About Alpe d'Huez

Alpe d'Huez is the premier skiing resort located in the Grandes Rousses Massif, near the center of the Oisans region. The beautiful resort's wide variety of activities offers something for all, whether a visitor is looking for ski hire in Alpe d'Huez or more inclined just to take in the sights. The resort became popular when it hosted the bobsleigh events in the 1968 Winter Olympic Games. The resort boasts La Sarenne, Europe's longest black ski run, and offers challenging runs for intermediates as well as many beginner runs. At an altitude of 1869 meters (6,100 feet) above sea level, Alpe d'Huez is a popular year-round resort with a permanent population of 1,700 residents, many of whom are involved in the Alpe d'Huez ski hire industry.

The nearby quaint mountain village of Huez is the original town of the resort. At a slightly lower elevation of 1450 meters (4,800 feet), Huez overlooks the Sarenne gorge. A a cable car provides easy transportation between the central resort of Alpe d'Huez and Huez, with the trip taking just 5 minutes.

Show sights

Alpe d'Huez is divided into a number of quartiers, with the three primary quartiers being Quartier Des Vieil Alpe, Quartier Des Jeux and Quartier Des Bergers. The Quartier Des Vieil Alpe is a residential sector and is charming and predominately residential. Many of the original buildings still remain in the Quartier Des Vieil Alpe, as well as several traditional restaurants which are family-run. The Quartier Des Jeux is the main business area of Alpe d'Huez and contains numerous shops, including ski hires, as well as bars and restaurants. The Quartier Bergers is the most recently developed part of town, where the visitor will find a sampling of businesses in which to shop, eat, and drink, as well.

Located at Chemin de la Chapelle, the Notre Dame des Neiges is well-known for its architecture, its organ in the shape of an outstretched hand, and its 13 stained-glass windows by Arcabas (Jean-Marie Pirot). Guided tours of the church are available.

The Museum of Huez and the Oisans houses interesting exhibitions about Alpe-d'Huez, showing how the mountain went from a small village to an international ski resort, as well as a spectacular ice cave.

Show destinations

Visitors to the nearby town of Huez enjoy seeing St Anne's, a historic Roman church. The village also boasts a variety of shops, restaurants, and bars, including a bookshop, a ski hire, and a cyber cafe.

Alpe d'Huez's extensive lift system is designed to transport walkers as well as skiers and snowboarders to some of the most dramatic areas in the Alps. The lift system delivers visitors from the center of Alpe d’Huez to the lift hub with many gondolas, chairlifts and poma-lifts, which then connect with several other Oisan towns with ski hires, including Villard Reculas and Vaujany.