Chatel Village
Chatel keeps on growing but it’s stayed true to it’s roots as an authentic mountain village. There are working farms on its edges, and a pretty church at its centre. Newer outlying suburbs like Vonnes, Petit Chatel and Villapeyron have been developed sensitively.
Chatel is now quite a big village so take care when booking accommodation if you want to be close to the lifts. The main road from Chapelle d’Abondance (the D22) goes through the village and onto the suburb and key lift station at Vonnes. It’s a relatively busy road but also together with the Route du Linga which comes off it, it is the main drag along which many of the bars, restaurants, shops and bus stops are concentrated. So stay far away if you want peace and quiet but be prepared to walk.
You can also stay at or near Vonnes which due to the lifts built in 2015 has fast access to both the Linga and Super Chatel sections. Villapeyron at the bottom of the Linga lift is another well placed suburb for skiing, but there is not much nightlife here.
Chapelle d’Abondance is not officially part of Chatel but it’s less than 6kms from it. It’s a tiny village and a perfect escape for someone wanting rustic simplicity and peace and quiet. Nightlife consists of a bar or two and that’s about it. The village might be small but it’s stretched out a bit and the two lifts are quite far apart – the one connecting into Torgon and Super Chatel is really outside the village, so check accommodation location carefully before booking.
Ski Hire
There are plenty of skihire shops in Chatel. Skiset has four including one at Villapeyron and one at Petit Chatel. You can get discounts of up to 50% if you book online via this link.