Courchevel, at 1,850 metres.

Every October the same conversation begins. A family wants the Alps for the holidays, the children are old enough to ski properly, and Courchevel comes up first. It usually comes up for good reasons.

The village

Courchevel is a cluster of villages in the French Alps, and Courchevel 1850, named for its altitude, is the one most families mean. It sits within Les 3 Vallées, a linked ski area shared with Méribel and Val Thorens, so a strong skier never runs out of mountain while a beginner never has to leave the village slopes.

Families usually fly into Geneva. From there the last stretch is by road, about three hours, or by helicopter. The 2026/27 season runs from 4 December to mid-April, depending on snow.

The hotels

Courchevel 1850 holds several of France's Palace-distinction hotels, a classification that sits above five stars. Among them are Les Airelles, Cheval Blanc, Le K2 Palace and L'Apogée Courchevel, most of them directly on the slopes.

The alternative is a private chalet with its own chef, driver and staff. A hotel suits families who like everything on hand: the spa, the restaurants, the children's club. A chalet suits those who want the evenings to themselves.

We choose for the family, not the brochure.

The choice comes down to small things: the ages of the children, how the principal likes to spend the evenings, and how far it is from the ski room to the lift on a cold morning.

The instructors

For children, the instructor is the booking that shapes the week. We book one private instructor for the whole stay, so the same person meets the children each morning, often at the chalet door, and teaches at their pace rather than the group's. By the third day there is usually a nickname. By the last, the parents are asking for a lesson too.

For the youngest, the ski schools run supervised children's villages from 18 months. Instructors are in high demand over the festive weeks, so they are one of the first things we confirm, alongside the accommodation.

Christmas

The village does Christmas well: a lit tree in the square, shops open into the evening, and street performances through the festive week. We arrange the rest. That means dinner in the chalet or at a table in the village, gifts delivered and wrapped, and a morning on the slopes for anyone who wants one. No one in the family should be working on Christmas Day.

New Year

On 31 December the village celebrates on the snow at the foot of the slopes. There is an earlier celebration for the children, and fireworks over the village at midnight. Families who would rather stay in watch from a hotel terrace or the chalet balcony, and the first lift of the year runs the next morning for those who want it.

Season dates are preliminary and depend on snow.