Flaine ski resort, France – our ultimate guide

An ultimate guide to Flaine ski resort, France.

Flaine is an interesting and lively ski town and offers something different for those looking for a ski holiday during Winter in France. Situated about an hour and 15 minutes from Geneva and packed full of Brutalist Architecture.

This use of concrete can be feared by those that love a traditional chocolate box style ski resort but it shouldn’t be.

In fact Flaine ski resort has been designed with the skier at the forefront. Nearly all of the properties in the original parts are ski in / ski out, the ski gondola was the first to be built for ski in (no stairs here) and everything is accessible.

Flaine really blends in to its landscape with concrete to match the mountains, wood to mirror the trees, no visible cables or pipes and even the legs of the gondolas painted white to disappear into the snow.

About Flaine ski resort, France – our ultimate guide

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With Flaine Forêt at the top and Flaine Forum below, the architect Marcel Breuer‘s vision is endearing. It grows on you, gets under your skin, feels welcoming and familiar and works so well as a ski resort.

That the ski runs were designed by Emile Allais, founder of the Ecole du Ski Français is testament to their quality.

The resort itself is largely car free (drivers are allowed 90 minutes in to unload) which is appealing.

This isn’t a shopping district or somewhere with extensive apres-ski, making it perfect for families but also with plenty to keep other visitors coming back time and time again.

We visited on our ski trip to Flaine and found it a great little town with everything you could need for a ski trip.

Flaine, France: Getting there and around

The closest airport is Geneva which is around an hour and a 15 minutes away.

We had transfers as part of our ski trip with Crystal Ski. Unfortunately there aren’t any public transport options from Flaine to the airport but there are a number of private hire companies who can get you there (around €40 for a shared transfer).

Around Flaine there’s a free bus that takes you around the top but you can get easily from all the different levels.

What to do in Flaine ski resort

Flaine is a town which doesn’t feel huge but has a good amount going on and you certainly won’t need to leave if you don’t want to.

The town is split in to Flaine Florêt at the top and the larger Flaine Forum below. These two levels are connected by a free to use funicular which takes minutes making it really easy to travel between the two. You can then walk down to Flaine Front de Neige.

Flaine Forum is full of shops, an ice rink and lots of sledging runs. While Flaine Florêt has the main ski runs and ski school. And Flaine Front de Neige a few more runs and all the car parks.

Skiing

This is the main activity in Flaine in the winter. There is some wonderful skiing here with something for all levels.

There’s a large Ski School here which is all part of the Ecole du Ski Français, as well as a number other schools. Along with a couple of green runs to practice on.

There’s a number of blue runs and plenty of red and black runs too. While the resort itself is best suited to beginners and intermediates, Flaine is the perfect base for exploring further into the Grand Massif where more adventurous runs abound.

Private lessons are available and we spent a great three hours with an instructor from ESF who was able to show us the wider Grand Massif area.

There are some amazing views at the top of Mont Blanc. Cross-country skiing is also available.

Ice Skating – Flaine ski resort

Down in the Forum there is a small ice rink available which is a nice way to spend an hour or so.

Swimming

There are a number of places to swim across Flaine.

Our hotel, Le Panoramic had its own heated swimming pool, as many of the local hotels also did.

There is also an Aquatic Centre with a large pool. It’s worth bearing in mind that board style swimming shorts are not permitted here.

Walks – Flaine ski resort

There are some lovely runs for cross-country skiing which are also possible to walk or pull a sledge along. It’s a great place to get out in to the forest without skiing.

Play areas

In the Forum there’s a fun small play area for the children and some great sledging runs too.

Ice Buggy

For thrill seekers you can go out on ice buggies and have some fun.

These are down in Flaine Front de Neige and are for 8 year olds and upwards. It’s a great place to get out on the snow in a very different way.

Architectural walk – Flaine ski resort

Flaine is known for its architecture and has some quirky and beautiful pieces dotted all around the resort.

The tourist office in Flaine forum organise weekly walks where you can take a tour around and learn all about the different architectural styles and inspirations in Flaine.

Read more: The best things to do in Flaine with non skiers

Where to eat in Flaine ski resort

There’s a large number of restaurants and bars you can get food at in Flaine.

Terminal Neige – Totem – Flaine ski resort

Terminal Neige – Totem is a brilliant restaurant offering an evening buffet style meal that is delicious.

Lots of great hot dishes (with veggie options), cold plates, cheeses and best of all a huge selection of desserts including cherry pies, apricot flans, ice creams and chocolate mug plates.

For the quality of food that you get it’s very good value (€42 when we visited) and a really wonderful evening meal.

Sweet Smoke

This is a great little restaurant in Flaine Forum with a variety of quick foods on offer like sandwiches and cakes.

Monster Burger – Flaine ski resort

Monster Burger is a smart choice for families with a good selection of burgers and hotdogs. It makes for an affordable meal and you can eat in too.

Le White Pub

This is a good restaurant if you’re looking for a lively atmosphere to accompany your food.

With regular live music and screens showing live sports matches there’s much to enjoy at this spot in Flaine Forum.

Where to shop in Flaine –

If you’re self-catering the Spa supermarket in Flaine Florêt is good with enough there to keep you going for a week.

There’s plenty of fresh vegetables, pasta and sauces, breads etc.

We preferred the Sherpa supermarket in Flaine Forum which was bigger with more of a selection and a lovely fresh bread counter.

In Flaine Florêt there a lovely patisserie for fresh rustic French breads and some delicious fruit tarts in the same building as the Spa Supermarket.

We got kitted out for skis and boots at the Intersport which has branches in Flotêt and the Forum.

They were so friendly and helpful at making sure everything fitted and we had everything we needed.

There are plenty of other shops including some large ski gear shops with everything you could need from socks and gloves to skis and snowboards, a couple of gifts shops, toy shop etc.

Flaine ski resort, France: Where to stay –

Le Panoramic

We stayed in an apartment here at the Florêt which is a great place to stay. You head out the back door straight in to the ski school and the lifts to the ski runs.

Our hotel was all part of our stay with Crystal Ski. It was a great space for a family with two bedrooms and two bathrooms and a separate little cubby with bunk beds which my kids loved.

There was a nice lounge, dining area and lovely little kitchenette with two ring hob, microwave, fridge and a dishwasher. Downstairs there was a great boot room for the skis and a launderette.

Check availability and book here.

Terminal Neige – Totem – Flaine ski resort

This is my favourite hotel in Flaine. Really quirky with a cool sense of style throughout.

They offer a variety of rooms from straight doubles to rooms that will take another child, interconnecting rooms and even two and three bedroom suites.

The rooms at the back have beautiful views across the snowy mountains and the bathrooms use the owner’s own made products. There are retro style computer games in the lobby for the kids to use to their heart’s content.

Check availabillity and book here.

There were lots of other places to stay in Flaine including a number of Pierre & Vacances apartments.

What my children say about skiing in Flaine ski resort

Our winter trip to the Alps and to Flaine in the Grand Massif ski area. It was our first return to skiing in France for a few years and a chance for our children to really brush up on their skiing skills.

This is what our kids aged 11, 8 and 6 thought about the week in Flaine in their own words.

1. What was your favourite thing about our trip to Flaine in the French Alps?

N (11) – I liked how you could go straight out to the ski slopes from the hotel (we stayed in the Résidence Prestige Odalys Le Panoramic in Flaine Foret). It had lots of ski slopes and I like how you could get from one to another. There were cafes you could stop at on the slopes too which was really good, especially when the instructors took us for hot chocolates.

T (8) – There were loads of places to ski, there were long and short runs which was good for beginners. There were lots of lifts so you didn’t have to pick up your skis and walk.

M (6) – Being in the snow. I like being able to ski now too. I didn’t think I could!

2. And what did you think about the skiing?

N (11) – I really liked the teacher in the ski school. I think my skiing got better and I went on some red runs which were steep, fast and fun. Sometimes it was a bit tricky but it was good.

T (8) – The ski school people were nice and friendly and I liked making friends with people in my group. I enjoyed getting my badge at the end. It was nice getting on stage in front of everybody.

M (6) – I liked my group after a day and then I could ski and stop. It was good to get my badge from the duck.

3. What other activity did you enjoy?

N (11) – The ice quad bikes were good. It was really exciting driving in the snow in the forest. The quad bikes went fast and I liked driving it on my own.

M (6) – I liked the playground in the snow (in Flaine Forum) and the fireworks.

T (8) – Watching the fireworks on New Year’s Eve was really good and the quad bikes on the ice was good. I had never done anything like that before! It went really fast.

4. What did you think of our accommodation? (we stayed in Résidence Prestige Odalys Le Panoramic)

N (11) – I liked the size of the apartment and the bunk beds. I also liked how you could look out at the snow and the slopes. It was good to be able to get your skis and go straight off skiing.

T (8) – The hotel rooms were really nice because it was warm and had lots of rooms. We could watch some cartoons on the TV in the lounge but some were in French. I liked the fact that we had a bunk bed. That was good fun.  I liked that it had a storage for all the skis and that it had a pool in the hotel. It was very close to the ski slope so you didn’t have to walk far at all.

5. Would you like to stay in that apartment again?

N (11) – Yes, it fitted us all in and there were lots of rooms.

T (8) – It was really good being close to the ski slopes so you didn’t have to catch a bus. I wish there had been more English TV shows and channels. I liked the hotel pool but it was a bit cold on some days.

6. Was there anything you didn’t enjoy about the trip?

N (11) – No, I loved it all. It was quite quick to get to from the airport and the bus brought us close to the hotel and then you could ski as much as you wanted.

T (8) – The lessons were quite long {three hours} and some times the instructors were a bit strict!

7. What would you say to other children going to Flaine for the first time?

N (11) – It’s really big and there is lots to do in Flaine. The groups are not too big and you’ll improve your skiing so you will enjoy it. There is a big swimming pool (in Flaine Forum) which you can use too and I really enjoyed going to Terminal Neige for dinner. It was great (especially the salmon quiche, I really, really want to have that again, it was so good).

T (8) – You’ll have lots of fun in Flaine. You will be skiing a lot. The hotel has its own locker room for skis and your boots so you won’t have to worry about that. It’s right next to the ski slope which is good. There’s a really fun lift between the levels too.

8. Would you like to go skiing in Flaine again?

N (11) – I would. I think there is lots to see in Flaine. There are lots of places to ski and lots of big lifts to take you to different places so there is always something new.

T (8) – Definitely I would go back again. There’s lots to do there and on New Year’s Eve there were brilliant fireworks. I think my skiing has got much better. I’m faster than I was and I can do really good turning now.

M (6) – Yes, now I can ski I would like to go again.

Flaine, France: Costs –

We didn’t find Flaine to be too highly priced for a ski resort. Here are some of the costs around the town for some of the various activities, services and products to give you an idea {correct as of 2018}.

Ski Costs

Kids Ski Hire – 5-13 year olds (skis, helmet & boots) – €50 Adult – (Skis, Boots & helmet) – €95

Kids group ski lessons – 6 days, 3 hours a day – €187 Adults group ski lessons – 6 days, 3 hours a day – €187

In the shops:

Bread from the bakery – €1.70

1 litre of milk – €2

In the restaurants:

Crepe from seller in the Forum – €2.50

Takeaway margarita Pizza from Pizzeria Chez Pierrot – €10

Read more about our skiing trip to Flaine with Crystal Ski here which also has a video of our time in Flaine. And check out our ultimate guide to skiing with kids for lots more ski features and inspiration.