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Travel guide
Les Deux Alpes
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: January to March, and July to August
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Welcome
Les Deux Alpes, in a few days
Two resorts in one. In winter, the ski area climbs to 3,600 metres on the Mont-de-Lans glacier; in summer there is morning glacier skiing, a bike park with 2,300 metres of descent and an ice cave at 3,400 metres, with Venosc and the Vénéon valley, the gateway to the Écrins National Park, below.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Mont-de-Lans Glacier and summer skiing · half a dayA gentle, largely crevasse-free glacier between about 2,900 and 3,568 metres, the reason the resort is known for summer skiing.
- Afternoon · The Ice Cave · about 1 hA gallery of about 200 metres dug under thirty metres of ice at the top of the funicular, filled with lit ice sculptures.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Ibiza€130 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Belvédère des Écrins · about 30 minA metal walkway ten minutes from the top funicular station, projecting over the void and facing the heart of the Écrins National Park.
- Afternoon · The Vénéon valley and Saint-Christophe-en-Oisans free · half a dayUp the valley to Saint-Christophe, a village of mountain guides, home of Pierre Gaspard, who made the first ascent of the Meije in 1877.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Base Camp Lodge€160 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Venosc free · about 1 hA village of stone houses and cobbled lanes at about 1,000 metres, whose church keeps a Gothic bell tower and a gilded baroque altarpiece.
- Afternoon · 2 Alpes Bike Park · half a dayMountain bike trails from 3,200 metres down to the valley, 2,300 metres of descent in one go, for all levels, plus e-bike routes.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Les Mélèzes€150 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Lac du Lauvitel free · half a dayOne of the largest lakes in the Écrins, at 1,510 metres, with no outflow stream: the water seeps out through the rockfall that dammed it.
- Afternoon · Lac de la Muzelle free · a full dayA glacial lake at 2,105 metres below the Roche de la Muzelle, reached from Bourg d'Arud by a steady climb of 1,200 metres.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Ibiza€130 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Baguette: the daily bread, bought fresh from the boulangerie. Ask for a "tradition", made with nothing but flour, water, salt and yeast.
- Croissant and pain au chocolat: breakfast pastries, best in the morning while still warm.
- The cheese course: served after the main dish and before dessert, from Comté to Camembert.
- Steak frites: the bistro standard. Order it "saignant" for rare or "à point" for medium.
- Galettes and crêpes: savoury buckwheat pancakes from Brittany filled with ham, egg and cheese, then sweet ones for pudding.
- House wine: ordered by the carafe or the "pichet" at lunch, and often better value than a bottle.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Say "bonjour" when you walk into a shop, a bakery or a café, and "au revoir" as you leave. Skipping it comes across as rude.
- Lunch runs from about noon to 2pm and dinner starts around 7.30pm. In between, most restaurant kitchens are closed.
- Most shops close on Sunday, and many small towns shut on Monday too. Bakeries and markets open on Sunday morning.
- Do not pay for bottled water at the table: ask for "une carafe d'eau", tap water that is served free with a meal.
- Around the big Paris sights, walk past anyone with a petition or a friendship bracelet. They are there to distract you while someone else takes your wallet.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ French
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjour |
| Thank you | Merci |
| Please | S'il vous plaît |
| Yes | Oui |
| No | Non |
| Excuse me | Excusez-moi |
| Goodbye | Au revoir |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ? |
| I don't understand | Je ne comprends pas |
| How much is it? | Combien ça coûte ? |
| Where are the toilets? | Où sont les toilettes ? |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaît |
| Help! | Au secours ! |
| Cheers! | Santé ! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyEuro (EUR, €)
BudgetAbout €125 a day, mid-range
Best seasonJanuary to March, and July to August
PlugC/E · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingService is included by law, round up
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo specific vaccination needed. Check that tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/les-deux-alpes
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.