The Christmas holidays 2026-2027 fall on the same dates in all three school zones. Here you will find the official dates, the resorts announcing an opening as early as November, examples of lift pass prices in high season and the booking rates recorded during the festive period of the 2025-2026 season. Everything you need to plan your stay with confidence.
Key points: Christmas holidays: from Saturday 19 December 2026 to Monday 4 January 2027, same dates for zones A, B and C. · Tignes, Val Thorens and Orelle announce their opening from 21 November 2026. · One-week adult lift pass in 2026-2027: from 93 euros at Semnoz to 352 euros in the Portes du Soleil. · On the eve of the Christmas holidays, early in the 2025-2026 season, the New Year week was 90% booked.
What are the dates of the Christmas 2026-2027 holidays?
The Christmas holidays 2026-2027 begin on Saturday 19 December 2026 and end on Monday 4 January 2027. This school year, the Christmas dates are the same for zones A, B and C. Only the winter and spring holidays differ from one zone to another. For a ski holiday over the festive period, all French families therefore travel during the same period.
The two public holidays in this period fall on a Friday during the holidays: Christmas Day on Friday 25 December 2026 and New Year's Day on Friday 1 January 2027. Keep these two dates in mind when choosing your arrival and departure days.
Which resorts will be open early in the season?
The first major French resorts announce an opening from 21 November 2026: Tignes, Val Thorens and Orelle start the winter that day. At Tignes, the ski area opens gradually from 21 November. The link with Val d'Isère, which forms the Tignes – Val d'Isère ski area, is announced from 28 November.
On 28 November, it is the turn of Val d'Isère, Les Deux Alpes and Montgenèvre to open. At Les Deux Alpes, the Mont-de-Lans glacier allows opening from November. Please note: some of these dates only concern a pre-opening or a partial opening, which depends on snow cover. An announced opening date therefore does not guarantee that the whole ski area is accessible.
How much does a lift pass cost over the holidays?
On the Portes du Soleil ski area, which includes Châtel, the period from 19 December 2026 to 8 January 2027 is classed as high season, at full price. The same applies to the period from 6 February to 5 March 2027. The New Year period is therefore sold at the same rate as the core of the winter holidays on this ski area.
Prices vary a great deal from one ski area to another. According to the 2026-2027 price lists published in mid-September 2026, the one-week adult lift pass costs from 93 euros at Semnoz to 352 euros in the Portes du Soleil. Of the fifteen ski areas studied, half cost less than 249 euros and the other half cost more.
When should you book for Christmas and New Year?
The review of the 2025-2026 season gives a good benchmark. On the eve of the Christmas holidays, the Observatoire national des stations de montagne announced a national booking rate of 81% for the holidays. Christmas week was 72% booked and New Year week 90%. The second week of the holidays was therefore clearly more in demand than the first.
According to the same review, this high rate was mainly due to bookings made very early, from summer 2025. Early snowfalls had also allowed Alpine and Nordic ski areas to open as early as 20 November. For New Year, this is a reason to book early.
Our tips
- For New Year week, the most in-demand week, book your accommodation as early as possible.
- Just before you leave, check with the resort the opening date and which sectors are open: an announced opening may only be partial.
- Compare the lift pass price lists of several ski areas: the differences over a week of skiing are significant.
- Check your ski area's calendar to see which dates are classed as high season before choosing your ski days.
- To follow the snowpack: check our Snow conditions page, which brings together conditions resort by resort.
Resorts to note
green run: very easy · blue: easy · red: difficult · black: very difficult
Tignes
1,550 – 3,456 m · 150 km of runs · 33 lifts · day lift pass 70 €
Tignes was born in the 1950s after the filling of the Chevril dam. Together with Val d'Isère, it forms the Tignes-Val d'Isère ski area (300 km). Its Grande Motte glacier (3,456 m), open almost all year round, makes it a world reference. A car-free resort, hugely popular with snowboarders and freeriders, with one of Europe's best snowparks.
Val Thorens
2,300 – 3,230 m · 150 km of runs · 32 lifts · day lift pass 74 €
Val Thorens is Europe's highest resort at 2,300 m, at the top of the 3 Vallées (600 km). This altitude guarantees good-quality snow from November to May. A modern, lively and very busy resort, it is popular with young skiers thanks to its many bars and clubs at the foot of the slopes. Its own ski area has 85 runs over 150 km.
Les Deux Alpes
1,650 – 3,568 m · 220 km of runs · 44 lifts · day lift pass 68 €
Les Deux Alpes is an international resort at 1,650 m in the Écrins massif, with one of the highest skiable glaciers in the world (3,568 m). Its 225 km of runs and its summer-open glacier attract skiers and snowboarders from around the world. A very lively resort with a buzzing nightlife.
Châtel
1,100 – 2,200 m · 120 km of runs · 56 lifts · day lift pass 68 €
Châtel is a border village at 1,200 m, one of the resorts in the Portes du Soleil (600 km) that lets you ski between France and Switzerland. The atmosphere is family-friendly and laid-back, with a genuinely lively village. The resort is ideal for intermediate skiers keen to explore the world's largest international ski area.
Affiliate links — same prices, no commission taken from you.
Sources: Blog du Modérateur, Guide-ski.fr, Skipass Châtel, Allovoyages, Actu Montagne.
Want an alert as soon as it snows heavily? Turn on SnowFinder notifications from the ☰ menu at the top of the page.