Les Arcs

Les Arcs is a ski resort in the town of Bourg-Saint-Maurice, in the Tarentaise Valley, in the Savoie department of the French Alps. The resort was founded by Robert Blanc and Roger Godino and today forms part of the huge Paradiski ski area, operated by Compagnie des Alpes, a French publicly listed company that also owns several other ski resorts and theme parks.

Where is Les Arcs located?

The resort sits in the Tarentaise Valley, one of France's best-known winter sports regions, within the municipality of Bourg-Saint-Maurice in Savoie. Like many high-altitude Alpine resorts, it is set among peaks and side valleys that have drawn winter sports visitors from across Europe for decades. Bourg-Saint-Maurice itself acts as the gateway to the resort and the natural starting point for anyone heading up.

Who built Les Arcs?

Les Arcs was created by Robert Blanc and Roger Godino, who initiated the resort from scratch. Their project was part of a broader wave of purpose-built, master-planned ski resorts that spread across the French Alps in the second half of the 20th century — unlike older mountain villages that only gradually adapted to skiing tourism, resorts of this kind were designed from the outset with skiing as their main purpose.

What is the Paradiski system?

Les Arcs is one component of the vast Paradiski ski area, one of the larger interconnected lift-and-piste networks in the Alps. The whole system is owned by Compagnie des Alpes, a French-listed company that, alongside its ski resorts, also runs theme parks. That ownership structure means the resort's lifts, runs and related services belong to a larger, professionally managed network rather than operating as a stand-alone, independent resort.

When should you visit?

Like most resorts in the Tarentaise Valley, Les Arcs is primarily a winter destination — its lifts and pistes are geared toward the ski season, when they draw the bulk of the resort's visitors: skiers and snowboarders looking for a large, well-connected terrain within the Paradiski system.

How do you get to Les Arcs?

The starting point is Bourg-Saint-Maurice, the town at the foot of the resort, well connected to the rest of Savoie and onward to other parts of France. From there, roads and transport links lead up to the resort itself. For travelers planning a visit, Bourg-Saint-Maurice remains the natural reference point and base.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Les Arcs? In the town of Bourg-Saint-Maurice, in the Tarentaise Valley, in the Savoie department of the French Alps.

Who founded Les Arcs? The resort was created by Robert Blanc and Roger Godino.

Who owns Les Arcs? It is part of the Paradiski ski area, operated by Compagnie des Alpes — a French publicly listed company that also owns other ski resorts and theme parks.

When is the best time to visit Les Arcs? Mainly in winter, when the lifts run and the pistes are prepared for skiing.