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Ski resorts in Montgenevre

Montgenevre is a small resort situated at 1,860m on the French side of the expansive Milky Way ski area. It has a good snow record, is reasonably priced, and has convenient ski to your door slope accessibility. The best time to visit Montgenevre is during the week, when queues are non-existent; on the weekends the ski resort tends to fill up with French and Italian skiers.

The ski resort has an attractive village, lined on either side by Alpine forests and compactly organised. Its stone buildings are clustered around a small church, and the atmosphere is both traditional and cheerful. Montgenevre, first established centuries ago, was Frances first ski resort, and has managed to preserve its authentic character in its architecture and way of life.

The ski slopes at Montgenevre are particularly well-suited to beginners and intermediates, while expert level skiers are unlikely to be challenged on the resorts runs. However, a cheap day extension gives you access to 400kms of slopes in the Milky Way.

Montgenevre has a total of 59 slopes, covering 100kms of pistes and served by 38 lifts. Of the pistes, 25 are beginner runs, 23 are intermediate runs and 11 are advanced runs. The ski resort has several runs of decent length, the longest being seven kilometres.

The winter season at Montgenevre runs from December to April, and the ski resort is known for having excellent snowfall during this time.

Skiing in Montgenevre

Montgenevre is a picturesque Alpine village located on the French side of the Milky Way network. It is Frances oldest ski resort, known for its friendliness, authenticity and excellent snowfall, providing optimal skiing enjoyment.

Skiing in Montgenevre is particularly favourable for beginners and intermediates, with 25 and 23 of the 59 pistes being green and blue, respectively. Eleven runs are allocated to advanced skiers, and there are no black runs. Experts and advanced skiers looking for a challenge might consider getting a cheap day extension which permits access to the entire network of Milky Way pistes - 400kms in total.

Montgenevres pistes are served by a system of 38 lifts. The resort has runs of various lengths, the longest of which is seven kilometres. In addition to piste skiing, Montgenevre offers some excellent off-piste routes, and cross-country trails that lead to Clavière (Italy) or to the nearby Vallée de la Clarée.

The village is an attractive and traditional Alpine settlement that was established centuries ago. It is permeated by old stone buildings, and encompasses the ruins of an ancient fortress. Accommodation includes chalets, self-catering apartments, hotels and holiday villages, and there is a post office, a pharmacy, a supermarket, a doctor, a cash machine and childcare facilities to make your holiday as stress-free as possible.

The ski season at Montgenevre runs from December to April, and snow conditions are usually good throughout this period. The best way to reach the resort is by train, but if you have time constraints, you may prefer to catch a plane to Turin in Italy and take alternative transport from there.

Apres-ski in Montgenevre

Off-slope and après-ski activities are not as extensive as those of some resorts, but Montgenevre does have alternatives to skiing. There is a cinema and a fitness centre at the resort, and ice-skating, tobogganing, paragliding, snowshoe hiking and heli-skiing are on offer.

Cuisine is predominantly traditional French and Italian, accompanied by fine wines from both countries. Après-ski entertainment includes sampling traditional vin brule (hot wine) at one of the cosy bars, playing pool, or dancing the night away to the latest in popular music. Accommodation is varied, with the options ranging from hotels and self-catering apartments, to chalets and holiday villages.

Post-skiing appetites can be satiated at one of the numerous cosy restaurants that serve delicious, traditional French and Italian fare. Nightlife is friendly and fairly lively, centred on a sprinkling of bars and the ice-skating rink.

For skiers wanting a bit of variety, there is the entire expanse of the Milky Way to explore, reaching over to Sestriere and Sauze in Italy. Montgenevre has links to Clavière in Italy, and those with their own vehicle can do daytrips to other French ski resorts, such as Serre-Chevalier and La Grave.

Transportation to Montgenevre

Montgenevre is located at one end of the extensive Milky Way network in France, two kilometres from the Italian border, and close to Sestriere and Sauze. It is easily accessible by road, rail or air transportation. If you are extremely pressed for time, you should take a plane to Turin (Torino) Airport in Italy and complete the journey by road.

If you plan on driving to Montgenevre from the UK, you will need to utilise either a car ferry or the Chunnel train service to Paris. From the French port of Calais, the journey to the resort takes between 9 and 11 hours. Most of this time is spent on the motorway. Montgenevre is situated only 30 minutes from the A32 autoroute. From Paris, take the autoroute to Grenoble, and then follow signs to Briancon/Montgenevre.

The nearest railway station is Briancon, 12kms away from the resort. From the UK, take the Eurostar from Waterloo station to Paris (four hours). From the French capital, connect with one of the local trains that run regularly to Briancon. Transportation from the station to Montgenevre is provided by taxis.

Oulx (in Italy) is only 20kms down the mountain from Montgenevre and is accessible by means of the high-speed TGV from Paris, taking only 4 hours, 30 minutes. From the station (17kms away from the resort), you can take a taxi or a local bus to Montgenevre. It is also possible to get trains from all over Italy to Oulx, bringing Milan, Genoa, Bergamo and many other cities within easy reach of the resort.

Turin (Torino) International Airport in Italy is just 1 hour, 30 minutes away from Montgenevre by car and is served by many airlines, including Ryanair from London Stansted and British Airways from Gatwick twice each day. Alternatively, Air France, Lufthansa, and KLM also fly into Turin from many UK regional airports. You can also fly to Geneva or Milan (approximately 2 hours, 30 minutes away from Montgenevre) with many other airlines such as Easyjet, BMI and British Airways.

Eurolines buses run from the UK to Italy, France and Switzerland. Once you have reached one of these countries, you can utilise road or rail transportation to reach Montgenevre.

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