Les Portes du Soleil
Welcome to
Avoriaz
With its avant-garde design & clifftop setting, Avoriaz is a resort like no other ... but its not all for show as it more than delivers for the skiers.
With a ski pass covering twelve resorts across both France and Switzerland, Avoriaz sits at the centre (and the top) of the Portes du Soleil ski area. A total of 286 pistes served by over 200 ski lifts sit all around for your skiing pleasure. The village sits at 1800m and boasts the highest average snowfall (at resort level) in France ... a whopping 25 ft of the white stuff in the average winter. And it's just 90 mins from Geneva Airport!
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Average annual snowfall
Skiable terrain (acres)
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TRAVEL
Flying - Geneva Airport is the way to go here ... it's just 90km and takes 1 hour 30 minutes making Avoriaz one of the most popular destinations for a long weekend on the slopes.
Driving - Drivers will find the roads through France faster and emptier than those in the UK and this is largely down to them being toll roads…so there is a price to pay! London to Avoriaz takes around 12 hours without stops and this includes the tunnel crossing.
Train - Because Avoriaz is tucked underneath Lake Geneva, it's not super-simple to get there on the train. Even though it is closer in terms of km, the most efficient train journeys will take 8 and a half hours and involve four stops and then a transfer of one hour from Cluses.
SUPERMARKETS AND RESTAURANTS
If you have the motor with you, we would recommend you stop in Thonon and hit the large Carrefour supermarket for the week's essentials but, if not, don't stress it as there is a small Carrefour and a small Sherpa in the centre of pedestrianised Avoriaz.
Usual story when it comes to the restaurants in a major ski resort in a country that rates itself as one of the most gastronomically sophisticated in the world ... there's plenty of choice and something for everyone! Stand-out eateries include the highest one: Cookie Café at 2277m, the chic Enfant Terribles restaurant in the centre and La Cabane for French and Asian cuisine.
Not many resorts hold a candle to Avoriaz when it comes to nightlife ... there's a Folie Douce for starters! It's at the top of the Plateau chairlift. Down in town, there are some nice places too ... the Brasserie on the Avoriaz Plateau is great on a sunny afternoon, the Igloo Bar at the bottom of the Arrare piste normally has some live music.
If you want to carry on, Le Bowling Bar is a good option and if you insist on going on after 3am, Le Yak goes on 'til 5.30am!!!
THINGS TO DO IN RESORT
Apart from the obvious benefits of choosing Avoriaz as a winter ski destination, you will also find some of the best snowparks in the Alps here.
If skiing isn't your bag, but you are still keen to enjoy the white stuff, the options are rather endless. You could try snow shoeing, snowmobiling or night sledging, all providing that adrenaline rush so many are in search of in the mountains.
Don't worry though, for those after a more sedate way to enjoy themselves, or even for something extra after a day on the mountains, Avoriaz doesn't disappoint. The resort still has plenty to offer with a local cinema, shops to browse and an indoor pool complex - the 'Aquariaz' centre offers a huge water park made up of a gentle flowing indoor river, a slidewinder (an aquatic halfpipe), a toddlers paddling pool & water playhouse, and a large pool with natural climbing walls.