Les Arcs
Les Arcs is four purpose-built villages stacked up one mountainside above Bourg-Saint-Maurice, linked by cable car to La Plagne to form Paradiski. The two decisions that actually cost you money here are which Arc you sleep in — they are genuinely different places, not just different altitudes — and whether you pay for the Paradiski upgrade. Most visitors do not need it. Below are the resort's own 2026/27 prices and what they buy.
The resort in numbers
That 3226 m top station matters more than the raw kilometre count: the Aiguille Rouge gives Les Arcs a genuine high-altitude run down to Villaroger at around 1200 m, which is why the resort holds snow at both ends of the season better than its 1600 m base village suggests.
Lift passes: do you need Paradiski?
There are three adult passes. The only difference that matters to most people is that Classic covers Les Arcs and Peisey-Vallandry only, while Essential and Premium add La Plagne across the Vanoise Express cable car.
| Pass | Area covered | 1 day | 6 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| ClassicBest value | Les Arcs / Peisey-Vallandry | €71 | €368 |
| Essential | Full Paradiski, plus fast lanes | €78 | €412 |
| Premium | Paradiski, fast lanes, free half-day before your stay, daily Aiguille Rouge lane, zip-line, sledging, pool | €91 | €491 |
Our read: take Classic unless you have a specific plan for La Plagne
Les Arcs and Peisey-Vallandry alone are more terrain than most people ski in a week, and the Vanoise Express crossing eats a good part of a day each way. Classic saves €44 per adult over six days — €176 for a family of four — and you can buy a day extension if the mood takes you. Choose Essential if you are a strong skier staying two weeks, or if you have skied Les Arcs before and want new ground. Premium only pays off if you will genuinely use the lane-skipping and the half-day arrival ski.
Season passes
| Season pass | Adult (13–64) | Child 5–12 / Senior 65–74 |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited, 7 days a week (winter) | €750 | €600 |
| Essential season, with Paradiski | €860 | €688 |
| Unlimited, winter + summer | €942 | €754 |
| 20 non-consecutive days (on sale until 11 Dec 2026) | €364 | €292 |
The break-even against a 6-day Classic pass is a shade over two weeks: if you ski Les Arcs for 13 days or more in a season, the €750 unlimited pass is cheaper than buying weeks. Under-5s ski free, and there is a nominal-price pass for over-75s.
Which Arc should you stay in?
This is the decision people get wrong. The four Arcs sit on the same slope but are not interchangeable — they differ in what is walkable at night, how ski-in/ski-out they really are, and who they suit.
The original village and the one connected to Bourg-Saint-Maurice by funicular — the obvious choice if you are arriving by train and would rather not book a transfer at all. Quiet, wooded, lowest of the four. Best for: train arrivals, people who want calm.
The largest and most social of the four, with the widest choice of bars, shops and restaurants, and the most accommodation. Best for: first-time visitors, groups, anyone who wants somewhere to go in the evening.
Arc 1800 accommodationThe newest, built as a car-free pedestrian village with heated equipment storage and apartments aimed squarely at families. Prettier than the 1970s blocks below it, and priced accordingly. Best for: families paying for convenience.
Highest, most snow-sure, and the closest to the Aiguille Rouge lift that opens up the resort's serious terrain. Functional rather than charming. Best for: keen skiers who want first lifts and genuine ski-in/ski-out.
Arc 2000 holidaysGetting there
Les Arcs is one of the few French resorts where the train is genuinely the better option: Bourg-Saint-Maurice is a direct Eurostar stop, and the funicular up to Arc 1600 leaves from beside the station.
| From | Typical transfer time by road |
|---|---|
| Bourg-Saint-Maurice station | ~45 min |
| Geneva airport | ~2 h 30 |
| Chambéry airport | ~2 h 30 |
| Grenoble airport | ~2 h 45 |
| Lyon airport | ~2 h 55 |
Direct Eurostar services to Bourg-Saint-Maurice run around four and a half to six hours; routes involving a change at Lyon, Chambéry or Aix-les-Bains take six to seven. Transfer times above are typical operator quotes for good conditions — Saturday changeover traffic on the Tarentaise road can add substantially to them.
Ski and board hire
Booking hire online before you travel is the one reliable saving in a ski budget — walk-in rates at the resort are the most expensive way to do it, and pre-booked kit is waiting for you rather than queued for on the first morning.
Skiset has shops in each of the four Arcs and quotes discounts of up to 45% against its own walk-in prices for bookings of seven days or more. Pick the shop in the village you are staying in — carrying skis between the Arcs is not worth the few euros of difference.
Check Les Arcs hire pricesWhat we have not put on this page
- Child and youth day-pass prices. The resort lists that these tiers exist but does not publish the full grid on its public pages. We have not estimated them.
- Ski school prices. Set independently by ESF and the private schools, and they change per week of the season. A single number here would be misleading.
- Bar and restaurant prices. We previously published precise figures for these. They were not sourced and have been removed.
- Accommodation costs. These vary by more than 3× between January and February half-term, so a single "per week" figure is worse than no figure. Use the dated search links above.
Sources
Piste and run counts, altitudes — Les Arcs official ski area page.
Transfer times — typical quoted journey times from transfer operators serving Les Arcs, cross-checked across more than one provider.