Montchavin & Les Coches are villages at the centre of the Paradiski area, based at the foot of the Vanoise Express, which links La Plagne to Les Arcs with Peisey-Vallandry.
At the end of the 1960s, when all the locals were moving away from the hamlet of Montchavin, Auguste Mudry, mayor of the commune of Bellentre (1947 - 1973), decided to transform the village into a ski resort.
The new buildings were constructed in traditional Savoyard style using wood and stone.
Facing Mont-Blanc , Montchavin - Les Coches is now an ideal holiday destination for families, awarded with the “Famille Plus” Label .
Montchavin is based at 1200m and Les Coches at 1400m. These two villages are linked in the summer and winter seasons by the Les Coches cable car, along with the free Navette (bus) service.
Montchavin has continued its farming culture – as well as being a ski station. In the winter the animals are kept below the shops in granges (barns). And in the summer months the Beaufortaine cows graze by the meandering roads, moving up the mountain to keep cooler as the temperature reaches its hottest in July and August.
The seasons are dramatic and incredible to watch. The floral fields of summer become the groomed ski pistes of winter, and the paths interlink as ski tracks.
Both villages have a good selection of restaurants and a few bars to choose from. Other amenities include Paradiso, the swimming pool with spa facilities (in Montchavin) offering a clean and well-kept outdoor pool (in the summer). There is a cinema in Montchavin with English films screened in winter. Each village has a tourist office, ski hire shops, a local supermarket, bakery, giftshop and a dwelling specialising in local produce.
