La Plagne to Les Arcs. So, you’re coming on holiday to La Plagne and are a confident beginner and above? In that case, you really should invest in the full area pass to take advantage of the tremendous skiing and snowboarding that lies on the doorstep in neighbouring Les Arcs. Also, the runs in Les Arcs tend to be slightly more challenging than in La Plagne – ideal for more advanced skiers and snowboarders.

La Plagne is joined to Les Arcs by the massive double-decker cable car, the Vanoise Express which almost doubles the terrain and makes the combined Paradiski resort the third-largest ski in the area in the world with 425km of pistes. To get a better idea of how close these resorts are to each other, check the Paradiski 3D video or Paradiski from the air videos. Scroll to the bottom of this page to download a hi-res version of the piste map of this route.

Getting to Les Arcs from La Plagne

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This route starts from Plagne Bellecôte (easily accessible from all other areas – check the La Plagne piste map) firstly on the Arpette chair then taking the Replat rope two to access the Montchavin sector. From there, you’re spoiled for choice in terms of which runs to follow. In this video, we start on the Mont Blanc blue piste (one of La Plagne’s best blue runs – and also the longest piste in the resort).

We then drop right onto the Pierres Blanches then left onto the excellent Myrtilles blue piste (always quieter and quicker than sticking to the Mont Blanc) before rejoining the Mont Blanc again to ride towards the Vanoise Express link lift. Note – sticking to the full Mont Blanc run is an option for doing the same – but we prefer this route.

The Vanoise Express and Les Arcs

This video also features an overview of Peisey-Vallandry and the main Les Arcs area. You’ll obviously need to take the Vanoise Express to get back so please indulge us here for a minute as we talk about this immense lift . . . The Vanoise Express itself is more than just a télépherique – it’s more a feat of engineering genius. Once the largest cable car in the world, the ride between La Plagne and Les Arcs takes around five minutes to span the 1.8km distance over the Ponturin river, all suspended by just two pylons in the terminals on either side. The lift can also carry a staggering 180 people each way and has a glass bottom on the lower deck to let you survey the valley floor – at its highest, some 380m below.

The route from Les Arcs to La Plagne

We then take the lower section of the Mont Blanc blue (the only piste you can take from the Vanoise Express) down to the Lac Noir gondola out of Montchavin followed by the Bijolin chair. Don’t worry – all these links are clearly signposted. At the top of this lift, we’ll take the Carolley piste down to the high-speed Crozats chair (much quicker than the aging Salla chairlift) which then drops you at the top of the Belle Plagne / Plagne Bellecôte bowl.

Next, take the Barrieres blue piste. At the end of this run, there are various options to get back to the villages. Our preference would be the Laines blue piste for Belle Plagne or the wide-open Arpette blue piste to return to Plagne Bellecôte where you can link into the main area on the Colosses chair or, if you’re staying in Champagny-en-Vanoise, on the Blanchets chair.

La Plagne to Les Arcs route map

Click here to download a hi-res version of the La Plagne to Les Arcs map to your phone

Les Arcs piste map

Click here to download a hi-res version of the Les Arcs piste map to your phone

When is the best time to visit La Plagne?

To get a better idea of what to expect from your La Plagne ski holiday at any given time of the season, check our month-by-month snow and conditions guides that detail typical snow and conditions: La Plagne in December, La Plagne in January, La Plagne in February, La Plagne in March and La Plagne in April. There’s also an abbreviated, shorter version when is the best time to ski in La Plagne.

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Full area piste map