Bride-les-Bains is not only a ski resort in France, it is also famous for its thermal springs. The town has a wellness center that offers treatment with healing spring waters, mud, hydromassage, various types of massage, swimming in a pool with mineral water.

Bride-les-Bains, thanks to its favorable location, became a resort in the middle of the 18th century, starting in 1848. Various diseases have long been treated here, starting with skin diseases and ending with heart, lung and obesity diseases. The resort became popular among skiers about 50-60 years ago.

Features of the geographical location

The thermal resort is located in the Alps (Savoie region, Auvergne region), at an altitude of 600 m. above sea level, in the area of 3 valleys. A characteristic feature of the geographical position of Brides-les-Bains is its ideal location relative to the Three Valleys. The Olimp cable car takes you to the most famous ski resorts Courchevel, Méribel, Val-Thorans in 15-20 minutes.

The area is known for its healing springs, which were known as early as the 16th century. And today they are quite popular with the French, who regularly come to this resort to improve their health.

Nearest cities

Getting to Brides les Bains is relatively easy. The nearest airport is in Chambéry (90 km), Grenoble is 160 km away, and Lyon and Geneva are 170 km away. The nearest towns are Bozelles and Moutiers, 7 and 10 km away respectively. Moutiers has a train station (the closest) from which you can get to Paris (630 km) without any transfers.

Best time to relax

Currently, Brides les Bains is better known as a ski resort. The best time to relax here is considered to be the period from mid-December to the second half of April.

Many tourists note that the service and level of service here is no worse than in other more famous and popular cities, but the prices are an order of magnitude lower.

Many French people come here at other times of the year to drink mineral water and get treated in the thermal baths.

Infrastructure

The town has an excellent infrastructure, which was specially improved in 1992 before the start of the Winter Olympics, which were held in Albertville.

Currently, Brides les Bains is a modern resort with a well-developed infrastructure. For the Olympics, hotels were built that meet all standards and requirements, as well as the high-speed ski lift “Olimp”, on which tourists can now safely and relatively quickly get to Val Thorens, Courchevel and Meribel.

Hotels

The city has enough hotels that can satisfy the needs of every visitor. There are hotels with a beautiful view of the Vanoise glaciers, there are hotels with excellent cuisine and service – GOLF OTEL and many others – Altis Val Vert, Savoy, Des Sources, Les Chalets, etc. Some are impressive with their modern equipment, others with the spirit of bygone years. For example, the Golf hotel is decorated in the style of the 1920s, but has everything for a comfortable stay, with places for the disabled.

Golf Hotel 4-star hotel

The picturesque village of Brides-les-Bains is ideally located in the Alps in the 3 Valleys ski region. It is directly connected to Meribel by the Olympe gondola lift.

This magnificent residence, decorated in a 1920s style, harmoniously combines charm and authenticity. The rooms offer comfort, quality services and modern individual amenities.

The hotel is located in a quiet location, offering stunning views of the Vanoise glaciers. As well as views of the snow-capped Grand Bec and the village of Brides-les-Bains.

Savoy Hotel 3-star hotel

The Savoy is located in the heart of Brides-les-Bains, the largest ski area in the world, and offers access to Méribel via the Olympe gondola lift, 300 metres away.

The comfortable and practical rooms have a private shower, an LCD TV with satellite channels and free Wi-Fi.

The Savoy is a 3-minute walk from the Grand Thermal Spa. It features a heated outdoor pool and a sauna. The hot tub is open in summer.

The Savoy’s charming restaurant serves traditional regional cuisine in a relaxed atmosphere. Guests can also enjoy the bar with a terrace, open all year round.

The Savoy Hotel offers free private parking, making it ideal for those travelling around the Rhône-Alpes region by car.

Hotel Les Chalets 3-star hotel

This hotel is located in the centre of Brides-les-Bains, just 200 metres from the main gondola lift. It features an outdoor heated swimming pool and an on-site restaurant.

Les Chalets offers simply furnished rooms with an LCD TV. Free Wi-Fi is available in the rooms.

Breakfast is served daily in the restaurant or delivered to the rooms. In the evening, guests can enjoy traditional cuisine and relax on the terrace with a drink from the bar. Special diet menus are available on request from May to October.

The hotel has a spa with a sauna, hammam, hot tub and massages. The spa is free from May to October. From October to May, the spa is available upon reservation and at an additional cost.

Ski storage, free private parking and a laundry service are available. Massages can be booked. Chambery Airport is 90 km away.

Hotel Amélie 3-star hotel

Hotel Amélie is located in the Olympic ski resort Brides-les-Bains is next to the ski lift to the Three Valleys ski area.

It offers fully equipped, comfortable rooms with free Wi-Fi, satellite TV and a marble bathroom. Private parking is available.

Les Cerisiers’ restaurant at the Amelie serves fine traditional cuisine and Savoyard specialities, served in the dining room or on the terrace.

Guests can enjoy the lounge bar with comfortable sofas and a pool table, and in the summer season, take a dip in the large heated outdoor swimming pool.

Amélie is located in a quiet mountain setting, just 20 km from Courchevel and 12 km from Méribel.

Restaurants

Most restaurants in Brides-les-Bains offer traditional French and European cuisine, but there are also establishments where you can enjoy seafood, Japanese sushi, and so on.

As for the price, it is quite acceptable (by French and European standards) and almost a quarter less than in nearby resorts.

Le “Bis” trop Savoyard

Price range

102 ₴ – 768 ₴

Type of cuisine

French, European, Wine bar, Brew pub

Specialty menu

Good for vegetarian

Dining Hours

Dinner, Late Night, Drinks

Services

Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Wine and Beer, Accepts American Express, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Free Wifi, Table Service.

La Table du Golf

Price range

870 ₴ – 870 ₴

Type of cuisine

French, European

Specialty menu

Suitable for vegetarians, Vegans

Meal times

Breakfast Lunch dinner

Services

Reservations, Outdoor seating, Parking available, Validated parking, Wheelchair accessible for registered users, Serves alcohol, Free Wi-Fi, Table service, Seating, Highchairs

Attractions

The town has its own attractions that are popular not only with locals but also with many tourists. First of all, it is a beautiful park, numerous boutiques and shops, restaurants, cafes, bars, and festivals and concerts are held here regularly. Therefore, everyone will be able to find entertainment to their liking in Brides les Bains.

Trails

The town is not called the gateway or entrance to the 3 valleys for nothing. Thanks to its location, every tourist will be able to find trails to their liking. Imagine, only inside the city there are 77 km of well-equipped slopes, and in total there are more than 600 km (48 green, 135 blue, 119 red and 33 black) and 220 lifts, plus almost 300 km of flat slopes, if we take the entire region as a whole. In this case, the height difference is 1.1 km – 3.23 km. The number of lifts in the resort is 58 lifts (25 tow lifts, 16 gondola lifts, 17 chairlifts), 2 fun parks.

For beginners, Brides-les-Bains offers some excellent blue-green runs, including three isolated slopes near Plattieres station and a sparsely populated wide Blanchot trail. In the Altiport area there is a long gentle descent, quite wide and beautiful, passing through the forest from the middle station of the Solyr gondola lift. Short easy trails in the Rond-Pois area will also help to improve your skiing technique.

More confident skiers can ski on the red and blue trails of Courchevel, in the Méribel snow park and higher in Val Thorens. There are excellent opportunities for ski safaris, wide and easy trails.

Professionals will be interested in the trails on the top of Mont Valon (2925 m). The Combe-Valon descent, the Olympic trail of Fas, the easier trails of Georges-Madouis and Combe-de-Thunet are especially attractive. Connoisseurs of untouched slopes will find excellent opportunities for freeride on Mont de la Chambray and in the Col du Fruy area.

Entertainment and active recreation

In addition to skiing and snowboarding, the resort also offers other sports activities for tourists – sledding, climbing, bobsleigh, snowshoeing, tobogganing, hiking.

Brides-les-Bains is not only a ski resort, it is also famous for its thermal springs. Grand Spa Thermal. One of the largest thermal resorts in France and the largest in the Alps. The Grand Spa Thermal is located next to the Olympe cable car in the heart of Brides-les-Bains. Reopened after renovation in 2018, it boasts 2,700 m² of treatment and wellness areas, including a new 600 m² water area. There is also a hammam, sauna, indoor and outdoor jacuzzi. The Grand Spa Thermal is the ideal place to recover after an active day on the snow. It features a wellness center offering treatments with healing spring waters, mud, hydromassage, various types of massage, and swimming in a mineral water pool.

The resort specializes in the treatment of diseases such as rheumatism, diabetes, hypertension. Gymnastics, sauna, aerobath, jacuzzi, physiotherapy sessions and other wellness procedures are also available to resort visitors.

The resort life of Brides-les-Bains rages until late at night in restaurants, bars, discos and cafes. Casinos, shops, cinemas, exhibitions and concerts provide vacationers with a gambling and fun pastime.

Every Sunday and Wednesday, resort guests have the opportunity to take part in folk festivities with hot juice, wine and potatoes with cheese baked on a baking sheet.

Conclusions

Bride-les-Bains is one of the most affordable ski resorts, in the very “heart” of Europe. Affordable prices, high level of service, and accessibility to the most fashionable European resorts make the city very attractive for tourists.

Here you can not only ski comfortably and have a pleasant time, but also improve your health, taste delicious dishes, enjoy picturesque landscapes, drink healing water, visit SPA treatments, swim in a pool with mineral water and go shopping.