Alpe d'Huez - restaurants, apres-ski and nightlife

In the town

There are dozens of restaurants in Alpe d’Huez representing just about every cuisine. L’Authentique is popular for both traditional mountain dishes and Italian food (try the reblochon lasagne), and Smithy’s is highly rated for its Tex-Mex – ribs, fajitas and all. While we’ve had good reports about several other eateries, we’re still working our way through them!

Mountain restaurants

Including those both on the slopes and directly at their base, there are more than 30 mountain restaurants in Alpe d’Huez. Annoyingly, not all are marked on the piste map – there is a separate little guide listing all of them. We’ve found that most are at least acceptable, with some especially excellent. The Auberge de La Combe is one such, located halfway down the legendary Sarenne (be warned—it gets busy).

Our personal favourite is the attractive new restaurant, Signal 2108. The Chalet du Lac Besson, on the edge of a frozen lake, is a bit out of the way but well worth a visit for grills over an open fire (and they do cheap children’s portions here too).

Après-ski and nightlife

The Underground is one watering hole where we’ve enjoyed an après-ski libation, while the Sporting, known for good live bands, the Igloo and the Caves de l’Alpe are Alpe d’Huez’s dedicated late-night clubby venues. 

For one week in March, Alpe d'Huez hosts the world-renowned Tomorrowland Winter Festival. For one week, the resort explodes to life with over 150 DJs across multiple outdoor stages. Tickets sell out fast, so be sure to gets yours ahead of time.

If you're visiting in April, meanwhile, Oz 3300 puts on the smaller Moontain Rock Festival (not a typo!) centring around the Moontain Hostel. The two-day event combines live electronic and rock performances in an on-piste party that's not to be missed.