Region areas
Tourism, which is quite important to Savoie, began to develop towards the end of the 19th century, mostly summer oriented. The increase in the popularity of skiing in the 20th century made Savoie home to the largest number of ski hills in France, including many famous ones.
Les Arcs
Les Arcs is a ski resort located in Savoie, above the Tarentaise town of Bourg-Saint-Maurice. Since the opening of the new Vanoise Express cable car in December 2003, it has become part of the Paradiski group of ski-lift connected resorts, which also includes La Plagne.
La Plagne
La Plagne is a French ski area in the alpine valley of the Tarentaise. La Plagne lies at altitudes between 1250 m and 3250 m and has 100 km² of ski area spread across four towns.
Val Thorens
Val Thorens is the highest ski resort in Europe, located in the French Alps at 2300 m altitude. It is located in the small town of Saint-Martin-de-Belleville in the Savoie department. The humungous altitude means the resort has a very long season with the ski infrastructure typically closing in early-middle May. Many of its slopes face north and north-west, providing for good snow conditions.
Val-d’Isere
Val-d’Isere is a famous ski resort and a commune located in the Savoie department, 5 km from the border with Italy. Val-d’Isère is most recognizable by its charming "chalet" architecture. Along with nearby Tignes the area forms part of the "l’Espace Killy", the self-titled "Most Beautiful Ski Area in the World." Beauty aside, the combined space is one of the largest ski areas in the world.
Tignes
Tignes is a ski resort near Val d’Isère in the "Espace Killy" region. The resort was developed largely during the 1960s and the building style reflects what was regarded as good building design at that time. In recent years the town has worked hard to improve the look of the new villages with some success.