Sainte Foy is a luxury winter sports resort in the French Alps, close to Italy and Switzerland. Located in the Savoie department, Sainte Foy lies in the Tarentaise valley, close to some of Europe's most famous ski resorts such as Val d'Isère, Tignes and Les Arcs. For this reason, it is often referred to as the 'Jewel in the Crown'. Sainte Foy’s stunning location gives breathtaking views of the valley below while the impressive Mont Pourri towers above. Unlike many larger resorts, Sainte Foy remains true to its roots, with plenty of alpine charm, uncrowded pistes and fantastic skiing.
The resort, which is found at an altitude of 1550m above sea level, was developed as a ski area in 1990 when the first three chairlifts were opened. Being a relatively new resort, the chalets and the resort centre have been built in a style very sympathetic with the old, local buildings. Traditional stone and wood finishes give the resort its authentic feel and there are no unsightly tower blocks which have become commonplace in so many ski resorts.
Continuing Sainte Foy's gradual, well-planned growth, a fourth, high-speed chairlift was installed for the winter of 2006-2007 and opened up a whole new area of new ski runs and off-piste. The highest lifted point is 2620m so there are more than 1000 vertical metres to be skied from top to bottom. Off-piste enthusiasts can take advantage of even larger descents, some of which extend for 1700 vertical metres.
There are currently 35km of piste (ski runs which have been route-marked and prepared by grooming machines) at Sainte Foy. Whilst the larger local resorts may have more pistes, one of Sainte Foy's key attractions is the fact that the chairlifts, the slopes and the off-piste are uncrowded. Even during peak weeks, such as school holiday weeks, there is rarely a queue to be seen at a chairlift and ski runs are often empty. It can sometimes feel as if you are skiing or snowboarding on your own private ski resort! What's more, Sainte Foy offers affordable lift passes at approximately £100 per week (almost half the price of Val d'Isère and Les Arcs) and children under seven ski for free.
Sainte Foy, March 2008 (Première Neige)
Sainte Foy is well-equipped with its own infrastructure of facilities to ensure your stay is comfortable. From bars and restaurants to the spa and public parking, please see the details below:
Useful information about the local area, services, contact details and maps. From emergency services to the nearby towns and ski resorts.
View Map of Sainte Foy & Surrounding Area
View Map of Bourg Saint Maurice
The closest main town to Sainte Foy resort is Bourg Saint Maurice which has a population of around 8000. The town is just under 13km from Sainte Foy and can be reached by car in about 25 minutes.
There are most services on offer in the town from banks, supermarkets, restaurants, commercial shops, and a swimming pool. The main supermarkets are Super U and Intermarché which are located very close to each other and near the large sports shops of Twinner and Intersport. The fuel station at Super U is the largest one at this end of the valley so if you need to fill up your vehicle, this might be the best place to do it before setting off up the road to Sainte Foy. It is worth noting that most fuel stations do not accept foreign credit cards so it is preferable to fill up while the cash desk is open (before 19:30 in the case of Super U).
The train line, which allows a direct journey from London and can be booked with Eurostar or through Rail Europe, finishes at Bourg Saint Maurice. If you are travelling up to resort you can book a Première Neige transfer to make the final leg of your journey hassle-free.
From Bourg Saint Maurice it is possible to take the 'Arc en Ciel' funicular, an inclined railway, to Les Arcs 1600. Taking just 7 minutes, this train is quick and easy to use.
As well as being in the heart of an extremely popular winter sports valley, Bourg Saint Maurice is also a well-known summer town. There is a whitewater slalom course on the Isère river as well as great rafting opportunities. Mountain biking or VTT (Vélo Tout Terrain in French) is another huge sport in this area as there are hundreds of kilometres of trails around the town. Similarly, there are many excellent hiking routes and climbing spots for all levels.
View Interactive Piste Map of La Plagne/Paradiski
The ski resort of La Plagne consists of six high altitude resorts which are linked by free transport between 08:00 and midnight. The resorts, which combine 225km of pistes, are:
The Vanoise Express, a cable car, links La Plagne to Les Arcs, the whole ski area of these two large resorts being known as Paradiski. This cable car will be open for the start of the 2008-2009 season.
View Map of La Rosière & La Thuile
View Piste Map of La Rosière & La Thuile
La Rosère is a ski resort which enables you to ski or snowboard into La Thuile, Italy, for the day. The resort centre is just a few kilometres from the French-Italian border and can be reached from Sainte Foy in about 25 to 30 minutes. There are around 150km of ski runs here, the majority of which are quite gentle, however, there are runs for all levels of skier or snowboarder. From here it is also possible to arrange heli-skiing drops on the Italian side of the border.
La Rosière was developed as a ski resort in the 1950s. Just a few years prior to becoming a ski resort, it was the scene of attacks by Italian forces during World War II. The fort, which 47 French soldiers guarded and is heavily damaged, can still be seen today.
View Piste Map of Les Arcs & Villaroger
Opened in 1968, Les Arcs is a large ski terrain located above Bourg Saint Maurice and accessible either by the 'Arc en Ciel' funicular in Bourg Saint Maurice or via a chairlift directly from Villaroger, a village just across from Sainte Foy (10km). If you have a six day Sainte Foy lift pass you are able to redeem a discounted pass to Les Arcs for the day from Villaroger.
The resort comprises three main centres; Arc 1600, Arc 1850 and Arc 2000. There are many restaurants, bars and cafes located throughout Les Arcs which are ideal for rest stops during a day's skiing. Combining with Peisey-Vallandry and La Plagne, Les Arcs is part of the Paradiski ski system. The top lift takes you up to 3226m at the famous peak of the Aiguille Rouge (Red Needle).
Lifts are open in winter for skiing and snowboarding and in summer for mountain biking and hiking. There are several well-made trails to suit all levels.
Tignes, which is linked to the neighbouring resort of Val d'Isère, is located 19.5km from Sainte Foy and takes about 25 minutes to reach by car.
Originally a village next to the Isère river, Tignes was relocated further up the mountain when the valley floor was flooded in 1952 so that a dam could be made to introduce hydro-electric power to the region. Once every 10 years the lake behind the dam (Lac du Chevril) is drained for maintenance work and the remains of the old village become visible.
There are three main parts in Tignes; Les Brevieres, Le Lac and Val Claret. Tignes Le Lac is the central part of the resort during the winter. The highest lifted point at Tignes is at 3456m and is up on the Grande Motte glacier. The majority of the resort was developed in the 1960s.
View Interactive Map of Val d'Isère
Val d'Isère began as a ski resort in the 1930s and is part of the Espace Killy ski area being linked to Tignes via the lift system. Located 20km from Sainte Foy resort and taking around 25 minutes to drive to, there are three main parts of the resort; La Daille, Val d'Isère 1850 and Le Fornet. From each of these points you are able to take a series of lifts including funiculars, gondolas, chairlifts and drag lifts. The highest lifted point is over 3300m. Val d'Isère and Tignes form a ski area known as the Espace Killy.
The resort was the start of stage 9 to Briancon in the 2007 Tour de France. If offers challenging bike routes to the top of the Col de l'Iseran and down into Italy. There are also excellent walking and mountain biking trails in this area.
In the town centre there are a number of shops from clothing and ski wear to restaurants, bars, and practical stores such as pharmacies and bakeries.
Archaeological evidence leads us to believe that the lower Tarentaise valley could have been inhabited since 4000BC, whilst the climatic warming in 1000BC would have encouraged the populating of the upper Tarentaise valley.
The Romans called the inhabitants of the upper Tarentaise valley the "Acitavones", which seems to have been a derivative of the name "Ceutron". These would have been the ancestors of today's Santefèrains, as the residents of Sainte Foy are now known. In 218BC, legend has it that that Hannibal and his elephants and the Carthaginians would have passed close to Sainte Foy whilst crossing the Alps to fight the Romans on their home soil. Today, we are almost certain that the Romans themselves inhabited Sainte Foy.
Until the 18th century, the "commune" or borough of Sainte Foy extended as far as Tignes and the valley where the source of the Isère river is to be found. Sainte Foy witnessed much conflict over the centuries, before settling into a more traditional, peaceful lifestyle until 1860 when it became part of France. Many impoverished Santafèrains profited from this by leaving to sweep chimneys in the major cities, such as Paris, returning with substantial savings to re-establish themselves in their native land.
Sainte Foy was again subjected to the vagaries of war with the occupation of the Italians and Germans during World War 2, and afterwards finding a new lease of life through tourism.
The local economic risk caused by the exodus as a result of the abandonment of the traditional rural way of life in the 1960's led the local council to embark upon the ambitious project to create a winter sports resort accommodating 20,000 people. Several potential sites were considered before "Bonconseil" at 1550m was selected in 1982. The project reached fruition in 1990 when the three 4-seater chair lifts were opened. A 6 man high speed chair was added to the resort in 2007 adding several runs. Today, the resort continues to grow whilst maintaining its historic charm.
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