Courchevel Ski Resort

One of the best known ski resorts in France, and indeed the world, Courchevel is part of the world's largest fully lift interlinked ski area, the vast Trois Vallées (Three Valleys). It is also one of the highest and most snowsure ski resorts in the Alps.

Courchevel has attracted skiers since the mid-1940s but shot to prominence a decade later from the 1950s and 60s when it became a popular destination for the jet set. Half a century later, that reputation remains and you can find the same calibre of hotel (the resort claims to have the highest concentration of luxury accommodation in the world), restaurants and shops that you would find in St Moritz or Aspen. In other words, the best there is. Indeed, in 2009 when France finally decided to grade hotels up to five stars in keeping with most of the rest of the world (previously the highest grading in the country was 4-star deluxe), five of the first 11 hotels in France to be rated 5-star were in Courchevel.

However, it is possible to enjoy a ski holiday in Courchevel on the same budget as any other ski resort, if you avoid high price terms such as ‘gourmet', ‘5-star' or ‘exclusive'. You might also choose to stay in one of the four villages below the main resort at 1,850m (6,069ft). Known by their metric heights of 1650, 1550, 1300 and 1100, they are slightly downmarket compared to 1850, as well as being further down the mountain, but still very nice – some now also boast 5-star hotels and chalets of their own. These areas are all also linked into the lift network.