Villas in Southern Alps

Orcières-Merlette and Les Orres suit ski families, Serre Chevalier suits keen skiers, and Chorges suits summer on the lake. This is chalet and ski-apartment country, mostly in the Hautes-Alpes, plus Auron in the mountains above Nice. The resorts sit high, but transfers are long: most are two hours or more from the nearest airport.

Where

Villas: 74
From, per week: £371
Cheapest month: October
Nearest airports: Turin is closest for Montgenèvre and Serre Chevalier, around 1.5 to 2 hours away, with flights from London of around two hours. Grenoble, with mostly winter routes, suits Orcières; Marseille suits Les Orres and Chorges; Nice is about an hour and a half from Auron. A night train runs from Paris to Briançon.

Where to stay in Southern Alps

Orcières-Merlette and the Champsaur (with Saint-Bonnet-en-Champsaur)

More of our Southern Alps homes are at Orcières 1850 than anywhere else. It is a purpose-built resort at the head of the Champsaur valley, on the southern edge of the Écrins National Park. The slopes suit beginners and intermediates, and in summer the lifts take walkers up towards high lakes. Saint-Bonnet-en-Champsaur is a market town lower down the valley, with shops open all year. Gap is about 45 minutes away, and Grenoble airport about two and a half hours.

Best for: Families who want ski-in, ski-out apartments and easy slopes

Not for you if: You want an old village feel: Orcières 1850 is a purpose-built resort of apartment blocks.

Les Orres and Embrun

Les Orres sits above Embrun, with apartments and chalets at 1650 and 1800 and long views over Lac de Serre-Ponçon. Embrun, about 20 minutes below, is an old town on a rock above the Durance, with a cathedral, a swimming lake by the river and a station on the line from Marseille to Briançon. In summer the lifts run for walkers and mountain bikers. Marseille airport is around two and a half to three hours away.

Best for: Families who want skiing in winter and Lac de Serre-Ponçon in summer

Not for you if: You want a big linked ski area: Les Orres is a single, mid-sized resort.

Serre Chevalier (Briançon, La Salle-les-Alpes and Puy Aillaud)

Serre Chevalier is a string of villages along the Guisane valley between Briançon and Le Monêtier-les-Bains, sharing one large ski area with many runs through larch woods, useful when visibility is poor. La Salle-les-Alpes is one of those villages. Briançon's walled upper town is part of the Vauban fortifications World Heritage site. Puy Aillaud, a hamlet at around 1,580 metres in the Vallouise, is popular with walkers. Turin airport is around two hours away.

Best for: Keen skiers who want a big area with tree-lined runs

Not for you if: You want to ski from the door: many valley homes are a walk or bus ride from the lifts.

Montgenèvre (Italian border)

Montgenèvre sits on the pass at 1,860 metres, right on the Italian border and around 15 minutes above Briançon. Its slopes link to Claviere and on to Sestriere and Sauze d'Oulx in the Voie Lactée, or Via Lattea, one of the larger ski areas in Europe; check which lift pass covers the Italian side. In summer there is a golf course that straddles the border and plenty of walking. Turin airport is around an hour and a half away.

Best for: Skiers who want a high base and slopes linked into Italy

Not for you if: You want lively village streets: Montgenèvre is small and strung along the road over the pass.

Chorges and Lac de Serre-Ponçon

Chorges sits above the north-west end of Lac de Serre-Ponçon, a large reservoir on the Durance with beaches, sailing schools and paddleboard hire in summer. The tiny Chapelle Saint-Michel, on an islet in the bay nearby, is the lake's most photographed spot. Gap is about 20 minutes away, and Réallon and Les Orres are the nearest ski areas in winter. Water levels can drop in dry summers. Marseille airport is around two hours away.

Best for: Summer families who want lake beaches, sailing and paddleboarding

Not for you if: You want a ski resort on the doorstep: Chorges is a valley town, with the slopes a drive away.

Auron (Alpes-Maritimes)

Auron sits at about 1,600 metres above Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée, at the top of the Tinée valley. It is the nearest of these resorts to an airport, around an hour and a half from Nice, so a long weekend is realistic. Most runs are red or blue, and a gondola links the resort with the village below. In summer the Mercantour National Park is on the doorstep for walking. The drive up the Tinée gorge is slow and winding.

Best for: Skiers flying into Nice who want the shortest transfer

Not for you if: You want a huge linked area: Auron is a stand-alone resort of mostly red and blue runs.

When to go to Southern Alps

The ski season usually runs from mid-December to early or mid-April. Christmas, New Year and the February French school holidays are the busiest and most expensive weeks; January and March are quieter. Summer runs from late June to early September, with lifts open for walkers and mountain bikers and Serre-Ponçon at its warmest. In May, early June, October and November most resort shops, restaurants and lifts close, though valley towns such as Briançon, Embrun and Gap stay open.