belle-plagne

As one half of the enormous Paradiski ski area, La Plagne is one of the most popular resorts in the Alps. Comprised of 10 villages, 100 square kilometres and 225 kilometres of slopes in La Plagne alone, there is something for everyone in this extensive resort. Take the Vanoise Express cable car from Les Coches to Vallandry and Les Arcs, and you’ll have an additional 200km of pistes to explore.

La Plagne’s villages range from small, traditional villages lower down, to larger, more snow sure purpose built ones at higher altitude.

Belle Plagne

Located in the heart of the La Plagne ski area at 2050m, Belle Plagne is one of the most popular of all the resort’s villages, and while it falls into the category of ‘purpose built’, it is much more aesthetically pleasing than its neighbours. But it’s not just its appearance that makes Belle Plagne so popular. Its position in the centre of the resort makes it ideal for accessing not only the whole of La Plagne, but the entire Paradiski area. As with all of La Plagne’s purpose built resorts, Belle Plagne is completely ski in/ski out and its altitude means that it is pretty snow sure, even early and late season. Its layout, facilities, accommodation options and surrounding slopes also make it the perfect choice for families.

Skiing

The slopes around Belle Plagne are ideal for beginners and intermediates, with loads of wide open pistes and long cruisey runs, such as Le Tunnel run down from Roche de Mio back to Belle Plagne. For young kids and complete beginners there’s a dedicated beginners area just down from the village.

Belle Plagne is also ideally located for accessing La Plagne’s more advanced terrain and the Bellecôte glacier at 3250m. It’s also easy to get down to Les Coches where you can take the Vanoise Express cable car across the valley to Vallandy and Les Arcs to explore the rest of the Paradiski area.

Freestyle skiers and snowboarders are also well catered for in Belle Plagne thanks to its proximity the resort’s best freestyle areas. There is a half-pipe and boardercross course right on the doorstep and the main terrain park, the 7 Cube, is a short hop away in the adjacent bowl, just above Plagne Centre.

Accommodation

Much of the ski accommodation in Belle Plagne is in self-catered apartments, making it perfect for families, particularly as the majority of it is ski in/ski out. Some of our favourite accommodations are the great value Balcons de Belle Plagne with its fantastic leisure facilities including pool and spa, Residence Le Vallon and Les Chalets des Cimes both decorated in a traditional style with cosy wood burning fireplaces and balconies

The resort has a good selection of mini supermarkets and grocery shops, and there’s also a boulangerie, so you can enjoy an authentic French breakfast of fresh croissants, pains au chocolat and baguettes in the comfort of your own apartment. However, if you’re driving to resort, we’d recommend stopping off at one of the large supermarkets in Albertville, Moûtiers or Aime en route, as you will pay a premium in the supermarkets in resort.

Families

Belle Plagne is perfect for families. Other than its ski in/ski out, pedestrian layout and family friendly apartments, the village also has excellent ski schools, childcare and other facilities to keep kids entertained.

Ski schools operating out of Belle Plagne include ESF and Oxygène. ESF also runs a nursery offering childcare for children aged 18 months to 3 years and mini clubs to teach children from the age of 3 to ski in their specially designed ‘snow garden’. Older kids are also well catered for with courses designed to help them advance.

Facilities

There are also loads more facilities within the village to cater to your every need. There are ski and snowboard rental shops aplenty (including Ski Set, Intersport, Sport 2000 and Skimium) so kitting yourself and the family out couldn’t be easier. To get the best rates it’s best to pre-book and we can offer you up to 40% discount when you pre-book with our preferred partner, Ski Set.

                                                      The Swimming Pool in Les Balcons de Belle Plagne's Spa

For any non-skiers, or those needing some TLC after exerting themselves on the slopes, there is a good selection of spas including The Deep Nature Baths and Spa as well as the on-site spas in Residence Les Balcons de Belle Plagne and Residence Le Vallon. The spas are perfect for unwinding and soothing aching muscles, and there’s a wide range of treatments and massages on offer. Or, if you’ve still got energy to burn, Les Balcons has a fitness centre

The village also has a bowling alley and there’s an arcade game area just down the hill in Plagne Bellecôte.

Après Ski

While La Plagne is not famed for its après ski scene, Belle Plagne is the liveliest of all the villages and has a good selection of bars in which to unwind after a long day on the slopes. A popular haunt for après is La Cheyenne Café, which is a vibrant Tex-Mex bar and restaurant with a happy hour from 5-7pm. Just across the road is La Tête Inn which is another good spot for après. This log cabin themed bar has a happy hour from 4pm until 2am and live bands playing every other night. Another popular après destination is Scotty’s Bar in Plagne Centre which is open from 9am until ‘late’ every day and serves a good range of food if you’re looking for a little more than an après tipple.

Restaurants

Belle Plagne also has some great restaurants if you fancy a night off from cooking in your apartment. One that’s well worth a visit is Le Matafan, which serves delicious Savoyarde specialities. Other options include the crèperie, L’Alpage, L'Auberge des Balcons for more Savoyarde fare, and La Pierra Menta which serves great pizzas, either to eat in or take away.