We're staying in Bourg in the first week of August. Are there any bars there with live music? Any nice reasonably priced restaurants or good takeaways? Is it a nice place to just bimble around having a few drinks?

Also, are the marked trails in the area easy to find? Or is it best to just go hunting for the hidden stuff straight away? I'm probably going to get a few days guiding anyway, but i don't mind following my nose either.

Stayed there last year and there again in two weeks time.

Take the funicular up to the first station and either get the chair lifts up to the top of the downhill run or just head off and do your own thing.

Alternatively, at the top of the funicular, turn left for about 200 yards and do Black8, one of the many trails up there. After that, just keep heading up into the hills, lots of red and black trails. Reds 7 and 11 are particularly sweet.

Cross the valley and try black14, simply superb.

Best of luck and have fun

The Refuge Alt 810, halfway up the High street in Bourg is my favourite restaurant although there are plenty to chose from.

Thanks for that, i'll check them out.

I've also read somewhere that Les Arcs and La Plagne are now linked by a lift? Is this old news that i've picked up on? Or is it something that opens up a whole new area, and if so will a single lift pass cover it?

old news, its a fancy double decker thing that I cant remember the name of.
Your lift pass covers it. We went over a few times but preferred everything over in Arc2000/1800/1600, Black route 8 etc. That was 2006 so it may have changed.

my old Norco in the lift;