Bourg-Saint-Maurice is a small town of 8000 people in the Tarentaise Valley of the French Alps.

This area is renowned as the home to many world class ski resorts including Val d'Isère, Tignes, La Rosière, Sainte Foy, Les Arcs and La Plagne (recently linked by the Vanoise Express cable car, these last two domains make up the Paradiski area).

Slightly further afield, Les Trois Vallées branch off at Moûtiers and are made up of Courchevel, La Tania, Méribel, Brides-les-Bains, Val Thorens, Les Menuires, St-Martin-de-Belleville and Orelle.

Bourg is the hub for snowboarders and skiers in the winter and for adventure sports enthusiasts in the summer. It is the terminus for trains in the valley and the largest big town when heading higher into the mountains. Bourg is therefore well catered for with supermarkets, restaurants and small specialist shops.

A funicular railway runs every half hour (0830-1930) from Bourg up some 800 vertical metres in just a few minutes, carrying skiers, boarders, bikers and walkers to Arc 1600, the gateway to activities in Les Arcs.