The French Alps are home to the biggest ski areas in the world. The Three Valleys links Courchevel, Méribel and Val Thorens in one vast network of slopes; the Espace Killy joins Val d'Isère and Tignes; and Paradiski connects Les Arcs and La Plagne. Above them all rises Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Western Europe, with Chamonix, the birthplace of modern mountaineering, at its foot. In summer, the same valleys are some of the finest hiking country in Europe.
French ski hotels are famous for their food and their glamour, from three-Michelin-star dining in Courchevel to the Savoyard chalets of Megève. These are the 12 French Alps hotels in our collection, resort by resort.
The best hotels in the French Alps at a glance
- Best for ultimate luxury: Cheval Blanc Courchevel
- Best for food: Le Chabichou and Le Hameau Albert 1er
- Best chalet style: Les Fermes de Marie
- Best for snow-sure skiing: Hotel Pashmina Le Refuge, Val Thorens
- Best for families: Club Med Tignes and Les Barmes de l'Ours
- Best value in Chamonix: Hôtel Le Faucigny
Courchevel, Méribel and Val Thorens: the Three Valleys
1. Cheval Blanc Courchevel, Courchevel 1850
Best for: skiers, food lovers and anyone seeking ultimate Alpine luxury
The original Maison of LVMH's ultra-exclusive Cheval Blanc collection is the ultimate ski-in ski-out hotel in Courchevel 1850, with just 36 rooms and suites, a three-Michelin-star restaurant, a Guerlain spa and excellent kids' and teens' clubs. It opens in winter only. Read our review of Cheval Blanc Courchevel.
2. Le Chabichou, Courchevel 1850
Best for: skiers, food lovers and families
Michel and Maryse Rochedy bought a modest nine-room chalet here in 1963 and turned it into one of Courchevel's great culinary institutions. Its white wooden façade is a landmark on the slopes, with ski-in ski-out access, a 1,100-square-metre spa with a salt cave and a kids' club. Read our review of Le Chabichou.
3. Le Kaila, Méribel
Best for: couples, families and food lovers
Méribel's most elegant hotel is a family-run five-star in the heart of the village, run by the third generation of the same family, with a private lift to the slopes, a pool and spa, a gastronomic restaurant and a cigar lounge. Read our review of Le Kaila.
4. Hotel Pashmina Le Refuge, Val Thorens
Best for: skiers, families and groups
At 2,300 metres, Val Thorens is the highest ski resort in Europe, and the Pashmina is its most comfortable hotel: a warm, wood-lined five-star chalet on the Place du Slalom with ski-in ski-out access to the Three Valleys, an indoor-outdoor pool and a L'Occitane spa. Read our review of Hotel Pashmina Le Refuge.
Val d'Isère, Tignes and Les Arcs
5. Les Barmes de l'Ours, Val d'Isère
Best for: skiers, families and spa lovers
Val d'Isère's grandest ski hotel stands at the foot of La Face de Bellevarde, the famous Olympic downhill, in one of the most snow-sure resorts in the Alps, with an 800-square-metre spa, a Michelin-starred restaurant, a kids' club and even a bowling alley. Read our review of Les Barmes de l'Ours.
6. Club Med Tignes, Tignes
Best for: families, mixed-ability groups and beginners
Rebuilt and reopened in December 2022 in Val Claret, the highest part of Tignes, Club Med Tignes is a big, bright ski-in ski-out resort where lift passes, lessons, meals, drinks and kids' clubs from babies to teenagers are all included. Read our review of Club Med Tignes.
7. Hotel Taj-I Mah, Les Arcs
Best for: skiers, families and couples
The most luxurious hotel in Les Arcs stands high in Arc 2000, at the top of the Cabriolet gondola, with ski-in ski-out access to the vast Paradiski area, a 400-square-metre spa and pool and a sunny panoramic terrace. Read our review of Hotel Taj-I Mah.
Megève
8. Les Fermes de Marie, Megève
Best for: couples, families and lovers of chalet style
In 1989, Jocelyne and Jean-Louis Sibuet took apart centuries-old Savoyard farmhouses, documented every beam and rebuilt them in Megève as a hamlet of chalets around a two-hectare park, creating the chalet hotel that defined Alpine luxury. It has a 1,000-square-metre spa and a children's chalet, and it is about an hour from Geneva. Read our review of Les Fermes de Marie.
Chamonix and Mont Blanc
9. Le Hameau Albert 1er, Chamonix
Best for: food lovers, couples and families in the chalets
Chamonix's most celebrated hotel is a Relais & Châteaux hamlet that has been run by the same family since 1903, with a contemporary hotel, a farmhouse of reclaimed timber, private chalets facing Mont Blanc, a Michelin-starred restaurant and an indoor-outdoor pool. Read our review of Le Hameau Albert 1er.
10. Hôtel Mont-Blanc, Chamonix
Best for: skiers, climbers, hikers and families
The most elegant five-star in Chamonix, the town that hosted the first Winter Olympics in 1924, stands in a peaceful garden in the centre of town, with mountain-facing rooms, a heated outdoor pool and a Clarins spa. Read our review of Hôtel Mont-Blanc.
11. Grand Hôtel des Alpes, Chamonix
Best for: couples and friends wanting a central five-star base
A grand hotel of 1840 in the very centre of Chamonix, restored as an intimate luxury boutique hotel of just over 30 rooms, with a spa overlooking the river and the Aiguille du Midi cable car a short walk away. Read our review of Grand Hôtel des Alpes.
12. Hôtel Le Faucigny, Chamonix
Best for: couples, skiers, climbers and hikers on a budget
A stylish, contemporary chalet hotel of just 28 rooms in the centre of Chamonix, with warm Scandinavian-inspired interiors and a small spa, at a price well below the town's grand hotels. Read our review of Hôtel Le Faucigny.
When to go to the French Alps
The ski season usually runs from December to April, with the high resorts of Val Thorens, Tignes and Val d'Isère opening earliest and closing latest. January and March are often the best months for quieter slopes and good snow; Christmas, New Year and the French and British February school holidays are the busiest and most expensive weeks. Many ski hotels in Courchevel, Méribel, Val Thorens and Les Arcs open in winter only, while Chamonix and Megève are just as popular in summer, from June to September, for hiking, climbing and the Mont Blanc views.
How to plan a trip to the French Alps
Geneva is the main gateway: Chamonix and Megève are about an hour away, and the Three Valleys, Tignes, Val d'Isère and Les Arcs around two and a half to three hours. Lyon and Chambéry are good alternatives, and the train to Moûtiers or Bourg-Saint-Maurice is a relaxing way to reach the big resorts. For more, see our guides to the best luxury hotels in Chamonix, ski-in ski-out hotels in the Alps and the best mountain hotels in the Alps.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best hotels in the French Alps?
Our favourites include Cheval Blanc and Le Chabichou in Courchevel, Les Barmes de l'Ours in Val d'Isère, Hotel Pashmina in Val Thorens, Les Fermes de Marie in Megève and Le Hameau Albert 1er in Chamonix.
Which French Alps hotels are ski-in ski-out?
Cheval Blanc and Le Chabichou in Courchevel 1850, Hotel Pashmina in Val Thorens, Club Med Tignes and Hotel Taj-I Mah in Les Arcs all have ski-in ski-out access.
Where should I stay in the French Alps for families?
Club Med Tignes is all-inclusive with kids' clubs for all ages, and Les Barmes de l'Ours, Le Chabichou and Les Fermes de Marie all have excellent children's facilities.
Which French ski hotels are open in summer?
Chamonix's hotels and Les Fermes de Marie in Megève are open in summer, while many hotels in Courchevel, Méribel, Val Thorens and Les Arcs open in winter only.
