Bourg St Maurice

Bourg-Saint-Maurice is part of the Paradiski ski area (425 km of slopes, 141 lifts, 239 slopes – 12 Green, 132 Blue, 66 Red, 29 Black). Although there is no skiing at this altitude, it is conveniently linked to Arc 1600 by the Arc en Ciel funicular railway and is therefore home to many budget rental properties. Unlike the villages that make up Les Arcs, Bourg-Saint-Maurice is open all year.

Bourg is also a popular summer destination, as it offers lots of opportunity for lovers of the outdoors and watersports. There is a whitewater slalom course on the Isere river used for international canoe and kayak competitions. The course on the Isere has been host to the ICF world championships and is used by many European teams as a training course in the summer. The course is often changed by the floods that occur during the winter months.

The surrounding mountains are good for walking and mountain biking. They also are a good place for paragliding and hang gliding. Some of Les Arcs ski lifts operate during July and August to get walkers to the higher peaks and you can take mountain bikes up on these. Mountain bikes (vélo tout terrain or VTT in French) can be hired in both Bourg and Les Arcs. Some of the high altitude restaurants open in these months, the ones at Pre st Esprit and L’Arpete have small outdoor pools.

The nearest summer glacier skiing is in Tignes (approximately 27 km from Bourg) on the Grande Motte; due to glacial recession, however, it is now closed at certain times of the year.