Courchevel

The polished village of the Trois Vallées, with the big ski area out the door.

Courchevel is the ski resort people mean when they say the expensive village in the Trois Vallées. Courchevel 1850 is the one the prices refer to. The villages below it — 1650, Moriond, Le Praz — share the same skiing for a different bill. The valley pass reaches Méribel, Les Menuires, and Val Thorens.

Gallery

See all photos

Tap a photo to enlarge.

Add my photo

Location

45.41° N, 6.63° EOpen in OpenStreetMap

Best time to visit

January–March

Trip planner

A Courchevel itinerary

Tell us how long you have. If a SpaceXAI key is configured, Grok writes the plan. Otherwise you get an editor-built outline from the field guide.

Field guide

Decide which Courchevel you are sleeping in before you fall in love with a photo of 1850. The skiing is the valley. The price is the village.

When to go

Mid-January through March. The altitude is kinder than Val Thorens and less snow-sure in a dry December. French school holidays fill the lifts; the weeks between them are the ones to aim for. An altiport arrival only works in good weather, so keep a road plan.

On the hill

The Trois Vallées is one of the largest linked ski areas in the world, which is a reason to look at the clock. A lap into Méribel is easy. A lap to Val Thorens is a day, and the return is the part that goes wrong. Ski the Courchevel sectors hard on the days you do not want a transfer. The resort grooms a lot of intermediate terrain; the couloirs are not that terrain.

Village and passes

1850 is walkable, expensive, and the photograph. Le Praz and 1650 are still Courchevel. The valley lift pass is the one that matches the map on the wall. Taxis between villages at night are real money. If you stay in 1850, you can ignore the car. If you stay lower, know the bubble schedule.

Pack this in your notes

1850, 1650, Moriond, and Le Praz are not the same hotel bill.
A trip to Val Thorens is a whole day. Turn around earlier than you think.
School-holiday weeks are a different resort. Book around them if you can.
The altiport is a fair-weather arrival, not the only way in.

Open the long-form guide →

Traveler reviews

Rate and review

Priya S.

10/10

First chair at Courchevel

La Vizelle or a long lunch you booked. Skiing from 1850 without paying 1850, if you sleep lower. Book the week for the snow, and go in January–March. The polished village of the Trois Vallées, with the big ski area out the door.

Jun 6, 2025

James O.

8/10

Courchevel on a clear morning

The altiport only if the weather is showing off. The lift line is the tax; the run after it is the reason. January–March is the window I would book again.

May 5, 2025

Nina P.

10/10

First chair at Courchevel

A Trois Vallées day that actually reaches another valley and gets back. The altiport only if the weather is showing off. Book the week for the snow, and go in January–March. The polished village of the Trois Vallées, with the big ski area out the door.

Apr 4, 2025