The approach to Val Thorens is up the Belleville valley from Moûtiers, alt 800m. The road winds up the mountain through the steep-sided valley passing through several villages on the way and reaching St Martin at 1450m after 18km. The first lift of the 3 valleys ski network departs from here. Les Menuires lies at 1800m, a further 8km and Val Thorens is situated at 2300m and 38km from Moûtiers.
To help you get your bearings, in this section you will find area maps showing you the layout of the land, detailed street maps, activity area maps, and lift & piste maps for Val Thorens, and the Three Valleys.
Town Maps for Val Thorens
The three resorts that make up the Belleville Valley each have their own ski areas, town centres and transport systems. As you drive into the valley along the mountain road that rises up from Moûtiers you will come first to the charming village of Saint Martin de Belleville at 1450m, then to the more modern resort of Les Menuires at 1800m and finally to Europe's highest ski resort of Val Thorens at 2300m. Each resort has its own atmosphere and while you are in the Valley it is worth visiting each one, whether on skis or on the bus, to get a feel for how the Valley has developed.
These maps should help you find your way around town and we have included an overview of the region so that you can see where Val Thorens lies in relation to its neighbouring resorts.
The Val Thorens and Belleville Valley piste maps give good detail of the local area, whereas the 3 Valleys piste map gives you a broad picture of how everything is connected.
We've added individual piste maps for Courchevel and Méribel so you can get a better idea of actually how much there is to ski in the whole 3 Valleys area!
Paper copies of the piste maps can be found in resort at the lift stations, lift pass offices, Tourist Office and in the receptions of many hotels and residences. Make sure you take a copy up the mountain with you so you know how to get back to your resort at the end of the day. It can be an expensive taxi ride home if you end up in the wrong one once the lifts have closed!
There are loads of activities going on in the Belleville valley, each with their own dedicated brochures. Hiking and mountain biking are particularly popular during the summer months and of course in winter there's always the snow park. These maps are the ones we have been able to get our hands on for you...
Chambéry (122km) is the nearest airport to Val Thorens, followed by Grenoble (189km), Lyon Saint-Exupéry (199km) and Geneva (203km). All the airports are serviced by regular bus links to the 3 Valleys resorts, please see the links below for details. You can also travel by airport transfer, this must be booked in advance and many people prefer it as it can be quicker and cheaper than the public buses. For more information on getting from your chosen airport to resort please read Travelling Between the Airport & Val Thorens.
There is a free bus service in and around Val Thorens, and also between Les Menuires, Reberty and St Martin de Belleville further down the mountain. This service runs 4 times a day, every day except Saturday, during the summer and winter seasons. There is also a local bus service that runs between Val Thorens and Moûtiers but it is not that frequent, and runs about every 2 hours. It is a good idea to get hold of a bus timetable just in case of adverse weather conditions and you can pick them up in resort or download and print the link below.
Pedestrians and cross country skiers can take advantage of a free bus service during the winter that runs between Val Thorens, Les Menuires and St Martin de Belleville.
The other Three Valley resorts (Courchevel, La Tania, St Martin, Brides les Bains and Meribel) can all be reached on skis/board via the lift system.
The nearest train station to Val Thorens is Moûtiers - approximately 38km from Val Thorens. (The full name is Moutiers les Salins, Brides les Bains - be careful not to confuse with several other Moutiers in France and Switzerland…..it has been done!). Buses run regularly from Moûtiers to Val Thorens, please see the links below. Alternatively you could take a taxi.