about
St Martin de Belleville lies at 1,450m within the huge Three Valleys ski area. Saint Martin is a traditional Savoyard village complete with historic clock tower, real charm and offers a taste of the more rural mountains, but happily with access to some of the best slopes in France sitting as it does between the valleys of Méribel and Courchevel.
St Martin is just down from Les Menuires and in the same valley as big boy Val Thorens. Although St Martin and Les Menuires are different places the share the same piste map and go hand in hand. At St Martin itself you’ll find a small beginner’s zone and the St Martin 1 chair that takes you up the western slopes then from the top of that you can jump on the St Martin Express up to Tougnette which gives you the option to head right to Les Menuires or over the ridge into the next valley towards Meribel. There are just a handful of runs directly above St Martin so most people looking to get some long runs in use it as base from which to access the rest of the area.
In summer there excellent biking to be had around St Martin de Belleville and these smaller village are hold a bigger attraction than the mega resorts in summer for us as they feel far more relaxing and get us back in touch with nature a bit more.
The smaller villages in the Three Valleys like St Martin de Belleville are good choices for families and groups who want to do their own thing but still get into some serious skiing. Chalet operators here will often provide lift drop-off services as well making everything as easy as possible. For chalet options in St Martin de Belleville try Mountain Lodge Adventures who run Chalet Alpage and Snow Trippin who operates Chalet Broski.
need to know
1 day area pass:€50
6 day area pass:€289
Official website:st-martin-belleville.com
Linked areas:
Courchevel, Meribel, La Tania, Les Menuires, St Martin De Belleville, Val Thorens
getting here
By air
The usual four French airports serve St Martin de Belleville. Geneva isn’t the closest but is usually the best as it rarely gets closed due to weather. A transfer from Geneva to St Martin de Belleville will take about 2.5 hours. Transfers from Chambery or Grenoble usually take just under 2 hours. Lyon airport is the last option but often the busiest with traffic particularly on Saturdays.
By car
There is free car parking at St Martin de Belleville and for access to the Saint Martin Gondola head for the Cochet car park.
By train
If heading to by train, the closest station is Moûtiers – Salins – Brides Les Bains, around 27 km away. From here there are taxi and transfer companies that can bring you to the village.