Your Guide To A Snowy Getaway In The Beautiful The French Alps
Ever wanted to see Mont Blanc, sink a piece of bread into a delicious and gooey cheese fondue, or zoom down the slopes of the Tarentaise Valley with your feet strapped to a slippery board? Then a break in the French Alps will be right up your street! Read on for information on how to plan your perfect trip, and what to do and enjoy once you arrive in this snowy picture postcard location.
Getting there
Travellers from the UK will discover that there are many airports in the region of the French Alps. However, not all serve the main flight routes from the UK.
Therefore it’s best to get a direct flight from London to a major airport like Geneva, Lyon, or Grenoble and then travel the rest of the distance by car. Luckily, hiring a vehicle for a reasonable rate at any other the aforementioned airports is quite easy, and some of the more high-end chalet accommodation will even send a car to pick you up!
Where to stay
Once you have established how to travel to the region of the French Alps, you will need to pick a town in which to stay, as well as the specific accommodation in which you will be spending your time. Of course, as you would expect in an area that is hugely popular with travellers from around the world, there are many ski resorts like Val Thorens, Les Deux Alpes, and Portes du Soleil with a range of accommodations to choose from.
By far the most popular in terms of type of accommodation, and so the ones that get booked up the quickest, are residences such as the Meribel Luxury Chalet Iona, built in the traditional alpine style. After all, if you are making the trip to enjoy the snowy location, what better place to do it in than a warm and cosy, yet immaculate decked out chalet?
Of course, there are other options as well, most of which are hotels where you rent a room instead of an entire property. You can expect these to be of a reasonable standard, but do remember that the experience is not quite the same as staying with your closest friends in a self-contained home that you have all to yourselves for the duration.
Activities you won’t want to miss
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Once you have decided on where you will lay your head at night, it is time to pick the activities that will fill up your day. Of course, many of these will involve the snow in form or another, but if you aren’t a keen skier or snowboarder, don’t panic because in the French Alps there are many other options to consider as well.
For example, you may wish to dedicate a day to try out dog sledging, where you are pulled along the snow at a pretty high speed by a team of highly trained dogs. If this is too high adrenaline for you there are many scenic walks and hikes to do instead, and you can even strap on some snowshoes try a trek that way.
Also, don’t forget to pay a visit to the Dragon de l’Alta resort in Les Allues. Where you can view some seriously cool dragon sculptures and even lay back on some carved dragon sunbeds, providing you have your snow boots and scarves on that is!
Of course, you may at some point in you break feel like you want to get out of the cold and warm up. Happily, there are plenty of opportunities to do this within the location of the French Alps as well. One such activity you may enjoy is to visit one of the many spas in the region such as Le Refuge des Aiglons. A place where you can enjoy soaking away in hot baths, any stiffness or injuries done while skiing.
Where to eat
Anyone that has been skiing or visited a ski resort before will know that half of the fun is in the widely decadent food that you feel entirely legitimate in eating because you have expended so many calories, zooming down mountains in the day.
Happily, the French Alps don’t disappoint here, with many a local bistro serving delicious Fondue, Tartuffe, and other rustic dishes. You can even push the boat out a little if you so choose and visit establishments like l’Atelier Edmond in Val d’Isère which has two Michelin stars. A place where you can look forward to sampling dishes such as crayfish with candied lemon, roasted juniper beef, with apricot cream polenta to for dessert, making your meal there sure to top off your trip to Beautiful The French Alps perfectly.
