The Three Valleys — Europe's largest ski area, luxury chalets
Courchevel is the most glamorous ski resort in the Alps and the gateway to the Three Valleys — at 600km the largest interconnected ski area in the world. The resort sits in the Tarentaise Valley above Moûtiers, with four altitude villages (Courchevel 1300, 1550, 1650, and the iconic 1850/Le Praz). The altiport airport with its famously steep runway is the ultimate grand entrance. Michelin-starred restaurants outnumber those of many entire cities, and the main street in December is lined with private jets and Russian oligarchs.
Courchevel was purpose-built in 1946 after the Vichy government commissioned architect Laurent Chappis to design an ideal mountain resort on socialist principles — originally intended as a democratic destination accessible to all. The lifts were built before any accommodation. The democratising vision lasted until the 1970s, when luxury chalets and helicopter pads took over, transforming it into Europe's most exclusive winter resort.