Discover What Makes Les Arcs Perfect For a Family Ski Holiday

Les Arcs is an ideal resort for a family ski holiday with plenty of easy-to-intermediate runs, a great variety of catered chalets and lots to keep the kids entertained in the resort.

Made up of four purpose-built resorts set across an expansive ski area, Les Arcs offers plenty of family friendly accommodation, mostly in the form of catered chalets. Because this is a purpose-built resort, many of the apartments, particularly in Arcs 2000, provide ski-in-ski-out access.

You don’t need to worry too much about the snow here either, as even the lower resorts, Les Arc 1600 and 1800, have good lift access to the higher slopes.

Ideal Skiing for Kids

The slope designers at Les Arc seem to have children in mind when they created the new Mille 8 ski area at the base of 1800. The blue run here may be short, but it twists and turns, keeping it interesting for beginners and children. There’s also a ‘fun slope’, with the kind of obstacles that more advanced child skiers seem to love to challenge themselves with.

Another great choice for younger skiers are the gentle runs around the Arcs 2000 valley, which are easily reached from the village itself and the neighbouring 1600 and 1800 resorts.

For More Adventurous Kids

Of course, some kids want to tackle more challenging runs than their parents, so if yours are daredevils then they’ll love the Apocalypse Park between 1600 and 1800. Full of challenging obstacles, jumps and other equipment which will allow them to wow you with their ‘tricks’, this is one of the best parks in the Alps.

For youngsters who want to challenge each other, or (heaven forbid) you, to a snowcross race, there are two courses - one at Col de la Chal and another at Plan-Piesey.

And if that isn’t enough to keep your tribe happy, then head over to La Plagne for even more extensive skiing, via the Vanoise Express cable car which will give you access to the entire Paradiski area.

Ski Passes and Ski Schools

Les Arcs has a wide variety of good quality ski schools, all offering group or individual lessons in a range of languages. If in doubt, ESF always provides great classes, and awards the universally recognised ESF stars and badges.

If you and your family are adventurous in your skiing then it’s well worth splashing out on a Paradiski area pass so that you can take the Vanoise Express over to La Plagne and try out the runs there. If not, limit your pass to Les Arcs or even to the beginner’s runs for a cheaper option.

Always check out the resort website for deals on pass prices, like the Family Ski Pack which offers the adults of a family of four passes at children’s prices.

Beyond the Slopes

As a truly family-friendly resort, Les Arcs runs a lot of family entertainment timed to coincide with the French and English school holidays. Expect seasonal parades, fireworks, sledge races and other festivities, depending on when you visit.

More permanent entertainment includes a fantastic toboggan run with variable sledge speeds depending on age (and courage). An ‘aquafun’ centre at 1800 has a fun kids pool and a sauna and steam room for the adults. At Arc 2000 you and the kids will enjoy the natural ice rink or, if you’re craving a bit of an adrenalin surge, a 3km luge run.

Those who don’t want to ski but don’t want to spend their day hanging out in the catered chalet either can still enjoy a range of activities, from dog-sledding and snowmobiling to paragliding and fat-biking. There’s even an indoor laser combat centre, just in case any of you has any energy left at all.

From skiing all day to horse sleigh rides around the resort in the evening, there is so much for families to do in Les Arcs that you may well return home needing another holiday just to catch your breath...

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Belinda Smythson works for Ski Amis, a specialist ski travel agency and booking service that has been helping avid skiers craft their perfect winter holiday for over a quarter of a century. If you're looking for the best catered chalet deals in the Three Valleys, Paradiski, Espace Killy or Chamonix Valley, Ski Amis is the go-to company for winter sports fans searching for the holiday of a lifetime.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.