Isola 2000 is the closest ski resort to the Mediterranean that is worth the drive: 2,000 m up in the southern Alps, next to the Mercantour National Park, and about an hour and a half from Nice. That combination — sea in the morning, snow by lunchtime — is the whole point of the place.
How to get there: Nice is the nearest airport, roughly 90 km and an hour and a half by road up the Tinée valley.
Slopes and lifts: 120 km of pistes, running from 1,840 m at the base to 2,610 m at the top, a vertical of 770 m. The southern latitude means sun; the altitude means the snow generally holds.
For families: the resort holds the Famille Plus label and is built around a single front de neige, so children are never far from the buildings.
Where you stay: Isola 2000 is a compact purpose-built resort rather than a village, which means almost everything is on the snow and nothing requires a car once you have arrived.
Season 2026/27: the resort and the ski area reopen on 5 December 2026.
