Courchevel and Megève

Go after the second week of March. France's winter school holidays run in staggered zones from 6 February to 8 March 2027. After that, Les 3 Vallées promises longer days, milder weather and quieter runs, and guarantees snow to the end of March: 85% of its terrain lies above 1,800 metres. Megève's lifts run until 4 April and Courchevel's until 18 April, so the lower resort comes first.

Begin with four nights at Four Seasons Resort Megève on Mont d'Arbois, where Baroness Noémie de Rothschild set out to build a French answer to Saint-Moritz. The Hôtel du Mont d'Arbois opened in 1921. The Four Seasons, 55 rooms and suites with the Palace distinction, draws on that legacy: ski-in, ski-out, with an indoor-outdoor pool and what it calls the region's largest spa.

Megève is still a village lived in all year, its pedestrian centre all cobbles and church square. The Évasion Mont-Blanc area links more than 400 km of runs, facing Mont Blanc. Keep one evening for Flocons de Sel at Le Leutaz, where Emmanuel Renaut holds three Michelin stars for cooking built on lake fish, mountain mushrooms and local cheeses.

Then five nights in Courchevel 1850. Aman Le Mélézin sits directly on the Bellecôte piste: 28 rooms, suites and apartments, two floors given to wellness, and Japanese cooking at Akari. Families who would rather have an apartment can take one of 27 at Six Senses Residences Courchevel, at La Croisette where the lifts start.

Courchevel opens onto Les 3 Vallées, which calls itself the largest ski area in the world: 600 km of interconnected slopes, 169 lifts and seven resorts between 1,300 and 3,230 metres. The most intimate table is Le 1947 à Cheval Blanc, around five tables, where Yannick Alléno holds three Michelin stars.

On the flying: Geneva is the natural gateway, 75 minutes by road from Megève and about two and a half hours from Courchevel. Chambéry Savoie Mont Blanc serves both resorts and is an hour and a half from Courchevel. The shortcut is Courchevel's altiport at 2,007 metres: a 537-metre runway on a slope of up to 18.5%, no night flights, and landing only for pilots holding a specific site authorisation. About 70% of its winter movements are helicopters. Megève has its own altiport at Côte 2000, 7 km from the village. OUIJETS sources the jet into Geneva or Chambéry and the helicopter for the final climb.

Ask your advisor about a helicopter from Geneva to the Courchevel altiport; a table at Flocons de Sel or Le 1947; the Buy-Out, from Mont d'Arbois to Bellecôte.