens and the rest, is due to open a day later on 5 December. These dates can shift if the early snow is poor, so don’t book the first weekend unless you can live with that.

The biggest thing that decides your week isn’t the snow. It’s school holidays, because they fill the slopes and push up prices.

UK half-term dates vary by council, so check yours. Most of England breaks on 15 to 19 February 2027, but some areas go a week earlier.

On snow, March usually beats January. Reported average snow depths for Courchevel roughly double between December and March at the top of the slopes, and March has the best cover lower down too. January is colder and can be icy early in the morning, but it’s quiet and the snow on the higher runs is usually good. More than half of Courchevel’s pistes have snowmaking, which helps in a thin year but doesn’t replace a proper snowfall.

One date for your diary: a women’s World Cup night slalom is scheduled in Courchevel on Tuesday 22 December 2026. Worth watching if you’re there, but it’ll make that week a bit busier.

Lift passes for 2026/27

You have two main choices. The Courchevel Valley pass covers the Courchevel area only, which is around 150km of marked runs. The 3 Vallées pass adds Méribel, Val Thorens, Les Menuires and the rest, around 600km in total. Both are sold by S3V, the lift company, and prices go on sale online in October.

A few things worth knowing. The 6-day pass costs the same as a 5-day pass, so there’s no point buying five days. The Family Flex deal lets one or two adults with at least one child pay the child price for everyone, as long as there are three of you or more. High-season prices apply from 19 December to 9 April. Outside that, prices are lower, but the exact low-season figures hadn’t been published when we checked. There’s no separate price for 65 to 74 year olds any more. They pay the adult rate.

Which pass should you buy? If you’re a beginner or a gentle intermediate, the Courchevel pass is plenty. If there’s any chance you’ll want a day over in Méribel or Val Thorens, buy the 3 Vallées pass from the start. A single day’s upgrade costs €49.50, so a Courchevel 6-day pass plus one upgrade day comes to €434.50, which is more than the €421 you’d pay for the full 3 Vallées pass.

Complete beginners don’t need a full pass at all to start with. There are seven “Easy Rider” beginner areas with free lifts, and a Minipass for beginners costs €39.50 a day once you’re ready for a bit more.

What the skiing is like

Courchevel’s own area is big enough for a week on its own. Around 150km of runs spread across the slopes above the villages, from wide, easy greens and blues around 1850 and Moriond to steep stuff off La Saulire, which tops out at 2,738m. The best-known black is the Grand Couloir, a steep chute off the top of La Saulire. Jean Blanc is a long run through the trees down to Le Praz, and it’s the run to save for a snowy, low-visibility day when the open slopes above are flat light.

Across the whole 3 Vallées, about 85% of the ski area sits above 1,800m, which is a big part of why the snow is reliable here. The highest skiing is over in Val Thorens, at 3,230m, and on a 3 Vallées pass it’s a full day’s trip there and back from Courchevel. Plan it for a clear day and start early.

A bit of history: Courchevel says France’s first ski patrol started here.

Hotel, catered chalet or apartment?

This is the choice that makes the biggest difference to the cost and feel of the week. British skiers have a long habit of catered chalets, and Courchevel is one of the places they work best.

Catered chalets

A catered chalet is a shared or private chalet with a host who cooks for you. The usual deal with UK operators is breakfast, afternoon tea and a three-course dinner with wine on five or six nights a week. On the host’s nights off, you eat out. Most packages include flights and transfers, but not lift passes or ski hire.

• Le Ski runs 17 chalets in Moriond, sleeping 2 to 22, plus some in La Tania. Dinner comes with unlimited wine five nights a week, and flights go from Gatwick or Manchester to Chambéry.
• Ski Beat has chalets in La Tania, with dinner on six nights. Prices for 2026/27 start from £851 per person for a December week, including flights and transfers.
• Inghams sells a catered chalet in La Tania from £1,099 per person for a December week, and Skiworld has four chalets in Courchevel, priced on request.

Be warned: by late September some operators had already sold out their Christmas, New Year and February half-term weeks. If you need a school holiday week, book now.

Hotels

Courchevel has five hotels with France’s official “Palace” award, which is a step above five stars: Airelles Courchevel, Cheval Blanc Courchevel, Fouquet’s Courchevel, L’Apogée Courchevel and Le K2 Palace. All are in 1850. Their prices are on application, and if you have to ask, this probably isn’t your week. Just below them are five-star hotels such as Le Lana and the Grandes Alpes, both ski-in, ski-out in 1850.

For the rest of us, there are good options lower down:

• Portetta, Moriond: four stars, ski-in, ski-out, with a restaurant run by Angela Hartnett and one of the best-known après terraces in the resort.
• Hôtel Les Peupliers, Le Praz: four stars, by the lake and a short walk from the gondola to 1850, with a spa.
• Le Montana, La Tania: three stars, ski-in, ski-out on the Folyères piste, with an indoor pool.

To give a rough idea of package prices for 2026/27, here’s what Inghams was asking per person, including flights and transfers, when we checked. Star ratings are the operator’s own.

Apartments and private chalets

Self-catering apartments are the cheapest way to stay, especially in La Tania, Village and Moriond. At the other end of the scale, luxury private chalets in 1850 with a chef, a host and daily cleaning are advertised from around £13,800 a week for eight people, and the biggest go for £80,000 or more.

Which should you choose?

• Catered chalet if you’re a group or family who want dinner sorted, wine included and a sociable week, and you don’t mind set meal times.
• Hotel if you’re a couple, want a pool or spa, or prefer choosing where and when you eat.
• Apartment if price matters most and you’re happy to cook or eat out every night.

Getting there from the UK

Courchevel sits at the end of a winding road above the town of Moûtiers in the Savoie Alps. There’s no direct flight to the resort unless you’re in a private plane, so the question is which airport, or whether to take the train.

Those official drive times are for a clear road. On a Saturday in peak season, when half of Europe is changing over, allow an hour or more extra.

Flying

Geneva has the most flights, with easyJet, British Airways, Jet2 and Swiss from London and a long list of regional airports. Chambéry is closer, and in winter British Airways, Jet2 and TUI fly there from a spread of UK airports. Routes change every season, so check the airport’s own list before you book. Most chalet and package holidays include a transfer. If yours doesn’t, Altibus runs winter coaches from Geneva and Lyon airports to Courchevel, from around €47 each way for an adult last season.

By train

The Eurostar Snow train is the easiest way to go without flying. It leaves London St Pancras on Saturdays from 19 December 2026 to 20 February 2027, with a quick change at Lille, and stops at Moûtiers, the nearest station to Courchevel. Fares start from about £125 each way, and you can take two bags and your skis. From Moûtiers, the bus up to Courchevel costs about €12 and takes around half an hour, or a taxi for up to eight people is about €75.

Driving

From Calais it’s roughly 970km, or about ten hours, with around €70 of tolls each way. From 1 November to 31 March, French law says cars in the Savoie mountains must either have winter tyres marked with the snowflake-on-a-mountain symbol or carry snow chains or snow socks. Tyres marked only “M+S” no longer count.

And if money really is no object

Courchevel’s altiport, a short, steep runway at just over 2,000m, takes small planes and helicopters. A helicopter from Geneva takes 20 to 30 minutes, and brokers quote from around €1,500 to €3,000.

Après ski

Courchevel’s après is spread across its villages rather than packed into one strip, and each has its own style. Bars change hands often, so check a place is still open before you plan an evening around it.

Courchevel 1850

• Le Tremplin, at the bottom of the main runs on the Croisette, is the classic first stop as the lifts close, with a big terrace and live music.
• Le Saint Roch opens from 3pm with a jazzy après feel.
• La Luge does burgers and rum cocktails, with a DJ from 5pm.
• La Mangeoire is dinner with a piano bar and live music, then a DJ after midnight. Booking is essential, and it isn’t cheap.
• Les Caves de Courchevel is the famous late-night club, open from around midnight to 5am. Expect big prices.

Moriond (1650)

• Portetta has the biggest terrace in Moriond, with log fires, and Fire & Ice is its outdoor après bar.
• The Seven Kings is a British-style pub with seven UK beers on tap, sport on the TV and live music at weekends. It took over the old Bubble bar.
• Funky Fox has live bands and DJs.

La Tania and Village

• The Ski Lodge in La Tania is a pub with live music or DJs most nights and happy hours.
• La Taïga in La Tania is a cocktail bar and restaurant.
• Le Catérail in Village is a relaxed bar near the Grangettes gondola.

Worth the ski over to Méribel

There’s no La Folie Douce in Courchevel itself, but La Folie Douce Méribel-Courchevel is at the middle station of the Saulire Express on the Méribel side, and you can ski there. It’s the famous dancing-on-tables afternoon party, with DJs and live shows, open 9am to 5pm. Leave time to get back over the ridge before the lifts shut. Last season it closed for the year on 4 April, a couple of weeks before the lifts, so check dates if you’re going late. Further down, Le Rond Point above Méribel has live bands most afternoons from about 4.30pm.

Eating on and off the mountain

Courchevel has an unusual number of Michelin stars for a ski resort. For winter 2026/27 that’s seven starred restaurants with eleven stars between them. Le 1947 at Cheval Blanc holds three stars. Sylvestre Wahid at the Grandes Alpes and Slalom 1850 at Le Strato (which used to be called Baumanière 1850) each hold two. The one-star list includes Le Chabichou, L’Altitude, Alpage at the Annapurna and Le Farçon in La Tania. Le Sarkara, which still appears in a lot of guides, has closed for good.

You don’t need a starred budget to eat well, but mountain lunches here aren’t cheap. Main courses at the well-known mountain restaurants run from about €27 at Le Bel Air to €44 or more at places like La Soucoupe. Some worth knowing:

• Le Bouc Blanc, at the top of the La Tania gondola, does proper Savoyard food with a huge terrace, and people on foot can get there too.
• Le Cap Horn, by the altiport, has been going since 1954 and is famous for seafood and its wine list.
• Chalet de Pierres, on the Verdons piste above 1850, is known for roasts and its dessert buffet.
• Le Farçon in La Tania has a Michelin star and lunch menus that have started from about €42, which is one of the more affordable ways to try starred food in the resort.

When you’re not skiing

• The toboggan run. A 2km floodlit run through the forest from 1850 down to Village. It’s free with a ski or foot passenger pass, open daily until the evening when snow allows. Helmets are required, under-6s can’t use it, and under-15s need an adult with them.
• Moriond Racing Toboggan. A 3km run with hairpins and eight tunnels, reached by the Ariondaz gondola, with evening sessions.
• Aquamotion. A big leisure and spa centre between Village and Moriond, with pools, a 110m slide, an indoor surf wave, a climbing wall and an adults-only spa. Last winter a three-hour pool session was about €23 for an adult.
• Ice skating at the Olympic-size rink in Le Forum, 1850, built for the 1992 Winter Olympics.
• Dog sledding, snowshoeing and paragliding. There are nine marked snowshoe trails, several dog-sled operators, and tandem paragliding flights from around €80 to €175 depending on how long you fly.
• Scenic flights from the altiport over the 3 Vallées and towards Mont Blanc.
• The Olympic ski jumps at Le Praz, used for the 1992 Games, are worth a look even if you’d never go near the top.

Non-skiers who want to meet friends for lunch up the mountain can buy a foot passenger pass. Last season a 3 Vallées one cost €31.40 a day.

Families and ski school

Courchevel is a good family resort, especially in Moriond and La Tania, which have gentle slopes close to the accommodation. The main ski schools are the ESF, which has schools in 1850, Moriond, Village and La Tania, plus British-run Supreme, New Generation and Oxygène, among others. Lessons start from age 3.

• The ESF’s Village des Enfants in 1850 takes children from 18 months to 3 years in its nursery, and runs a ski club for ages 3 to 12.
• The resort’s own nurseries in Moriond and La Tania take babies and toddlers from 6 months to 4 years, Sunday to Friday.
• The Family Park in 1850 is a themed kids’ area reached by the Verdons gondola, with a picnic hut.

Book ski school early for school holiday weeks. Group lessons in those weeks can fill up well before the season starts.

Before booking

1. Pick the week first. Mid-January or 6 to 27 March for quiet slopes and good value. Avoid 13 to 20 February unless you have no choice.
2. Then pick the village. 1850 for luxury, Moriond for chalets and bars, La Tania for families and value, Le Praz or Village for a quieter base with a gondola up.
3. Book school holiday weeks now. Some operators’ Christmas and half-term chalets were already sold out by September.
4. Buy your lift pass online when sales open in October, and buy six days, not five, as they cost the same.
5. Sort insurance. Winter sports cover, plus Carré Neige if you want easy rescue cover on the mountain.
6. Check your passport. It needs to have been issued in the last ten years and be valid for three months after you leave. You’ll have your fingerprints and photo taken at the border on your first trip under the EU’s new Entry/Exit System. If you take the Eurostar, that happens at St Pancras before you leave. The EU’s ETIAS travel permit isn’t required yet, but check before you go.
7. Driving? Fit winter tyres with the snowflake symbol, or carry chains or snow socks. It’s the law in Savoie from November to March.

Courchevel: quick answers

Is Courchevel good for beginners?

Yes. It has seven beginner areas with free lifts, plenty of wide green and blue runs around 1850, Moriond and La Tania, and a cheap beginner Minipass at €39.50 a day. Stay in Moriond or La Tania for the gentlest start.

Which is the cheapest part of Courchevel?

La Tania, Village and Moriond are the cheapest places to stay. Property in La Tania costs about 40% less than in 1850, and the lift pass is the same price wherever you stay.

How do you get to Courchevel from the UK?

Fly to Chambéry (about 1h15 from the resort) or Geneva (about 2 hours), then take a transfer or coach. Or take the Eurostar Snow train to Moûtiers on a Saturday and finish with a 30-minute bus or taxi ride.

How much is a Courchevel lift pass?

In high season 2026/27, a 6-day adult pass costs €385 for the Courchevel area or €421 for the whole 3 Vallées. Children aged 5 to 17 pay €315.50 or €345. Under-5s ski free.

Is Courchevel good for après ski?

Yes, but it’s spread out. Moriond has the liveliest, best-value bars, 1850 has the glamour and the late-night clubs, and La Folie Douce is a ski away on the Méribel side.

When does the Courchevel ski season start?

The 2026/27 season is due to run from 4 December 2026 to 18 April 2027, with the full 3 Vallées area linked from 5 December.

23 September 2026

First published. Season dates, 2026/27 lift pass prices, Eurostar Snow dates, the Palace list, Michelin stars, chalet and hotel package prices and entry rules checked against the sources above. Some venue hours and activity prices are from the 2025/26 season and are marked as such. Low-season lift pass prices had not been published.