A green larch valley in the French Alps in summer, with chalets in the meadows and a village below the peaks
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Luxury in the French Alps

Val d'Isère

High, snow-sure and sporting: a stone village at the head of the Tarentaise, linked to Tignes in the Espace Killy, with World Cup races each December and skiing into May.

Summer in the French AlpsPhotograph: Pexels

Bonjour

Killy's mountain

Val d’Isère sits at the head of the Tarentaise, close to the Italian border, at 1,850 metres. Its old village of stone houses and a seventeenth-century church grew into a resort in the 1930s, and the first lifts were built soon after.

It is the home of Jean-Claude Killy, who won all three men’s alpine golds at the 1968 Winter Olympics, and the ski area it shares with Tignes, the Espace Killy, carries his name. The Face de Bellevarde was the men’s downhill course at the 1992 Olympics.

Every December the World Cup opens the French season here with the Critérium de la Première Neige. The village is high and snow-sure, with a season that runs from late November into early May and glacier skiing into early summer.

A few words of French
EnglishFrenchSay it
Hello / Good dayBonjourbon-ZHOOR
Good eveningBonsoirbon-SWAHR
PleaseS'il vous plaîtseel voo PLAY
Thank youMercimair-SEE
The bill, pleaseL'addition, s'il vous plaîtlah-dee-SYON, seel voo PLAY
Enjoy your mealBon appétitbon ah-pay-TEE
GoodbyeAu revoiroh ruh-VWAHR
The turquoise Lac du Chevril in its snowy valley below a ring of high peaks
The Lac du Chevril in winter, below Val d'Isère

Where to go

Val d'Isère at a glance

When to go, the one best hotel and restaurant, and how to arrive by private jet.

Val d'Isère

A high, snow-sure village in the Tarentaise, linked with Tignes in the Espace Killy, and a fixture of the FIS World Cup. Its season runs late into spring.

When to goWinter, late November to early May; summer, July and August, with glacier skiing in early summer. Signature event: the Critérium de la Première Neige World Cup races in December.

  • Stay
    Le K2 Chogori

    Two MICHELIN Keys.

  • Dine
    La Table de l'Ours

    One MICHELIN star, at Les Barmes de l'Ours.

Arrive privately
By private jet or helicopter
Chambéry (CMF/LFLB) for jets; Geneva (GVA/LSGG) is about 2 hr 30 to 3 hr by road.
A stone and timber chalet alone in deep snow below the white slopes
A chalet in the snow

Stay

Luxury hotels and chalets in Val d'Isère

The grand hotels at our standard, and the officially five-star hotels.

The grand hotels

Each holds two or three MICHELIN Keys or a Forbes Five-Star rating, or is a palace of the great resorts.

The five-star hotels

The 5 confirmed, officially five-star hotels in Val d'Isère and Tignes.

See all 5 hotels

Tignes

  • Hôtel VoulezVous by Les Etincelles

    Five-star; winter. A Les Etincelles hotel in Tignes with direct access to the Espace Killy slopes.

  • Les Suites Maison Bouvier

    Five-star; winter. A small all-suite hotel in Tignes, formerly Les Suites du Nevada.

Val d'Isère

  • Le Blizzard

    Five-star; winter. A 70-room chalet hotel run by the same family since 1963.

  • Le Yule

    Five-star; winter. A 40-room hotel with Scandinavian-modern interiors and a Nuxe spa, close to the La Daille and Solaise lifts.

  • Le K2 Chogori

    Five-star; winter. The K2 Collections' 21-room Val d'Isère hotel, with Asian-inspired decor and mountain views. Visit website ↗

A glass of rosé on a white tablecloth among glasses and napkins in a restaurant
A glass of rosé at lunch

Dine

Dining in Val d'Isère

The chefs who cook in your chalet.

Private chefs and catering

For a chalet, a wedding or a party.

  • Purple SkiMéribel and Val d'Isère

    Operates its own luxury chalets in Méribel and Val d'Isère, each with a resident private chef cooking breakfasts, afternoon teas and four-course dinners to the guests' tastes; its current chefs include Manuel Schmuck, with more than 20 years in MICHELIN-starred kitchens. Visit website ↗

  • Oxford Ski Companyacross the Alps (Courchevel, Val d'Isère, Verbier, St. Moritz, Zermatt, Gstaad, Kitzbühel)

    Luxury ski specialist established in 1998; many of its chalets include a private chef who prepares meals to the guests' preferences. Visit website ↗

A snowy peak glowing in the morning sun above a chalet roof heavy with snow
Morning above the village

Travel

Private jets, helicopters and first-class travel in Val d'Isère

Chambéry for jets, and the airlines to Geneva.

Private jet airports

  • Chambéry Savoie Mont Blanc Airport

    Air Charter Service ranks it the most popular airport for private-jet ski travellers in Europe, for its access to the Tarentaise resorts such as Courchevel, Méribel and Val d'Isère. Visit website ↗

Airlines to Geneva, the gateway to Val d'Isère

First and business class.

See all 9
  • Qatar AirwaysDoha

    Flies from Doha to Geneva, Zurich, Munich and Milan Malpensa. Offers first class on some routes. Visit website ↗

  • Air ChinaBeijing

    Flies from Beijing to Geneva, from Beijing and Shanghai to Munich, and from Beijing, Chengdu and Shanghai to Milan Malpensa. Offers first class on some routes. Visit website ↗

  • SwissZurich

    Switzerland's national airline, flying nonstop from Zurich to New York, Newark, Boston, Washington, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Montréal, São Paulo, Dubai, Mumbai, Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo and Johannesburg, and from Geneva to New York JFK. Visit website ↗

Luxury car hire

  • Luxury RivieraChambéry Airport

    The Villefranche-sur-Mer luxury hire firm keeps a French Alps office on the Route de l'Aéroport at Viviers-du-Lac, by Chambéry Airport, for winter SUV hire in Courchevel and the French Alps, with handover at Geneva Airport. Visit website ↗

The Aiguille Percée, a natural arch of rock, standing above the pistes and the snowy peaks
The Aiguille Percée, Espace Killy

Experience

Events and things to do in Val d'Isère

The Val d'Isère year: the great events, month by month; each event's own website gives this year's dates.

A snowboarder carving down an open slope with snowy peaks and glaciers beyond
High on the Espace Killy

Concierge

Concierge and family in Val d'Isère

Every detail, handled.

Family, nannies and children

  • Scott Dunn Explorers Private NannyLondon (Val d'Isère, Tignes, Courchevel and Méribel)

    The private-nanny service of the luxury tour operator Scott Dunn, for guests on its ski holidays, for children from four months to eleven years, eight hours a day, six days a week, with daily updates to parents. Visit website ↗

A pink and violet dusk sky over the snowy mountains and larches of the valley
Dusk over the valley

Plan your trip

Luxury travel in Val d'Isère: your questions answered

Where is Val d'Isère?

At the head of the Tarentaise valley in Savoie, in the French Alps, at 1,850 metres, near the Italian border. Jets use Chambéry; Geneva is about two and a half to three hours by road.

When is the ski season in Val d'Isère?

From late November to early May, one of the longest in the Alps, with glacier skiing above Tignes into early summer. The World Cup races open the season each December.

When is the best time to visit Val d'Isère?

Winter, late November to early May; summer, July and August, with glacier skiing in early summer. Signature event: the Critérium de la Première Neige World Cup races in December.

Where are the best luxury hotels in Val d'Isère?

Le K2 Chogori, two MICHELIN Keys.

How do you arrive in Val d'Isère by private jet?

Chambéry (CMF/LFLB) for jets; Geneva (GVA/LSGG) is about 2 hr 30 to 3 hr by road.

Do you tip in France?

Service is included in French prices by law ("service compris"). A tip is not owed, but for good service it is usual to leave a few euros or round up, and more at the great restaurants.

What should you wear in Val d'Isère?

Ski clothing is normal at lunch on the mountain and at après-ski, which takes place in the bars at the end of the ski day while guests are still in ski gear; the French name is used the world over. In the evening the grand hotels keep their own standards; check each hotel's dress code.

Snow-laden chalets with lit windows below a moonlit peak and the empty pistes
Evening in the village

Beyond Val d'Isère

More in the French Alps

The other great resorts of France, and The Alps beyond.

The French AlpsCourchevel 1850, Méribel, Val d'Isère, Megève and ChamonixExplore the French AlpsThe AlpsFive countries, seventeen resorts, first class onlyExplore The Alps
The Tarentaise valley in summer, its lake and village below a glaciered peak
The upper Tarentaise in summer

Customs and etiquette

Customs and etiquette in France

How France does things.

Language
French is the language of the French Alps, from Chamonix and Megève in the Haute-Savoie to Courchevel, Méribel and Val d'Isère in the Savoie. English is spoken in the palace hotels, the ski schools and the leading restaurants of the big resorts, but a few words of French are always appreciated.
Greetings
Say "Bonjour, Madame" or "Bonjour, Monsieur" on entering a shop, a restaurant or a hotel before asking for anything; skipping the greeting reads as rude. From early evening the greeting becomes "Bonsoir". Friends greet each other with a kiss on each cheek (la bise); a handshake is right on first meeting.
Dress
Ski clothing is normal at lunch on the mountain and at après-ski, which takes place in the bars at the end of the ski day while guests are still in ski gear; the French name is used the world over. In the evening the grand hotels keep their own standards; check each hotel's dress code.
Dining and shopping
Lunch is usually served from noon to about 2 pm and dinner from about 7.30 pm; outside those hours many restaurants do not serve full meals. Book ahead for lunch at the great mountain restaurants in season. In the resorts most shops open every day during the season; in the valley towns many close on Sunday afternoons.
Tipping
Service is included in French prices by law ("service compris"). A tip is not owed, but for good service it is usual to leave a few euros or round up, and more at the great restaurants.
Mountain etiquette
The international FIS Rules for Conduct apply on the pistes. In mountain huts (refuges), book beds and meals ahead, bring a hut sleeping bag, keep quiet in the evening and take rubbish back down.

Every list on this page is checked by hand and dated: last checked October 2026. Hotels, restaurants and events link only to their own official websites, where confirmed.

A sweeping stone staircase with glass balustrade in a boutique, dresses on display
Inside a boutique

The Mediterranean Season Letter

Where to be, every season

Four letters a year, one for each season: the Mediterranean from spring to autumn, and Beyond the Mediterranean, into the Alps, in winter. The one best hotel to book, and the events worth crossing a sea for.