Le Praz, also called Courchevel 1300, is the lowest and prettiest of the Courchevel villages — a real Savoyard hamlet with old chalets, a wooden church, and a frozen pond in winter. It is connected to the upper resort by a gondola, so you can stay here for atmosphere and ski into the main domain without owning a car.
The village retains the rhythms of mountain life rather than ski-resort life. A handful of restaurants serve proper Savoyard cooking (fondue, raclette, diots with polenta) and there are a few hotels at far gentler prices than 1850. The famous ski jumps built for the 1992 Albertville Olympics rise above the village — they are open to the public for visits in summer.