Courchevel is the eastern end of Les 3 Vallées, the 600 km linked ski area it shares with Méribel, Les Menuires and Val Thorens. Its name is famous for Courchevel 1850, with its palace hotels and designer boutiques, but that’s only one of its villages. Moriond, Courchevel Village, Le Praz and La Tania all have their own lifts into the same ski area, and they’re quieter, more relaxed and usually cheaper.
What ties them together is the skiing: 150 km of marked pistes of its own, much of it above 1,800 m, with a network of fast, modern lifts and snowmaking on more than half the slopes.
Courchevel ski area: 150 km and five ski villages
The ski area spreads across the mountainside from Le Praz and La Tania in the forest to the high, open slopes under La Saulire. Each village has its own lifts, so you can start your day wherever you’re staying. Free shuttles link the villages, and the Mobilité Courchevel app shows the buses in real time.
From Courchevel, the lifts over La Saulire and the Col de la Loze take you to Méribel, and on to Les Menuires and Val Thorens. You can ski all the way to Val Thorens and back in a day, but it’s a long day, so start early.
Skiing in Courchevel for beginners
Courchevel is a great place to learn. The Pralong, Ariondaz and Bellecôte sectors have wide, gentle green and blue runs, and there are beginner areas with magic carpets in the villages. Les 3 Vallées also has Easy Rider zones, secure, gently sloping areas set aside for beginners to build confidence.
Skiing in Courchevel for intermediates
Intermediates get long cruising runs above 1850 and Moriond, and tree-lined runs down to Le Praz and La Tania that are a godsend on flat-light days.
Skiing in Courchevel for experts
Strong skiers head for La Saulire. The Combe de la Saulire, Jean-Blanc and Jockeys are the classic steeper runs, and the couloirs off the top are serious terrain. There’s also good off-piste when the snow allows, but go with a guide.
La Saulire and the Courchevel couloirs
La Saulire, at about 2,738 m, is the high point between Courchevel and Méribel and the hub of the expert terrain. The Saulire cable car reopened in December 2024 after a long rebuild, with new cabins and remodelled stations. From the top, the Combe de la Saulire gives a long, wide descent, and the couloirs on the Courchevel side are steep, narrow and for experts only. Check conditions with the ski patrol before you drop in.
New this winter, the La Tania gondola has 52 new eight-seat cabins with wider doors and ski racks, and the Chenus summit has a new 300 m² wooden terrace looking across to La Saulire.
Snow in Courchevel and the 2026/27 season
For 2026/27, Courchevel’s lifts are scheduled to run from 4 December 2026 to 18 April 2027. The Village, Moriond and La Tania sectors open on 5 December, and Moriond and La Tania close early, on 11 April. The links to the rest of Les 3 Vallées run from 5 December 2026 to 18 April 2027.
Much of Courchevel’s ski area is above 1,800 m, and snowmaking covers more than half of the slopes. The weak points are the lowest runs: in a thin year or late in the season, the home runs to Le Praz and La Tania are the first to suffer. On stormy days, the wooded runs to those same villages are the best place to be.
Is Courchevel good for a last-minute ski trip?
Often, yes. It’s about 30 minutes up from Moûtiers and about 2 hours from Lyon and Geneva airports, so you can wait for the forecast before you commit. The main ski area is high and well covered by snowmaking, and the links put the whole of Les 3 Vallées within reach.
The catch is price and availability. 1850 is very expensive, and peak weeks sell out early. For a last-minute deal, look at Moriond, Village, Le Praz or La Tania, and remember that Moriond and La Tania close on 11 April. Then find a place to stay in Courchevel.
Courchevel lift passes
You can buy a Courchevel pass for the local ski area or a 3 Vallées pass for the whole of Les 3 Vallées. Passes are sold online and can be collected free at the ticket office machines. A few things worth knowing:
- Children under 5 get a free 3 Vallées pass, with proof of age. The child rate covers ages 5 to 18, and over-75s pay the veteran rate.
- Family Flex gives everyone the child price, for groups of 3 or more with one or two adults and one to six children, on 6- or 7-day passes.
- Saturday 3 Vallées: 20% off on Saturdays if you reload your pass before 11.59 pm on Friday.
- Passes bought online can be cancelled or exchanged up to the day before your first day.
Après-ski and things to do in Courchevel
Courchevel’s après-ski is smart rather than rowdy. La Folie Douce has a Méribel-Courchevel venue, open from December, for music and dancing on the slopes. In 1850 the bars and clubs are glamorous and expensive. Moriond, Village and La Tania are much more low-key.
Off the slopes:
- Aquamotion, between Courchevel Village and Moriond, has more than 15,000 m² of pools, wave surfing, a climbing wall, jacuzzis, saunas and a salt grotto.
- The Moriond racing toboggan run: 3 km of bends and tunnels, reached by the Ariondaz gondola.
- A sledge slope from 1850 to Courchevel Village, free for ages 6 and up with a ski or pedestrian pass.
- Nordic skiing, winter walks and ice karting.
Who Courchevel suits, and who it doesn’t
- Great for: beginners and intermediates who want wide, easy cruising, strong skiers who want steeps, families in Moriond, Le Praz or La Tania, and anyone who wants high-end hotels on the slopes.
- Think twice if: you’re on a tight budget, especially in 1850, you want one compact village (Courchevel is several), or you’re planning a late-April trip based in Moriond or La Tania.
Skiing with children? Read our guide to Courchevel with kids.
How to get to Courchevel
Driving to Courchevel
Take the motorway to Albertville, then the dual carriageway up the Tarentaise valley to Moûtiers. From there, the road to Courchevel takes about 30 minutes. The resort describes it as wide, clear and safe, but peak-week Saturdays are still slow. Chambéry is about 95 km away (1 hour 15 minutes) and Grenoble about 125 km (1 hour 35 minutes).
Courchevel is in a mountain zone, so from 1 November to 31 March you must carry chains or snow socks for at least two driven wheels, or have four winter tyres marked 3PMSF. Each village has its own car parks, so check the one nearest your accommodation before you arrive.
By train and bus
Take the train to Moûtiers, then an Altibus coach or a taxi up to the resort. Altibus also runs coaches to Courchevel from Chambéry, Lyon and Geneva.
Nearest airports
Chambéry is the closest, about 1 hour 15 minutes away. Lyon Saint-Exupéry and Geneva are each about 2 hours away, and Grenoble is a little further. Courchevel’s own altiport takes some private and commercial flights.
