THE ORIGINAL VILLAGE
The Courchevel adventure began in Saint-Bon, the original village, where the very first hotel was built in 1908, the Lac Bleu. A place steeped in history, with its Baroque-style church, narrow streets so characteristic of a mountain village, and traditional holiday homes. There are free, regular shuttle buses from here to the other villages.
ATMOSPHERE AND ARCHITECTURE
Saint-Bon still boasts the original charm of a traditional village with its old houses made from stone and wood, a few agricultural buildings (barns and stables), a small-town hall dating from 1870 adjoining a 17th century Baroque-style church with thick walls and a remarkable altarpiece listed as a Historic Monument, as well as the authentic and peaceful little streets. There are also eleven traditional holiday homes with eye-catching architecture, that were built in the 19th century by native families who had gone into exile outside of Savoie. A certain old-fashioned mountain village vibe lives here, which is very different from the villages that await us further up the mountain.
SKIING
Le Praz is 2 km away (via shuttle bus) from the village, and that is where you can reach the ski lifts that cover the entire ski area. At the end of the day, you can ski straight into the village down the Saint-Bon slope, all the way from Saulire peak (at an altitude of 2,740 m) without ever taking off your skis, covering an elevation loss of 1,640 m in total.
