Les Contamines - eat, drink, party

You certainly won’t go hungry in Les Contamines.  The resort has a well-deserved reputation for good food on and off the slopes, with friendly service and reasonable prices.  Les Contamines is relatively quiet in the evenings, where you will find people strolling through the village on their way to, or from, restaurants. There are a few bars, but no real nightlife to speak of, so this isn’t the place to come and party (unless you want to do it in your chalet).

Mountain restaurants

Wherever you eat on the mountain in Les Contamines, you are almost certainly assured a great view, as most of the restaurants are perched in convenient and picturesque locations.  Many people’s favourite mountain restaurant is La Buche Croisée (+33 6 03 47 39 82) is, nestled at the side of the Fredze piste just above the bottom of the Buche Croisée chair. Inside is cosy, traditional decor and outside, the view from the terrace, which looks onto the Mont Blanc massif, is wonderful. The house speciality is the Croûte Savoyarde.  

La Grange on the Hauteluce side is one of our favourites. La Roselette (+33 4 50 47 13 31) is a beautiful rustic building and Col du Joly on the Les Contamines is also good.  Less cosy but large and very conveniently placed is the L’Etape, restaurant. La Ruelle is a good one to enjoy delicious food in front of a cosy log fire.

Village restaurants

There are plenty of good restaurants in the village, with the emphasis on friendly service, good quality food and a homely, traditional feel and lovely Savoyard cuisine. L'Op Traken (+33 4 50 47 03 93) has a 23€ menu that includes dishes like beef in mustard sauce, and specialises in cheese dishes, while Creperie Les Airelles (+33 4 50 47 10 49) is revered for its fondu. The most upmarket, elegant eatery is the highly rated L'O à la Bouche (+33 450 478167). This is the place to come for creative gastronomy and an excellent wine list. Downstairs, there’s the more traditional Auberge de Colombaz, while La Fringale is an great pizza restaurant (+33 450 477 729).

Après-ski & nightlife

When the pistes close, Les Contamines is quiet. For an evening drink, the best options are the bars of Tetras (+33 953 844 295) Ty Briez (+33 4 50 47 18 32) and Saxo (+33 4 50 58 60 41).    Once a week the ESF put on a special night ski show with a torchlight descent, on the beginner slopes in the centre of the village.

Snowcarbon Founder, Daniel has made a two-minute film about Les Contamines, interviewing British skiers found at random on the slopes, to ask what they think about the resort, which you can see here: