Val D'Isère Activities

Worth getting out of bed for

You’ll need to have lots of energy for Val d'Isère; a late night of partying is no excuse not to be on the slopes early the next day.

Viewpoint

On the Val d'Isère side of the Espace Killy the higest piste is at 3300 metres on the Pissaillas glacier. On the Tignes side the Grande Motte cable car reaches almost 3500 metres.

Arts and culture

Val d'Isère church dates from the 17th Century and has a fine baroque interior. Appropriately the church is dedicated to St Bernard the patron saint of skiers and mountain dwellers.

Something for nothing

There’s a free bus shuttle around the resort and out to neighbouring hamlets. The buses on the main route through Val d'Isère between La Daille and Le Fornet run every ten or 15 minutes during the day but they can get very crowded.

Shopping

There seems to be an Alpine sports shop at ever turn in Val d'Isère. Killy Sport at the Tourist Office and the Billabong and Quiksilver stores at the Kandahar Hotel are worth a browse. Oxygène in the Galerie des Cimes has a good selection of goggles.

Children

The French Ski School has snow gardens at Val Village and La Daille catering for four and five-year-olds as well as a range of classes for older children (www.esfvaldisere.com). Killy Sport can organise kids’ snow-shoeing and half-day husky sleigh excursions (www.killy-sport.com). The resort has a swimming pool, ice-skating rink and a cinema that shows English-language films. It’s also great fun to visit one of the local dairy farms (www.fermedeladroit.com).

Activities

Val d’Isère is one of the most popular resorts in the Alps and together with neighbouring Tignes the Espace Killy area has almost 200 miles of piste. The Charvet area is particularly good for off-piste skiing. You can also enjoy snowshoe walking with guides from Les Plus Killy Sport or go for husky sleigh rides (www.killy-sport.com). Snowmobiling is popular in nearby Tignes where those seeking some ultimate adventure can also go ice diving in the lake. For a real adrenalin rush though, try the bobsleigh run at La Plagne.

And...

There’s an ice-driving circuit at Val d’Isère where you can steer 4x4s and modified go-karts across treacherous terrain with the help of expert instructors (www.circuitvaldisere.com).