If you’re a bit of a party animal with a penchant for skiing and snowboarding, the French Alps is the perfect place to satisfy your twin passions.
But if you can only pick one snowsports resort for your annual blowout, how can you choose wisely?
Simple ̶ read on for our review of five French Alps ski resorts with awesome après-ski!
- Alpe d’Huez
There are plenty of hotspots in Alpe d’Huez to keep you entertained. For starters, Smithy’s pub has fresh beer and tasty Tex-Mex food, the Freeride Café has pool tables and a slide down to the toilet (which saves you walking after a few beverages) and there’s also a branch of the infamous Folie Douce Alpine cabaret bar.
Tip: L’Igloo is an excellent late-night spot for continuing the party into the wee small hours.
- Chamonix
The nightlife in Chamonix (or ‘Cham’ as insiders call it) is eclectic and exciting. Chambre 9 gets the party going with DJ sets, strong drinks and tabletop dancing, Les Caves is a little more swish and sophisticated and Moo Bar is a super spot to people-watch and sip cool cocktails.
Tip: enjoy a crisp locally brewed beer at Micro Brasserie de Chamonix.
- Tignes
Tignes is a terrific place to unwind all the way ̶ you can watch live football at Couloir, ski straight to the door at Loop Bar and enjoy DJs on the wheels of steel as you warm up on the sun terrace and dance the night away at Dropzone Café. For something a little more laid-back, try Le Studio in nearby Val Claret, while L’Embuscade is a chilled-out French bar that plays superb funk and soul tunes.
Tip: NUCO Travel can arrange a tailor-made holiday for you in Tignes.
- Les 2 Alpes
If you like the sound of Smithy’s, you’ll be glad to know that it has a branch in Les 2 Alpes too, while the lively Grotte du Yeti hosts DJs, theme nights and live bands on its expansive sun terrace and you can bust a move at Avalanche nightclub until 6am. However, the pick of the bunch here has to be the pirate themed Rhumerie, which serves over 60 types of rum and is fantastic fun!
Tip: don’t miss Le Motown Café if you love tasty cocktails and tunes from Detroit’s famous label.
- Avoriaz
Some regulars claim that Avoriaz is the pick of the bunch when it comes to diverse après-ski. Le Shooters offers more types of eye-watering shots than you can shake a stick at, Café Fantastique has tapas and cocktails and Chez Flo is another hotspot. But the resort also hosts the excellent Snowboxx Festival, which has featured world-class acts like Fatboy Slim and Stormzy in recent years.
Tip: The Place is a great spot in Avoriaz to catch live jazz music.
So ends our list, but please share your favourite French après-ski spots in the comments section!
