Val Cenis
Val Cenis is a ski and mountain resort situated in the Haute-Maurienne region of the French Alps, close to the Italian border. It is composed of five villages; Lanslebourg, Lanslevillard, Termignon, Sollières-Sardières and Bramans. The villages sit between 1200m and 1500m, respectively, and lifts climb to a maximum altitude of 2740m. The resort is not very well known due to its location at the end of a valley and difficulty of access and attracts a mainly French, Italian, Belgian and Dutch contingent each winter. It is a lot quieter than larger ski resorts in the French Alps and does not normally suffer from long lift queues. It is ideally located in the Maurienne region with good transport links in and out of Modane, Lyon, Geneva and Chambery.
Introduction from the English Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA).
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?4 / 5
Top of the ski area: 2,800 m · Bottom of the pistes: 1,440 m · Days above 30 cm per winter, measured: 125 days · Days above 30 cm, December to March, model: 100%
- Ski areaIs there enough to ski all week?4 / 5
Km of pistes at the resort: 76 km · Km of pistes across the linked area: 76 km · Lifts: 25 · Balance between piste levels: 92%
- 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?3 / 5
Share of green and blue pistes: 66% · Magic carpets: 2 · Sledging runs: 1 · ESF ski school · Ice rink, pool, rail sledge…: 4
- AccessIs it easy to get to?3 / 5
Average drive time from 20 major cities: 4 hr 59 · Nearest railway station: 28 min · Station-to-resort shuttles per day: 2 · Nearest airport: 1 hr 35
- Atmosphere and après-skiIs there life in the evening and off the slopes?4 / 5
Bars and pubs: 6 · Nightclubs: 0 · Restaurants: 34 · Upcoming events: 8 · Collective tourist beds: 7,444 — 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: 36% · 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).
The domain is due to open on 12 December 2026 and close on 16 April 2027. Open pistes and lifts will appear here as soon as the resort publishes its daily report.
Right now at the MONT CENIS station (2,032 m)
Avalanche danger
7-day forecast
Village 1,466 m · top 2,800 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 December to April: a long, reliable season.
☀️ Average daily sunshine : Nov 6.9 h · Dec 6.5 h · Jan 7 h · Feb 8.2 h · Mar 9.2 h · Apr 10.5 h — 26 bright days in April (Open-Meteo estimate, 2015-2025).
- November—no record
- December79 cmGood skiing · 100%
- January104 cmGood skiing · 100%
- February122 cmGood skiing · 100%
- March147 cmGood skiing · 100%
- April140 cmGood skiing · 100%
- 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
32 complete winters measured, from 1990-1991 to 2025-2026 — on average 125 days a winter with at least 30 cm on the ground.
- 1-15 Dec43 cmVariable · 51 %
- 16-31 Dec65 cmGood skiing · 83 %
- 1-15 Jan85 cmGood skiing · 97 %
- 16-31 Jan97 cmGood skiing · 100 %
- 1-15 Feb108 cmGood skiing · 100 %
- 16-29 Feb116 cmGood skiing · 100 %
- 1-15 Mar118 cmGood skiing · 98 %
- 16-31 Mar110 cmGood skiing · 100 %
- 1-15 Apr91 cmGood skiing · 98 %
- Best winter of the series
- 2023-2024 — 137 days at 30 cm or more
- Worst winter of the series
- 2016-2017 — 93 days at 30 cm or more
How much snow actually falls — 464 cm a winter on average, spread over 50 days of snowfall. Measured over 29 complete winters, from 1994-1995 to 2024-2025.
- Biggest 24-hour snowfall
- 70 cm — 2011-2012
- Snowiest winter
- 2017-2018 — 802 cm
- Leanest winter
- 2010-2011 — 196 cm
The ski area
Compare with another resort →96 pistes, by level — 76 km
- Skiable vertical
- 1,360 m (1,440 m → 2,800 m)
- Lifts
- 2 gondolas, 11 chairlifts, 10 drag lifts, 2 magic carpets
- Snowpark
- 1 mapped zone — Journal de Mickey (very easy)
OpenStreetMap, surveyed on 18 September 2026. OpenStreetMap does not map individual features (kickers, rails): what is counted here are the named zones. - Night skiing
- 2 floodlit pistes (OSM)
- Without skis
- 1 sledging run
- Piste aspect
- N 55% · E 10% · S 1% · W 34% (descent direction of 100 OSM pistes, terrain model)
- Mountain restaurants
- Le Refuge (2038 m)
- Season 2026-2027
- opens on 12 December 2026, closes on 16 April 2027
- Tourist office
- Haute Maurienne Vanoise Tourisme · 6 rue Napoléon, 73480 · +33(0)479059906 · [email protected] (declared by the resort, ANMSM)
- Piste map (PDF)
- Plan des pistes (declared by the resort, ANMSM)
Resort data: declared by Haute Maurienne Vanoise Tourisme and distributed by ANMSM · read on 18 September
Opening hours lift by lift (1)
| Lift | Type | Opens | Closes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plan des Champs | téléski | 09:00 | 16:45 | OpenStreetMap |
Hours as published by the source quoted, read on 15 September 2026. A lift missing from this table has no published time — no default is shown.
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.
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 Val Cenis only (“VALCENIS - TERMIGNON”), magic carpets included.
Staying and hiring gear in Val Cenis
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 (5) →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 Val Cenis
From Paris: 7 hr 26 (697 km) by road.
By road
- From Chambéry: 1 hr 39 · 128 km
- From Grenoble: 1 hr 56 · 158 km
- From Annecy: 2 hr 08 · 175 km
- From Genève: 2 hr 38 · 213 km
- From Lyon: 2 hr 49 · 227 km
From other major cities (15)
- From Valence: 2 hr 59 · 250 km
- From Saint-Étienne: 3 hr 23 · 275 km
- From Nice: 4 hr 33 · 368 km
- From Dijon: 4 hr 42 · 428 km
- From Clermont-Ferrand: 4 hr 42 · 395 km
- From Besançon: 4 hr 58 · 385 km
- From Marseille: 5 hr 03 · 351 km
- From Montpellier: 5 hr 06 · 455 km
- From Perpignan: 6 hr 27 · 603 km
- From Nancy: 6 hr 49 · 639 km
- From Strasbourg: 6 hr 53 · 603 km
- From Toulouse: 7 hr 23 · 689 km
- From Paris: 7 hr 26 · 697 km
- From Bordeaux: 8 hr 41 · 782 km
- From Pau: 9 hr 18 · 879 km
Excluding traffic and winter conditions; passes closed in winter are avoided.
By train
Modane station
regional station · then 28 min drive (26 km)
Nearest main station: Chambéry - Challes-les-Eaux, 1 hr 38 by road.
- From Modane station (stop “Gare Routiere”): line S53 — MODANE ↔ BONNEVAL SUR ARC (REGION - cars Région Savoie), 45 min to the “Lanslebourg - Auditorium” stop — 2 departures a day on weekdays · first 11:00, last 19:20 · timetable from 15 December 2026 to 15 April 2027 · official timetable ↗
Direct journeys read from the official timetable files published on transport.data.gouv.fr — no connections.
By plane
- Turin-Caselle (TRN): 1 hr 35 by road · 106 km
- Chambéry-Savoie (CMF): 1 hr 50 by road · 136 km
Take me there
These links open the app with Val Cenis as the destination. Your starting point is never sent by us — the app asks you for it, if you agree.
Charging an electric car
4 charging stations within 2 km
8 charging points · up to 24 kW
- VAL CENIS - Rue du vieux moulin- Lanslevillard · EASYCHARGE · 2 points · 24 kW · 0.7 km
- LANSLEVILLARD - Val Cenis, parking office tourisme · EASYCHARGE · 2 points · 24 kW · 1.2 km
- VAL CENIS - Parking piscine- Lanslevillard · EASYCHARGE · 2 points · 24 kW · 1.7 km
- Val CENIS-Parking Mairie · EASYCHARGE · 2 points · 24 kW · 1.9 km
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: Liaison Michèle Jacot · Le lac
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 Val Cenis — up to 1,950 m of climb.
| Summit and route | Ski grade | Climb | Altitude | Aspect | From resort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Le Grand Coin · Face E | 4.1 · E2 · AD | 1,350 m | 1,450 → 2,796 m | E | 1.2 km |
| Signal du Grand Mont Cenis · Versant N | 3.2 · E2 · AD+ | 1,499 m | 1,878 → 3,377 m | N | 1.3 km |
| Ouillon des Arcellins · versant E par les pistes | 2.1 · E1 · PD- | 800 m | 1,870 → 2,665 m | N · NE · E | 1.3 km |
| Ouillon des Arcellins · Versant W | n/a · PD+ | 1,260 m | 1,400 → 2,665 m | NW | 1.5 km |
| Le Grand Coin · Versant N par le chalet du Suiffet depuis la bergerie de la Ramasse | 2.3 · E1 · PD+ | 830 m | 1,980 → 2,770 m | NE · N · NW | 1.8 km |
| Cime du Laro · Versant NW - depuis Lanslebourg | n/a · D- | 1,500 m | 1,400 → 2,881 m | NW | 2.4 km |
| Chalet Suiffet · traversée de Lanslebourg à Termignon | n/a · F | 750 m | 1,300 → 2,150 m | n/a | 2.5 km |
| Pas de Beccia · Versant N - depuis Val Cenis | 2.2 · E1 · F | 1,150 m | 1,572 → 2,717 m | N | 2.6 km |
| Pointe de Cugne · Par le col des Randouillards | 3.1 · E1 · AD | 1,600 m | 1,400 → 2,984 m | NE · E · N | 2.8 km |
| Grand Roc Noir · Versant SE | 4.1 · AD | 1,900 m | 1,680 → 3,582 m | SE | 3.3 km |
| Roc de Burel · Couloir S | 4.1 | 1,425 m | 1,650 → 3,075 m | S | 3.9 km |
| Pointe de Ronce · Versant NW, par le ravin de Charboillon | 3.2 · E1 · AD | 1,950 m | 1,662 → 3,612 m | NW | 4.1 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 Val Cenis
Toboggan runs
- Piste de luge Val Cenis Turbo · Val-Cenis · 1.8 km away
Paragliding
- By Air parapente · Val-Cenis · 6.6 km away
- Florian Gohet - Val Cenis Parapente · Val-Cenis · 7.6 km away
Museum
- Musée de la Pyramide du Mont-Cenis · Val-Cenis · 6.3 km away
- Musée d'Archéologie · Val-Cenis · 7.8 km away
Cinema
- Cinéma Chantelouve · Val-Cenis · 1.1 km away
- Auditorium Laurent Gerra - Culture en altitude · Val-Cenis · 1.4 km away
- Cinéma de Val-Cenis Lanslebourg · Val-Cenis · 1.4 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
7,444 bed spaces in tourist residences, holiday villages and hostels
- 10 hotels · 226 rooms (1 × 4★, 5 × 3★, 2 × 2★)
- 5 holiday villages and family centres · 1,968 bed spaces
- 11 tourist residences and apartment hotels · 4,891 bed spaces
- 3 youth hostels and sports centres · 585 bed spaces
- 6 campsites · 524 pitches
Commune: Val-Cenis · 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 de Lans Le Villard
Ski school
ESF Val Cenis
136 instructors
🇬🇧 78 English-speaking instructors — lessons in English available
🗓️ This school sells its lessons online — book ↗
Source: esf.net
Days without skiing
- Cinema · Cinéma Chantelouve
- Ice rink · Patinoire
- Bowling · 1480
- Cinema · La Ramasse
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.
What's on around Val Cenis
All 8 upcoming events →-
19 September 2026 – 20 September 2026
Chapelle St Jean Baptiste Val Cenis Lanslebourg
Chapelle St Jean Baptiste · Val-Cenis
Au bord du ruisseau Sainte Marie, la chapelle St Jean Baptiste a été fondée au 17ème siècle. Elle a fait l'objet récemment d’une nouvelle restauration par une peintre décoratrice de la vallée.
Source: OpenAgenda, agenda “Service Patrimoine de Val Cenis” · View on OpenAgenda ↗
Also near: Lanslevillard (3.4 km), Termignon (4.8 km), Bessans (9.9 km)
-
19 September 2026 · 14:00
Visite exceptionnelle de la grotte des Balmes
Musée d'Archéologie de Val Cenis Sollières · Val-Cenis
La grotte des Balmes d'où proviennent les vestiges exposés au Musée d'Archéologie est exceptionnellement ouverte à l'occasion des Journées Européennes du Patrimoine.
Source: OpenAgenda, agenda “Musée d'Archéologie et de Préhistoire de Val Cenis Sollières” · View on OpenAgenda ↗
Also near: Termignon (1.8 km), Aussois (6.2 km), Lanslevillard (9.5 km)
-
19 September 2026 · 15:00
Chapelle Notre Dame de la Visitation
Termignon · Termignon
Fondée en 1536 au lieu-dit du Poivre, elle a servi au 17ème siècle de sanctuaire de répit. D'abord connue sous le vocable de l'Annonciation, elle a été dédiée à la Visitation au 19ème siècle
Source: OpenAgenda, agenda “Service Patrimoine de Val Cenis” · View on OpenAgenda ↗
Also near: Termignon (0.6 km), Aussois (8.2 km), Lanslevillard (8.2 km)
-
19 September 2026 – 20 September 2026
Eglise Notre Dame de L'Assomption Lanslebourg
lanslebourg · Val-Cenis
Bien que bâtie entre 1820 et 1830, l’église reste fidèle aux contrastes de l’esprit baroque : sous son air austère, elle cache un intérieur richement décoré.
Source: OpenAgenda, agenda “Service Patrimoine de Val Cenis” · View on OpenAgenda ↗
Also near: Lanslevillard (3.5 km), Termignon (4.8 km), Bessans (9.9 km)
-
19 September 2026 – 20 September 2026
Chapelle St Sébastien
Lanslevillard · Val-Cenis
Par son extérieur modeste, La chapelle St Sébastien ne se distingue pas des habitations… mais une fois son seuil franchi, vous pourrez en admirer l'extraordinaire richesse !
Source: OpenAgenda, agenda “Service Patrimoine de Val Cenis” · View on OpenAgenda ↗
Also near: Lanslevillard (0.8 km), Bessans (7.3 km), Termignon (7.5 km)
Events published on OpenAgenda by the agendas named above, kept when they take place within 10 km of the resort. We organise nothing: times, prices and cancellations are the organiser's.
Nearby resorts
Frequently asked questions
How high is Val Cenis?
Val Cenis sits at 1,466 m at village level, and its ski area rises to 2,800 m.
How many kilometres of pistes does Val Cenis have?
Val Cenis has 76 km of pistes served by 25 lifts (OpenStreetMap survey).
What is the longest piste in Val Cenis?
The longest piste is Escargot: 9 km (green run), for 639 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 Val Cenis?
The highest lift, La Met (chairlift), tops out at 2,737 m. Source: STRMTG, French national register of mechanical lifts (CAIRN database), file dated 1 January 2025.
How many lifts does Val Cenis have, and what is their capacity?
The French national register of mechanical lifts records 35 installations at Val Cenis (2 gondolas, 13 chairlifts, 14 drag lifts, 6 magic carpets), for an authorised capacity of 39,084 people per hour, of which 2,400 for Solert alone. The fleet spans 1965 to 2024, an average age of 20 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 Val Cenis?
By road, Val Cenis is 1 hr 39 from Chambéry (128 km), excluding traffic and winter conditions. By train, the nearest station is Modane, 28 min by road from the resort. From Modane station, line S53 — MODANE ↔ BONNEVAL SUR ARC (REGION - cars Région Savoie) reaches the “Lanslebourg - Auditorium” stop in 45 min, 2 departures a day on weekdays. The nearest airport is Turin-Caselle, 1 hr 35 away.
How long is the drive from Paris to Val Cenis?
7 hr 26 for 697 km from central Paris, excluding traffic and winter conditions. Computed on the real road network (OpenStreetMap): allow more on a school-holiday Saturday.
When does Val Cenis open?
According to the official website, the resort opens on 12 December 2026 and closes on 16 April 2027 (2026-2027 season).
Is the snow reliable in Val Cenis?
Yes: good snow through most of the winter according to twenty winters of Météo-France measurements; in season the daily report prevails.
Is Val Cenis good for beginners and families?
66% of the pistes are green or blue: a rather easy area.
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