Areas of Val d’isère
07. Le Fornet
One of the oldest parts of Val d'Isère and a good couple of kilometres from the main centre, Le Fornet really does ooze mountain charm, particularly on the right-hand side of the road, down over the bridge in the old village and by the river.
On the left of the main road, opposite the cable car, there has been quite a lot of building in the last 20 years or so but fortunately it's all been very tasteful and traditional in style.
Most of the accommodation in Le Fornet is chalet style and quite a few tour operators have catered chalets up here, while some of the local residents also have self-catered options in charming chalet-style properties.
In terms of skiing convenience, Le Fornet certainly ticks all the boxes.
The Signal cable car hardly ever has a queue; in fact you're more likely to wait for it to fill up a bit more than queue to get on it, and at the end of the day there are a number of options, including the very easy Mangard (a blue road), to ski back down.
If you're heading towards one of the other ski areas, the free bus runs every few minutes all day and stops at the Rond Point and in the town centre before heading right down to La Daille.
Le Fornet doesn't offer an awful lot in the way of entertainment or amenities, but it does offer a lot in terms of a traditional alpine village, charming chalets and rural peace and quiet.
The one bar/restaurant is Les Crozets at the bottom of the Fornet cable car, a very popular sunspot for a late lunch after a morning on the slopes and open in the evenings for dinner too.
