Cheapest Ski Resorts in France
It's not that easy to find cheap ski resorts in France, but it is certainly possible to find destinations you can enjoy on a lower budget than others. The most important thing is to know your French ski regions and resorts as each of the giant regions tend to have its more fashionable (which usually equates to expensive) destinations and its ‘family friendly’ or ‘budget’ options, several of which we list below.
When trying to identify cheap ski resorts it is worth keeping an eye on the cost of the lift pass wherever you choose to go, this can be a big part of your overall holiday cost. Some areas have a choice of cheaper local passes you might opt for rather than a more expensive region pass – if you don't think you'll need access to all that terrain. Some also offer savings if you buy online in advance, or two or more of you buy the same pass together. Sometimes a combination of these things can save you even more money.
Les Menuires
Les Menuires has a reputation as being one of the most inexpensive destinations in the world’s biggest ski region, the 3 Valleys. Well located in the Belleville valley with Meribel on one side, Val Thorens on the other, its chief market is families so prices are driven down to be as affordable as possible to attract this market segment.
Flaine
Flaine has built a reputation as a low cost option among the big-name French ski areas. Despite having access to one of the country's biggest ski regions, with a great snow record, and being one of the quickest and easiest resorts to reach from Geneva, it has never had the fashionable image of a Courchevel or Val d’Isere to attract the rich end of the ski market, so has focussed on keeping prices relatively inexpensive to attract everyone else instead.
Avoriaz
Avoriaz is one of the best bets for families on a budget, partly as it is the most generous of the larger French resorts when it comes to family lift ticket prices. Throughout the season, the child lift pass is valid up to the age of 15 years inclusive, whereas the child rate age limit is 12 years in the majority of French ski resorts. In addition, there’s a small discount on the full adult price for teenagers aged 16 to 19, almost unheard of elsewhere in France. As Avoriaz has the great Aquariaz indoor waterpark and the reassurance of a car-free resort, these budget-helping deals add to its appeal for families. You can also save more (up to 60% they say) by buying your lift passes in advance online.
Courchevel 1650
Although Courchevel is never going to be one of the world’s cheap ski resorts, it’s worth noting that the resort has five different bases and it is only the top one, Courchevel 1850, that attracts the world's jet-set and is chock full of uber lux chalets and the most five-star hotels outside Paris. The other Courchevel (espesially Courchevel 1650) bases are not exactly low cost, but they are much more affordable and more in line with other mainstream French resorts in terms of pricing.
La Plagne
La Plagne’s huge size, with ten different resort bases to choose from, makes it a good place to hunt out low cost ski options, as businesses there compete to offer some of the best budget options. The scale of the resort means that there are plenty of cheaper accommodation options in La Plagne offering decent quality rooms at reasonable prices. Competition between everyone from ski schools and rental shops to restaurants and bars also makes this a good resort to dig out bargain rates if you shop around.
Brides Les Bains
If staying actually slopeside is not a priority for you, one of the best ways to find an inexpensive French resort is to stay a little away from the ski area, prices drop by the kilometre distance from the slopes. Brides Les Bains is connected by a gondola to the 3 Valleys above, but there’s no marked piste back. It is definitely the budget option of the region with much lower apres ski, accommodation and dining costs and although you can’t get ski-in, ski-out there are other benefits like a great spa complex and a proper year-round community feel.
