Ski more for less in Alpe d'Huez

As with many alpine resorts, Alpe d’Huez has a huge array of accommodation to suit all tastes and budgets. Booking these independently can have huge savings and many second-home owners will also rent their apartments or chalets out during times when they are not using them themselves and you can often find some great deals with them.

Equally booking direct with a hotel can provide a saving in most cases. Most hotels will also be happy to provide accommodation away from the standard Saturday to Saturday format that most tour operators use. Shorter stays are also available at most hotels.

If you decide to go self-catering Alpe d'Huez has a couple of reasonably sized supermarkets and several convenience stores that will pretty much cater for your every need, however, their high altitude convenience does come at a price.

If you're travelling by car you can still save a fair bit of money by shopping at home before you leave (just check what you're allowed to bring if travelling from outside Europe - i.e. the UK) or shop on the way. There is a large Casino supermarket in Boug d'Oisans right at the bottom of the D211 (the famous "21 bends" road up to resort), which as well as being cheaper on the whole, also stocks a large range of own brand.

If you're driving through Grenoble on your way to Alpe d'Huez, there is a huge Carrefour supermarket situated literally at the side of the main road to the resort (the A48 junction 14) and there is also a massive L'Eclerc in the Espace Comboire Sud industrial estate (A480 junction 7) - so it's worth stocking up for the whole week in Grenoble if you can, as savings will be considerable.

The same principle applies to fuel.

Mid-January and mid-March tend to be the cheapest times to ski and generally have good snow. You only have to look at any budget airline website to see when the school holidays are, as the price hike sticks out like a sore thumb, so if you're on a tight budget you should try and avoid these dates.

Historically the cheapest week of the season is the week straight after New Year; all the schools across Europe are back in term time and most people have used up their holiday allowance.

If you have to ski during the school holidays, Easter is far cheaper than February, as whilst the UK schools will only be off for a week, the French school holidays are phased and pretty much take up the whole of the month. As such although flights outside of the UK school holiday won’t be too expensive, accommodation in resort will be at peak prices for the whole of February. At Easter one thing you can guarantee, the queues will be shorter and the slopes less crowded than in the middle of February.

Gone are the days when booking late meant getting a great deal, the emphasis now is on booking flights as early as you can in order to get good deal.

You can register with budget airlines in advance and receive emails letting you know when flights are going on sale for a particular period or when a flash sale is on – savings by getting in early are potentially massive. Savings can also be achieved by being a bit more flexible with your travel plans, rather than a Saturday flight to Grenoble look into taking a Friday flight into Lyon for example; it’s only another 45 minutes further away than Grenoble. You can also fly daily from many regional airports into both Lyon and Geneva and by avoiding weekend travel, transfer times to and from resort are massively reduced. Take a look at our Flight Finder for suggestions.

As an alternative to flying why not consider travelling by the Eurostar; you can get a direct train at weekends from the middle of December or everyday into Paris and connect with an SNCF train from Paris to Lyon or Grenoble. Read more in our National Trains Guide.

Independent travellers often pride themselves on getting better deals than the big holiday companies, but this is not always the case. By booking with a tour operator you can take advantage of their massive buying power and the huge number of beds in resort that they are looking to fill. A package holiday through a tour operator will typically include flights, transfers, accommodation and in many cases food, ski hire and a lift pass, so when you add it all up it may be cheaper to book one of these holidays. Often tour operators will fly from a wider range of regional airports too. As with the budget airlines, tour operators charge a premium during the Christmas and school holidays.

Tour operator-run catered chalets can prove to be fairly reasonably priced and like a hotel will provide you with breakfast and an evening meal. The food is typically less menu based and often can be discussed and agreed to suit your likes and dislikes in advance. Late deals with tour operators are often very good value.

The UCPA warrants a special mention for value as it's not always well known outside France. This non-profit organisation was set up forty years ago to encourage young people to enjoy the outdoors. These days they offer great value holidays with meals, accommodation, ski pass, ski hire and instruction all included. All you have to add is the cost of getting here.

If you have booked your own flights and accommodation you will need to get from the airport to the resort. If you are in a group of up to eight people, a private hired minibus transfer is a good option for saving both time and money and you can get door to door drop offs. There is also a convenient coach service from both Grenoble and Lyon airports which offers great value for money.

If you are only in resort for a short break it may prove more economical to hire a car from the airport, but do shop around as all the main rental companies have outlets at Grenoble, Lyon and Geneva airports and some of these can be booked at the same time as your flights with some of the budget airlines.

Consider hiring a small SUV that will have four-wheel-drive capabilities and double check that the car you hire has all the necessary safety equipment required for driving in the mountains (snow chains, snow tyres, etc).

Ski passes are an essential but potentially expensive element of every ski holiday.

By being savvy savings can be made simply by booking online at least seven days in advance. Similarly, the Tribe ski pass can provide a group of three friends with big savings can also be made by skiing in April.

If you're travelling as a couple and one or both of you are complete novices it's worth remembering that there a couple of free lifts you can use in resort. The best of these is the “Rif-Nel” lift (by the side of the Avenue Rif Nel) this is a gently sloping run of around 300m in length and is served by a free drag lift. It’s an ideal place to get to grips with skiing without having to buy a full day ski pass.

Located in Les Bergers sector by the golf course and altiport is Alpe d'Huez's camper van park. With prices of only €10 per night plus a nominal tourist tax of €0.40, it really does represent good value. The site has a shower and toilet block as well as bin and recycling and “point-bleu” pump out facilities. It's located around a 200m walk from Les Bergers lift station and commercial centre which has banks, restaurants, bars, pharmacies, supermarket and ski hire outlets. The site is incredibly secure and is accessed by a double barrier system. Access and payments are all sorted on site by the automated machine located in the little shed on the right hand side of the access barrier. They have electric hook-ups and in excess of 60 pitches, plus great views across the Sarenne valley towards Auris-en-Oisans and Les Deux Alpes beyond that. Read more in our Parking Guide.

Campsites down in Bourg d’Oisans have little bungalows and chalets which can be very cosy in winter, however these would only really suit those with their own car, as staying in Bourg d’Oisans will involve the 12km drive from the bottom of the mountain up to resort.

If you are not bringing your own gear, you will need to hire skis, a snowboard and/or boots.

Prices can vary massively according to demand, quality of equipment and location. Sometimes you can get a good package deal from your holiday or accommodation provider, however, the best deals are usually found online when you book in advance.

If you're driving to Alpe d'Huez you could take advantage of some of the equipment on sale and take home a pair of skis or a snowboard at the end of your holiday. There are two large Decathlon sports stores in Grenoble (one next to the big Carrefour at junction 14 of the A48 and the other in the Espace Comboire Sud industrial estate at junction 7 of the A480). These stores often have a “Trocathlon” outside which is a pop-up style set up where other shoppers have part-exchanged their equipment for new gear and this gear is then sold on. It’s a bit pot luck but you could find a real bargain. Similarly, every ski hire shop in resort will have a rack of second hand skis outside and sometimes a real bargain can be grabbed for little more than a week’s hire cost.