Green spirit Vehicle-free
Pedestrian
resort
Avoriaz 1800 was designed with pedestrians in mind. The « no cars » concept marked the beginnings of this resort which continues to innovate in favour of the environment. Avoriaz 1800 is the only entirely pedestrianised resort in France.
There’s no need for pavements here, just enjoy your holiday with both feet firmly on the grass or in the streets that walkers share with cyclists, mountain bikers and, occasionally, horses or roller-skaters. Avoriaz is a children’s paradise that bathes in a unique and magical atmosphere, far from the daily grind, and where everything can be reached on foot, even the bakery.
When you’re in a hurry, the shortcuts and public lifts allow you to walk from one end of the resort to the other in less than 15 minutes.
Nowadays, many towns are discouraging vehicles, leaving pedestrians to enjoy all the space they need, explore on foot and boost their wellbeing. But back in the 60s, at the time of the almighty automobile, just imagine what an aberration it was to ban vehicles from a resort. It was madness. It was ingenious.
Avoriaz 1800 is still adding to this pioneering plan in which every new building is located within 10 minutes of the centre.
You’ll soon forget those city habits. This is a real change of scenery. May the holidays begin!
All those so-called experienced, competent people kept telling me it was madness to even think of building a vehicle-free resort.
Sleighs drawn by reindeer
When the resort opened, some reindeer from Lapland were brought to Avoriaz 1800 to tow the sleighs, the only means of transport here. After a presentation tour of the main cities of the regions, which included parading down the Champs-Elysées, the reindeer finally arrived.
They adapted perfectly to their new home and even reproduced. But the sloped streets meant they had to be replaced by the robust Jura horses which are still helping holidaymakers to get around the resort today.
There are now 20 sleigh drivers and 100 horses providing the daytime taxi service. The independent sleigh drivers are all members of an association. Each owns 5 horses and, in the interest of the animals’ wellbeing, no horse works for more than 2 hours at a time.
History
Avoriaz 1800 resulted from a mad gamble by 3 men under the age of 30 who decided to break away from preconceived ideas to create a unique and sustainable resort.
Organic Architecture
The architecture mimics and blends into the surroundings, a perfect example of harmony between modernism and nature. The unique lines of Avoriaz have been officially recognised as one the great achievements of the 20th century.
