Les Arcs
Set in the trees overlooking the Vanoise national park, Les Arcs is an expansive purpose built resort comprising of four towns.
Best for
Cruisy pistes & excellent off piste
Fun fact
The home of the famous speed ski run "The flying kilometre"
Nearest airport
Chambery (108km)
Centre comfort
Resort charm
Snow sure rating
There are a total of 200km of pistes in the Les Arcs ski area served by 57 lifts. With a number of pistes over 2000m there is plenty of snow sure skiing. There is a wide variety of pistes for every level, the variety in Les Arcs is one of its biggest selling points. This resort is particularly good for intermediate skiers with a superb selection of cruising blues and challenging reds to keep you entertained. Advanced skiers are also well catered for with a number of interesting and challenging black runs.
The off piste in Les Arcs is superb, and again there is great variety. The lower slopes offer some really nice tree skiing which is an excellent option for low visibility days, or in fact, any day. Around 'Deux Tetes' there is an area known as the ‘rock garden’ which offers some fairly adventurous off piste with a number of drops in a variety of sizes. If you head over to the Aiguille Rouge area there are also plenty of big steep descents for the really advanced skiers. These options are usually better around Spring time.
There is an excellent snowpark just above Les Arc 1600 which is one of the biggest in Europe. It has an excellent selection of kickers, rails, boxes, tables and usually an airbag as well. There is a cool mountain hut at the bottom where you can chill out in the sun, eat some lunch or just watch the action.
Les Arcs is a collection of four modern, attractive purpose built resorts nestled in the woods overlooking the Vanoise National Park. Les Arcs is wonderfully accessible, being connected to the nearby Bourg St Maurice by a funicular which takes just 7 minutes.
The villages are known as Arc 1600, Arc 1800, Arc 1950 and Arc 2000 which are rough approximations of their altitude (except 2000 which is named after the millennium, its actual altitude is nearer 2100m). It’s very easy to move between them either by walking, bus or even skiing. Arc 1600 (where UCPA Les Arcs is) is a nice compact village which has been designed with ski convenience in mind. In general Les Arcs is a quiet and friendly resort, Arc 1800 is the busiest of the villages and where the best nightlife can be found.
UCPA Les Arcs centre is located in Les Arcs 1600.
UCPA Les Arcs is one of the biggest and most impressive centres with a capacity of 460 people. It is located right on the piste and could not be more of a ski in ski out centre. The centre is approximately 15 minutes walk from the town centre but most people tend to stay on site. The centre has a very friendly and vibrant atmosphere and with its large capacity, bars and restaurants, it is generally a much more exciting après ski venue than town.
Rooms
- 4 person rooms
- 2-person rooms available (bunkbed)
- Bathroom facilities on each floor
Facilities
- 3 well priced bars
- 3 buffet style restaurants
- Ski equipment and storage all on site
- Lift passes provided at the centre
- WiFi in bar area. Please note the WiFi is not good enough for working on data intensive activities
All UCPA meals are buffet style and with multiple servings the norm; you won't go hungry.
Breakfast is normally yogurts, cereals, fruit juice, coffee and bread - don't be surprised to see that the coffee and tea is taken in a bowl!
It is possible to return to the centre for lunch everyday where you will find 1 or 2 hot options available. As with all meals there will be a salad bar, plenty of bread, cheese, meat and of course desert. If you prefer you can make a packed lunch at breakfast time and eat on the mountain. Either way you will save a fortune avoiding the piste side restaurants.
Dinner is a 3/4 course buffet - typically a salad bar style starter, a choice of 3 hot main courses, a cheese and cold meat platter and ice cream/dessert.
Due to the cost focussed nature of UCPA and the wide range of dietary requirements, it is impossible to accommodate everyone as standard. If you have any severe dietary requirements please contact the centre two weeks before to let them know. Generally speaking vegetarians will find plenty of options, with vegan options being a little more scarce but improving year on year.
By Air
Whilst Chambery is technically the closest airport to Les Arcs, most customers fly to Geneva due to the greater availability of flights and transfers. You can select a Geneva airport transfer at check out (all prices shown are for a return journey). We do not provide transfers from Chambery.
Airport Transfers
We provide shared transfers on Saturdays from Geneva to Les Arcs with our local partner Ben's Bus. The journey is 165km and takes around 3h15 but this can vary depending on weather and traffic conditions.
Geneva
Dates 14/12/24 - 12/4/25 | Latest flight arrival | Earliest flight departure |
---|---|---|
All Saturdays | 18:05 (18:25 in April) | 09:20 (09:40 in April) |
Transfers run on Saturdays only
Transfers are scheduled according to flight times. As soon as you have put your flight times in, you can choose your bus time. You will be offered the most appropriate bus according to your flight times (note that, as the buses get booked up, the timings may become less convenient). Like all shared transfers, sometimes there may be a wait of a few hours in the airport for other flights to arrive or to combine passenger journeys for varying flight departure times. The maximum wait time between landing and bus departing is usually two hours, often much less.
Please log in to your dashboard to enter your flight details and choose your bus as soon as your booking is confirmed and you have booked your flights, please note that transfers will be subject to availability at the time that you log-in to select your bus.
If you are not sure of your flight times then from your customer dashboard "Transfer Details" - you can live check available bus times.
For midweek transfers and flights outside of our times, have a look at Altibus and Alpybus.
By Coach
Our partner company Snowexpress offers affordable and environmentally friendly travel to the alps. All hold bags and ski bags are included in the price. The coaches travel through the night from London Victoria to resort, arriving typically after lunchtime directly at the centre.
By Train
Taking the train to Les Arcs is easy. The nearest train station is Bourg St Maurice, from there you take the funicular up to Les Arcs. A free shuttle bus links all of the Les Arcs areas.
By Car
It is possible to drive to Les Arcs, but it is important to note that driving can become challenging if the conditions turn significantly wintery - snow tires and chains may be required. There is no parking at the centre but there is a free car park just 100m away, however, it is unguarded and uncovered.
The Les Arcs UCPA centre is located in Les Arcs 1600.
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