Vars Sainte-Marie

Vars Sainte Marie is the first gateway to the ski area: rental stores and ski lifts will take you straight to the top!
A few gourmet restaurants with vaulted ceilings bear witness to life as it was in the past, with all the comforts of the present: charming hotels with “relaxation and spa” areas, traditional or bistronomic restaurants, bakeries, mini-markets and administrative centers such as the post office and town hall, not forgetting the library. A small village life where “everyone knows everyone else”, where you can discover pretty little streets mixing modern-style chalets and old-fashioned farmhouses, with a large play area along the Chagne torrent for young and old alike.

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A little history

Since the winter of 2004-2005 and the installation of the new Peyrol detachable 6-seater chairlift, the village of Vars Sainte Marie has played an increasingly important role in access to the ski area, hiking and mountain biking, reinforced by the completion of the Bois Noir 6-seater chairlift in January 2021: The village thus becomes the main gateway to the ski area, with fast, comfortable access to the heart of the Forêt Blanche. Sainte Marie is the administrative and community hub, home to the Vars town hall and post office. It is also a place of worship, thanks to the ecumenical center, which is still very active.

The first hotels were built here, most of them in old buildings featuring traditional local architecture. Restaurants welcome you under the vaulted ceilings of restored cowsheds. The floors once dedicated to hay storage are now the hotel rooms.

The first ski lifts were installed in Vars Sainte Marie in 1938. The resort’s expansion extended to Vars les Claux from 1939 onwards, with a drive to equip the resort that would resume at the end of the Second World War.