You'd be forgiven for not having heard of Villard de Lans and Corrençon-en-Vercors before. Located in the Isère area of the French Alps, this neighboring pair of typically French ski villages offer fantastic skiing and a friendly atmosphere!
The Villages
Villard de Lans and Corrençon are like siblings, sharing many similar characteristics but with each their own distinctive features. Both are year-round working villages and allow visitors to experience the real Alpine France.
Villard de Lans is a lively village with lots of family friendly activities and events throughout the season.
Corrençon is charming and known for its delicious authentic mountain food, with a wide range of local makers and restaurants.
The Skiing
The Espace Villard-Corrençon ski area offers 125km of piste which provide a perfect playground between the 2 villages.
For children and beginners, there are four dedicated beginners' areas. Hameau des Rambin, affectionately nicknamed 'the children's hamlet' is an area dedicated to families in the heart of Corrençon village. The gentle slopes are the perfect setting for children trying skiing for the first time!
Adult beginners will be able to explore a variety of short and longer greens and blues, perfect for big wide cruising turns and learning the basics on the slopes.
Intermediate skiers will enjoy plenty of long runs that meander their way through the forest. In addition, there are some great blue runs down, as well as a number of red runs that sit in-between the two villages of Villard de Lans and Corrençon. Most are off the Cretes chairlift.
Experienced skiers can ski from the very top to the very bottom and left to right across all of the slopes within the ski area. There are a number of red runs to have fun on and for those more daring amongst your group, there are various challenging black runs, including the Rhodo, Le Grand Couloir and Chamois. There are also several freeride areas, for those even more daring to test their abilities!
One of the beginners slopes in Corrençon
What else is there to do?
Both villages provide a very wide range of non-skiing activities - with something that just about everyone will enjoy.
The Luge and Ski Park at La Colline des Bains in Villard de Lans offers great family-friendly fun in the snow, with activites including tobogganing, airboard and snake-gliss (where they link together sleds and you 'snake' your way the whole way down the slope!)
Outdoor adventures continue with the offer of snowshoeing, Nordic walking, dog sledding, an igloo experience, pony riding, fatbike and paragliding. With so much choice, how are you meant to choose just one?!
Away from the snow entirely, Villard de Lans has an in-resort leisure centre with heated outdoor pool, indoor wave pool, ice rink and relaxation centre. Other indoor activities on offer in the resorts are a trip to the cinema, a game of boules or bowling, and even a casino!
There is a weekly market that takes place every Wednesday in the centre of Villard de Lans - it's great for a cheeky mooch around, where you can meet the friendly locals and discover incredible regional products.
Snakegliss in action in Villard de Lans
Getting there
Considered to be an 'off the beaten track' resort/ski area, you'd think that Villard de Lans/Corrençon might be a tad tricky to get to - you'd be mistaken! Just a short 35 minute drive from Grenoble, it's a great location for anyone travelling to the French Alps via plane or train. It's also a simple drive down from Calais, with predominantly motorways the whole way. Around a 9 hour drive, our clients love to use our Eurotunnel LeShuttle FlexiPlus package - you can benefit from flexibility and great value, with the ability to grab snacks for the drive ahead!
Le Splendid - Villard de Lans
Completely refurbished in 2019, this residence benefits from a central location with lots of the resorts amenities within 200m. The views of the surrounding Vercors mountains, pistes and village are breathtaking. Facilities include free Wi-Fi, private ski lockers and free secure parking.
All 33 spacious apartments are decorated to a high standard, which balances art deco and modern mountain style - apartments are also equipped with high standard finishes, including a Nespresso coffee machine. Most apartments benefit from a balcony or terrace.