graphic
graphic
graphic
Personal Finance > Smart Spending > Travel
graphic

Val d'Isere, France
Fresh powder with fine French food to boot
October 24, 2002: 11:57 AM EDT
By Nick Pachetti, Money Magazine Staff Writer

VAL D'ISERE, France (Money Magazine) - We hesitated before recommending a European ski resort, knowing full well that the dollar has lost value against the euro in the past year. But Americans still benefit from 18 percent more buying power on the Continent since the European currency was introduced in Jan. 1999. And currency aside, European resorts have long drawn Americans with packages that offer better value -- not to mention a more interesting cultural experience -- than skiing in the Rockies.

Our current favorite? France's Val d'Isere. Located in a valley close to the Italian border, the village of Val d'Isere offers breathtaking views and consistently good powder snow. It's also got some of the best skiing infrastructure in Europe, thanks to extensive upgrades for the 1992 Winter Olympics men's downhill, which added fast cable-cars and gondolas to serve the locale's well-groomed slopes. And Val d'Isere continues to make improvements

Alta, UtahPhoenix, Ariz.Robert Trent Jones Golf TrailSanibel and Captiva Islands, Fla.Baja California, MexicoAntigua, GuatamalaMartiniqueVal d'Isere, FranceBack to main page

In general, the resort is rarely congested. With 100 lifts and over 300 kilometers of runs, Val d'Isere is one of Europe's biggest resorts. (Colorado's famous Vail resort, by comparison, is roughly one third the size -- and notoriously crowded.) There are runs for everyone, including beginners, and some of the most challenging lift-served off-trail skiing in the world. The slopes sit at high altitude, so there's always plenty of snow from November to at least April. If that weren't enough, Savoie, the region where Val d'Isere is located, offers some of the tastiest dishes you'll find at any resort in Europe.

In January, SkiEurope (800-333-5533) is offering round-trip air fare to Geneva from New York, seven nights' accommodations, breakfast and shuttle transfers (but not lift tickets) for $969. A six-day pass that allows you to ski anywhere in the area costs just $28 a day.  Top of page




  More on PERSONAL FINANCE
How can I protect my investments from inflation?
How to catch up on retirement savings in your 50s
How do you know you're really ready to retire early?
  TODAY'S TOP STORIES
7 things to know before the bell
SoftBank and Toyota want driverless cars to change the world
Aston Martin falls 5% in its London IPO




graphic graphic

Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.

Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.