So you're planning a big ski trip, but there are so many ski resorts to choose from. So where do you start? Here at Dare 2b, we live and breath ski and snow sports and we want to help you choose the right ski resort. This is our guide to La Plagne, an incredibly popular French ski resort that is a part of the Alps.

La Plagne is a combination of 11 different villages nestled onto the edge of the protected Vanoise National Park, in Tarentaise Valley above Aime. It's actually a part of a larger ski area known as Paradiski.

The most common way to get over to La Plagne (from the UK) would be to fly. There are three airports you could fly into, all around 2 to 2 and a half hours away from the resort.

• Grenoble, France (GNB) - this airport is around 192km/119 miles from La Plagne. This is the closest of the three but only very slightly. The journey by car on ave. takes around 2 hours and 17 minutes.
• Lyon, France (LYS) - the other French airport, Lyon is around 196km/121 miles from the ski resort, with the journey taking around 2 hours 18 minutes.
• Geneva, Switzerland (GVA) - the only airport that isn't in France, Geneva is 197km/122 miles from La Plagne, taking around 2 hours and 22 minutes to drive too.

There are no direct train and connections to La Plagne but the closest train station is Aime. You are then able to get a bus/coach from that train station to the resort.

As a resort, La Plagne is made up of different villages which all have slightly different features and are tailored to different groups of people. You are able to travel freely between all of the different villages, some are just more family friendly than others.

Across the entire resort, there is 225km of slopes and 74 ski lifts. Out of those 225km, 139km are blue/easy slopes, 59km are red/intermediate slopes and 27km are black/difficult slopes. So there is something for all abilities.

The largest village/town is La Plagne Vallee. It boasts over 4500 villagers, hosts the local train station and is around 20km from the altitude villages. There is plenty of shops, rest

The largest village/town is La Plagne Vallee. It boasts over 4500 villagers, hosts the local train station and is around 20km from the altitude villages. There is plenty of shops, restaurants and different entertainment choices, and the shuttle buses make it easy to get into the ski resort.

The closest villages to the town are Montalbert, Montchavin - Les Coches and Plagne 1800.

Montalbert offers mountain style buildings, giving to a proper snow vibe. There are plenty of different types of accommodation and it has the lowest altitude of all the villages at 1,200m. The 4 ski lifts lead up to many different cross country itineraries, blue pistes and a freestyle area. The majority of the runs are within the trees, so even when the weather isn't great you can have some protection from the elements.

Plagne 1800 (also known as the 'nest' of the resort) used to be a former mining village. It's tucked in and feels cocooned by nature. This village forms the centre of the resort combined with a few other villages, making access across the entire resort incredibly easy. Plagne 1800 is also home to the Olympic Bobsleigh track.

Montchavin - Les Coches is built on two levels, with Les Coches being the higher of the two at 1450m. This village has been created with families in mind, with the inclusions of a kids' ski garden, toboggan run and beginner's ski area and plenty of different entertainment options that are all family friendly.

Plagne Centre is connected to Plagne 1800 and has everything you would want for a ski holiday. Lots of ski-in/ ski-out access, cinemas, retail stores, bars, restaurants etc. It's also the centre of the resort, meaning you can get to any of the other areas of La Plagne quite easily.

Plagne Aime 2000, Plagne Villages, Plagne Soleil and Plagne Bellecote are all connected to Plagne Centre. Plagne Aime 2000 is the highest point of the entire ski area and the main building is known as the Snow Ocean Liner. It has been in that exact spot since the 1960s.

Plagne Villages is very family friendly, there is plenty of beginner and kids slopes, and for those who want a more challenging run, there is transport links to other parts of the resort that have more intermediate plus slopes.

Both Plagne Soleil and Bellecote are car free villages and they focus more on the apres part of your ski trip. They both have different levels of accomodation, spas, saunas, shopping, restaurants and bars. Plagne Bellecote is known as the hub of La Plagnes ski lift systems, created to make it easy to stay at the resort and navigate between the different villages. Bellecote also has its own ice rink and heated pool.

Belle Plagne is connected to Plagne Soleil and Plagne Bellecote, it is built directly into the side of the mountain and has two parts, an upper and a lower. Belle Plagne is also completely car free and has everything you would need for the perfect holiday - skiing or not. Thanks to the amount of shops, restaurants, bars and activities, Belle Plagne has the feel of a fully authentic village feel.

Within the entire La Plagne resort, each village has it's own different feel and vibe. The way the villages have been created mean they all compliment each other and it doesn't matter what kind of skiing holiday you want, there is a village that will be able to provide that.

It goes without saying that you have the option to ski when you come to La Plagne during the Winter/ski season. But there's also an incredible amount of other activities that you can partake in whilst you're staying at the resort.

• Sled Dog Rides - if you want to see the connection between man and their best friend then this is an activity that you can't miss.