Travel to Les Arcs with travel insurance from Essential Travel

With a sure snowfall, varied terrain and a spectacular cable car ride to La Plagne, Les Arcs has become part of one of the biggest ski areas in the world, known as Paradiski. One of the longest black runs in Europe, plus staggering architecture by renowned architects, makes Les Arcs an impressive choice and breathtaking experience.

Set in the Haute Savoie region of France among the Alps, Les Arcs is in a preserved natural environment. Perched on the mountainside and consisting of five villages - Arc 1600, Arc 1800, Arc 1950, Bourg St Maurice and Arc 2000 - Les Arcs combines tradition with modern practicalities, offering a relaxed alternative to livelier resorts. However, its selection of bars, restaurants, nightclubs and cinemas offer enough to keep any small city entertained.

Accommodation in Les Arcs is varied, ranging from hotels to camping, apartments to self-catering - there’s something to suit every pocket. There are more than 90 bars and restaurants within the resort, plus four cinemas and three nightclubs. Of the five villages, Arc 1800 is the liveliest. Non-ski activities include: dog-sledding; hang-gliding, snowmobiling and microlighting. Les Arcs has also been awarded France’s certificate of quality for children’s facilities, including ski instruction.

Les Arcs is one of the best Alpine areas and boasts 200kms of pistes, with 40 per cent dedicated to beginners and intermediates each and 20 percent for advanced. The resort is serviced by 54 lifts and the highest point is at 3,226m with a total descent of 2,416m. As well as one of the longest black runs in Europe, Les Arcs offers snowboarders impressive widespread terrain with everything for the novice to the expert. Artificial snow ensures skiing the whole season.

Les Arcs is linked to the resort of La Plagne, making it part of one of the biggest ski areas in the world. A stunning cable car ride will take you to 132 pistes, with a total of 225kms of slopes. This whole area combines to form Paradiski, an awesome ski experience, with access to hundreds more shops, bars and restaurants and a livelier après-ski scene including exhibition centres, an Olympic bobsleigh piste, plus paintball!

Skiing here is available from mid-December to late April.

Skiing in Les Arcs

Les Arcs consists of five villages: Arc 1600, Arc 1800, Arc 1950, Bourg-St Maurice and Arc 2000. With an extensive lift system and an impressive selection of slopes that have some of the longest descents in the Alps, Les Arcs is an awesome experience set among a wonderfully preserved natural setting.

Les Arcs is one of the largest interconnected ski resorts in the world, boasting one of the longest black runs in Europe. A large assortment of hotels and apartments, plus an impressive number of restaurants and bars, make Les Arcs a comfortable alternative to busier locations. It combines tradition with contemporary architecture in a beautiful setting and manages to accommodate children and beginners as well as the more advanced skier.

In total, Les Arcs has 118 slopes adding up to 200kms in run length. Forty per cent of runs are suitable for beginners, 40 per cent are for intermediates and 20 per cent are for the advanced. There are 54 lifts servicing the resort, which has a high point of 3,226m, and a total vertical descent of 2,416m.

Les Arcs also has one of the longest black runs in Europe, plus a vast area for off-piste and snowboarding. It is suitable for all standards of skiers and boarders and offers a good mixture of high, snow-sure runs and accessible low level woodland. Les Arcs and La Plagne combine to a grand total of 239 pisted runs and 425kms of slopes. Although Les Arcs isn’t known for its après-ski, there are around 90 bars and restaurants in the resort plus cinemas and alternative activities such as: dog-sledding; hang-gliding, snowmobiling and microlighting. Squash and fitness rooms are also available as are snow-biking and snowshoeing. Three nightclubs keep Les Arcs alive at night, with music and entertainment also on offer at many of the bars around the resort.

The season at Les Arcs runs from mid-December to late April and with sure snowfall as well as artificial snow, the skiing here is guaranteed. You can book only for Les Arcs or for access to the whole of Paradiski.

Geneva International Airport is 2.5 hours away and runs four buses a day to and from Les Arcs. Other nearby airports are in Lyon and Chambery. Les Arcs is situated directly above Bourg-St Maurice, which is linked to Paris by TGV (4.4 hours), Eurostar (8 hours from London) and Thaly’s. By car, take the Albertville exit on the main autoroute from Paris, then follow the signs to Bourg-St Maurice. From here, Les Arcs is a 30-minute ride by car, or a 7-minute ride on the funicular.

Transportation to Les Arcs

Les Arcs is located directly above the town of Bourge-St Maurice, making it very easy to get to by train or by car from Paris and Europe. The train station at Bourg-St Maurice connects with Paris and London, while the nearest international airport is situated at Geneva, which is 2.5 hours away and easily accessible. All travel can be arranged when booking a package deal, which is often an easier option.

To travel by car to Les Arcs, take the main autoroute south of Paris towards Lyon, then head towards Albertville and follow the signs to Les Arcs. The journey is around 900kms from Calais in total and will cost around €100 for road tolls; driving time is around nine hours in total. Alternatively, Geneva is only 140kms or 2.5 hours by car.

By train, catch the Eurostar directly from London Waterloo or Ashford Kent. This will drop you right at the resort. The journey takes around eight hours in total, but check for travel days as they change as the season progresses. Alternatively, catch the TGV from Paris straight to Bourg-St Maurice, which usually takes under two hours. Paris can be reached via the Eurostar by various different rail networks throughout Europe.

Geneva International Airport is 140kms (2.5 hours) from Les Arcs. There are four buses daily to and from the resort, making arrival from the airport an easy option. To reach the resort by car from Geneva Airport, take the A41 to Annecy, then follow the signs to Albertville and on to Les Arcs.

click here for a travel insurance quotation