Here 4 the Apres

Welcome to the ultimate guide on planning your ski trip to Val Thorens! If you’re dreaming of skiing and partying in one of the world’s top ski destinations, you’re in the right place. In this comprehensive blog post, I’ll break down the costs involved in every aspect of your Val Thorens adventure, from flights to accommodations, lift tickets to apres ski. Whether you’re a seasoned skier or a first-time visitor, our budget-friendly tips and insights will help you navigate the financial landscape of this iconic French ski resort. Get ready to unravel the mysteries of Val Thorens’ expenses and discover how to make the most of your winter getaway without breaking the bank. Let’s dive into the details and ensure your ski trip is not only memorable but also budget-savvy!

Flights from NYC ~$720

Of course flights will depend on what time of year you decide to travel, and what airport. Since the pandemic, flights have gone up significantly. I used to be able to get a flight to Europe in the winter for about $300, just looking at Google flights now, its running about $720 round trip direct for a Friday to the next Sunday trip from Newark to Geneva. You can find some flights in the $470 range if you connect, or fly in not on the weekends. But remember, connections provides more opportunity for flight disruptions or lost bags, both of which happened to me during my last trip to Val Thorens. There are the most number of buses running on Saturday, if you’re delayed or your plane isn’t scheduled to land in time to catch the bus, you’ll be stuck in Geneva or other city for an extra day. Some people might enjoy this and schedule it in, but when I travel to ski, my main goal is only to ski.

Of course I am only familiar with prices from NYC. Prices could be even higher from other US cities, and there are no other cities that fly direct into Geneva at this point. But I know alot of my readers are also from the UK and there are plenty of budget airlines, so you’ll definitely spend significantly less than us Americans. Plus you can buy duty free alcohol on the way in, as long as you don’t drink it all on the bus up to the resort.

For me, I have a Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card, so I can usually get my flight for “free”, but points are still money in my book. Plus the credit card does have a $550 annual fee, but honestly I make money from the card because I take advantage of all the benefits. Also I also collect Delta miles and have used these miles to fly to Europe for my ski trips also.

Transportation from Airport to Val Thorens Round Trip ~$110

I usually get to Val Thorens using one of the bus companies, either Ben’s Bus or Altibus, which runs about $110. If you rent a car alone, pay for gas, plus parking for a week in Val Thorens, it’ll be more expensive than taking a bus alone. Also Val Thorens is a car free town. If you are with a larger group, all flying on the same flight (flight delays on different flights could force a group to wait HOURS for just one person), it might be worth it if you’re splitting up the price. This does give you the option to do some grocery shopping on the way up which will help save you some money. Another friend pointed out that if you’re in Europe for an extended time and plan to hit multiple resorts, its just easier to rent a car because getting from one resort to another is actually quite difficult because most resorts in Europe only have public transit to and from the airport, so a direct drive could only be 2 hours, but if you’re taking a bus, you would have to return to the airport and then drive back out. You’ll just have to do what makes logistical sense for you.

Another option is take the train to the bus. You’ll have to change over at Moutiers. The train can be from Geneva, Lyon, or even Paris. Trains can be quite pleasant if you’re planning on renting skis or a snowboard, but if you’re lugging your gear with all those transfers it gets very tiresome. Everything seems 10x further when you’re dragging a 6 foot long 50 pound bag with one hand.

Accommodations ~$500 for a 7 night trip

So okay, accommodations will depend on your tolerance level. There is always a range on this anywhere you go. If you’re young and you’re willing to share a bed, or sleep on a couch, in a tiny apartment with 3 other people, I think you can get it down to about $350 per person. With 6 people in a small apartment you can get it down $235. But we’re talking a 290 square foot apartment with one bathroom, but central enough to be able to walk to all the parties in town. On VRBO I even found a centrally located apartment with room for 6 for only $170 per person for a week. The budget locations will likely have ski lockers, but no other amenities like housekeeping, spas, or even linens. You will have to get rentals or bring them yourself.

I think with 2 people in a small apartment, if you book early enough you can find an apartment with two separate beds, but not two bedrooms, either share a bedroom or one person sleeps in living room for under $1000 for the week as long as you book early enough and its not during Christmas/New Years or French School holidays. VRBO has some great deals if you book early enough, you can get it as low as $305 for the week per person.

If you’re a hotel only type of person, this will be much more expensive in Val Thorens. Inventory is very low, but the hotels in the area are quite beautiful, which in return makes them quite expensive. The least expensive would be about $450 a night, so with taxes and fees, a little under $3500. Most of these hotels will have plenty of amenities included heated ski lockers, spas, saunas, spacious lobbies to lounge in, concierge service, and even entertainment at night.

There are various factors that will effect the cost of your accommodations. First is going during the French school holidays which is usually around 2nd week of Feb and ends 2nd week of March. Holidays such as between Christmas and New Years tend to be more pricey also. How early you book also makes a huge difference. The French and other Europeans tend to book their accommodations very early, almost a year in advanced directly at the location they book every year. Some of my friends seem to think 1-3 months in advanced is sufficient, but not for European ski resorts, you should aim for 4-6 months in advanced minimum, if not a year in advanced because the inventory will be less as time goes on. If you want Wifi in your accommodation, you will pay a premium for this. I’ve noticed very few apartments provide wifi, so when I sort accommodations on Booking.com or VRBO to include wifi, the prices go up.

Lift Tickets ~Free on Epic Pass / $410 for 6 day pass

Ski math tells me that since I own an Epic Pass, I’m actually saving money by going skiing at Val Thorens because I get a 7 day ski pass for free with my pass. But if you don’t own a ski pass, a standard 6-day (as I mentioned before most people arrive Saturday, start skiing on Sunday, and then leave the following Saturday) all 3 valleys pass currently costs 375 Euro, which is currently about $410. There are other options to save money such as choose only Val Thorens-Orelle or get the 3 person group deal.

Ski Rentals ~$125 for Economy / ~$300 for Demo for the week

If you book your rentals early and online, you can get as much as a 40% discount, so make sure you do this. For the cheapest beginner skis, it is as low as $125 for a week rental, but if you need a more technical ski, it can go up to $300 and higher. I go into more detail how to choose a rental shop here.

If you own your own gear, you can bring it, but if you don’t have airline status or an airline credit card that comes with the perk of free luggage, checking a bag usually costs $30-50 each way. Most airlines make an oversized exception for ski bags as long as it is under 50 pounds. They will also accept a ski boot bag and a ski sleeve and count it as one piece as long as it is under 50 pounds. You cannot use a suitcase or bag and throw your ski boots in there, it would not count and it would be considered a separate piece. But check on your airline website carefully. When I went to Argentina, they Aerolineas Argentinas charged me $150 each way! At that price, rentals would have been much cheaper.

Food ~$250 per person for the week

Much like accommodations, this will vary depending on how you like to spend your money. On the budget side, you can go to the grocery store, grab yogurt, eggs, cured meats, cheese, and bread for breakfast. Don’t forget some coffee and milk. Lunches you can find meals around the resort such as a burger and fries or a gyro for $10-15. And dinner if you cook pasta for a group, you can save a ton of money. Meat such as steak or chicken at the market tends to be bit pricier, but you can cook it a couple times. To get an idea of prices, you can check out the online order platform for Sherpa, a grocery store located in Val Thorens. Budgeting at about $40 a day not including alcohol, it’ll be about $250 for the week.

You can always up the budget and pepper in a couple nicer meals while in Val Thorens, but skies are the limit because there are so many Michelin Star restaurants, you could easily blow through thousands of dollars if your obsession is amazing food. I did enjoy a One Star Michelin Restaurant, Azimut, in Courchevel when I went a couple seasons ago. It is definitely worth the novelty of saying I’ve eaten at a Michelin Star restaurant in ski gear. But I’m sure many of you have seen the Instagram / TikTok trend where people put on their nicest and most expensive clothes, and its their ski gear. So I’ve definitely worn my most expensive clothes at that Michelin Star Restaurant.

Alcohol and Apres Ski Parties ~$350 for the week

You don’t fly out to ski Val Thorens to not party. This is one of the best apres ski resorts in the world! But how much can you drink? And how high is your tolerance for bad alcohol?

For those who will pregame, the first time I stayed in Val Thorens, I stayed at Hotel Club mmv les Allores. It was a bit pricier than staying at an apartment, but it did come with unlimited food and free unlimited wine at lunch and dinner. It was pretty awful, it would give me a hangover within 10 minutes of drinking it. But if you’re not prone to hangovers and not picky about the quality of your wine, this could save you quite a bit of money.

Other cheap pregame option is just to pick up some bottles at the grocery store. Wine is a cheap option in Val Thorens, you can get decent bottles for 10-15 Euro. But once again, this depends on your tolerance, I saw some of the college kids grabbing boxes of wine for even cheaper, and you can get super nice bottles of real champagne or an amazing Châteauneuf-du-Pape if you’re willing to pay the premium. For Americans this is a great value compared to what we pay in the states, but might not fit your budget.

If you’re a hard liquor drinker, you always have the option of picking up duty free alcohol on the way in. I don’t know how much cheaper it is compared to what is available in Val Thorens since I don’t drink hard liquor anymore. I can’t imagine its worth lugging if you’re also carrying 50 pounds of ski gear with you.

Drink prices at apres ski parties and clubs vary. Bottles of Rose at La Folie run about 40-45 euro, whereas they only cost about 30-35 Euro at 360 Val Thorens. Glasses of prosecco were about 5-6 Euros at Wild and Savage and Malaysia Bar.

The night parties such as Malaysia Bar and Klub Summit do charge a cover charge if you don’t get in early enough. 360 Val Thorens also sometimes has special events which requires a paid ticket. So don’t forget to budget for that.

All in, I would budget for myself $45 worth of apres ski per day. Which would include sharing a bottle or two at apres ski, some pregame drinks, and then drinks at a club at nights for 6 days, plus the Saturday you arrive, and throw in a couple door cover charges, so let’s say $350.

One Night in Geneva ~$150

As I mentioned in this previous post, I usually fly the redeye into Geneva on Friday night, take the bus to Val Thorens, and then take the last bus out of Val Thorens on Saturday back to Geneva Airport. I can usually find a hotel right next to the Geneva train station for about $100/night. The train from Geneva Airport to Geneva station is free with your hotel. So adding in the cost of dinner while you’re there, I would say your total in Geneva would be $150. Food is pretty expensive in Geneva, even ramen is about $40. But I’m sure you can just grab some McDonalds or something from the grocery store to save yourself an extra $20. Me personally, I’m missing asian food by the end of the week, so its worth the splurge.

International Phone Data ~$40

I go into detail here about wifi data options and international phone plans. I think the best value would be to get either a physical Sim or eSim which runs about $40 on Amazon, but maybe your current phone plan gives you free Travel Pass. I have about 10 saved up now for my upcoming Italy trip. Or you might have free international data on your company phone, so this could down to $0.

Travel Insurance ~$100

Not everyone is going to spend the money to buy travel insurance, but I started adding it to my trips during the pandemic, mostly because it would cover the costs of 10 days of quarantine if I got Covid while I was abroad. Now that the pandemic is “over” I still get travel insurance for a couple reasons: medical insurance abroad, delayed/lost bag insurance, and weather related delays in general. I maybe be a very cautious skier, but you can still get injured skiing and your American medical insurance will not cover you when you are skiing abroad. I usually get World Nomads insurance because they state on their website they cover “extreme sports” which includes skiing. They even have two levels of insurance, one lower level for those mostly on piste, and another more expensive one that covers off piste and terrain park. I don’t think my insurance companies like me too much because I have notoriously bad luck flying. Last time I travelled to Val Thorens, my ski bag was lost / delayed BOTH DIRECTIONS. What are the chances? Luckily my travel insurance covered demo level ski rentals plus any ski gear such as ski socks, goggles, mittens, that I needed to ski. It was dumping half a foot a snow a day, there was no way I was missing that waiting for my gear that arrived 3 days later. And then it also covers delays due to weather. Remember how I said I have terrible luck traveling? Well I once flew to Reno to ski in Tahoe, and they closed the roads just as I was landing and canceled my shuttle bus. My insurance company covered my 3 nights of hotel and food as I waited for the roads to reopen to get me to Northstar.

All in Costs

For a standard Val Thorens trip for me, this is about how much it would cost:
Airfare: Free, would use miles or points
Bus to resort: $110
Accommodations: $500, sharing apartment with one friend
Food: $300, adding one Micheline Star lunch, but frugal the rest of the time
Alcohol + Apres ski: $350
Geneva: $150
International phone data: Free, travel pass saved up from my phone plan
Travel Insurance: $100
TOTAL: Approximately $1500