Wide view of skier on piste with mountains and Alpe d'Huez ski village in background.

Best Ski Resorts near Grenoble

Discover fantastic resorts within 120 minutes

There’s a wide choice of cheap flights to Grenoble this winter, so here are some of the best resorts within easy transfer distances of this popular airport.

Grenoble – gateway to the Oisans resorts

Grenoble is a dynamic city with plenty of history and culture, and its proximity to the Alps makes it a popular launch-pad for outdoor sports enthusiasts. Well-known ski resorts within a short drive of the city include Chamrousse and Villard-de Lans, plus those best-known to locals, such as the ski stations of the Chartreuse, Les 7 Laux or Le Collet d’Allevard.

However, Grenoble also lies at the gateway to the Massif de l’Oisans, home of several internationally-renowned resorts including Alpe d’Huez. This huge ski area is lift-linked to the surrounding villages of Auris-en-Oisans, Oz-en-Oisans, Villard Reculas and Vaujany.

Visible across the valley is Les 2 Alpes and slightly further on the off-piste playground of La Grave. Continue driving to the Col du Lauteret, beyond which is Serre-Chevalier, one of the biggest ski resorts in Europe.

Jump straight to RESORT COMPARISON TABLE


Picnic on La Sarenne piste, Alpe-d'Huez

Picnic on La Sarenne piste, Alpe-d'Huez



Fast Autoroute Links

Take the A43 from Grenoble and you can be in the Three Valleys and resorts such as Courchevel, Les Menuires, Méribel, Saint Martin de Belleville and nearby Valmorel in around two hours. Alternatively, the family resorts in Vallée de la Maurienne also deserve to be discovered, such as Les Sybelles (just over 2 hours from Grenoble) Valfréjus and Valloire/Valmeinier. Another plus for the Maurienne is back-door high-speed gondola lift access to Val Thorens and the 3 Valleys from Orelle, just off the A43 between St Michel de Maurienne and Modane, and which has free parking close to the lift.

Tolls on autoroutes can build in big delays on your journey time to the slopes, especially at peak times. Electronic tags such as the Liber-t tag (available to buy online), are fitted behind the rear-view mirror and enable you to pass through the toll in dedicated fast lanes. Cameras read your tag and the toll is debited to your bank account.


Skiers making final runs in late afternoon, with sun setting

Skiers making final runs in the late afternoon as the sun sets at Les Menuires

Budget flights into Grenoble

Grenoble-Isère airport is conveniently situated for access directly onto the A48 autoroute (toll route) and provides quick and straightforward access to some of the best skiing in the Alps.

There are budget flights available from across Britain including Easyjet who have connections from Edinburgh, Liverpool, Bristol, London Luton and London Gatwick.

British Airways also operate winter-only flights to Grenoble from London Gatwick and London Heathrow

Easy bus transfers from the airport

Scheduled coach services make it simple for passengers to travel from Grenoble Alpes Isère Airport to Grenoble city center or the surrounding ski resorts. Coach times are matched to flight times so that passengers never have to wait for too long at the airport and can make the most of their time on the slopes.

Alternatively, hire cars, taxis or private transfers are also available in front of the arrivals. Hire a car, and enjoy the freedom of your own transport and discover any of the fantastic resorts within 120 minutes of Grenoble.



Decision time: big resorts v traditional villages

It’s probably true to say that these days there are no bad ski resorts, just places which might not suit your particular requirements. It’s therefore essential, when planning your ski trip, to ask yourself which qualities and facilities are most important to you, and to find somewhere which matches your checklist. For example, for families with young children it’s important to have accommodation near the slopes, along with good English-speaking ski-schools and child-care facilities.

Small villages will be less crowded and potentially safer on the slopes than those in bigger areas favoured by high-mileage skiers and snowboarders out to impress. Look out for ‘Famille Plus’ ski resorts, which give a special welcome to family groups – when travelling via Grenoble you could consider Vaujany, Oz-en-Oisans, Villard de Lans, Serre Chevalier, Valmorel, and La Toussuire.


Wide view of tree-lined ski piste above Doucy, near Valmorel, French Alps.

The gentle pistes above Doucy, linked to the family-friendly ski resort of Valmorel.

Choose bigger resorts for the high life


Pano Bar with music all day at Les Deux Alpes

Pano Bar with music all day at Les Deux Alpes

If, the other hand, you want to party the night away and see who can clock up the highest mileage skiing the next day you’ll obviously want to go somewhere big. If you don’t already know which resorts offer plenty of entertainment both on and off the slopes and an extensive ski area with fast lifts, you might consider Alpe d’Huez or Les 2 Alpes.

Near neighbours, it is possible to ski in both resorts during your ski holiday using one of the regular bus transfers. A new lift-link is planned for 2021, making a total of 475km pistes – potentially one of the biggest ski areas in the world.

At-a-glance: major ski resorts close to Grenoble, by transfer time

Finally, we’ve drawn-up the following table to show you which resorts are located within 2 hours’ drive-time of Grenoble airport, and how they compare:

**Ski Pass prices for 2022/23 sourced from official resort websites. MountainPassions does not guarantee their accuracy, and they are intended as a guide only. The best prices can often be found by booking early online.
*The quoted transfer times from Grenoble airport are approximate, since they can be affected by weather and traffic conditions. Quicker transfers may be possible with private taxi or hire car.
Major Ski Resorts Close to Grenoble
Ski Resorts *Transfer Time Ski Domain Altitude Local Ski Area / Total Ski Domain **6-day Adult Ski Pass
LES 7 LAUX 1hr 57 Pra Poutel/Pipay/Le Pleynet 1350-2400m 120km €195
VILLARD DE LANS 60 mins Espace Villard-Corrençon: Villard de Lans, Corrençon en Vercors 1050-2050m 125km €223
CHAMROUSSE 1hr 10 Espace Chamrousse: Chamrousse 1650, Chamrousse 1700-1750 1400 -2250m 90km €195.50
VAUJANY 1hr 25 Alpe d’Huez Grand Domaine: Auris-en-Oisans, La Garde, Le Freney d’Oisans, Oz-en- Oisans, Vaujany, Villard-Reculas 1135m-2800m 70km / 250km €193 Vaujany/Oz
€292 Alpe d’Huez Grand Domaine
OZ-EN-OISANS 1hr 30 Alpe d’Huez Grand Domaine: Auris-en-Oisans, La Garde, Le Freney d’Oisans, Oz-en- Oisans, Vaujany, Villard-Reculas 1135m-2800m 70km / 250km €193 Vaujany/Oz
€292 Alpe d’Huez Grand Domaine
ALPE D’HUEZ 1hr 35 Alpe d’Huez Grand Domaine: Auris-en-Oisans, La Garde, Le Freney d’Oisans, Oz-en- Oisans, Vaujany, Villard-Reculas 1135m-2800m 250km €292 Alpe d’Huez Grand Domaine
LES 2 ALPES 1hr 35 Les 2 Alpes: Vanosc, Mont-de-Lans 1300m-3600m 223km €279 Les 2 Alpes
LA GRAVE-LA MIEJE 1hr 45 Weather-dependent foot or snowcat link to Les 2 Alpes -3200m unpisted €294 includes 25% off 1 day in Serre Che/Les 2 Alpes/Alpe d’Huez
SERRE CHEVALIER 2hrs(weather permitting) Serre Chevalier: Briançon, Puy Saint-André, Puy Saint-Pierre, Chantemerle, Villeneuve, Le Monêtier-les-Bains 1200m-2800m 250km €315 Serre Chevalier, cheaper early and late season.
VALMOREL 2hrs Grand Domaine: Valmorel, Saint Francois Longchamp 1400m-2832m 152km €266 Grand Domaine
BRIDES-LES-BAINS 2hrs Les 3 Vallées: incl. Courchevel, Méribel, St Martin de Belleville, Les Menuires, Val Thorens 1300m-3230m 150km / 600km €305 Meribel Valley / €360 3V forfaits are personalised and vary through the season
LA TOUSSUIRE 2hrs Les Sybelles: Saint Sorlin d’Arves, Le Corbier, Saint Jean d’Arves, Les Bottières, Saint Colomban des Villards 1300m-2296m 55km / 310km €252 Les Sybelles