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Serre Chevalier Resort Reviews


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Visitor reviews for Serre Chevalier Ski Resort

Serre Chevalier Ratings

Overall: 4.4. Based on 40 votes and 57 reviews. Vote

Snowsure: 4.6

(1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Serre Chevalier is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.

Variety of pistes: 4.9

(1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Serre Chevalier has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.

Off-piste: 4.5

(1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.

Scenery: 4.6

(1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.

Access: 4.2

(1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Serre Chevalier.

Public Transport: 4.1

(1) There are no buses or taxis to Serre Chevalier, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.

Accommodation: 4.6

(1) No places to stay in/near Serre Chevalier, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.

Cheap Rooms: 4.3

(1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.

Luxury Hotels: 3.5

(1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Serre Chevalier.

Ski in/Ski out: 4.2

(1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.

Childcare: 4.4

(1) There are no child care facilities at Serre Chevalier, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.

Snowmaking: 4.4

(1) Serre Chevalier relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.

Snow Grooming: 4.7

(1) There are no snow groomers at Serre Chevalier, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Serre Chevalier are groomed daily.

Shelter: 4.5

(1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Serre Chevalier is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.

Nearby options: 4.1

(1) If snow conditions are poor at Serre Chevalier, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.

Regional rating: 4.5

(1) Serre Chevalier usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.

Lift Staff: 4.5

(1) The staff at Serre Chevalier are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Serre Chevalier are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.

Crowds/Queues: 4.0

(1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.

Ski Schools: 4.8

(1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.

Hire and Repairs: 5.0

(1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.

Beginners: 4.5

(1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.

Intermediates: 4.9

(1) No intermediate terrain at Serre Chevalier, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.

Advanced: 4.9

(1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.

Snow Park: 4.1

(1) Not even a kicker at Serre Chevalier, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.

Cross-country: 4.1

(1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Serre Chevalier, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.

Luge/Toboggan: 3.3

(1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Serre Chevalier has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.

Mountain Dining: 4.5

(1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.

Eating: 4.6

(1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.

Apres-Ski: 3.7

(1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.

Other Sports: 4.6

(1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.

Entertainment: 4.2

(1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.

Winter Walks: 4.5

(1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.

Ski Pass Value: 4.2

(1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.

Value (National): 4.3

(1) Overall, Serre Chevalier is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.

Value (Global): 4.1

(1) Overall, Serre Chevalier is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

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May 21, 2022
David Smith from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Probably my favourite ski resort! I spent a good few weeks here in 2022 on a season pass, it is one of the biggest resorts in France for piste length, I didn't go off piste but I was told they have good options for that too. Getting here is perfectly easy, although not necessarily from Geneva. I like the night train from Paris to Briancon, which is the main town and genuinely in Serre Chevalier, there is also a regular bus from Grenoble and connections from Turin by either bus or train. The variety of pistes is great and the area itself is quite compact. Possibly there could ideally be a few more black runs but a few of their reds could easily be upgraded in all honesty. Pylons is the best black and petit Alpe and Echaillon are challenging reds. You can basically go everywhere on chairlifts - the way up from Briancon is the only exception - so no need to take off your skis and the time spent going up to going down is much better than other resorts I have been to (eg Alpe d'Huez). Despite the size of the resort even relatively basic intermediate skiers have a lot of options. The whole resort can be traversed "left to right" on blue slopes, coming back there is the bus, or one long but relatively easy red (Cucumelle) is the only difficulty. Decent and better skiers can also enjoy some fun blue runs, the half-pipe-esqe Tetras stands out as well as Pas de l'Ane (take the first left). One of the defining features at Serre Che for me is that the pistes have character - these are not typically just roads of varying steepness on the side of a mountain - it feels like each piste, or most at least - are different with their own difficulties and characteristics. Some are bumpy, some narrow and undulating, some fill with powder and others, simply fun! Logistics deserve a mention. Serre Che is set out along one valley with a bus running end to end. This means if you end up in the wrong place at the end of the day the max cost is two euros, not a two hour taxi from another valley (or country - PdS!) The bus runs through the day, including to the train station, so is genuinely useful for bringing you to your accommodation and taking you home on the last day. The best places to stay probably are any of the villages except Monetier or Briancon - while both are very nice your chances to ski back directly rather than taking the afternoon bus are much greater here. Briancon also has trouble with wind - if the way up is closed the bus to other villages is thankfully free - but we all prefer skis to wheels so still not ideal. A few negatives. The wind in Briancon. Famous for sun, being on the southern side of the Alps means potentially less snow. When I was there unluckily it snowed very little, although many places in France had this experience, it is less snow sure than other resorts. However, snow making was good and the skiing was still great fun, we mostly lacked off piste. The bus is not really designed for skiers, Briancon is a real town in the Alps - in the morning you may squeeze your skis next to a real person going to work. The transport from Turin was a bit dysfunctional, although this is not really a fault of the resort it does complicate things. If you don't speak French and use public transport and ignore a warning that the bus is cancelled then that is on you, sorry! Quite a few pistes didn't open much or at all in 2022 - none of the blues down into Briancon were ever open that I saw, neither the black into Monetier. Finally, the eco credentials are worth mentioning. Serre Che seems to have gone in on renewables more than most resorts. Quite a few chairlifts are covered in solar panels which are alleged to produce more than they consume. The water pipes for snowmaking have been repurposed for hydro electric storage and generation, and there are two wind turbines as well. Only two seems like a gimmick - it seems that every ski resort should have more considering their elevation, but it is a start I suppose. And finally, for the eco conscious, by far the largest part of our carbon footprint when skiing is flying to the resort - and Serre Che has a direct overnight train from Paris to Briancon - and train + bus options from Paris via Grenoble or Modane, so if you really want to help make skiing greener, give the train a chance!
January 13, 2022
Kim Cant from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
This is the third time we have visited Serre Chevalier for a long stay, this time for 8 weeks. Why do we come back? Because the snow is excellent despite it being relatively low, the pistes are well groomed and we love all the tree lined red runs particularly at Monetier. In January you can often have the whole run to yourself. Briancon is a lovely medieval town to visit as well, although the skiing on that side is not as good as it gets the sun & can be icy.
March 07, 2017
Jessica Wright from Ski France France
Serre Chevalier is a gem kept secret from the rest of the Alps. Having never heard of the area before my arrival I was dubious and unsure what it would have to offer. However, my qualms were short lived. Although the village I stayed in (Villeneuve) was small and quiet, it was quaint and had everything that I would want throughout my stay, even an old town full of character that transports you to 17th century French living. There are 4 main towns that make up Serre Chevalier all with something to offer. Villeneuve (where I stayed), Monetier Les Bain, with a wonderful outdoor thermal spa perfect for a change of pace, Chantemerle with more of an evening atmosphere and Briancon, the highest town in Europe which boasts another wonderful old town, which towers over the modern town in the hills of Serre Chevalier. All 4 places connect by a free (with a lift pass) and frequent bus service. You can also catch a bus to Montgeneve, a better known ski resort which is also worth a visit! The skiing in Serre Che is perfect for intermediate skiers who like to challenge themselves but also have the option to take easier scenic routes down. It is through the trees and is a beautiful setting to enjoy and be in.
January 13, 2016
simon from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Arrived 3 Jan 2016. Plenty of snow arrived but very little piste bashing. They only opened a few lifts 'til Saturday. More opened for the locals when it snowed/rained so hard nobody hardly went out so would not go here again.
December 19, 2015
Nick Wells from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Just been out to Serre Chevalier to open up the apartment for the new season. Report on ski conditions: No real snow at the resort! But the snow cannons have been worked hard to give a pretty good range of pistes along the length of the valley. The snow was surprisingly good and the length and variety of runs was quite extensive. The investment in snow cannons appears to have paid off. Is this the future of early season skiing?
March 15, 2015
Paul Jenner from Ski France France
We've skied and snowboarded in many resorts in Europe and North America but the only one we've wanted to return to again and again is Monetier-les-Bains, the highest of the villages that together comprise Serre Chevalier. Why? First of all, the skiing and boarding is superb. In addition to the 250km of pistes there are tremendous off-piste possibilities (the Montagnolle, Grand Pré and Voie Jackson to name a few) to suit all levels. When you've exhausted all that you have several other resorts nearby, including La Grave, the off-piste mecca. As to cross-country, there are beautiful trails locally and within easy reach. You'll never be bored. We also like the fact that Monetier is a proper village (with cows) and not purpose-built. We liked it so much that we bought Studio La Petite Corneille (available to rent when we're not there). If you like discos then Monetier isn't for you but if you love the mountains you'll love this place.
February 23, 2015
Sally Webb from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Spent half-term week in Serre Che. Skiing was an intermediate skiers paradise, with loads of red and blue runs. Loved the red runs off Yret and Clot Gauthier chairlifts. Conditions were fantastic most of the time with a very snowy and windy day at the end of the week which closed the links across the mountain. Considering it was half-term across most of France and UK, it wasn't too busy. Maximum waiting time was 5 to 10 minutes. We stayed in Briancon; not the prettiest of places but apartment was so convenient for gondola.
February 09, 2015
Jason Berry from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Feb 9th 2015. Returned yesterday from an amazing week in Serre Chevalier. Fantastic skiing on generally un-crowed pistes. Had a couple of private lessons with Ski Connections & our instructor, Julien, was fantastic; throughly recommend! Tested our abilities to the max & gave us confidence to ski areas we wouldn't have thought possible!
January 29, 2015
John from Ski France France
Truly one of the best ski stations in France, if not, Europe. High tree line and long wide open runs. Very friendly, family atmosphere and, most importantly, you actually feel like you are in France and not West London! I would recommend Serre Chevalier to anyone, any time of the year. Easy access to resort from Grenoble or Turin airports; we used Alpine Transfer Company to get to the resort. Friendly, professional drivers.
December 24, 2014
Nick Wells from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Just had long weekend in Serre Chevalier: 13th to 16th December. There is good snow cover above 2000m with 4" top up of fresh snow on Sunday 14th. No low level snow will restrict access, but the whole length of the valley is skiable with bus link between Monetier and Villeneuve. No skiing on Briancon side but Prorel has some good snow. Artificial snow has helped on some links. Below Le Foret lift is nice down to Aravet. High level Monetier side is also nice. Word is that Serre Chevalier has some of the most extensive skiing in the Alps.

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