Les Menuires: the familial alpine ski resort at high altitude
If Val Thorens is the regularly voted the top overall ski resort in France, Les Menuires is one of the top “family” ski resorts. And that is because it is on the same mountain, with Les Menuires at 1850m, and Val Thorens 30 minutes up the road at at 2000m.
Equally attached to the 3 Vallées (Trois Vallées), Les Menuires tends to be less pricy than the other three in the 3 Vallées, while still maintaining excellent connections to the other resorts, since the ski pistes and chairlifts all connect.
A very family-friendly resort for people with small children, since the slopes nearby are good for beginners. (Expert skiers need not worry, they can easily connect to rest of Les 3 Vallées on skis.)
Where to stay
Some favorites to stay at Les Menuires are:
- €€€ – Résidence Club MMV Le Cœur des Loges
- €€€€ – CGH Résidences & Spas les Chalets du Soleil Contemporain
- €€€€ – Ours Blanc Hotel & Spa
You can find more accommodation options at Les Menuires here.
How to get to there?
By Train: Les Menuires is part of the “Les Trois Vallées” (the 3 valleys) and the closest train station is the “Moûtiers – Salins – Brides-les-Bains” train station, which is about 18 miles (29km) away from Les Menuires.
High-speed trains from Paris, London and other major cities in Western Europe arrive at Moûtiers all winter long, bringing you to the foot of the 3 Vallées.
From the train station, there are several busses including Altibus which costs around €8-14 for a ride to Les Menuires.
From Airport to Les Menuires – Approximate times with no traffic:
- 1 hour 30 minutes from Chambéry airport
- 2 hours 15 minutes from Geneva, Lyon or Grenoble
How easy is it getting around?
Les Menuires is one of the larger resorts in the Alps that still remains relatively walkable. Grand Reberty is a bit trickier to get to from the main resort if you are on foot, but still remains quite walkable.
There is also a free shuttle that runs around Les Menuires in the wintertime, making it easy to get around.
How many days should you spend?
In the busy part of the winter during ski season, most places in Les Menuires only rent for the week (Saturday to Saturday), so you will be required to stay at least 1 week.
In the off season and summer time, you should have more flexibility with dates, but I would still recommend staying at least 3-4 days to full enjoy the resort. You can read more about the best time to go skiing in France here.