Grenoble
With more than two centuries of history behind it, dead-central Hôtel de l’Europe lays claim to being Grenoble’s oldest hotel. Though venerable, its 39…
Must-see hotels in French Alps & the Jura Mountains
Dauphiné
With a snug bar for après-ski and marvellous views of the Écrins national park, this spick-and-span chalet is excellent value. Lodgings vary by size and…
Annecy
The aptly named Splendid's 58 rooms have a contemporary feel, with cream walls, crimson throws and polished wooden floors, but modern trimmings like…
Dauphiné
The Bonnaffoux family has run this place with charm and efficiency for five generations – since 1892, in fact. Rooms fulfil every Alpine chalet fantasy:…
The Jura Mountains
A belle époque hotel right in the city centre, the grand (if gently faded) 'Golden Barrel' combines its original Corinthian columns, huge stained-glass…
Annecy
Bright, super-clean dorm rooms (mixed-sex and women-only) elicit contented sighs from travellers rocking up at this well-managed hostel. Beyond backpacker…
Savoie
Far from the madding crowd in sleepy Les Allues, La Croix Jean-Claude is one of the oldest hotels in Meribel valley. Sixteen homely, floral-trimmed rooms…
Chamonix
A block from the Aiguille du Midi cable car, this lift-equipped hotel has 15 plain but well-maintained rooms, snugly built of thick pine, opening on to…
Besançon
Tucked into a cobbled courtyard, a 10-minute walk from the Citadelle, the Best Western succeeds in retaining some of the charm of an independent hotel…
Annecy
Subdued, business-efficient rooms fill this multi-storey hotel, with occasional nods to Alpine style like faux-fur throws and a glacial white colour…
Dauphiné
Renovated by Véronique and Pascal, this 16th-century farm has been endowed with five wood-panelled guest rooms and ecoconscious additions like solar…
Grenoble
The parkside suburb setting might not have the charm of the town centre, but friendly English-speaking staff at HI Grenoble run it like clockwork. The top…
Annecy
In a warren-like 18th-century building in the centre of the old town, this hotel leans towards nostalgia with parchment-effect wallpaper and regal maroon…
Besançon
These classy apartments are within the handsome walls of a converted 18th-century town house – once used by canons from the nearby cathedral. Apartments…
Chamonix
Stylish in an upmarket-Ikea kind of way, this boutique hotel has 28 dinky monochrome rooms, lifted by splashes of crimson. There's also afternoon tea, a…
Chamonix
In a grand old building constructed in 1914 (and run by the same family ever since), this hotel – as friendly as it is central – has 52 spacious rooms…
Chamonix
Long a favourite of low-budget climbing groups and luxury-averse skiers, this basic place has 67 places in dorm rooms of four to 15 bunk beds; bathrooms…
The Jura Mountains
Opposite the abbey are three sunny, wood-floored rooms in a 16th-century house, backed by carefully tended gardens.
Chamonix
Named for 19th-century British mountaineer Isabella Straton, whose grandchildren opened the hotel, this pleasing spot lies just west of Chamonix train…
The Jura Mountains
Family-run Hôtel Étoile des Neiges has bright, well-kept rooms, including great mezzanine family rooms. There’s an indoor pool, a sauna, a tiny fitness…
Au Gai Soleil de Mont-Aiguille
Dauphiné
At the foot of striking Mont Aiguille, this simple inn has fabulous views, superb access to local hiking routes, a rustic country restaurant, a spa and…
Chamonix
One of the Chamonix-Mont Blanc Valley's long-standing family concerns (this one's been handed down from Chamel to Chamel since 1889), the Hôtel du Buet…
Annecy
Near the train station, this spick-and-span hotel has 32 individually decorated rooms with blonde wood walls, squeaky-clean bathrooms and sound-proofed…
Annecy
Each of Le Boutik's rooms has its own theme, ranging from loosely literary (the haughty 'Oscar Wilde' and book-lined 'Grey') to travel (like the brick-and…
Savoie
Just a short stumble from the lift to Espace Killy, this chalet-style hotel – run by the same family for three generations – keeps it simple yet tasteful…
Annecy
The 25 smallish rooms, each with individual flair like dramatic feature walls and art deco furnishings, are sparely furnished, well soundproofed and…
Savoie
Faux fur cushions and brightly coloured throws jazz up the pleasingly spare, Scandi-chic rooms at Coeur des Neiges. The overall effect is a home-away-from…
The Jura Mountains
Befitting the clean lines of Arc-et-Senans' architectural masterpiece, Saline Royale, its 31 adjoining guest rooms are crisp and understated. Breakfast is…
Savoie
Simple and spotlessly clean rooms fill this banana-yellow spa hotel next to the church in Brides-les-Bains. Vestiges of its past as a convent include…
Savoie
Inside an attractive 1930s mansion near the bottom of the Planolet ski lifts, Hotel Beauregard offers plain but well-managed self-catering accommodation…
Savoie
Decorated in kitschy 'chalet' accents (timber, taupe and faux deer heads) the Tournier has 34 of the cheapest rooms in Courchevel 1850. Rooms are small…
Savoie
This 1950s-era family-run hotel is feeling its age a little, but there's no denying its 19 basic, wood-panelled rooms (almost all with balconies)…
The Jura Mountains
These plain but pleasant apartments, sleeping up to four or six people (sometimes with bunk beds), are very good value. Situated only 300m from Télésiège…
Savoie
For some of the cheapest beds in central Méribel, this is the place to come. The 12 smallish rooms are situated directly over the late-opening and lively…
Savoie
Smack on the village square, this flowery-balconied, slate-walled gîte (self-catering cottage) has a simple seven-person dorm and two plain but cosy…
Chamonix
In the 150-year-old Le Brévent, once a stagecoach inn for travellers to Switzerland, Le Vagabond is Chamonix' most famous bunkhouse. Its rooms, some…
The Jura Mountains
The budget arm of neighbouring Hôtel du Lac is unexciting, but it's a steal: 17 well-priced en-suite rooms and three apartments, made homely with floral…
Chambéry
This chain hotel near the train station is far from being the most charismatic place to catch some sleep in Chambéry, but it is well run and comfortable,…
Savoie
The price is right for the plain but perfectly functional rooms, and fully equipped apartments, at Les Baladines. There's a laundry room on site, plus ski…
