Family holidays in La Plagne

Taking the family on a ski holiday can be hard work so finding good family-friendly accommodation is essential to making life that little bit easier. Each of the six resorts in La Plagne has a small selection of hotels, chalets and apartments.

Aime La Plagne: one big distinctive apartment block and you will find a Club Med complex. Ski-in/ski-out accommodation can be found in the higher resorts.

Belle Plagne: a more attractive resort, with traditional wood, stone and slate buildings, and fewer high-rises.

Plagne Villages and Plagne Soleil: smaller and quieter places to stay with plenty of apartment accommodation. 

La Plagne 1800: a pretty place, with traditional wooden chalets nestled in the mountainside.

Montalbert, Champagny and Montchavin: quieter villages that have a more traditional feel. They are located at each corner of the La Plagne ski area and all are connected to this main area by ski lift.

Wherever you stay in La Plagne, make sure that your accommodation, ski hire and ski school meet-up points are all in the same locality. 

Lift passes make up a significant portion of the cost of a family holiday to the mountains, so it pays to check you’re buying the right ticket for your group. 

Here in La Plagne there are various concessions to help you keep your costs down, such as:

• kids under 5 use the lifts for free
• kids between 5 and 12 pay a reduced ('youth') rate
• there are reduced-price ski passes if you only want to use the beginner areas
• you can buy a pedestrian pass - if maybe you or your partner don’t ski, but you still want to go up and watch the kids

You can buy half day lift tickets if a full day on the mountain seems too long for the little ones. It’s not a lot cheaper than an all day ticket, but it’ll save you a little bit. 

Lift passes in La Plagne for families of four or more

If you're a family of four or more, you'll be able to save money on the regular ticket price by buying a 'family lift pass'. With one of these:  

• two adults pay full price - can be parents or grandparents 
• a family of four will save around 30€ per person

If you have designs on raising the next Shaun White or Chemmy Alcot, then getting your children into ski school will be a priority!

The main ski schools cater for young children: 

• offer full and half-day sessions
• have English speaking guides
• will take your kids to a dedicated area where they can learn how to snow plough, stop, turn and glide safely

Ski schools usually take weekly bookings, so if you’re only here for a few days it’s good to check if there’s any space for your children.

What age can children start ski lessons

Ski schools will take them from 3 years old. At this age, the focus is on having fun in the snow, so there are normally inflatables and games to play. 

Most beginner areas also have a ‘magic carpet’ travelator (a bit like the ones you get at airports) to get kids and beginner adults to the top of the slopes without having to contend with lifts.

Whether you’re a kid or an adult, half-day lessons are normally more than enough if you’re a novice.

What’s included in the price of a lesson

The price you pay for a ski lesson is for tuition only. Ski passes are not included.

So for kids aged 5 and over, you’ll need to make sure they have: 

• a valid ski pass (you can get discounted passes if you're only using the nursery slopes)
• skis, helmets, goggles - you can hire these from one of the many ski hire shops in the resort
• appropriate clothing, like salopettes and a jacket, warm layers and gloves  
• sunscreen

• A ski pass isn’t necessary for kids under five, but you'll still need to buy a hands-free card for them to use on the turnstiles. You can get one of these from any lift station, take ID to prove their age.

A decent mix of terrain should keep all the family happy. 

La Plagne forms a part of the famous Paradiski ski area, with over 425km of pistes, a modern ski lift infrastructure and superb snow parks. Each resort has its own beginners areas with gentle slopes and slow drag lifts.

Plagne Centre, Belle Plagne and Plagne Bellecôte
There is a large snow park located above Belle Plagne that includes modules for beginners, intermediate and advanced skiers and snowboarders. Even if you are not tempted in yourself, it can be great fun watching when there are competitions on. There is also a ski and boarder cross track, a half pipe, a pro half pipe and a big air bag. You can be filmed if you scan your ski pass at the start. A new area called the Fun Slope is located under the Arpette lift from Plagne Bellecôte. A cross between a boarder cross and slope style course, it's going to be a popular one with the teens.

Montalbert 
At the nursery slope in there is a small children's snow zone with life sized models of fairies and dragons, a play area and music. With the lowest nursery areas being at 1,800m, you are guaranteed good quality snow to learn on.

La Plagne is a year-round resort, and it’s a great place to come whether it’s winter or summer. It all depends on what you love doing.

If you’ve got children, here are a few things you might want to try.

There are several options for childcare and you can contact the local tourist offices for a list of babysitters.

If you're here during summer

You may find that the main sports centre of each town host a kids club during the summer holidays, with activities such as swimming, climbing, tennis, basketball, ice-skating, etc. and organised hikes and picnics.