Skip to content
Roamgrove

French Alps with Kids

The French Alps are two separate holidays in one place, and families should choose one rather than expect both. The summer version is lakes, cable cars, mountain walks and warm-weather swimming, based low down at Annecy or in a valley town, with everything open from late June to early September. The winter version is a ski week at altitude, with lessons, lift passes and a self-catering apartment, concentrated in the school-holiday weeks. Prices, accommodation and even which lifts run are entirely different between the two, and the shoulder weeks in May, June and November are when the valleys largely shut.

Best for ages
3+
Suggested stay
5–8 days
Best months
Jan–Mar, Jun–Sep, Dec
Daily budget
€280

Mid-range, family of four

Why French Alps works with children

  • The cable cars are the attraction

    Lifts carry a family from a valley floor to a viewpoint above 2,000 metres in twenty minutes, which is high mountain scenery without a climb.

  • Alpine lakes swim like a sea without the salt

    Lake Annecy has free grass-and-shingle beaches, shallow entries and pedalos, and by August the water is warm enough for children to stay in.

  • Flat valley cycling between the peaks

    Former railway lines have been converted into level, car-free cycle paths, so children can ride for hours in genuinely dramatic scenery.

  • Ski schools take children from about three

    French resorts run dedicated beginner gardens and graded group lessons, so an adult ski week and a child's first lesson can happen at the same time.

Where to stay

Best areas in French Alps for families

4 areas cover most trips here; the difference is mainly summer, and families not skiing versus snow certainty.

  • Annecy & the lake

    Best for summer, and families not skiing

    A canal-laced old town on a lake with beaches, boats and a flat cycle path down the western shore. Warm, busy and easy; it is not a ski base, and the lakeside roads jam in August.

  • Chamonix valley

    Best for both seasons, older children

    The highest and most dramatic scenery, with cable cars and a mountain railway running year-round. Its ski terrain is steep and scattered, which makes it a stronger summer choice than a first ski week.

  • Morzine, Les Gets & the Portes du Soleil

    Best for first ski weeks

    Real villages rather than built resorts, at moderate altitude, with tree-lined runs, gentle beginner areas and things to do when the weather closes in. Lower altitude means less reliable snow in December and late March.

  • Tarentaise high resorts

    Best for snow certainty

    Purpose-built resorts above 1,800 metres where a family can ski from the door and the season is dependable. Architecture is functional, prices are the highest in the range, and there is very little to do off the snow.

Family hotel picks in French Alps

  • Apartment near the lake in Annecy
    Annecy-le-Vieux / Veyrier-du-LacMid-range

    Apartment near the lake in Annecy

    Being able to walk or cycle to a beach removes the summer parking problem entirely, which is the single biggest friction in an Annecy week — the lakeside car parks are full by mid-morning from July onwards.

    • Walking or cycling distance to a public beach
    • Direct access to the lakeside cycle path
    • Kitchen for breakfasts and picnic lunches
    • Old town and its restaurants a short bus or bike ride away

    Fitting a family in

    Two-bedroom apartments sleeping four to five are the standard unit here. Many list a mezzanine as a bedroom, which suits older children rather than toddlers.

    Watch out. Very few summer apartments have air conditioning, and top-floor units get hot in an August heatwave. The lakeside road is congested at weekends, and properties on the eastern shore are pretty but slower to reach the town from.

    Check hotel prices — opens Klook in a new tab (affiliate link)Live availability for your dates
  • Ski-in apartment in a high-altitude resort
    Tarentaise resorts above 1,800 mHigher-end

    Ski-in apartment in a high-altitude resort

    With children in ski school, the distance between the front door and the beginner lift decides how the week runs. A ski-in apartment removes a twice-daily walk carrying four sets of skis and boots, which is the part of a family ski week that goes wrong.

    • Beginner slopes and ski school meeting point within walking distance
    • Ski locker or boot room at ground level
    • Kitchen, which matters where resort restaurants are expensive
    • Snow-sure altitude through the whole season

    Fitting a family in

    Resort apartments are rated optimistically: a unit sold as sleeping six is usually two bedrooms plus a sofa bed in the living area. For a family of four, book the six-person size rather than the four.

    Watch out. Purpose-built resorts are functional rather than charming, underground parking and bed linen are frequently charged as extras, and there is very little to do when the weather closes the lifts. Outside the winter season most of these resorts are largely shut.

    Check hotel prices — opens Klook in a new tab (affiliate link)Live availability for your dates
All family stays in France

Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you book through one, the price is the same for you and we may earn a commission. How this works.

Things to do in French Alps with kids

  • Aiguille du Midi cable car
    NatureBook ahead

    Aiguille du Midi cable car

    French Alps

    A two-stage cable car from Chamonix at around 1,035 metres to a rock spire at 3,842 metres, with terraces, a tunnel through the mountain and a glass-floored box looking down the face.

    Ages
    6–16
    Time
    4h
    Adult, from
    €75

    Good to know. The ascent gains nearly 2,800 metres in about twenty minutes and headaches, breathlessness and nausea are common in children at the top. Temperatures stay below freezing there year-round, the upper stage closes in high wind, and slots must be reserved for a specific time.

    Book tickets — opens Klook in a new tab (affiliate link)
  • Lake Annecy beaches and cycle path
    Water

    Lake Annecy beaches and cycle path

    French Alps

    A clear alpine lake ringed by public and paying beaches with gentle entries, pedalo and paddleboard hire, and a flat former-railway cycle path running roughly thirty kilometres down the western shore.

    Ages
    2–16
    Time
    5h
    Adult, from
    Free

    Good to know. The water stays cold until roughly July. The cycle path is level but has almost no shade and is crowded with families and e-bikes in August, and the car parks near the popular beaches fill by mid-morning in summer.

    Check tickets — opens Klook in a new tab (affiliate link)
  • A clear alpine lake below steep mountains in the French Alps
    AdventureBook ahead

    Beginner ski areas and ski school

    French Alps

    Graded group lessons and dedicated beginner snow gardens run at almost every French resort through the winter season, with a separate lift pass covering the nursery area at most of them.

    Ages
    3–16
    Time
    5h
    Adult, from
    €60

    Good to know. Children's group lessons in the February school-holiday weeks sell out months in advance, and a resort with no available lesson slots changes the whole week. Equipment hire is a separate booking, and lessons run in fixed morning or afternoon blocks that dictate the family's daily schedule.

    Book tickets — opens Klook in a new tab (affiliate link)

Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you book through one, the price is the same for you and we may earn a commission. How this works.

Getting around French Alps

In summer, a car makes the valleys workable but Annecy itself is best walked and cycled — the lake path and the town are joined, and parking near the beaches is gone by mid-morning. In winter, most families take a TGV to a valley station and a resort transfer, then leave the car parked all week: resort shuttles are free and the road up is the part nobody wants to drive in snow. Lift passes are usually free for very young children and reduced to about twelve; buy the family's passes together, as combined family rates exist at most resorts.

French Alps tips for families

  • When to go

    Choose the season first, then the base

    A summer lake town and a high ski resort are not interchangeable. Booking a purpose-built ski resort in July gives a family an empty concrete village with two lifts running; booking Annecy in February gives a lake and no snow.

  • With kids

    Book ski school before accommodation

    Children's group lessons in the February school-holiday weeks fill months ahead, and a week without lessons changes the whole holiday. Reserve the lesson slots first and fit the apartment around them.

    Book tickets — opens Klook in a new tab (affiliate link)

  • Health & safety

    Treat altitude gain as a real effect

    A cable car can climb 2,500 metres in under half an hour. Headaches, breathlessness and nausea are common in children at the top stations. Drink water, go up in the morning, and come straight down if anyone feels unwell.

  • Packing

    Pack for two seasons in one day

    Summer valleys run warm enough for swimming while the top of a lift sits near freezing with wind. Fleeces, long trousers and sun cream travel in the same day bag as swimming costumes.

French Alps with kids: common questions

Are the French Alps better in summer or winter with kids?
They are different holidays. Summer is cheaper, warmer and more flexible, built around lakes, cable cars and cycling. Winter is a single-activity week that suits families committed to skiing and costs substantially more. Neither is a substitute for the other.
What age can children start skiing in France?
French ski schools generally take children from about three in a dedicated snow garden, and into graded group lessons from around four or five. Younger than three, a resort crèche is the realistic option rather than the slopes.
Do you need a car in the Alps?
In summer, yes, unless the trip stays in Annecy or the Chamonix valley, both of which work on foot, bike and local buses. In winter, a rail-plus-transfer arrival is usually easier than driving a mountain road in snow, and resort shuttles cover the week.
Is Lake Annecy warm enough to swim in?
From roughly July to early September, yes — the surface warms through the summer and the public beaches shelve gently. In June the water is still cold enough that most children will not stay in long.
When should a family avoid the Alps?
May, June's first weeks and November. Lifts close between seasons, many hotels and restaurants shut entirely, and the mountain is neither walkable nor skiable. Late June to early September and mid-December to late March are the functioning windows.

More of France