Brides-les-Bains is an amazing French spa resort located in the vast 3 Vallées ski region, the world’s largest with 600 km of slopes.
The village comes to life in winter, with everything thought of to ensure that Brides-les-Bains is the place to stay for spending a great time with friends and family, accessing winter sports for young and old, cultural events, leisure activities and relaxation with sensational spa facilities, all at 30 to 50% less cost than staying in an altitude resort.
Les 3 Vallées has incredible terrain with something for everyone with more than 85% of slopes located above an altitude of 1,800 metres to guarantee snow through the season. Beginners, families and those who just want to have a nice, relaxed ski on gentler terrain will be delighted that 50% of the slopes are in the easier green or blue category.
© Arthur Bertrand
When it comes to advanced skiers, Les 3 Vallées is world-famous for its challenging terrain and Brides-les-Bains has become a base camp for elite sportsmen and women. They include Team Orsatus Ski Racing, a training partner for alpine skiers, some joining the French national team.
Whatever your level the resort, in partnership with the French National Ski School (ESF), offers introductory tours at the start of the week on Sundays so that you can see the best parts of this vast area, keeping in mind conditions at the time of your visit.
Besides the downhill pistes, the area offers 110km of cross-country trails, five snowparks, 43 play areas and 25 accessible summits.
© Arthur Bertrand
Altogether there are more than 160 lifts to access all these wonders including a direct gondola connection from Brides-les-Bains to the central valley of the area, placing guests in pole position to reach all parts of it quickly.
Located on the edge of the Vanoise National Park, Brides-les-Bains is also the perfect choice for nature lovers seeking to escape their busy lives in a beautiful, natural environment. Away from the Alpine ski slopes, there is a magnificent, unspoilt winter landscape to escape into here.
Off The Slopes
Brides-les-Bains offers a wide range of sporting, leisure, cultural and recreational activities for weekend breaks or longer holidays, ensuring a rich and varied winter experience.
Besides skiing, the resort offers a multitude of non-skiing activities including, dog sledding, snowshoeing, tobogganing, snowmobiling, zip lining, ice climbing on frozen waterfalls, the exhilarating sport of biathlon and the fun of fat biking on the snow.
© Arthur Bertrand
In addition, the resort organises entertainment accessible to all each week including open-air cinema screenings, concerts and DJ sets, relaxation sessions, mulled wine evenings and so on. In fact, there are over 50 hours a week of, mostly, free entertainment and sports activities provided, including activities like yoga, pilates, muscle-building and guided walks.
Some of the most popular organised activities include an evening Reblochon cheese fondue tasting in an igloo, which begins with an hour’s walk through the forest before your efforts and rewarded with the cheesy reward, then it’s a fun route back through the powdery snow,
There’s also tubing down two slopes specially created for this great fun activity. Anyone aged five and over can give it a go and descend the slope solo, as a pair or even in a group of four!
There’s also a good selection of cafes, shops, and restaurants in the village, as well as even a casino if you fancy a flutter. Most facilities are close together so it’s easy to get everywhere on foot.
Popular dining spots include Le Bis ”Trop” Savoyard famous for its generous portions of gourmet cuisine based mainly on local, farm-quality produce or La Fabrik which serves up bistro cuisine including homemade pizzas and burgers and has a buzzing atmosphere with live sport on the big screen.
Le 26 is a restaurant with bistro cuisine and bar offering something for everyone, with dishes made entirely in-house! Le Val Vert offers both gastronomic and diet-friendly cuisine, with light, tasty and refined dishes concocted by chef Jean-Pascal Laugier and his team.
Les Cerisers offers a refined daily menu, combining a skilful blend of local flavours, seasonal delights, balanced and tasty cuisine and Savoyard specialities whilst Relief is a truly original place offering craft beers and traditional wines.
Spectacular Spa Facilities
Brides-les-Bains is home to the largest thermal spa in the region and one of the largest in France, offering 2700 m² of aquatic pampering space dedicated to wellness.
© Stramba Badiali
There have been spa facilities of one sort or another for over 170 years (Hence the “Bains” = “baths” in the name!) but in recent times the modern Grand Spa Thermal has established itself as the French benchmark for the treatment of excess weight, joint pain and rheumatism.
For most skiers though it’s just perfect for relaxing after a day on the slopes. Facilities include a hammam, sauna and steam baths where aromatic plants offer a haven of wellbeing for all. There’s also an 18m-long leisure pool with a host of water features, including two indoor and another two outdoor Jacuzzis, two bubble beds, underwater jets, six swan necks and other water features as well as a 25m-long swimming corridor.
The Grand Spa Thermal also offers a wide range of massages to help you wake up in shape the next day: world massages, relaxation massages, relaxing leg massages, après-ski massages, lymphatic drainage, foot reflexology, nourishing body wrap, …the treatments menu is a long one!
Because well-being also means eating well, the Label Diététique, the only one of its kind in France, created by the town a decade ago, certifies innovative, balanced cuisine. Working with chefs at the certified restaurants in Brides-les-Bains, they offer tasty menus using healthy, seasonal produce, the spa’s dieticians ensure complete dietary care and you can return home feeling healthier inside and out.
If you don’t want to sacrifice any of your precious time on the slopes, the spa has evening sessions once a week during school holiday periods.
The Best Value for Money in the 3 Vallées
Brides-les-Bains has a great range of accommodations with around 5,000 beds available for visitors. The choice includes 11 hotels rated between 2 and 4 stars and more than 10 holiday residences with large, comfortable self-catering apartments, so there are accommodation options to suit all budgets and preferences.
The extra good news is that rates are typically 30 to 50% lower than those at other resorts in Les 3 Vallées. So whether you’re looking for affordable lodging or a luxurious experience, Brides-les-Bains is the ideal place for a comfortable and budget-friendly stay.
© Alexis Brot
Easy To Reach
Travel to your ski resort is usually where the most CO2 emissions are made so it’s good to know that Brides-les-Bains is easy to reach by climate-friendly train travel. The train from London to Moûtiers can cost from £99 each way, including all your baggage, with the trip taking just a little over 8 hours. A shuttle takes you on to Brides-les-Bains from Moûtiers station in less than 10 minutes.
If you drive you’ll find modern dual-carriageway roads all the way to Moûtiers from where it’s only 6km on to Brides-les-Bains.
For those arriving by plane, the closest airport is Chambéry / 90km (1h15) away. Then Geneva is the next closest at 120km but more distant Lyon (150km) is actually usually quicker to travel from, taking an average of 1 hour, and 40 minutes compared to two hours from Geneva.
If you are looking for the perfect destination for your next trip, our Resort Guide has everything you need to know.
