Val Thorens winter sports area: tips for restaurants, activities and hotels
From a winter sports village that no one was expecting to being voted the best ski resort in the world seven times: it is quite an achievement, we can say. The French ski area Val Thorens, aka 'Val Tho', did it. With kilometers of long (and wide) slopes, nice hotels, really good après-ski (there is much more than the well-known La Folie Douce), restaurants where you can dine for hours and activities outside of skiing, Val Thorens can be called everyone's friend. Okay, it may be a little less cozy than the Austrian ski areas, but there is certainly more to experience.
Val Thorens has been around for more than fifty years and that is cause for celebration. And that's a reason to list all the best spots in this destination. This is the place to be for a truly wonderful winter sports holiday. These are the tips for the best restaurants, activities and hotels.
Why Val Thorens? Do you have a moment? Now that snowfall has let us down several times, this highest resort in Europe has an advantage. Located at 2.300 meters (with 3.230 meters as the highest point), you are almost assured of good snow conditions. And that snow condition is oh so important if you want to make progress. And there happens Les 3 Vallées… Val Thorens is connected to Les Menuires, Méribel, La Tania and Courchevel, which provides more than 600 kilometers of slopes. Also nice: the area is family-friendly, the accommodations are located on, on or next to the slopes (because we can be a bit lazy from time to time) and we wouldn't be Barts Boekje if we didn't have large lovers would be from the wide range of catering and accommodations. And a selection of that offer can be found below.
'Friendly Luxury Sport Hotel', look at that ticks all the right boxes. The Altapura is a typical case of a hotel that really makes your holiday a lot more relaxing, but what else do you expect from a five-star hotel? Altapura has 88 rooms and suites, a spa with all the trimmings and good options kids (read: shelter so you can stand on the slats).
This hotel on the slopes is great, but the costs are also reasonable. Enjoy a bit of luxury, but with a slightly more affordable price tag? You can also make a reservation at one of the Altapura restaurants without staying in a hotel. For a good and delicious lunch we will send you directly to (the terrace of) Restaurant 2Mille3.
Probably no hotel in the winter sports area can compete with the design of the Altapura. Hotel Marielle on the other hand, is more of a everyone's friend. At the foot of the slopes you will be welcomed in a chic, slightly sporty hotel with a vintage look vibe. That sporty touch comes from the French ski champion Marielle Goitschel, yep, you guessed where the name comes from. Treat yourself to a room with a view of the snow-covered slopes and you don't even have to leave the house. Just kidding of course, but that sunrise from your balcony works wonders. If you do leave your room, we recommend that you chill out with a cup of coffee or tea in the lounge area or take a seat at the bar, where you can watch the skiers make the final descent.
And are you coming for winter sports, of course? A hearty breakfast at the breakfast buffet (also at the kids has been thought of with the different corners) is ready for you every day, you rent your equipment at the front door and put it in your own locker.
You can simply return to Hotel Marielle for lunch and the wellness center will reduce your aches and pains or provide some relaxation at the end of the day. We'll tell you in advance: the sauna has a very nice view over the white slopes. Don't linger too long in the wellness area, you'll miss the dinner buffet...
But what we actually like most about Hôtel Marielle are the facilities and services that they can arrange for you in a snap. You can buy ski passes or ski lessons at the hotel, parking is available nearby, they can also arrange your transfer from the airport for you and for the kids there is a special children's area.
Other nice hotels in Val Thorens are Fahrenheit 7, Hamlet of Kashmir en Koh-I Nor.
When you say winter sports, you say a good lunch. Preferably not a weak sandwich with cheese (we also like it for an office day), but a well-filling meal. And when in In France, things are a little different when in Austria. No Wienerschnitzel, Tiroler Gröstl, Kaiserschmarrn, Spätzli, Apple Strudel and Rösti, but Raclette, Tartiflette or even lobster.
Chalet de la Marine is a traditional chalet and restaurant with refined and creative cuisine on the slopes. The restaurant has a more luxurious menu with dishes such as foie gras, blue lobster, Petrossian caviar and beef with, of course, matching wines. In the bistro some easier dishes such as spaghetti and pizza.
A high-altitude ski area naturally requires high-quality restaurants. Plenty of great catering establishments here and another nice one Chez Pepe Nicolas. One of the favorites in the summer, but just as nice in the winter. Since 1957, this restaurant has been serving traditional Savoyard dishes. For the winter sports enthusiast who wants a little more than pasta or pizza.
Just think that in the summer they have goats and cows and that they grow all kinds of vegetables.
Ideal location and a nice place for one break between skiing. At the Peclet ski lift Les aiguilles de Peclet run by the Dutch owners Sabine and Jos.
With charcuterie from the area to burgers, a kidsmenu and of course all kinds of delicious things with truffle (you see it everywhere on the menu in Val Thorens) on the menu, a perfect stop.
Located right next to Val Thorens Les Menuires and you will also find very nice restaurants there. Don't miss the restaurants during a trip to Val Thorens Roc Seven en White Bear about.
Why go skiing or riding your snowboard off the slopes when you can also cycle? Right, yes. You may have already seen it, but... fat bike so you cycle down the slopes. And 'off the slopes' also means that you still have to get on the slopes, which is why fortunately they are electric.
Together with an instructor you will explore the slopes and the surrounding area in the early evening. Cycle away and go, you might think, but it's not that easy (even if you cycle to work every day). There are some tips and tricks to maintain grip in the snow.
Fifty years of Val Thorens and that is why Val Thorens is opening the sports and wellness complex The Board. Le Board is a complex at an altitude of 2.300 meters, in the shape of a snowboard.
It is located at the foot of the slopes at about 2.300 meters above sea level. And it's pretty much everything you can think of together. For example, you have an integration of a bus station with luggage drop and reception area, allowing you to enter no time at your accommodation. On the snowboard roof you look out over the Alps and inside it is all ultra-modern. Think of conference rooms, sports areas and a water park. A concert, an open-air cinema or Christmas village for 3.000 people in the village? Nothing is too crazy and everything is possible.
Still not feeling enough adrenaline rushing through your body? Then take a look at the Bee Flying and we bet you'll think differently afterwards. This double zip line has a length of 1800 meters and a maximum flight height of 65 meters. Where should you go? At the top of the Moutière chairlift.
