Ski holidays in Isola 2000, France

Isola 2000 is a truly special ski resort, just 90 minutes from the Mediterranean coast and Nice. At 2,000 metres in the Alpes-Maritimes, you get a surprising combination of high-altitude skiing and southern French sunshine. It's not unusual to swim in the Mediterranean in the morning and ski in the afternoon, an experience that's hard to find anywhere else in the Alps.

The ski area covers 120 kilometres of pistes from 2,000 to 2,610 metres, served by 22 lifts. The high altitude ensures reliable snow conditions despite the proximity to the coast, and the season typically runs from December to April. The terrain is varied, with a good mix of family-friendly runs and more challenging descents.

Isola 2000 was built in the 1970s and has functional, if not especially charming, architecture. What draws visitors here is rather the combination of high altitude, reasonable prices and proximity to the Riviera. For travellers from Nice and the surrounding towns, this is the nearest high-altitude ski resort, and many use it for day trips or weekend stays.

The resort also lies close to the Italian border, with just a few kilometres to Italian villages in Piedmont. This creates an interesting cultural mix and the chance to take trips across the border. If you're looking for a different kind of ski experience with sun, warmth and a Mediterranean feel, Isola 2000 is a surprisingly good choice.

5 tips about Isola 2000

1. Perfect for beginners The Marmottières sector has wide, gentle pistes that are ideal for families and beginners, while more experienced skiers can head for the Pelevos area.
2. Make the most of the altitude With the entire ski area lying between 2,000 and 2,610 metres, you avoid having to ski down to lower, less snow-sure sections as you do in many other Alpine resorts.
3. Book outside the holiday weeks As Isola 2000 attracts a great many day visitors from Nice and the Riviera, prices are often lower outside the school holidays and major public holidays.
4. Take a trip across the border Seize the chance to visit the Italian villages of Piemonte, just a few kilometres away, for an extra cultural dimension to your trip.
5. Combine sea and snow Thanks to the proximity of the Mediterranean coast, you can treat yourself to a combination of beach and piste on the same day, a feature unique to this particular destination.

Pistes and lifts in Isola 2000

Isola 2000 offers 120km of pistes served by 22 lifts, from the village at 2,000 metres up to 2,610 metres. The piste distribution is well balanced, with a good mix of green beginner runs, blue and red intermediate runs, and black runs for experienced skiers. The high altitude ensures good snow quality.

The area around Pelevos has the most challenging terrain, with steep black runs and good off-piste opportunities. The Marmottières sector is more family-friendly, with wider and gentler runs. The proximity to the Italian border offers unique views over both the French and Italian Alps from the highest points.

Piste map for Isola 2000

Download the piste map See all piste maps

The map downloads as an image file. On your iPhone it lands in the Files app. Tap the icon at the bottom of the address bar to open the map straight away.On your iPad it lands in the Files app. Tap the icon at the top right of the address bar to open the map straight away.On your phone it lands in the Downloads folder. Tap the download notification that appears to open the map straight away.The file lands in the Downloads folder. You can also look for the icon at the top right of the screen and open the map from there.

Snow reliability in Isola 2000

Isola 2000 is considered a snow-sure ski area thanks to its high setting, with the village at an altitude of 2,000 metres and peaks reaching up to 2,610 metres. This altitude means the area enjoys reliable snow cover despite its relatively southerly location close to the Mediterranean coast.

The season normally runs from December to April, and the high setting between 2,000 and 2,610 metres means that skiers rarely need to worry about the pistes melting away mid-season, unlike at many lower-lying resorts in the Alps.

Best time to travel to Isola 2000

Isola 2000 has reliable snow conditions from December to April thanks to its high altitude. The best time to visit is from January to March. Its southerly location means plenty of sunshine hours even in the depths of winter. March is particularly appealing, combining spring sunshine, snow at altitude, and the chance to visit the Riviera on a day off.

Will there be lift queues in Isola 2000?

The lift system in Isola 2000 carries 22,917 people an hour across 20 lifts. 5 of the 20 lifts belong to the faster class. The fastest lifts carry up to 2,700 people an hour, for example La Valette. Per kilometre of piste there is less lift capacity than at an average resort on this site, so a busy week is felt more clearly here. The queue you actually notice is almost always down in the valley between eight and half past nine. If you are on the lift before eight you avoid it.

When is Isola 2000 busiest?

How busy the slopes get is not decided by the English half term but by when the local families and the neighbouring countries are on holiday. These are the weeks that fill Isola 2000 in the 2026/2027 season.

• France: The French winter holidays roll through three zones and together cover 6 February to 8 March. All three zones head for the same valleys, so the whole period is busy.
  6 to 22 February: zone C, including Paris and Toulouse
  13 February to 1 March: zone A, including Lyon and Bordeaux
  20 February to 8 March: zone B, including Marseille and Strasbourg
• England: The English February half term is 15 to 19 February 2027 for most councils, with a few areas breaking up a week earlier. The Easter holidays run from 26 March to 9 April.
  8 to 12 February: half term in a few council areas, for example Hull
  15 to 19 February: half term in most of England, including London, the Midlands and the North
  26 March to 9 April: Easter holidays for most English schools
• Easter holidays: Easter 2027 is early, on 28 March. Austria and Germany take their holidays around the weekend, while the French holidays fall after Easter, in April.
  20 to 29 March: the whole of Austria, all states at the same time
  22 March to 3 April: most German states, including Bavaria, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia
  3 April to 3 May: the French zones, which fall after Easter 2027 and only affect the highest resorts
• Long weekends: Long weekends fill the slopes with day visitors from the nearest cities, even when no schools are on holiday.
  26 December to 3 January: Christmas and New Year, the most expensive period of the year
  6 January: Epiphany, a public holiday in Austria, Italy and parts of Switzerland
  27 to 29 March: the Easter weekend. Easter Monday is a public holiday across the Alps, but Good Friday is a working day in Austria, Italy and France
  1 to 2 May: May Day, a public holiday across the Alps

The weeks before 6 February and after 8 March are noticeably quieter and cheaper. January is the best time for anyone who wants the pistes to themselves.

Snow right now. There is no snow cover in the valley or at the top right now. The figures are modelled by Open-Meteo, not measured by the lift company, and were fetched 16 October 2026 at 20:24.

The lift pass included. The stay comes with the Mercantour Pass lift pass, which covers 255 km of piste. The pass is worth around €217.

How to get to Isola 2000

Last-minute deals in Isola 2000

Last-minute offers, that is late dates the operator still wants to fill, appear from January onwards. Once the season is under way we will show them here on this page.

Isola 2000 is suitable for

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Frequently asked questions about Isola 2000