Les Deux Alpes in 5 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.
The plan, day by day
Day 1
- Morning
Mont-de-Lans Glacier and summer skiinghalf a dayA gentle, largely crevasse-free glacier between about 2,900 and 3,568 metres, the reason the resort is known for summer skiing.
- Late afternoon
The Ice Caveabout 1 hA gallery of about 200 metres dug under thirty metres of ice at the top of the funicular, filled with lit ice sculptures.
Day 2
- Morning
Belvédère des Écrinsabout 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-Oisansfree · 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.
Day 3
- Morning
Venoscfree · 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 Parkhalf 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.
Day 4
- Morning
Lac du Lauvitelfree · 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.
Day 5
- All day
Lac de la Muzellefree · 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 in Les Deux Alpes
- Hôtel Les Lutins · €95 a night
- Hôtel Ibiza · €130 a night
- Base Camp Lodge · €160 a night
- Hôtel Les Mélèzes · €150 a night
- Hôtel Côte Brune · €220 a night
- Hôtel Chalet Mounier · €240 a night
Plan this trip
Hotel prices per room per night, checked when written. Some links are affiliate links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.