ollectively Les Arcs, Peisey-Vallandry, Villaroger and Bourg St. Maurice make up one half of the huge Paradiski area. The other half, made up of the various villages of La Plagne, is linked to it by the world’s first double-decker, 200 man cable car, the Vanoise Express. Les Arcs boasts one of Europe’s longest pistes (8km and over 2000m of vertical descent) from the top of the highest peak in resort, the Aiguille Rouge, to the hamlet of Villaroger all the way down at 1200m. It is also the local resort for most of the Cool Bus team so it goes without saying, we all love it! Les Arcs 1600, 1800 and 2000 were all built in the 1970’s using similar ‘unique’ architecture! Consisting of multi storey buildings containing small apartments all clad in wood with curved sloping roofs they might not be the most attractive but they do blend in with the surroundings better than some of the concrete tower blocks you see in other resorts. The newer village of Arc 1950 was completed just 9 years ago by Canadian company Intrawest and this influence is clearly seen in its architecture. Vallandry certainly wins the award for the most attractive village in the area and has a unique, central position in the heart of the Paradiski meaning its just as easy to head to La Plagne for a days skiing as its is to spend
Les Arcs & Bourg Saint Maurice the day in Les Arcs. The smaller villages of Peisey-Nancroix and Villaroger have developed from farming hamlets and as such retain a charming traditional feel but lack some of the amenities of the larger villages. Then down in the valley, the hub town of Bourg St. Maurice links to Arc 1600 via a very efficient funicular railway which takes just 7 minutes to whisk you up the 800 metre climb!
Bourg is more of regular town and as such has more amenities including several large supermarkets and chain stores, a 3 screen cinema, large indoor swimming pool, many nice bars and more great restaurants that you might expect from a place of its size! Its actually a great place to stay and a good deal cheaper than staying up in the ski area and you might even bump into a Cool Bus driver or two!
Photo: Manu Reyboz
Photo: Tristan Shu
Les Arcs & BSM Guide
05