What are the closest ski resorts to Paris?

Skiing on the Montmartre hill or the Mont Valérien is nice for a few hours when it snows, but nothing beats the big French ski resorts. The problem is that when you live in Paris or its suburbs, they can quickly seem like the end of the world. So we got out our maps, our GPS and looked at the SNCF routes to minimise your travel time, if you're in a hurry.

The Gérardmer ski area

Located 440km from the capital, the Vosges resort is without doubt the closest to Paris as the crow flies, when you look at a map or when you have fun calculating an itinerary on mappy.fr or Viamichelin.

At the crossroads of Lorraine and Alsace, Gérardmer has 40km of downhill skiing, the longest run in the Vosges at 2900m and 182 snow cannons, if needed. To get there by car, it will take you 4h21 if the traffic is fluid. By train, it's a bit faster. Count on about 3h35 by taking a TGV from Lyon station, direction Remiremont (2h40 of journey). Then, you will have to take a bus to Gérardmer (35 min) then a shuttle to reach the resort (20 min).

La Bresse, ski resort of the Hautes-Vosges

In the heart of the Vosges Balloon Regional Park, La Bresse is the resort you can reach fastest by train from Paris. If the TGV journey is the same as for Gérardmer (via Remiremont), the final connection is a little quicker by bus. As a result, you can enjoy the gentle slopes facing the Hohneck, the highest point in the Vosges (1363 metres) in 3 hours and 15 minutes.

The resort of Métabief

Still in the Grand-Est region but this time in the Doubs, Métabief is one of the closest ski areas to Paris. To reach the Jura mountains, it will take you about 3h40 between the train (which you will take to Frasnes station) and the bus.

By car, add a good hour to cover the 464km that separate them from the capital on motorways and secondary roads. Once there, you can enjoy cross-country skiing (214km of trails) and a breathtaking view of the Alps.

The Mont Dore ski resort

If you opt for the car, then the resort on the northern side of the Massif du Sancy is perhaps the best option. At 467km from Paris, it's only a 4h17 drive from the capital when all goes well.

What's more, the "Little Chamonix of the Massif Central" as it is known, offers a terrain suitable for all skiers with its 41km of pistes and its summit which is close to 1850 metres. A little further away (471 km), on the southern side, Super-Besse is also very accessible. The choice is yours!

Alpe d'Huez

Located only 63 kilometres from the TGV station in Grenoble, Alpe d'Huez is in fact only 4 hours away from Paris (3 hours 10 minutes by TGV + 50 minutes by coach). This makes it one of the closest Alpine resorts to the capital!

Known for its comedy film festival which takes place every year in January, the Isère resort also benefits from an exceptional skiing environment with apparently 300 days of sunshine per year. It's up to you to shine on the mythical slopes! Note that from Grenoble station, the resorts of Chamrousse and Sept Laux are also very close.

Les Arcs

Savoie is also at the gateway to Paris (or almost) thanks to the train. From Lyon station, take a TGV to Bourg Saint Maurice. The journey takes just over 5 hours. From there it's very easy as a funicular takes you directly to 1600 m altitude in just 7 minutes. By car, it takes 7 hours to cover the 680km distance.

For lovers of the Pyrenees

Finally, if you only swear by the ski resorts of the Pyrenees, you'll have to be patient. The closest resorts to Paris by car are Le Mourtis in Haute-Garonne (788km) and Le Goulier in Ariège (795km). By train, aim for the stations of Pau (4h15) or Tarbes (5h10) where shuttles can then take you to La Mongie or Gourette among others. The good air of the mountains is to be earned!

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