Dancing til dawn in Deux Alpes

Well known for its skiing, the town of Les Deux Alpes also has a pretty lively nightlife scene. This is one ski town where you will never have to look far to find a good bar or somewhere to party.

Although there are bars all over resort, many are clustered around a few key places, so you can sample a few venues in a night out without having to walk very far. By far the biggest concentration of nightlife is at the Venosc end of the resort, from the two roundabouts to the Place de Venosc. Standing at the roundabout on the main street there are nine bars within a minute’s walk. If you are planning to party hard you may want to bear this in mind when you book your accommodation.

Après-ski

In ski resorts, nightlife can start early with après-ski parties, and Les Deux Alpes is no exception. At 2600m near the Jandri mid-station, things kick off at 3pm. The Pano Bar has resident DJ Alan Po Ca, guest DJs and varied entertainment including a sax player, amazing balloon sculptor and dancers. It does get rather loud though, so if you prefer something a little calmer the Diable au Coeur also has DJs on the mountain and a heated bar on the terrace, but without the same volume of music.

Down in the village, the liveliest places for après-ski are the Umbrella bar which is open until 7pm, and Smokey Joes. The Umbrella Bar at the foot of the Coolidge slope by the Côte Brune hotel has a mix of DJ nights and has been completely rebuilt and extended for this winter. It hosts events for most of the festivals and student parties that visit the resort through the season. The umbrella roof is opened in good weather and dancing on the bar is encouraged. This is a great place to dance while the sun is setting. Over in the main square Smokey Joes has live music six days a week and a selection of craft beers from their microbrewery in Bourg, plus a pool table and free WiFi. There is no terrace but much more space indoors than the other popular après-ski spots so this is a good choice on bad weather days.

If you would rather enjoy a couple of quiet drinks than dance the afternoon away, there are plenty of pubs and bars to choose from, often with live acoustic music. Popular bars along the main street include the Windsor Pub, Secret Bar, Polar Bear Pub and Red Frog catering to British tastes, whilst the Motown Café, Mezzanine Bar, Lutins Bar and Boardroom are more French in style.

At Night

From 8pm until 10pm there is a bit if a lull before the nighttime side of 2 Alpes' nightlife really gets going. Rue des Vikings turns into a lively little street with several bars worth stopping in at. The Jukeboxx serves up a selection of music themed nights from house to 80's to prohibition-era Jazz whilst across the road, Melt-In-Art combines the roles of bar and art gallery. The K-re shooter bar at the top of the street has the biggest selection of cocktails in town and the Polar Bear Pub by the roundabout is always popular. Just around the corner, The Spot has regular live music and DJ nights.

Any bar with a pirate flag flying outside is going to be dangerous and the legendary Rhumerie on the main street is no exception, specialising in home-flavoured rums and rum based cocktails all set to a pirate theme.

After midnight, popular dancing spots include Smithy's, the next-door Minibar and the Grotte du Yeti on the Place de Venosc. These don’t open any later than the rest of the bars, but they do attract the crowds later on with live DJs and a good party reputation.

After the bars close, the Avalanche nightclub beside Smithies and the Café Bresilien by the cinema are the destinations of choice for those not ready to head home. Both are busy until 4 or 5am with a mixture of resident and guest DJs pumping out the tunes. Up in the Village 1800 area, O’Brian’s bar also keeps the party going into the small hours of the morning.

Throughout the season there is a full programme of events, kicking off with the Rise Festival from 10th-17th December 2016. Back for the third year running, this year's event is bigger and better than ever with a line-up headlined by Seth Troxler and Kano.

Whatever your taste in nightlife, from après-ski to all-nighters, Les Deux Alpes has something for you. Whether it’s partying at 2600m or dancing until dawn, we’ve got it covered.

Read more from Ian on his website.