Why this classic European spot has everything you want on a snow holiday

With more than 300 ski resorts, France boasts the largest ski area in the world. The majority of resorts are located in the Alps (the rest are in the Pyrenees and Massif Central), with names like Val d'Isere, Courchevel and Chamonix belonging at or near the top of most lists outlining the world's premier resorts.

Cost-wise, it's more expensive than Italy but cheaper than Switzerland. The terrain is as good as anywhere. And despite the locals' reputation for haughtiness in Paris, French skiers and workers in the mountains won't actually turn their noses up at you if you don't speak their language.

The French ski season typically starts in early December and continues through until late April. Early December can be hit and miss, depending on snowfalls, though some resorts open as early as October. January is quieter than the peak month of February. It's also colder, with shorter days. Mid- to late-February is high season. North-facing resorts like Valloire and Flaine, or high-altitude resorts such as La Plagne, Meribel and Tignes, which has the longest season of any French resort, are ideal for spring skiing. Some (Tignes, Val d'Isère, Les 2 Alpes) even remain open during June or July.

Try to avoid the busy Christmas-New Year period, the French half-term holidays in early February - called "Ski Week" in some parts - or the Easter holidays. Instead, take advantage of quieter, cheaper weekday skiing, though Saturdays can be surprisingly uncrowded as that's often changeover day for visitors with week-long bookings. Saturday lift passes cost as little as 29 euros at resorts like La Norma. Resorts that are located close to Geneva, such as La Clusaz or Saint-Jean-de-Sixt, can attract plenty of weekenders.

Ski runs are graded green, blue, red or black in France. Green nursery slopes are for absolute novices. Blues are for those still finding their feet or skiers who like long, fast runs without any nasty surprises. Reds are steeper again but still suitable for advanced intermediate skiers. Blacks are often ungroomed, for confident skiers only. However, factors used to determine difficulty levels can vary between resorts.

Resorts with gentle, wide runs such as La Rosiere, Le Grand-Bornand, Les Gets and Les Menuires are ideal for beginners and families. Val d'Isere is another, with five free lifts for novice skiers, potentially saving you or your kids the cost of daily ski passes. Intermediate skiers are spoilt for choice at places like Grand Massif, Val Thorens and Les Arcs.

Hot-shot skiers should try Chamonix - home to some of the steepest, most technical backcountry skiing in the Alps. La Grave is another; it contains just one ski lift and has deliberately been left undeveloped as a destination for brave free-skiers. Though La Rosiere is popular with families, it's also one of the only resorts where you can slip across the Italian border to go heli-skiing - an activity that's outlawed in France.

The largest ski school in France is Ecole du Ski Francais (ESF). They are present in every resort and the tuition programme is consistent from one to the next, allowing you to move from one resort to another knowing you'll be able to pick up where you left off. Groups are usually split into French- and English-speaking. Independent British ski schools also operate in resorts such as Chatel, Morzine and Serre Chevalier.

Many villages in the French Alps were purpose-built for ski holidays, which only really evolved from the 1960s onwards. Others were around long before men and women starting strapping wooden planks to their feet.

Megeve has attracted aristocrats and royalty since the first snows fell, leading to it being nicknamed the "Saint Tropez of the Alps". Fanning out from medieval St Jean Baptiste church and its illuminated clocktower are cobblestone streets where the only vehicles allowed are horse-drawn buggies. Boutique shopping is as popular here as the town's downhill pursuits.

Samoens was once a village of stonemasons - evidenced by the medieval turrets, fountains and residences dotted around the old market square, smack-bang in the middle of which is a 15th-century lime tree decked out in Christmas decorations.

Families are increasingly drawn to the former farming village of Les Gets in the vast Portes du Soleil ski area that spills over into Switzerland. An ice rink with a free toy train running through it takes centre stage here.

At an altitude of 1450 metres, Saint Martin de Belleville is an authentic alpine village featuring cobbled streets, an old church and timber and stone buildings. It is part of Les 3 Vallees ski area that includes Courchevel, Meribel and Val Thorens. Meribel is another pretty village whose name is derived from a Latin word meaning "beautiful".

Believe it or not, it's possible to stay on a French ski mountain without breaking the bank if you're happy staying in a hostel. At the other end of the scale, resorts like Courchevel and Megeve offer top-end boutique chalet and hotel accommodation costing thousands of euros per night.

Basing yourself in a town that has access to multiple resorts is another option. Bourg-Saint-Maurice is the gateway to Les Arcs, La Rosiere and Sainte-Foy. Chamonix, in the shadow of Mont Blanc and the site of the first Winter Olympic Games, is close to Brevent/Fegere, Les Planards and Grands Montets-Argentiere.

Self-contained apartments with their own kitchen and laundry facilities can be the cheapest way to stay on a mountain provided you bring your own food to cook. Packaged deals at catered chalets can be sociable stays. And hotels that offer half-board can be a worthy compromise, skipping lunches so you can stay on the slopes all day.

Ask a Frenchman and they'll tell you the best cheese, wine and ham are all French. And to an extent, that's true, but the quality depends on how much you're prepared to spend. The fine-dining segment of French cuisine is as good as anywhere in the world. However, standards aren't always maintained at lesser establishments and pizza seems to be the national dish ahead of the likes of beef bourguignon or pot-au-feu.

The term apres-ski may be French but a lively nightlife scene isn't as prevalent as it is in Austria or Italy. Megeve has always been about more than just skiing though, with a rich choice of bars and restaurants. Courchevel boasts eight Michelin-starred restaurants and is considered the most luxurious of France's alpine resorts, attracting Saudi sheiks and Russian oligarchs.

High above Val Thorens - a favourite with university students - La Folie Douce transforms after dark into the highest open-air club in Europe. Le Rond Point serves excellent toffee vodka in Meribel and has a slide that goes down to the toilets. Alpe d'Huez has a thriving live music scene and the prevailing attitude at Chamonix is to ski hard, then party harder.

Expect the odd hiccup compared to orderly Switzerland or even Austria, where jostling in lift queues on crowded days can be a problem at popular resorts like St Anton (the Austrians blame German visitors). The French laissez-faire attitude means attention to detail may be lacking with regards to accommodation or travel arrangements though.

Not to fear, though, for this is part of France's charm. Once you hit the slopes, your troubles are behind you.

Five French ski resorts you shouldn't miss

La Rosiere: Located in the Tarentaise Valley, La Rosiere forms one half of the Espace San Bernardo ski region that includes the Italian resort of La Thuile. Renowned for getting massive snow dumps. larosiere.net/en

Grand Massif: The seventh largest ski area in France is actually five interlinked resorts - Flaine, Les Carroz, Morillon, Samoens and Sixt - one hour's drive from Geneva. grand-massif.com/en

Megeve: An authentic French village that has attracted the avant-garde since the 1920s forms a homely base for skiing across three mountains. montblancnaturalresort.com/en

Tignes: A ski season that extends through to summer and terrain that spreads across a vast horseshoe of mountains almost entirely above the tree-line. en.tignes.net

Les 3 Vallees: The world's largest ski area has 600 kilometres of skiable terrain serviced by 156 lifts. les3vallees.com/en

Getting there: Fly via Dubai on Emirates Airways to Geneva, from where Grand Massif is about an hour's drive east, and Les 3 Vallees about two hours south.

Staying there: Club Med operate 13 resorts in the French Alps. Seven-day stays at La Rosiere or Grand Massif Samoens Morillon start from $2835 and $3085 per person respectively and include airport transfers, accommodation, food, drinks, lift passes, lessons, activities and entertainment.

Explore more: clubmed.com.au

The writer was a guest of Club Med.