7-Day Les Arcs Ski Itinerary

A full week in Les Arcs is long enough to explore the local ski area properly, save Aiguille Rouge for a good-weather day and still cross into La Plagne without spending the whole holiday chasing kilometres. This plan starts around the central villages, moves higher and farther as the week develops, then keeps the final day flexible.

Trav's short answer

Use Les Arcs as the main event and Paradiski as the bonus, not the other way around.

The local Les Arcs/Peisey-Vallandry area has 200 km of pistes, while Paradiski expands that to 425 km. Give Aiguille Rouge and La Plagne their own standout days, then keep the rest of the week focused enough that you actually enjoy the terrain instead of only crossing it.

Build altitude and distance gradually

There is no benefit in forcing Aiguille Rouge or the Vanoise Express on a poor-weather day. The order below is a sensible default, but Days 3–7 can move around. If you are still deciding which village suits your trip, our Les Arcs ski resort guide explains the main bases, while our Les Arcs ski resort review gives a broader view of what the resort is like to ski and stay in.

1–2 Learn Les Arcs 3 Aiguille Rouge 4 Peisey-Vallandry 5 Paradiski 6–7 Repeat + flex
Day01Local start

Arc 1800 · Arc 1600

Learn the middle of the mountain first

Use Day 1 to understand the main links instead of chasing the highest point immediately.

Orientation

Arc 1800 is a practical place to start because the central slopes quickly show you how the main Les Arcs sectors connect. Keep the morning simple, then move towards Arc 1600 once everyone is skiing comfortably.

MorningStart hereStay around Arc 1800 for warm-up laps and use the first runs to check snow, visibility and group pace.
AfternoonThen move onWork towards Arc 1600 and back, learning the return links before the week gets more ambitious.
Day02Go higher

Arc 1950 · Arc 2000

Move up to Arc 2000 and the Varet side

Make the second day higher and more open, but save the full Aiguille Rouge descent for better conditions.

High mountain

Arc 1950 and Arc 2000 open up the higher eastern side of the ski area. Spend time around Arcabulle, Bois de l'Ours and Varet so the terrain feels familiar before committing to the long descent towards Villaroger.

MorningStart hereHead towards Arc 1950/2000 and ski the main groomed terrain around Arcabulle and Bois de l'Ours.
AfternoonThen move onMove higher towards Varet if visibility is good, then finish with enough time to return without rushing.
Day033,226 m

Aiguille Rouge · Villaroger

Ski Aiguille Rouge to Villaroger

This is the standout vertical day of the Les Arcs week.

Big descent

The official Aiguille Rouge itinerary starts at the 3,226 m summit and finishes at Villaroger at 1,200 m. Les Arcs describes the full descent as 7 km with about 2,000 m of vertical: the upper Aiguille Rouge piste is black, then the route continues on red terrain to Villaroger. Save it for clear weather, suitable snow and skiers who are comfortable on black runs.

MorningStart hereGo up early enough to avoid turning the summit into a late-day objective. Take in the panorama, then start the long descent while legs are fresh.
AfternoonThen move onUse the Villaroger return lifts and spend the rest of the day on the Arc 2000 side rather than forcing another full top-to-bottom lap.

Conditions first: the summit section is a black piste before the descent continues on red terrain to Villaroger. Change the plan if visibility, snow or confidence is not right.

Les Arcs ski scenery during a seven-day Les Arcs itinerary
Midweek · change of directionAfter Aiguille Rouge, the itinerary turns west towards Peisey-Vallandry and the Vanoise Express.
Day04West side

Peisey-Vallandry

Give Peisey-Vallandry a full day

After the exposed high mountain, switch to a day with a completely different feel.

Tree-lined day

Peisey-Vallandry is part of the same 200 km local ski area and is also the Les Arcs-side gateway to the Vanoise Express. Giving it a full day before the La Plagne crossing helps you learn the western side without treating it only as a transit route.

MorningStart hereTravel west from the Les Arcs side and spend the morning learning the Vallandry and Peisey sectors.
AfternoonThen move onStay in the trees and linked pistes, then return before the final connections become part of the plan.
Day05425 km

Paradiski · La Plagne

Cross the Vanoise Express into La Plagne

One Paradiski day makes the week feel much bigger without turning every day into a mileage contest.

Linked-area day

Paradiski links Les Arcs/Peisey-Vallandry with La Plagne and is officially listed at 425 km of pistes. The Vanoise Express is the direct cable-car link between the two sides, so one dedicated La Plagne day makes more sense than repeatedly crossing the valley throughout the week.

MorningStart hereReach Peisey-Vallandry early, cross the Vanoise Express and choose a manageable La Plagne sector rather than trying to cover the whole resort.
AfternoonThen move onTurn back with a generous time buffer. The goal is a good La Plagne day, not the last possible lift home.

Pass check: the Classic Pass covers Les Arcs/Peisey-Vallandry. The official 2026/27 Classic pricing also lists a one-day Paradiski extension.

Day06Reset day

Arc 1600 · Arc 1800

Return to the best local terrain

After the two biggest days, deliberately make Day 6 easier to shorten.

Favourite laps

By now you know which side of Les Arcs suits the group. Use that knowledge instead of inventing another long traverse. Arc 1600 and Arc 1800 work well for repeat laps, a later start or simply spending more time on the pistes you enjoyed most.

MorningStart herePick the local sector that skied best earlier in the week and repeat it without worrying about distance.
AfternoonThen move onKeep the afternoon open for favourite pistes, a relaxed finish or an early stop if the legs need it.
Day07Your choice

Best conditions

Let the final day follow the snow

The last day should solve whatever the rest of the week could not.

Flex day

A fixed seventh day adds less value than a flexible one. Repeat Aiguille Rouge if it was excellent, go back to Peisey-Vallandry for trees in poor visibility, or stay close to your village if travel home makes an early finish useful.

MorningStart hereCheck live lift status, weather and snow quality before choosing the sector.
AfternoonThen move onFinish somewhere that keeps the journey back to accommodation simple rather than squeezing in one more cross-resort mission.

Match the pass to how much Paradiski you actually plan to ski

For 2026/27, the official Les Arcs/Peisey-Vallandry pages list different options depending on whether you want to stay local or include La Plagne throughout the week. The standard Classic prices below apply from 19 December 2026 to 16 April 2027; the Essential prices apply from 19 December 2026 to 17 April 2027.

Local-area option 7-day Classic Pass €422

Adult 13–64 price. Covers the full 200 km Les Arcs/Peisey-Vallandry area. A one-day Paradiski extension is listed at €28 for the same age group and is available from sales offices during the Classic Pass validity.

Paradiski included 7-day Essential Pass €477

Adult 13–64 price. Includes unlimited access to the Paradiski area, covering Les Arcs/Peisey-Vallandry and La Plagne, plus the additional Essential-pass benefits.

Prices shown are the published 2026/27 adult 13–64 standard-period rates. Opening-week promotions, closing-period offers and other age bands use different prices. The Vanoise Express is currently listed to operate through 17 April 2027, so late-April trips should not assume ski access to La Plagne from Les Arcs.

Trav's final summary

Do less crossing and more skiing

Spend the opening days learning Les Arcs, protect a good-weather day for Aiguille Rouge, give Peisey-Vallandry its own time and use one deliberate day for La Plagne. Then let the last two days follow the pistes and conditions you actually enjoyed most.

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