Shopping in Courchevel

A visit to the Alps would not be complete without a trip round the local boulangeries, fromageries, boucheries and of course not forgetting the cave à vin to stock up on all your regional goodies.

If you prefer high street trends to Gore-Tex, you'll also find further down the resort are a number of brands aimed at the more modest pocket such as Quicksilver, Ripcurl and the like, and it goes without saying that there are a multitude of sport shops.

If you're after some perfume and beauty goods you can head to the pharmacies - there's nothing quite like the French pharmacy beauty brands, they are known for their high quality with a whole host of great brands that are unavailable in the UK.

1850 is certainly the place to go for browsing the high-end fashion labels such as Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Dior, Fendi et al.

There are two local markets in Courchevel, one in 1650 (on the road up towards the Marquis corner of town) and one in 1850 on the road below the Croisette. Each market of around 20 stallholders operates on one day a week and they sell a range of products from t-shirts, sweatshirts and sunglasses to sweets, cheeses and local sausages.

If you're planning on shopping during the sales to pick up a discounted Gore-Tex jacket or designer handbag, you need to plan your visit to a very specific time of year. Unlike the UK when it appears that shops have almost permanent sales on, sale or “solde” time in France is strictly regulated and shop owners are not allowed to discount their products at any other time. End of the line (“fin de serie”) and “Promo” is acceptable but the real bargains are to be found at the specifically designated sale times, when you can get your hands on all the big brands for 40-70% less than the normal retail price.

Opening hours vary to the UK with many shops and all service providers (banks, post office etc) closing for lunch.

You'll also find the banks are closed on Mondays, although they are open for business on Saturday morning to compensate. Most of the shops open between 09:00-10:00 and then close from 12.30 until 14:00 or 15:00 for lunch, re-opening again until 19:00 or 19:30, which allows you to browse the shops of an evening or on your way to dinner.