Is Courchevel as inaccessible as they say it is? The average cost of a holiday: from ski rental to lunch in a café

Before you ski, you need to get to your destination. If you go by car, one of the main problems for vacationers is the price of the fare. For example, for a trip to Savoie and back to Belgium, you will have to pay about 250 euros for a city car for gasoline. 

Accommodation

The next step is to find accommodation. For this comparison, only chalets are taken into account. Lodging prices increase dramatically during high season and vary depending on the resort you are in. While some family-friendly resorts offer chalets for a week for an average of €1,000 for four people, some more upscale resorts, such as Courchevel, have much higher prices. In this Savoyard resort, a chalet for eight people will cost an average of 3,000 euros. However, some accommodations in Courchevel are much more expensive: renting a luxury chalet for a week can cost up to €250,000.

Equipment rental

If you don't have your own ski equipment, you'll have to rent it. Prices range from €50 to €154 for a week's rental. The lowest price is in Valmainier and the highest in Courchevel.

The last step before you hit the slopes is paying for a ski pass, which gives you access to your resort's ski area for a week. The price for this differs from resort to resort. While some resorts charge about 30 euros, others charge 50 euros.

Location in Le Trois Valle

The five villages that make up Courchevel are located in the ski area known as Les Trois Vallees (The Three Valleys) in the Savoy region of the French Alps. Les Trois Vallees includes the valleys of Saint-Bon, Les Allus and Belleville, and together they form the largest ski area in the world. There are 600 kilometers of pistes, connected by 173 elevators and ski trails. There are 30 black runs, 108 red runs, 129 blue runs and 51 green runs in the area.

How to reach Courchevel

By train. From Paris to the station Moutiers Tarentaise you can reach by train TGV in 4 hours. 

By car. Courchevel is 600 km from Paris (5h), 55 km from Nice (5h), 187 km (2h) from Lyon, and 149 km (2h) from Geneva.

By bus. From Courchevel you can get by bus from Moutier, Chambery, Geneva, Lyon.

By helicopter. Helicopters arrive at Altiport Courchevel, located directly above the main complex. 

Skiing

Courchevel 1850 offers entertainment for all types of skiers and hosts some of the world's best ski competitions. Despite its glamorous image, it is especially good for beginners because of the excellent gentle slopes around Altiport.

Courchevel 1550, 1650 and 1850 employ 800 qualified ESF (French Ski School in Europe) instructors. Courchevel 1850 has a total of 500 instructors.

There is a children's ski school where children from 18 months get private lessons. The elevators are specially adapted for children with Magnestick Kids and Magnestick Bar, which hold children in their places with magnets and a special jacket and then automatically release them at the top of the slope. There's also a special ski area called Family Park.

• Other winter sports in Courchevel 

  In addition to great skiing, Courchevel has something to occupy your attention. Sledding is fun and easy in Courchevel. The long run is 2 kilometers with an average gradient of over 300 meters at 15%. You can do it from 9am to 7:30pm and it is lit at night. It is free with a ski pass or a pass for the pedestrian elevator (the elevator fare is 6 euros).
  If you feel like snowshoeing, there are 17 kilometers of groomed and signposted trails, on which you slowly glide among the snow-covered pines.
  Armed with special ice axes and poles to help you keep up on the ice, try your hand at climbing natural or artificial waterfalls.
  Courchevel 1850 is strictly controlled by planning laws which ensure that houses and hotels remain low-rise and very select. The latest new hotel, Hotel K2, opened in December 2011 and looks set to further enhance Courchevel's reputation as the most glamorous ski resort in France.
  
  

  Where to eat

  Most hotels offer half-board, so you're likely to eat at your hotel. However, Courchevel has plenty of options for casual dining as well as dinner.
  • Le Chabotte
  A new restaurant at Le Chabichou Hotel, this large modern bistro-style restaurant is particularly popular for lunch. The restaurant offers a good 2 or 3-course daily set menu (lunch €19.90 and €24.90; dinner €23.90 and €28.90). 
  Other set menus are also offered, with traditional dishes with local cheeses, mushrooms and charcuterie. At other times, the restaurant has a large terrace, which you can ski out to dine al fresco.
  • A l'Histoire
  Here is another good address where you can eat in Courchevel: A l'Histoire restaurant. It has been offering quality food with good value for money for 2 years now. There is also a bar in the basement next to the Arc nightclub.
  At lunchtime, the main course with starter or dessert is 18 euros, which is very reasonable for the resort. We recommend the tuna as a starter and then a choice of yellow farm poultry (€26) or lamb (€36). 
  • Le Pilatus
  High above Altiport, which is used by private helicopters, Le Pilatus is a large rustic chalet with great views and a warm welcome. It offers an extensive menu of local ingredients, from scrambled eggs with green salad and chips (€17) to grilled steak (€31). It's located on the slopes, so you can ski here.
  • Le Genepi
  Nice mountain chalet-style decor at this casual, family-run restaurant in the center of town. Classic dishes like duck confit with mushrooms and potatoes cooked in duck fat and mousse au chocolat provide gastronomic pleasure. Meat dishes and fondue are also recommended. Children's menu €25; a three-course a la carte menu for about €70 per person.
  • Le Tremplin
  This is a great place for après-ski. In the evening, they offer dishes such as solé ménées, scallops and generous portions of steak. They also run their partner restaurant, Les Verdons, on the slopes for a break from skiing. The cuisine is hearty, but not gourmet. 
  • Azimut
  You'd never guess that this small local restaurant has a Michelin star; that is until you try the food. Part of Courchevel but located in Courchevel 1300, Le Praz, a pretty traditional village further down the valley in Courchevel 1850, Azimut, housed in a former bakery, has made a name for itself with superb cuisine at reasonable prices, with menus starting at €28. Chef and owner François Mouraud has modernized and refined classic dishes with specialties such as scallops in port and venison with gnocchi and local Beaufort cheese.