ValThorensGuide.co.uk

An independent guide to Val Thorens

Val Thorens resort

Val Thorens is the highest resort in the Three Valleys ski area (and in Europe), at 2300m. It was built from 1971, and has developed a lot over the four and a half decades since then. The resort of Val Thorens now has 25,466 beds (2015 figure). New hotels, such as the Pashmina, Altapura and Club Med, are built to high standards. There's everything you'd expect in a modern ski village - a tourist office, a post office, banks, a medical centre, a church, car parks, a cinema, and a radio station. There's also a good sports centre and swimming pool. Val Thorens has a twice-weekly market. Although it's a compact resort, a free shuttle bus runs from morning to evening in the winter. Read about the resort of Val Thorens here.

Map | Tourist Office | Post Office | Banks | Market | Sports Centre | Medical Centre | Church | Parking | Radio Station | Club des Sports | Cinema | Shuttle bus 

Val Thorens resort map

You can find a map of the resort of Val Thorens here (click on the map to enlarge):

Or see our Val Thorens resort map page, for different maps showing hotels, apartments, restaurants, and bars.

Val Thorens resort: history of Val Thorens

Val Thorens began on 18th December 1971, when the first 3 draglifts were opened. Read more about the history of Val Thorens...

Val Thorens resort: Val Thorens Tourist Office

Val Thorens tourist office is in the Maison de Val Thorens, which is the big building on the snowy place de Caron. They're open from 0830-1900 every day during the winter season. They can answer questions about the resort, and they are multi-lingual - as well as French and English, there are staff who speak Dutch, German, Russian, Japanese, and other languages too. Generally, they are helpful and friendly, although occasionally, you get the impression that having to answer questions about Val Thorens is too much trouble.

There's a selection of booklets and leaflets - amongst the more useful are:

*Val Thorens AnimHebdo - a weekly guide to the events in Val Thorens. (You can also see the highlights of the week's events on our events page)

*Practical Holiday Guide - a small Yellow Pages type guide to shops, restaurants, bars, and services in Val Thorens

By the tourist office counter is a children's play area, and a space for changing babies' nappies.

Internet in Val Thorens

The tourist office in Val Thorens offers internet connection - wifi, and two computers in the lobby of the Maison de Val Thorens. It's quite expensive: wifi through Neptune at the tourist office costs €9.50 a day, or €30 a week; and internet on the computers by the tourist office is €3 for 30 minutes, €5 an hour, then a range of times and prices up to €50 for 50 hours. Why would you bother when you can get free wifi in other places around resort? Charging a lot of money for internet connections in public places may have been ok once, but it's probably becoming culturally unacceptable now.

There is free wifi at some of the lift stations (including Funitel Péclet, Plein Sud, Pionniers, Moraine, Portette, Funitel 3 Vallées, Plateau, Cime de Caron, and Cairn; wifi is also available at the bottom of Rosael chair in Orelle, and reaches to the terrace of the Chalet Chinal Donat mountain restaurant). Internet access is during the skiing day only, from 9am to 5pm. The ski pass offices at Forum, Olympiades, and Montana also have free wifi.

Most of the cafés and bars in Val Thorens offer free wifi as long as you buy something, so that might be a better option if you're using your own laptop, tablet, or mobile phone. Try, for example, O' Connells bar, La Piscine pizzeria, or Pizzburger; or Le Bowling. 

Val Thorens resort: Val Thorens Post Office

The Post Office, La Poste, is also in the Maison de Val Thorens. As well as dealing with post and selling stamps, they have mobile phone packages, they do foreign exchange, and there's a cashpoint.

The opening times during the winter season are:

*0900-1200 and 1400-1730 Monday to Friday

*closed on Saturdays and Sundays

It's often the case that everyone goes to the Post Office at the same time - just before they close - so to avoid queueing, it's better to visit earlier if possible.

Val Thorens resort: banks in Val Thorens

There are four banks in Val Thorens, all of them in the middle or top part of the resort (none down at the bottom on the rue du Soleil). Three of them have cashpoints. See locations and opening times of the banks in Val Thorens...

Val Thorens resort: market

There's a market on place Péclet every Tuesday and Thursday, in the winter (and summer) season. There are stalls with local cheeses and meats, locally produced honey, fleeces and other clothes, craft items, and more. Read about Val Thorens market...

Val Thorens resort: Val Thorens Sports Centre

There's a great sports centre in Val Thorens, located in the Caron shopping centre. It has sport facilities including a gym, and tennis and squash courts, as well as an 'aqua-club', a children's fun park, and a 'well-being' area. Read more about Val Thorens sports centre...

Val Thorens resort: Val Thorens Medical Centre

The main medical centre in Val Thorens (Centre Médico-sportif) has its own building in place Péclet, new in December 2016. There are four doctors, and they deal with any injuries or illnesses that do not require hospitalisation. (They will assess patients, and send them to Moûtiers hospital if necessary). The opening hours are 0900-1800, and outside of those hours, there is a doctor on call. Phone the centre's number 00 33 479 00 00 37 in the first instance.

There is another doctor in the medical centre in the rue du Soleil, towards the bottom of the resort. Opening hours are 0900-1200 and 1500-1800, and the phone number 00 33 479 00 74 39.

You will have to pay for any consultation, and claim the money back afterwards. Any visitor from the UK should make sure to take a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which you can apply for here, and ski holiday insurance is recommended.

The emergency numbers in France are:

• 15 (SAMU - the ambulance service)
• 17 (Gendarmes - the police)
• 18 (Pompiers - the fire service, who also transport people to who hospital)
• 112 (emergency number for any of these services, from a landline or a mobile)

What to do in an emergency:

• *if you are in the village, visit the medical centre or, outside normal hours, phone them on 00 33 479 00 00 37
• *in serious cases outside normal hours, call the pompiers on 18, or 112
• *if you are on the piste, alert the ski patrol (pisteurs). Ask at the top or bottom of any lift, or call 00 33 479 00 01 80

Note that there are defibrilators in the Maison de Val Thorens, the sports centre office, and at the top of the Boismint, Grand Fond and Peclet lifts; and there is one at the lift company's 'central'.

Val Thorens resort: Val Thorens church

The church in Val Thorens is interdenominational. There's a Mass once a week, and special services at Christmas and Easter. Check the tourist office's weekly events leaflet for timings.

As well as church services, there are classical and jazz concerts, at 1830 on Tuesdays in the winter - see events. (The concerts are free, but a collection is usually taken).

Val Thorens resort: Val Thorens parking

A badly parked car in Val Thorens, by ValThorensGuide

Parking in Val Thorens is in one of the resort's car parks, run by Valthoparc, or in your hotel or apartment's parking.

Val Thorens is a semi-pedestrian resort, which means you may drive through resort, and stop to unload your luggage outside your hotel, apartment, or chalet. You must then park your vehicle in a parking - either your hotel's car park, or one of the parkings run by Valthoparc.

A badly parked car in Val Thorens is towed away, by ValThorensGuide

You're not allowed to leave your car parked in the street, and if you do, it will eventually get towed away to the pound. The fee for recovering it is very expensive. In our experience, on Saturday and Sunday, the Municipal Police do the rounds, putting warning notices on cars, but they do not usually tow them away, unless they are obstructing traffic. From Monday morning, any car parked on the street can be towed away.

It is slightly cheaper to book with Valthoparc in advance (and by booking, you ensure you get a space in the parking of your choice, which is important in busy holiday periods). For example, 5, 6, or 7 nights cost €72 (2016-17 prices) if booked a month or more ahead, €77 if booked nearer to the time, and and €78.50 if you pay in resort. You can book on Valthoparc's website. See also the funny translations on the English version of their 'User's guide' section.

Since winter 2015-16, you can give any non-perishable food you have left over at the end of your stay to the French charity Restos du Coeur, by handing it in at parkings P0 and P2.

Val Thorens resort: Radio Station (Radio Val Thorens Les Menuires)

The radio station for the valley is Virgin Radio Val Thorens Les Menuires, on 92.3 and 101.0FM. (It may change to R'Val Thorens Les Menuires for winter 2016-17). There's a local programme in the morning and evening, and the rest of the time they take a feed from Paris. They broadcast a weather forecast and the piste and lift information several times a day. There is traffic information on Saturdays (but in French only).

Val Thorens resort: Val Thorens Club des Sports

Adrien Théaux in the Alpine Combined event of the French National Championships, Val Thorens, 30th March 2017

The Club des Sports de Val Thorens is the local sports club, which includes the ski club. The office is in the Maison de Val Thorens, and in the winter it's open 0900-1200 and 1400-1800.

The main purpose of the Club is to train the local kids for competitions in skiing, freestyle skiing, and snowboarding. It also has sections dedicated to cycling and pétanque. They have a fan club to support the current champions. At the moment, the downhill and Super G specialist Adrien Théaux races in the Alpine skiing World Cup, and has a number of podium finishes, including a victory; Jean-Fred Chapuis is 2014 Olympic Skicross champion, and won the overall World Cup in 2015-16; and Chloe Trespeuch is Olympic Boardercross bronze medallist.

Sam Alphand, slalom of the Alpine Combined, French National Championships in Val Thorens, 30th March 2017

The Club des Sports in Val Thorens also:

• *organises events, such as the Ski Force Winter Tour and the Rock On Snowboard Tour
• *organises races, from the weekly slalom and GS races, to FIS and European Cup events. (You can book the slalom stadium to organise your own race)
• *is responsible for the snowpark and skier/boarder cross
• *sells ski insurance (carte/carré neige). (The easiest way to buy this insurance is to ask for it when you buy your ski pass, but if you want a carte neige for the whole season, not just the duration of your lift pass, this is on sale at the Club des Sports office)

Contact them on 00 33 479 00 01 08 or through the Club des Sports website.

Val Thorens resort: Cinema

The cinema Lac Blanc in Val Thorens is in Grande Rue. It often shows French films, or American films dubbed into French (version francaise - VF); occasionally there are films in original English version, with French subtitles (version originale - VO).

Tel: 00 33 479 00 01 51

Val Thorens resort: shuttle bus

Val Thorens is quite compact, and it's usually possible to walk anywhere you want to go. Sometimes, though, if you're carrying luggage or ski equipment, or if you're with small children, you may wish to make use of the resort shuttle. It runs from 8am to 8pm every day, in the winter season. Read about the Val Thorens resort shuttle bus...

We hope you make the most of all the facilities in Val Thorens resort.

Val Thorens accommodation

Val Thorens offers a wide range of accommodation, including luxury hotels, comfortable apartments, catered chalets, and budget self-catering. Read about the hotels, self-catering accommodation, and chalets in Val Thorens.

Read about accommodation in Val Thorens.

Guide to the Val Thorens ski area

The Val Thorens ski area section covers the beginners' area (including the green runs, and the easy blues), and the ski area sector by sector. There's a page dedicated to the snow park, skier/boardercross, and the slalom stadium. Here, you can also find a page dedicated to Val Thorens off piste itineraries, a piste map, and the Val Thorens ski pass prices. Finally, we have a guide to the Val Thorens mountain restaurants.