After three consecutive years in Tignes, we decided to change the area and try another ski resort. And so La Plagne became our choice.
La Plagne is a French ski area in the alpine valley of the Tarentaise, holding the title of the world’s most visited ski resort. La Plagne itself consists of 225 km of slopes and, together with Les Arcs, it goes up to 425 km of skiing area. 80 percent of La Plagne’s ski runs are above 2000m and reach up to the Glacier de Belle Côte (3250m). La Plagne resort comprises six high-altitude villages and four villages further down the mountain.
I would say it is a perfect spot for beginners and intermediates skiers, as the slops are not particularly steep. As a snowboarder, I struggled with some pistes as they were not steep enough for me to pick up enough speed, and many times I ended up walking.
We were also a little bit unlucky with the weather, and it was pretty warm; as a result, the slopes in the lower parts were just one big slippery ice surface. After falling on our butts a couple of times, we went higher up, where the snow was better.
To sum up, it is a really lovely resort for family skiing and learning, though if I were to choose again, I would try going somewhere more challenging.
How to get there?
You can fly to Chambéry airport and then take a bus (an hour and a half trip). Geneva airport is further away, with the drive taking around two and a half hours.
It was way easier for us to find a plane to Geneva and take a bus from there, so that’s what we did. Plenty of websites offer buses or private taxis to take you from the airport to the resort and back.
Equipment
If you don’t have your own equipment, there are plenty of shops in the area where you can rent some. We didn’t even have a reservation and just showed up and rented without any problems.
Cost
When planning the holidays on your own, you need to account for:
- plane ticket to the airport (Copenhagen – Geneva, in my case)
- transport from Geneva to La Plagne with a bus ( ~150 € both ways)
- Airbnb (~300 € per person, for a chalet for ~10 people. We book around the end of July)
- Ski pass (~325 €, we managed to buy a group ticket with a slight discount)
- The equipment (150 €)
Add also some food expenses, either for the restaurant or the groceries. If you opt for a restaurant, then it usually takes ~30 € for a meal. Of course, cooking is much cheaper, and the shop has all the ingredients you might need. We were dead tired after the whole day of skiing, so we didn’t feel like cooking at all. We had enough energy to walk 20 meters to the nearby restaurant, and that’s it 🙂