Villard-de-Lans
Villard-de-Lans is a ski resort in the Northern Alps (Isère). The village sits at 1,146 m and the ski area rises to 2,021 m, a skiable vertical of 1,021 m.
The area offers 54 km of alpine pistes, 46 marked pistes (18 green, 14 blue, 7 red, 7 black), 24 ski lifts. Green and blue runs dominate: terrain suited to beginners and families.
Measured on the OpenStreetMap map: the longest piste runs 3 km (Retour Villard Village) and the highest lift tops out at 1,919 m.
The resort holds the Famille Plus and Station classée de tourisme labels.
Access: 50 min by road from Grenoble and 48 min from Grenoble railway station.
15 official webcams show the pistes live (on the French page).
Seven criteria rated from 1 to 5 stars, in half-stars, from this page's sourced data. A rating is a rank among the 322 French resorts we cover — 5 stars means “among the best in France on this point”, not “perfect”. Nobody types these in.
- SnowCan you count on the snow?2.5 / 5
Top of the ski area: 2,021 m · Bottom of the pistes: 1,000 m · Days above 30 cm per winter, measured: 100 days · Days above 30 cm, December to March, model: 75%
- Ski areaIs there enough to ski all week?4 / 5
Km of pistes at the resort: 54 km · Km of pistes across the linked area: 54 km · Lifts: 24 · Balance between piste levels: 94%
- ValueIs the lift pass reasonable for what you get?n/a
Not rated: “adult day pass” is missing from this page.
- Families and beginnersIs it right for children and beginners?4 / 5
Share of green and blue pistes: 70% · Magic carpets: 8 · Sledging runs: 8 · ESF ski school · Ice rink, pool, rail sledge…: 2 · Famille Plus label
- AccessIs it easy to get to?3 / 5
Average drive time from 20 major cities: 4 hr 00 · Nearest railway station: 48 min · Station-to-resort shuttles per day: 0 · Nearest airport: 1 hr 06
- Atmosphere and après-skiIs there life in the evening and off the slopes?2 / 5
Bars and pubs: 0 · Nightclubs: 0 · Restaurants: 11 · Upcoming events: 0 · Collective tourist beds: 331 — index: what the map and the listings publish
- Luxury and comfortHow upmarket is the resort?1.5 / 5
5-star hotels: 0 · 4-star hotels: 0 · Share of hotel rooms in 4 and 5 stars: 5% · Spas and saunas: 0 · Jewellers, watchmakers, fashion boutiques: 0 — index: what the map and the listings publish
“Atmosphere” and “Luxury” are indexes: they count what OpenStreetMap and the event listings publish within 2.5 km (bars, nightclubs, rated hotels, spas, upcoming events), not what you experience there. A zero means “nothing mapped”, not “nothing there”. Sources per criterion: snow (altitudes (OpenStreetMap, Wikidata), snow depth observed at the Météo-France station, ERA5-Land model) ; ski area (OpenStreetMap pistes and lifts, linked area (Wikidata)) ; value (the resort’s official price list) ; families and beginners (OpenStreetMap pistes, price list, ESF ski school, Famille Plus label, OpenStreetMap leisure) ; access (OSRM drive times from 20 cities, SNCF stations, GTFS shuttles, airports) ; atmosphere and après-ski (bars, nightclubs and restaurants within 2.5 km (OpenStreetMap), upcoming events (OpenAgenda), collective tourist beds (INSEE)) ; luxury and comfort (rated hotels within 2.5 km (OpenStreetMap) and by category across the commune (INSEE), spas and boutiques (OpenStreetMap), day pass price).
Open pistes and lifts will appear here during the season, as published by the resort. Out of season we show nothing rather than a misleading zero.
Right now at the LE GUA-NIVOSE station (1,646 m)
Avalanche danger
7-day forecast
Village 1,146 m · top 2,021 m
Forecast corrected for altitude; fresh snow = forecast total at the top; UV = peak of the day. Beyond 3 days, check the resort’s own report. Source:Open-Meteo.
Average snow depth by month
Good snow from January to March.
☀️ Average daily sunshine : Nov 5.9 h · Dec 5.3 h · Jan 5.1 h · Feb 6.9 h · Mar 8.6 h · Apr 9.8 h — 25 bright days in April (Open-Meteo estimate, 2015-2025).
- November—no record
- December45 cmVariable · 52%
- January53 cmGood skiing · 88%
- February72 cmVariable · 77%
- March75 cmGood skiing · 84%
- April—no record
- May—no record
30 cm on the ground: the benchmark for groomed-piste skiing. Bar = monthly average depth; percentage = share of time above 30 cm.
- Good skiing: 30 cm on more than 8 days in 10
- Variable: 30 cm on 5 to 8 days in 10
- Insufficient: 30 cm less than one day in two
Snow actually measured, winter by winter
21 complete winters measured, from 1999-2000 to 2025-2026 — on average 100 days a winter with at least 30 cm on the ground.
- 1-15 Dec29 cmInsufficient · 37 %
- 16-31 Dec43 cmVariable · 52 %
- 1-15 Jan60 cmVariable · 65 %
- 16-31 Jan84 cmGood skiing · 83 %
- 1-15 Feb100 cmGood skiing · 84 %
- 16-29 Feb116 cmGood skiing · 91 %
- 1-15 Mar125 cmGood skiing · 95 %
- 16-31 Mar111 cmGood skiing · 90 %
- 1-15 Apr87 cmVariable · 72 %
- Best winter of the series
- 2008-2009 — 136 days at 30 cm or more
- Worst winter of the series
- 2000-2001 — 4 days at 30 cm or more
Snowfall: no long enough record of fresh snow at this station. Rather than an estimate, we show nothing.
The ski area
Compare with another resort →46 pistes, by level — 54 km
- Skiable vertical
- 1,021 m (1,000 m → 2,021 m)
- Lifts
- 3 gondolas, 5 chairlifts, 8 drag lifts, 8 magic carpets
- Cross-country skiing
- 7 km of nordic trails
- Without skis
- 8 sledging runs
- Piste aspect
- N 48% · E 1% · S 1% · W 50% (descent direction of 79 OSM pistes, terrain model)
- Mountain restaurants
- Altitude 2000 (1722 m)
- Tourist office
- Office Municipal du Tourisme · 31 avenue du Général de Gaulle, 38250 · 04 76 95 10 38 · [email protected] (declared by the resort, ANMSM)
- Piste map (PDF)
- SEVLC-plan-seul-1225 (declared by the resort, ANMSM)
- Shuttle timetable (PDF)
- 2025-11-17 horaires navettes 20 déc. au 4 janv. 2026 (2) (declared by the resort, ANMSM)
- Resort app
- Android (declared by the resort, ANMSM)
- Famille Plus
- The resort’s family page (declared by the resort, ANMSM)
Resort data: declared by Office Municipal du Tourisme and distributed by ANMSM · read on 18 September
Pistes and lifts surveyed on OpenStreetMap within 4 km of the resort — for a resort in a linked area, the figure may include neighbouring pistes.
Lift passes detail →
The price list for this resort is being collected: most resorts publish winter prices between September and November.
Official piste map
Open the piste map (image, 2.1 MB) ↗
Link to the resort’s own file — a piste map is a copyrighted artwork, we host no copy.
The ski area in figures
Measured on 9 September 2026Measured on OpenStreetMap (altitudes: IGN RGE ALTI), not taken from the brochure. The vertical above is that of one piste, not of the whole ski area. Population: INSEE municipal population via geo.api.gouv.fr.
Source: national register of mechanical lifts (STRMTG, CAIRN), fleet as of 1 January 2025 — lifts attributed to Villard-de-Lans only (“VILLARD DE LANS”), magic carpets included.
Staying and hiring gear in Villard-de-Lans
We compare the partners that cover this resort. Some links earn us a commission — never at the expense of the price or of the data.
Stay & accommodation
Live webcams
All webcams (15) →Official players of the resort, live image. Checked on 18 September 2026.
Piste map
Open on OpenSnowMap ↗Pistes coloured by level, lifts as lines. The resort’s official map is the reference in season.
Base map © OpenTopoMap (CC-BY-SA) · pistes © OpenSnowMap (CC-BY-SA) · data ©OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Getting to Villard-de-Lans
From Paris: 6 hr 29 (601 km) by road.
By road
- From Grenoble: 50 min · 37 km
- From Valence: 1 hr 13 · 72 km
- From Chambéry: 1 hr 31 · 95 km
- From Lyon: 1 hr 52 · 131 km
- From Annecy: 2 hr 00 · 142 km
From other major cities (15)
- From Saint-Étienne: 2 hr 26 · 179 km
- From Genève: 2 hr 30 · 180 km
- From Montpellier: 3 hr 20 · 276 km
- From Marseille: 3 hr 26 · 285 km
- From Dijon: 3 hr 44 · 331 km
- From Clermont-Ferrand: 3 hr 45 · 299 km
- From Besançon: 4 hr 03 · 361 km
- From Perpignan: 4 hr 42 · 424 km
- From Nice: 5 hr 03 · 443 km
- From Toulouse: 5 hr 38 · 510 km
- From Nancy: 5 hr 51 · 542 km
- From Strasbourg: 6 hr 26 · 599 km
- From Paris: 6 hr 29 · 601 km
- From Pau: 7 hr 33 · 700 km
- From Bordeaux: 7 hr 43 · 686 km
Excluding traffic and winter conditions; passes closed in winter are avoided.
By train
Grenoble station
main station, high-speed trains · then 48 min drive (37 km)
No direct bus line from the station to the resort appears in the open-data timetables (checked on 13 September 2026): ask the resort about a private shuttle or a taxi.
Shuttles and buses from the station: see the resort’s official website.
By plane
- Grenoble-Alpes-Isère (GNB): 1 hr 06 by road · 70 km
- Lyon-Saint-Exupéry (LYS): 1 hr 36 by road · 118 km
Take me there
These links open the app with Villard-de-Lans as the destination. Your starting point is never sent by us — the app asks you for it, if you agree.
Charging an electric car
No freely accessible charge point is declared within 2 km of the resort (checked on 9 September 2026). Covered car parks in the resort may offer chargers reserved for their customers: those are not listed here.
Freely accessible charge points read from the French national EV charging database (data.gouv.fr ↗, operators’ own declarations), checked on 9 September 2026. Check availability before you leave: the database says what is installed, not what is free tonight.
Road conditions
From 1 November to 31 March, snow chains or winter tyres are compulsory in most mountain areas (French “Loi Montagne II”).
Driving times computed on the OpenStreetMap road network (OSRM), SNCF stations (open data), airports (Wikidata). Indicative, not a timetable: allow extra time in snow.
Off-piste & ski touring
The resorts for off-piste skiing →Named itineraries: Loup · Épervier · Escalier · Mouflon
Itineraries surveyed on OpenStreetMap within a 4 km radius (7 September 2026): “marked” means an itinerary exists on the map, not that it is open or safe on the day.
Ski touring routes described
Resorts for ski touring →12 ski touring routes documented within 10 km of Villard-de-Lans — up to 1,000 m of climb.
| Summit and route | Ski grade | Climb | Altitude | Aspect | From resort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pas de l'Œille · Versant W | n/a · PD- | 250 m | 1,120 → 1,960 m | NW | 0.7 km |
| Rochers des Jaux (La Cote 2000) · Versant NW - depuis le Balcon de Villard | 1.3 · E1 · F | 800 m | 1,130 → 2,062 m | NW | 1.6 km |
| Col des Deux Sœurs · Versant N | 2.1 · E1 · F | 950 m | 1,232 → 2,056 m | N | 2 km |
| Plateau du Cornafion · Combe de Pissevache | 2.2 · E1 · PD | 830 m | 1,080 → 1,906 m | SW | 2.2 km |
| Les Deux Sœurs - Dôme de l'Œille · Par la combe Charbonnière | 2.2 · E2 · PD | 950 m | 1,230 → 2,105 m | NW | 2.4 km |
| Col Vert · Versant W | 2.1 · E1 · PD | 766 m | 1,000 → 1,766 m | W | 2.4 km |
| Gerbier · Couloir W | 4.1 · E3 · D- | 850 m | 1,230 → 2,109 m | NW | 3 km |
| Plateau du Cornafion · Boucle Chaulange-Les Fourches | 3.3 · E2 · AD | 760 m | 1,906 m | NW | 3.4 km |
| Grande Moucherolle · Couloir du gazex | 4.2 · E3 · D+ | 970 m | 1,230 → 2,150 m | W | 3.7 km |
| Gerbier · Couloir E | 5.1 · E3 · TD- | 900 m | 1,000 → 1,947 m | E | 3.7 km |
| Plateau du Cornafion · Traversée S >> N | 2.2 · E1 · PD+ | 830 m | 1,080 → 1,906 m | n/a | 3.7 km |
| Ranc des Agnelons · Versant E | 3.3 · E2 · AD | 1,000 m | 970 → 1,942 m | E | 3.8 km |
Source: Camptocamp.org topo guide (CC BY-SA), routes starting within 10 km, read on 13 September 2026. Descriptions and photos are on Camptocamp; an empty cell is a field nobody has filled in. Camptocamp ski touring routes ↗
Beyond skiing at Villard-de-Lans
Ice rink
- Patinoire André Ravix · Villard-de-Lans · 3.2 km away
Swimming pool
- Centre Aquatique · Villard-de-Lans · 3.2 km away
Dog sledding
- Traineaux à chiens avec Musher Evasion Polaire · Saint-Martin-en-Vercors · 9 km away
Paragliding
- Le Belvédère - Parapente · Lans-en-Vercors · 5.6 km away
- Pente école parapente de l'Aigle · Lans-en-Vercors · 8.9 km away
- Ecole de parapente Air-2-ailes · Vif · 9.3 km away
- Vercors Passions/ Aérolab parapente · La Chapelle-en-Vercors · 9.4 km away
Museum
- Maison du Patrimoine · Villard-de-Lans · 2.9 km away
- Musée Champollion · Vif · 8.7 km away
- Micro Musée International et Indépendant de l'Art Postal · Rencurel · 9.8 km away
Cinema
- Cinéma Le Rex · Villard-de-Lans · 2.9 km away
- Cinéma Le Clap · Lans-en-Vercors · 9.5 km away
Source: DATAtourisme (open data), within 10 km of the resort; places in a large town of the valley are left out. Checked on 12 September 2026. Opening times and prices are the operator’s — check before you go.
Practical information
Collective accommodation
331 bed spaces in tourist residences, holiday villages and hostels
- 11 hotels · 178 rooms (1 × 4★, 5 × 3★, 3 × 2★, 1 × 1★)
- 2 tourist residences and apartment hotels · 331 bed spaces
- 1 campsite · 146 pitches
Commune: Villard-de-Lans · INSEE tourist accommodation survey, 2026, read on 12 September 2026. Collective accommodation only — privately let flats and second homes are not counted. INSEE dataset ↗
Tourist office
Office de Tourisme
📍 routed e la cote 2000, 38250 Villard-de-Lans
Ski school
ESF Villard De Lans
119 instructors
🇬🇧 72 English-speaking instructors — lessons in English available
🗓️ This school sells its lessons online — book ↗
Source: esf.net
Days without skiing
- Alpine coaster · Luge sur rail
- Cinema · Le Rex
In case of accident
112 — the European emergency number, free of charge, triggers mountain rescue. On the pistes, the ski patrol number is printed on the piste map and at lift ticket offices. Piste rescue is charged: check your insurance or take the option sold with the lift pass.
Nearby resorts
Frequently asked questions
How high is Villard-de-Lans?
Villard-de-Lans sits at 1,146 m at village level, and its ski area rises to 2,021 m.
How many kilometres of pistes does Villard-de-Lans have?
Villard-de-Lans has 54 km of pistes served by 24 lifts (OpenStreetMap survey).
What is the longest piste in Villard-de-Lans?
The longest piste is Retour Villard Village: 3 km (green run), for 342 m of vertical. Measured on the OpenStreetMap map, segments of the same name and level joined end to end, altitudes from the IGN RGE ALTI terrain model — a resort sometimes advertises a longer run by chaining several pistes.
How high do the lifts go in Villard-de-Lans?
The highest lift, Les Cretes (detachable chairlift), tops out at 1,982 m. Source: STRMTG, French national register of mechanical lifts (CAIRN database), file dated 1 January 2025.
How many lifts does Villard-de-Lans have, and what is their capacity?
The French national register of mechanical lifts records 17 installations at Villard-de-Lans (2 gondolas, 4 chairlifts, 5 drag lifts, 6 magic carpets), for an authorised capacity of 16,556 people per hour, of which 3,080 for Grand Canyon alone. The fleet spans 1970 to 2019, an average age of 30 years. This count covers the resort itself, magic carpets included, not the whole linked ski area — a resort brochure often announces a different number. Source: STRMTG, French national register of mechanical lifts (CAIRN database), file dated 1 January 2025.
How do I get to Villard-de-Lans?
By road, Villard-de-Lans is 50 min from Grenoble (37 km), excluding traffic and winter conditions. By train, the nearest station is Grenoble (main station, high-speed trains), 48 min by road from the resort. No direct bus line from the station to the resort appears in the open-data timetables. The nearest airport is Grenoble-Alpes-Isère, 1 hr 06 away.
How long is the drive from Paris to Villard-de-Lans?
6 hr 29 for 601 km from central Paris, excluding traffic and winter conditions. Computed on the real road network (OpenStreetMap): allow more on a school-holiday Saturday.
Is the snow reliable in Villard-de-Lans?
Yes: good snow through most of the winter according to twenty winters of Météo-France measurements; in season the daily report prevails.
Is Villard-de-Lans good for beginners and families?
70% of the pistes are green or blue: a rather easy area. The resort holds the Famille Plus family label.
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