Best ski resorts near Paris (TGV and drive)

At 2,300 m, no village in Europe sits higher, and few hold their snow this dependably. Val Thorens is the roof of Les 3 Vallées, the world's largest linked ski area, and the lifts keep turning from late November to early May.

The Matterhorn watches over every run, and no cars are allowed to spoil the view. Zermatt skis all year on the Theodul glacier, the only resort in the Alps that genuinely never closes.

The Matterhorn has an Italian side too, and Cervinia owns it. With the highest village base in Italy and a cross-border link to Zermatt, you can ski 22 km from Plateau Rosà to the valley floor in one go.

The quiet, high-value gateway to Les 3 Vallees: from the Maurienne village of Orelle a gondola lifts you to Cime Caron at 3200 m and the whole 600 km domain.

More Michelin stars than any ski village on earth, and a western doorway into Les 3 Vallées. Courchevel stacks six villages by altitude, from the palace hotels of 1850 down to the family runs of Le Praz.

The value gateway into Les 3 Vallées, Les Menuires gives you the whole 600 km domain without the Courchevel price tag. Recent makeovers have softened its functional reputation.

Statistically the snowiest corner of the Alps, and the most discreet. Lech and Zürs sit just above St. Anton but trade its rowdy bars for quiet luxury and the elegant White Ring circuit.

Right in the middle of Les 3 Vallées, Méribel is the easiest way into the domain. Wooden chalets, a central lift hub and an unapologetically British après-ski crowd give it a warmth the purpose-built resorts lack.

When the rest of the Alps are still green, Tignes is already skiing. The Grande Motte glacier opens in late September, and the link to Val d'Isère gives it the longest dependable season in the range.

A car-free, ski-in/ski-out village of striking timber towers, Avoriaz is the French heart of the cross-border Portes du Soleil. Snow gets around on sledges, not cars.

Ski to your door in any of four altitude villages, from 1600 to 2000 m. Les Arcs wrote the book on ski-in/ski-out, and the Vanoise Express cable car stitches it to La Plagne to form the giant Paradiski domain.

Alpine tourism was born here in 1864, and the place has never let you forget it. Two Olympics, the Cresta Run, polo and horse racing on a frozen lake: St. Moritz wraps serious skiing in old-money theatre.