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.
Orelle is a ski resort in France, in the French Alps. The village sits at 900 m and the lifts top out at 3230 m, with 600 km of pistes and 161 lifts. Its BestSnowHotels snow score is 91/100, and the season usually runs Nov 30 → May 4.
How we score and classify resortsRun counts and piste kilometres are indicative. Green runs only exist in France, Spain, Andorra, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Japan, the United States, Morocco, Algeria, Lesotho, South Africa, Egypt, Canada, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Chile; Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Germany start at blue. Indicative average snow depth near the top of the resort, in cm.
A handful of well-rated hotels in and around the resort. Pick one, then compare live prices across Booking, Expedia and Hotels.com.
Good · 507 reviews
Moments from the lifts in Orelle, so you can ski back to the door and skip the morning queues.
Guests rate this hotel as good (3.6/5 from 507 reviews). It sits about 200 m from the slopes. A budget-friendly option for Orelle, with live nightly rates shown for your exact dates so you always see the best price.
Excellent · 72 reviews
Strong value for Orelle, with a high guest rating that punches above its nightly price.
Good · 210 reviews
Moments from the lifts in Orelle, so you can ski back to the door and skip the morning queues.
Excellent · 25 reviews
Moments from the lifts in Orelle, so you can ski back to the door and skip the morning queues.
Excellent · 11 reviews
Moments from the lifts in Orelle, so you can ski back to the door and skip the morning queues.
Very good · 11 reviews
Strong value for Orelle, with a high guest rating that punches above its nightly price.
Ratings from Google, prices indicative per night. Live availability and rates via our booking partners.
Orelle is a valley village, not a slope-side resort: you ride the gondola up to the skiing each morning and back down at the end of the day. A few apartments sit near the gondola base, but genuine ski-in/ski-out is up at the Val Thorens end of the link, not in Orelle itself. Come here for the price and the access, not to clip in at your door.
Orelle is the fourth valley of Les 3 Vallees, and its best-kept secret. Down in the Maurienne, well away from the glitz of Courchevel and the crowds of Val Thorens, the little village sends a gondola climbing to Cime Caron at over 3200 m, one of the highest and most snow-sure points in the whole region. From there the entire 600 km domain unfolds on a single pass. The Orelle side itself is quiet and steep, with long cruising reds and serious off-piste, and prices at the base are a fraction of the famous resorts on the other side of the ridge. It is not a chocolate-box village and the nightlife is minimal, but for skiers who want the biggest linked area in the world at a Maurienne price, with near-guaranteed snow up top, Orelle is hard to beat.
Hotels and apartments around the lifts. Compare prices on Booking, Expedia and Hotels.com.
Everything on our site connected to Orelle: its area, the lists it makes, head-to-heads and trip guides.
Orelle offers 600 km of pistes across 161 lifts, from 900 m to 3230 m. Whether it suits beginners depends on the dedicated learner zones at the base of the slopes, so check the local ski-school options for green and blue run access.
The season runs from Nov 30 to May 4, with a snow score of 91/100. The best conditions are usually from late January through February, while spring skiing in March and April brings longer days and softer afternoons.
Orelle is a valley village, not a slope-side resort: you ride the gondola up to the skiing each morning and back down at the end of the day. A few apartments sit near the gondola base, but genuine ski-in/ski-out is up at the Val Thorens end of the link, not in Orelle itself. Come here for the price and the access, not to clip in at your door.
Orelle has 600 km of marked pistes served by 161 lifts, between 900 m and 3230 m of altitude.
Orelle counts about 132 marked runs in total. The colour breakdown above shows how they split by difficulty, a good guide to whether the resort fits your level.
The closest alternatives, an easy switch if dates or hotels are tight.
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French Alps
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