Valloire: Impressions of a Traditional Ski Village in the French Alps during Winter

Valloire was a nice surprise for us. This alpine ski village is one of the authentic mountain villages and ski resorts in France that maintains a traditional atmosphere with Savoyard architecture and mountain valley panorama. The village functions as a real village itself and is not some fabricated ski village put up for winter sport commerce and tourism. Because of this, Valloire has real character.

Valloire village taken from the Setaz gondola lift.

Valloire Village
Tourism website: Valloire (they have an English version site!)

To the non-skiers and snowboarders, hello there and take heart! The village is not just a good destination for winter sports but for everyone as well, yes for you non-skier and non-snowboarder, young and old.

There are many restaurants, cafes, pubs and specialty shops from gourmet food to clothing, and even a coiffure salon available to your picking in the village… as well as events to enjoy, places of interests to see and tons of activities to experience without having to touch a ski or snowboard.

I have them all listed below =)

1) Snow Grotto in the slopes â€“ accessible via the Cret de la Brive gondola station
2) Panorama walk (and picnic) in the slopes â€“ accessible via Cret de la Brive and Setaz gondola stations
3) Altitude restaurants, cafes and bars â€“ accessible via Cret de la Brive and Setaz gondola stations (Valloire has 2 gondola stations)
4) Snowshoe walks
5) Walking with the Llamas â€“ yes, those furry animals
6) Dog sledding
7) Horse-carriage rides in the village
8) Snake Gliss runs on the slopes
9) Segway rides in the village
10) Ice Rink for Ice Skating and Ice Hockey
11) Aeroclub â€“ if you want to fly a small plane
12) Microlight flights
13) Paragliding/Parapenting and Paraskiing
14) Spa and Health centres
15) Cultural centre and arts
16) Cinema â€“ they show in English as well
17) Bowling centre
18) Discotheque
19) Friday open-air (gourmet) market on the square by the church
20) Farm tours or visit directly a farm where you can buy fresh produce such as cheese from the farmers
21) Brewery tours â€“ the Galibier beer
22) Alpine Skiing and Cross-Country Skiing Events (to watch!)
23) Christmas Markets during December
24) Ice Sculpture Contest in January
25) Snow Sculpture Contest in January
26) The interior of the church (Notre Dame d’ el Assomption) is a beautiful work of art in itself!
27) And moreâ€¦

Below are my pictures:

My first day – night in Valloire, waiting for the bus to the village centre. If we opted to walk it would take us aproximately 10 minutes.

Dried sausages on the store display window. It might not be clear in the picture but some of the sausages were formed as a cross (the symbol of Savoie department) and horns of a deer.