Travel Tips. Alps, France

February 2020


Snow in winter, sun in summer and always incredibly scenic mountains.  The cuisine is influenced by rural farming villages of years gone, leading to hearty dishes, heavy in dairy products.

 Winter and summer I love the French Alps.  Chamonix is my choice for the summer – plenty to do, great vibe, some stunning hikes, start of the Haute Route trail, and close to some beautiful lakes to cool off in.  Come winter, La Plagne is great for mixed ability groups as there are lots of wide, cruisey blue runs, but plenty to keep more advanced skiers and boarders challenged.  St Martin de Belleville is a pretty, quaint mountain village with a relaxed vibe, but which is linked by a gondala and chair lift to the 600km of pistes in the 3 Valleys.  It’s a great option if you’re not looking for anything too raucous but don’t want to compromise on the size of the ski area.  And if you do fancy an apres-ski pint, there’s a great bar called Le Joker on the main street - it’s tiny but full of character, and definitely worth a visit.  If you're after something to warm you up, Pourquoi Pas bar does some unusual and expertly made hot drinks - think liquid After Eight.  The one downfall is that once you are on to the 3 valleys slopes, it is incredibly busy and there are a lot of big groups of people out to party. 

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