Traditions and culture in La Daille

While for some the appeal of Val d'Isere is rooted in its English bars and large expat community or impressive architecture, for others it has always been about the skiing.

As a result, travellers on a last minute holiday may prefer to eschew the bright lights of the main settlement and instead choose somewhere more off the beaten track such as nearby Tignes or even La Daille, which is just a short bus ride away from Val d'Isere on the edge of Lac du Chevril.

The area in question is steeped in skiing history, with the best illustration of this being the choice of Val d'Isere as the location for the FIS Alpine World Skiing Championships 2009.

Meanwhile, Face de Bellevarde - just one ski lift away from La Daille - was the venue for the men's downhill race during the 1992 Winter Olympics.

Things to do in La Daille

While alpine resorts are increasingly popular during the summer, the local area surrounding La Daille is best known for its superb skiing.

The beauty of La Daille is that it is removed from the hustle and bustle of Val d'Isere life but keen skiers still have first-rate access to the same slopes as Val d'Isere residents.

Serving the Val d'Isere, La Daille and Tignes region, l'Espace Killy can be reached from a number of different locations, and the whole area is inter-linked.

This means that the annoying bus-rides which are a feature of other French ski resorts such as Chamonix are rendered entirely superfluous.

Holidaymakers in La Daille cheap hotel can therefore choose to ski over to Val d'Isere for a spot of brunch, have lunch in Tignes and then have a glass of mulled wine at the top of Rocher de Bellevarde before skiing back down to where they started - all without having to resort to public transport.

Two lifts serve La Daille - Daille and Funival - although these are often only the preliminary stages of a journey to another part of the mountain.

However, there are more limited options when coming down, although there are still runs for all types of skiers.

For the inexperienced there's the long, sweeping green run imaginatively entitled Verte; Diebold and Criterium are blues which serve the intermediates; skiers comfortable on red runs are more than catered for with the likes of Triffolet, Orange and Coupe du Monde; and experts can try their hand at the black run Raye.

In the evenings, the more adventurous can join the party in Val d'Isere courtesy of a short, free bus ride from a value hotel while those more intent on resting after a hard day on the slopes can relax in the more secluded environs of La Daille.

Weather in La Daille

Handily for a ski resort, there is no shortage of snow in La Daille over the winter months, while it is also pleasantly warm in the summer.

This means that La Daille is still an attractive location for a holiday once the skiing season is over, with the warm weather lending itself well to summer activities such as trekking, mountain biking and white-water rafting.

Destination checklist for La Daille

La Daille is an hour ahead of UTC time.

French is the native language, although English is spoken by many of the locals.

The official currency is the euro.

The resort's international dialling code is +33.