8 photos that will make you fall in love with La Plagne

Nestled high above the Tarentaise valley in the French Alps, La Plagne is a cluster of eleven villages that make up a resort that’s cosy yet packed with things to do. Linked together by seemingly endless pistes, this spectacular ski area delights with dozens of breathtaking viewpoints.

Nothing makes my heart skip a beat quite like arriving in the Alps in winter. There’s something wild and beautiful about this landscape that’s utterly bewitching.

Every time I visit the mountains at this time of year, I fall a little bit more in love with this part of Europe. But once in a while somewhere takes you truly by surprise, and makes your jaw drop when you’re just not expecting it.

The French resort of La Plagne just stole my heart.

Freshly returned from a week of on and off-piste fun and frivolity, I can honestly say I’ve never felt so excited by a ski resort since my first snow adventure almost ten years ago.

We chose this French resort as a great group destination, for the comfort food, for the pistes. But I quickly realised we’d got so much more than we’d bargained for (thank goodness for friends in the know who’d been here before). What I hadn’t expected was some of the most wonderfully diverse mountain landscapes I’ve encountered in one resort, incredible weather and panoramic views of some of Europe’s best known peaks.

One week and approximately 300 photos later and I think I’ve boiled them down to my absolute favourites.

Here are eight photos I think are going to make you fall head over heels with La Plagne.

There’s no AI here! Every post on Travels with a Saddle Bag is written by myself and based on my own travels. This post was written in February 2018 and last updated in November 2024, and based on my visit to La Plagne in January 2018.

1. You can stay in beautiful villages like Belle Plagne

High on the piste sits Belle Plagne, a pretty cluster of timber chalets that’s surrounded by snowy peaks and frosted firs. It’s one of many lively little villages in the resort.

It’s not a bad view from your balcony, or from the piste.

2. Scrap that, they’re all beautiful

Each of the eleven villages has their own distinct character Some are full of cosy, alpine chalets like Belle Plagne and Plagne 1800. Others, like Montchavin, are old mountain hamlets where modern apartments jostle for space amongst ancient wooden farmhouses and cobbled streets. Plagne Centre might be purpose-built and not traditionally pretty, but look across the valley on a bright sunny day and somehow it’s all forgiven.

Half the fun of staying in La Plagne is getting around the mountain and finding these little gems nestled in the snow.

3. Getting around La Plagne is pretty good

Because the views are magical, like this.

Every lift seems to open up new and exciting views, and as a bonus, they’re all pretty fast and efficient.

Head to the Colorado lift in Plagne Centre if you want to bask in the beauty of this glittering landscape. It’s a great place to warm up in the morning, with a handful of majestic, sweeping blue runs down the mountain back into the village.

4. It’s a spectacular, lunar-like landscape

As you move around the mountain the landscape changes endlessly. Here, the rolling drifts of snow part in the middle, just briefly, to lead you down into the village of Plagne Bellecote.

Whilst you’re here, stop at La Tarine for un cafe or a chocolat a l’ancienne. Be patient with the service, the rewards are worthwhile.

5. Did I mention the view of Mont Blanc?

This one really did take my breath away.

For me, this iconic peak has always featured on horizons, sometimes just a blinding white spec against the deep, azure blue of a summer sky. There’s no photo-trickery here, not even a zoom (sorry, no time for that when there’s lunchtime pizza on the piste to be sought out). Mont Blanc really is right in front of you in all its majesty, and it’s gorgeous.

6. You’re guaranteed to find somewhere you’ll love to ski

(Or board. Sorry, I’m biased)

With 225km of piste (that’s a total of 128 different runs) there’s something for everyone and most weather conditions. If it’s clear, confident skiers and boarders can head up to the glacier where in theory you can ski year round. Cloudy day? Never fear, head low into the tree-lined pistes above Montalbert or Montchavin. Or aim high to peek above the clouds at Roche de Mio. And whether you love wide and wandering blues, or challenging blacks and reds there’s something to suit you here.

Here’s the descent into Montchavin (and down to the Vanoise Express across to Les Arcs). It’s a great place to check out the blue skies up at the glacier, and figure out whether it’s worth exploring some of the quieter pistes below the cloud line.

7. You don’t have to hop onto lifts every five minutes

Whilst there are bucketloads of lifts that will help to get you around La Plagne, there’s also plenty of routes around the mountain that interconnect. This means you can easily find routes that’ll let you cruise around happily without joining a queue. Head to Roche de Mio in the late afternoon so you can drop down from the very top of the resort.

This is the Levasset, a blue piste that starts at Roche de Mio and an absolute joy to ski. Wide, sweeping and with views across to the three valleys, it might not be a challenge but it’s a delight on tired legs towards the end of the day.

8. This is what home time looks like

My favourite run home at the end of the day? Les Sources runs from the top of the Roche de Mio and connects with a host of comfortable blues at the bottom that’ll take you into the valley for most of the villages in La Plagne.

You feel like you’re on top of the world up here. And whether there’s cloud in the valley below or not, it’s pretty stunning.

So there you have it. With any luck, I’ve convinced you this is one rather special resort.

Want to find out more? Check out my complete guide to the resort in La Plagne, France: A complete ski resort guide.