Best for families

Best Ski Resorts for Families in Les Deux Alpes

Les Deux Alpes works for families, with one big caveat you should know before paying a deposit: the mountain is upside down. The gentlest skiing sits at the top, on the glacier and the wide upper plateau, while the runs back to the village are steep, so young families ride lifts down at the end of the day and the resort works best for families whose children are past the absolute first steps. For families with small beginners we honestly rank two quieter neighbors above the famous name itself, and both cost less.

Family skiing in Les Deux Alpes

Last reviewed June 2026

What matters

The upside down mountain, explained

Les Deux Alpes rises from a long, lively village at around 1,650 meters to glacier skiing at around 3,500 meters, one of the biggest lift served verticals in France. The quirk that matters for families: gradients soften as you climb. The upper mountain is a broad, snow sure playground of easy blues and greens, brilliant for building confidence in week two and beyond, while the pistes home are sustained reds and blacks that end many family days with a download on the lift, which is fine once you plan for it.

The money picture is friendlier than the topography. Les Deux Alpes has long been one of the cheaper big French resorts, with abundant apartment stock, competitive rental shops and a pass that undercuts the giant linked areas. A self catering family week in the $2,000 to $4,000 per person band is realistic in most non holiday weeks, and the snow guarantee up high protects late season bookings better than most of the Alps.

Below we rank where a family should actually base, including the cheaper satellite villages of the neighboring Alpe d'Huez area, around half an hour away, which beat the main resort for small children.

The ranking

Where a family should base, ranked

Ranked on children's facilities, gentle terrain, convenience and the total cost of the week.

Les Deux Alpes

The main event | best for families who already ski

Huge snow sure terrain and a budget friendly village, best once the children can link turns.

Les Deux Alpes earns the top spot for families whose children have a week or two of skiing behind them. The village front nursery zones are decent, the upper mountain is a vast confidence machine, and the glacier means the snow never lets a late season booking down. Apartments, pizzerias and rental deals keep the bill honest.

The steep runs home and the long village are the tradeoffs, plan on downloading with tired children and pick lodging near your lift. For toddlers and day one beginners, look at the next two picks instead.

Vaujany

The quiet neighbor | best for young children

A tiny, traditional village with cable car access to the big Alpe d'Huez network next door.

Vaujany, around 30 minutes away in the neighboring Alpe d'Huez Grand Domaine, is what we would book with children under six: a calm, car light village, a modern nursery and children's setup that outclasses its size, and a giant gentle ski area one cable car ride up. Evenings are quiet and the prices match the village, not the network.

You give up the glacier and the big resort buzz. In exchange the whole week gets easier, and meaningfully cheaper.

Oz en Oisans

The forest station | the budget pick

Our budget pick, a small tree lined base with gondolas into the same big network.

Oz en Oisans is a compact, woodsy, purpose built hamlet with apartment prices among the lowest of any base connected to a major French ski area. Its sheltered tree lined home runs are kind to nervous children on bad weather days, and two gondolas put the full Alpe d'Huez network overhead.

Services are minimal, a few shops and restaurants, and that is the point. For a self catering family counting every dollar, this is the area's best value bed.

Alpe d'Huez

The sunny giant | best all around alternative

The big, sunny, gentle alternative half an hour away, better for families, busier and pricier than its satellites.

Alpe d'Huez itself is arguably the better family resort than Les Deux Alpes: more sun, more genuinely easy terrain off the village front, and a children's infrastructure built for volume. We rank it here rather than higher only because this page starts from Les Deux Alpes, and because its satellites Vaujany and Oz deliver the same skiing for less.

Read the full Alpe d'Huez vs Les Deux Alpes comparison if you are torn between the two big names.

Auris en Oisans

The balcony hamlet | quietest option

A small balcony village on the far side of the Alpe d'Huez network, cheap, calm and remote.

Auris en Oisans hangs on a sunny balcony at the edge of the network with gentle local runs and some of the area's lowest prices. For a family that wants to ski, eat, sleep and repeat with zero scene, it does the job at a fraction of big resort cost.

It is far from the main lift hubs and thin on services, so it suits self contained families with a car. Otherwise pick Oz or Vaujany.

La Grave

The legend next door | skip it with children

One of the world's great extreme mountains, and no place for a family ski week.

La Grave sits just over the pass and belongs on this page only as a warning and a temptation. There are no groomed family pistes to speak of, the mountain is a single ungroomed expert itinerary, and children's facilities are not the point of the place.

Skip it for the family week. If one parent is an expert, a guided day here is the area's great adult treat, read our La Grave review first.

Compared at a glance

The family shortlist

Base	Best for	Children's setup	The verdict
Les Deux Alpes	Families who already ski	Good	Snow sure giant, steep runs home.
Vaujany	Young children	Excellent	Calm village, big network next door.
Oz en Oisans	The tightest budget	Good	Cheapest credible base, sheltered runs.
Alpe d'Huez	The all around week	Very good	Sunnier, gentler, busier, pricier.
Auris en Oisans	Quiet self contained weeks	Fair	Cheap balcony hamlet, bring a car.
La Grave	Not families	None	Expert legend, adult day trip only.

Book it well

How to book this area well

Fly to Grenoble or Lyon, transfers run roughly two to two and a half hours. In Les Deux Alpes itself, pick lodging by lift access rather than by nightlife, the village is nearly two kilometers long and a badly placed apartment adds a daily march in ski boots. Book children's lessons for the village front mornings and ride up as a family after lunch. April works here better than almost anywhere in France, the glacier holds when lower resorts go green, and prices drop with the crowds.

Book the extras and save

Lift passes, transfers, lessons and ski hire are where a family trip quietly leaks money. Booking ahead almost always beats the resort window price.

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Keep planning

Related guides

Compare the two local giants in Alpe d'Huez vs Les Deux Alpes, read the full Les Deux Alpes review and region guide, see how the area stacks up against the best family resorts in France, or browse the whole France ski guide.

Questions worth asking

Les Deux Alpes family FAQs

Is Les Deux Alpes good for families?

Yes, with a caveat. The gentle terrain sits at the top of the mountain while the runs home are steep, so it suits families whose children can already link turns and who are happy to ride lifts down. Families with very young beginners are better served by Vaujany or Oz en Oisans nearby.

Why do people call the mountain upside down?

Because the easiest skiing is at the top. The glacier and upper plateau hold wide greens and blues at around 2,600 to 3,500 meters, while the pistes back to the village are sustained reds and blacks. It is the reverse of the typical resort layout and shapes the whole family day.

Is Les Deux Alpes cheap by French standards?

Relatively, yes. It is one of the better value big French resorts, with deep apartment stock and a pass cheaper than the giant linked areas. A self catered family week typically lands in the $2,000 to $4,000 per person band outside school holidays.

Is the snow reliable for a late season family trip?

Exceptionally so. The glacier and the high upper mountain keep the core terrain skiable through April when lower resorts struggle, which makes Les Deux Alpes one of the safest late bookings in France for a family locked to spring dates.

What about young children who are just starting?

The village front nursery areas are fine, but the resort's layout works against tiny beginners. Vaujany, around 30 minutes away, pairs a small calm village and an excellent children's setup with the big gentle Alpe d'Huez network, and it costs less. That is our pick for under sixes.

How do we get there?

Fly to Grenoble or Lyon and transfer roughly two to two and a half hours by road. Geneva works too at around three hours. There is no rail station in resort, so book the transfer with the trip rather than improvising on arrival.

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