If you are looking for a family resort for your holidays in the snow, which favors nature and human relations, you have found it: Formiguères, a village in the Eastern Pyrenees, having preserved its mountain traditions, offers you an ideal setting for serene holidays and sports.
Located in the Pyrénées Orientales department, about thirty kilometers from Font-Romeu, Formiguères is also the historic capital of Capcir and the former residence of the king of Majorca. Its Romanesque church, very picturesque with its bell tower, dates from the 12th century. The village and the resort are dominated by the Serre de Maury, and the slopes take place in an exceptional setting, between pine trees and large snowy expanses, surrounded by unspoiled panoramas and sumptuous landscapes as far as the eye can see. You can get there from Perpignan (1 hour 30 minutes drive) or Toulouse via the Puymorens tunnel (2 hours 30 minutes). In Mont-Louis, the station allows you to come directly from Paris by train.
As for the village itself, you will find there a typical architecture and a pleasant rhythm of life, with its houses in stones, the diversity of its traders and their kindness, the farms that you can visit to see the milking of cows, all this giving to this place an authentic soul that many “trendy” stations could envy. In addition, there is a wide choice of accommodation in the village or its surroundings: very good quality lodgings, bed and breakfast, hotels (Les Deux lacs and Picheyre), you will find what you are looking for in advance in high season also.
A little above the village, the resort, between 1700 and 2400 meters above sea level, can be reached using a free shuttle that runs all day but also has a large car park at the foot of the slopes. Although it appears to be modest compared to more famous resorts, its 25 kilometers of slopes and its 7 ski lifts cover more than 60 hectares in a magnificent wooded area. A nursery welcomes children over 3 years old and makes them discover the joys of sliding down the slopes, where there is also a panoramic terrace, a self-service, and various shops. A crèche / drop-in center located in the village is reserved for the youngest between 3 months and 6 years old. You can obviously rent your skis from the two shops in the village.
Finally, if you do not want to ski intensely, be aware that the surroundings are suitable for various outdoor activities, in particular walking or snowshoeing. In any case, you will undoubtedly make Formiguères a very pleasant stay, combining convivial moments and physical expenditure in a magnificent and welcoming setting.
Saint Maurice sur Moselle in the Vosges
There are a little over twenty winter sports resorts in the Vosges mountains: the Rouge Gazon one in Saint-Maurice-sur-Moselle seemed to us the most attractive because of its altitude. The village itself offers us its postcard image from the first switchbacks descending from the Ballon d’Alsace pass, with its sloping roofed chalets and wide meadows.
The town now has around 1,500 inhabitants, which makes it a warm and hospitable place on a human scale. To see, its neo-Gothic church and its monument erected in memory of deminers. The bottom of the slopes is at 1,100 meters, which gives it a definite advantage in terms of snow cover, even if the center of the village is located a few kilometers from the slopes themselves. The road leading to it as well as the parking lot are cleared of snow, and you will find 5 ski lifts and runs from green to black allowing all skiers to practice their activity according to their level. There are even beginners’ area and a kindergarten.
All of the slopes represent more than 20 kilometers, broken down as follows: 5 green, 3 blue, 2 red, and one black. You will also have at your disposal 20 kilometers of cross-country ski trails, 10 kilometers of trails dedicated to snowshoes, and as many for pedestrians. Another advantage of this small resort: the price of the day passes which amounts to € 19, which is a really competitive price. Saint-Maurice-sur-Moselle is the type of the family resort where everyone can live at their own pace and in contact with nature, in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere: you will even find a mountain restaurant, a snack bar, at the foot of the slopes with a large sunny terrace, and of course a rental area to get your equipment.
Regarding your accommodation, in addition to the Rouge Gazon hotel directly on the site, you will have at your disposal many apartments or rental chalets in the surroundings of Saint-Maurice-sur-Moselle, at varied but very often affordable prices. . As for catering, you can taste good local dishes at the Rouge Gazon restaurant (which is also a hotel as said previously) or at the Auberge des Fontaines, unless you prefer the Val d’Agne crêperie, which also serves house specialties including a piece of beef which is worth the detour.
To access Saint-Maurice, you can take the road (from Paris, take the direction Nancy, then Remiremont direction Mulhouse, about 450 km) or the train (a TGV leaves Paris and arrives at Remiremont station, a coach service takes you to Bussang and taxis are available to take you to Saint-Maurice).
Le Lioran in the Massif Central
Even if Le Lioran is a fairly well-known resort in the Massif Central, it nonetheless retains a human dimension and a friendly charm. Located in the heart of Cantal, it ranges between 1100 and 1850 meters above sea level and offers around sixty kilometers of slopes. But unconditional skiers will not be the only ones to appreciate this resort, which provides residents with numerous services in various areas.
The resort is located in the heart of the Auvergne Volcanoes Park, and covers 150 hectares; it is attached to the commune of Laveissière. Snowfalls are very frequent there in winter, and the ski season can thus stretch from November to April. The landscapes of the Cantal massif have been eroded by time, and mountains and valleys can be crossed pleasantly in all seasons: in winter, the Lioran resort offers its ski enthusiasts on very diverse grounds, often dotted with fir trees and multiplying exhibitions.
You will find 43 slopes and 21 ski lifts as well as more than 200 snow cannons to optimize the snow cover. But sliding is not the only activity that you can indulge in at Lioran: snowmobiling, snowshoeing, Via ferrata, dog sledding, balneotherapy, bowling, horseback riding, ice rink, casino, or media library, you will not have that spoiled for choice if you are not a fan of skiing. And for the curious, a visit is essential: the Agriculture museum in Coltine, 25 km away, where you will discover the life of the past on the farm in a building dating from the 17th century. You can also take the ride in the Plomb du Cantal cable car, very famous in the region.
If you have children, there are infrastructures so that you and them can have the best possible holidays: snow garden or daycare center ensure their welcome from three months old, with initiation to skiing for those over 4 years old. And events which are specially dedicated to them punctuate your stay: surprise arrival of Santa Claus, torchlight descent or video projections will delight children and their parents.
You can access Lioran by road, taking the RN122 which passes through Aurillac and Murat, but also by train from Figeac, or by plane. Thanks to Aurillac airport with a daily connection to Paris.
As far as your accommodation is concerned, there are many options available, from apartment rentals to hotel rooms, including “all-inclusive” holiday villages, all at very affordable prices. Ditto for restaurants that offer a variety of menus adapted to different clienteles, from pizzeria to invigorating regional specialties such as truffles or aligot.
Finally, to note, the price of the packages, rather interesting compared to many other stations: currently, less than 140 € for 6 days for an adult without any reduction. You will obviously find several rental shops for your ski equipment.
Crevoux, a small resort in the Alps
Do you associate the Alps with the idea of trendy resorts where you queue up at the ski lifts? Crevoux might change your mind! Located 1,600 meters high in the heart of the Parpaillon massif in the Hautes-Alpes, the village of Crevoux has a ski area that ranges between 1,500 and 2,500 meters above sea level. This family resort allows everyone, young and old, beginners, and experienced skiers, to taste the joys of skiing. Its main asset: its human dimension which will make you enjoy a real vacation, downhill runs in the middle of larches, without neglecting the infrastructures that make it a real winter sports resort.
Very sunny location in the PACA region, it is surrounded by several peaks bordering on 3000 meters, and it is reached by a winding departmental road coming from Embrun, which you will have previously reached by train from Paris via Briançon, or from Marseille. In addition to its ski slopes, the village offers several sites that could be pleasant places to visit for the less athletic: a pretty 14th-century church, a rural museum, a communal oven where bread is still baked at the time of certain festivities, and some of these places could constitute pleasant goals for a walk, waterfall or the Drac cave.
For skiing, you have at your disposal 5 ski lifts and 22 kilometers of marked slopes, including a blue slope 7 km long with 1000 meters of vertical drop, a snowy boulevard very popular with beginners. For the more adventurous, a snowpark is set up each year, allowing them to take technical risks in complete safety in order to improve their practice. In addition, the Snow Garden welcomes your children in complete safety, thanks to qualified staff and in a suitable and very sunny setting.
For those who are not followers of downhill skiing, there are several other activities in the area: cross-country skiing on many pleasant trails that meander through the valley, a dog sled course that a musher will introduce you to experienced, snowshoeing, whether on marked trails or free walking and even dog-snowshoeing, which is an intermediate practice between these last two disciplines, ideal for the less courageous who can thus be helped by a dog mountain in their snowshoeing progression!
For your accommodation, you will find many apartments to rent, but also guest rooms, as well as a hotel with 21 rooms in the heart of the village. As far as food is concerned, there are several restaurants in this place and at the foot of the slopes, where you can taste local specialties or more basic but invigorating dishes.
So of course, no comparison with most of the very busy trendy resorts, but Crevoux has a real charm that will certainly seduce you with its simplicity and authenticity.
Les Rousses, nature skiing in the Jura
The Rousses resort is in fact made up of 4 villages, all located in the Haut-Jura natural park, in the Franche-Comté region, between 1100 and 1700 meters above sea level: this is the eponymous village of Les Rousses, the one of Lamoura, of Prémanon and of Bois d’Amont. The resort benefits from a climate with harsh winters, and magnificent unspoiled nature.
