With the snow falling thick and fast, now is an ideal time to book that skiing holiday you've always dreamed of. France is a popular destination for people wanting to ski at this time of year because of the stunning views and fresh white snow encapsulating the slopes.
If you're thinking of booking a winter sports holiday in the near future, here are some popular French destinations departing from Dublin airport, from ski travel agent Sno:
Great for families
The most popular ski resorts for families in France tend to be the ones with accommodations close to the slopes, because skiing with your kids is amazing, but lugging all their clobber as well as your own is not. Ski in ski out Avoriaz is a firm British favourite and catered chalet-tastic Meribel is loved for its huge ski area for the adults and calm and unintimidating Zen Zones for the kids.
Most lively Après ski
You heard of La Folie Douce, but now there are several across multiple French resorts. They’re all terrific fun but the original in Val d’Isere is still a firm favourite with Sno customers.
Highest and most snow-sure
When the weather is warm, like very early and very late season, the trick to great snow conditions is to “go high” because that’s where the colder temperatures keep the white stuff in good nick. Val Thorens is Europe’s highest ski resort and also part of the world's biggest linked area Les Troi Vallees.
Biggest lift-served domain
If you want to ski big mileage, from first lift until last, pick one of the famous linked mega areas like the Three Valleys, Paradiski, or Portes du Soleil. The other bonus of these huge areas is that you can find a level of accommodation and price-point for literally all tastes and budgets.
Popular with snowboarders
We all ski together, but there are some things that make a resort more fun than others if you’re on one plank rather than two. The big things borders hate are old drag-lifts and runs with big flat spots, so check out the list of favourite snowboarding resorts to steer your holiday search.
Great for groups
Big groups tend to have a wider variety of abilities and also preference for apres ski and restaurant types too. Browse the list of Group favourites like Meribel, Val d’Isere and Morzine to find your party’s perfect match on the Sno website.
Cheapest destinations
Some resorts are definitely posher and more expensive than others, so stick to this list of Sno's best value places to holiday and ski in France.
Off-piste favourites
You can hike into the backcountry from almost any ski resort but, if you want that holy grail of being delivered into untracked powder without all that sweaty effort, France has some of the best lift-served off-piste in the world. Just make sure you take a guide, transceiver and avalanche kit!
Dublin ski deals also feature in this popular ski holiday destinations article. For bargains, browse last-minute ski holidays and filter by all Irish airports or just Dublin if you don't want to drive North.
All resort recommendations are from ski travel agent SNO.
