French Alps Winter Holiday: From England to Switzerland

Our French Alps winter holiday was amazing, and it turned into an unforgettable family road trip from England to Switzerland.

We love road trips, and if you’re curious about our adventure from England to the French Alps and Switzerland, this article is for you.

I’ll share the cities we stayed in, our experience at Villard-de-Lans ski resort, and what we found worth visiting (and what wasn’t).

First Stop – Dijon, France: Christmas Markets & Old Town Charm

We chose to spend the first night in Dijon, France, for several reasons. Driving 600 miles in one go wasn’t appealing, Dijon was on our route, and we’d never had the chance to visit before. We were excited to explore Dijon, a city we’d always associated with its delicious mustard.

After arriving at our booked apartment, we got ready to explore Dijon. The Christmas Market was still open, and the city looked beautifully decorated. We visited the Gothic Church of Notre Dame, which was truly impressive. Before continuing our walk, we searched for a place to eat.

While wandering the streets, we were surprised to see 6 or maybe 9, I can’t remember exactly, army officers patrolling. I didn’t expect that, as I thought Dijon was a small city! It scared me a little, but we continued our walk as a family.

I loved Dijon at night, with its gothic cathedrals and half-timbered houses. I was excited for the next day, to see the city in daylight.

In the morning, we stopped at a Brasserie, where I had a delicious croissant that was not only delicious, but also looked picture-perfect for Instagram. That’s when I discovered Dijon is known as the Capital of Gastronomy.
(pic with the croissant)

Second Stop – Grenoble, France: Gateway to the French Alps

We finally arrived at our destination! To be honest, we only saw Grenoble after dark, but I remember the restaurant where we had our first dinner, Chez Marius. I tried the Fondant de Boeuf 12h de caisson and it was so good that I’m hungry just thinking about it.

Why Grenoble? My husband missed skiing and wanted a great spot to hit the slopes. Grenoble is the capital of the French Alps, close to the family-friendly Villard-de-Lans ski resort, known for both alpine and Nordic skiing.

The location was perfect: my husband could ski, our son had instructors to teach him, and if I didn’t enjoy skiing, I could explore Grenoble on my own.

The end of 2025 saw me trying something completely new. I even wrote an article about my experience learning to ski in my 30s, which you can read here: Learning To Ski as an Adult – An Honest Beginner’s Experience.

French Alps Winter Holiday: From England to Switzerland

Villard-de-Lans Ski Resort: A Family-Friendly French Alps Experience

I had never been to a ski resort before, so I didn’t know what to expect. I thought you just park the car and go skiing, but it didn’t work like that. Here’s what to expect when you first arrive at Villard-de-Lans ski resort.

After parking, we rented our ski equipment and headed to the bus station. The bus took us to the resort entrance, where you buy ski passes and find a small slope for sledding. After getting our passes, we took the ski gondola.

From there, our paths split: my husband took the chairlift to the slopes he wanted, while our son and I went to the ESF ski school. As I mentioned above, I wrote about my first skiing experience in another article.

My husband loved skiing at Villard-de-Lans, our son made great progress, and for me, it was a completely new experience that I’m glad I tried. The ski resort has 125 km of slopes: 12 green, 9 blue, 7 red, and 8 black. Driving up to the resort was a pleasure too—we saw snow-covered mountains, icicles, and a beautiful view of Grenoble at night on our way back.

Third Stop – Geneva, Switzerland: New Year’s Eve & Winter City Walks

On New Year’s Eve, my son and I had our first ski lesson. After skiing that day, our family still had energy for something exciting. We were near Geneva and decided to go there for the evening.

We were freezing on the bridge, waiting to see the fireworks, but it was totally worth it! On the way back, we had to wait for the third or fourth tram, because every one that arrived was full. It was a fun adventure, and I would have regretted not going.

The next morning, we wandered the streets of Geneva. What a beautiful city! We saw some unusual bikes, strolled along Jean-Jacques Rousseau Street, visited some sights and stopped at a chocolaterie to treat our taste buds. We ended up at Au Pied de Cochon, where we had a delicious meal, before heading back to France.

Fourth Stop – Orléans, France: A Fairytale Winter City

On our way back to England, we chose to stay in Orléans, France. Orléans completely captured my heart! We spent two nights there, and it’s a city that fits my vibe: cobblestone streets, half-timbered houses, covered shopping areas, a lake and gothic churches. Plus, it snowed while we were there. Absolutely magical. Would I recommend visiting? Definitely!

Our French Alps winter holiday, from England to Switzerland, was full of adventure, love, and snow. I’ll be sharing more pictures on social media, and on my next article Our Winter Holiday Road Trip in Pictures, so don’t forget to check them out.