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Méribel

Heart of Three Valleys

Welcome to Méribel

Nestled in the beautiful Alpine valley of Les Allues, Méribel is a renowned ski resort where you can experience that quintessential ski holiday. Stay in a traditional wooden chalet, admire stunning mountain scenery, ski one of the biggest domains in the world and let your hair down at one of the famous après-ski bars. The Méribel Valley is one of the most popular destinations for British skiers (the resort was, in fact, founded by a British Colonel, Peter Lindsay, in 1938). Consisting of picture-postcard chalets and chalet-style apartment buildings and hotels, Méribel has retained all the charm of a traditional mountain village with its wood and stone buildings and forest setting.

THE AREA

Fast, modern ski lifts offer easy access to the Méribel ski area (150km of pistes from 1450m up to 1700m) and the 3 Valleys (Méribel is linked to Courchevel and Val Thorens, giving you access to 600km of pistes). Méribel Centre is the largest of several villages in the resort and is home to the main shopping area and the greatest selection of restaurants.

THE RESTAURANT

Eating out on the mountain is somewhat of a specialty in Meribel. It has everything from the best bakery in the Three Valleys in Meribel Village (conveniently located at the bottom of the Lapin piste and serving cracking pizza slices, great coffee, yummy cheese, ham and bread for your piste side picnic) right up to the luxury joys of Le Blanchot and the Adray Telebar. For the best views head to Le Roc at the top of the Col de Loze, they have a lovely menu and rather nice Vin Chaud available until after the lifts have closed. Stop here and take in the view before skiing down the empty pistes back in to Meribel.

Winter Activities

SKI

Meribel, along with its neighbors Val Thorens and Courchevel, form ‘Les Trois Vallees’ of the Savoie Alps, the largest ski area in the world. Meribel is one of the most prestigious ski regions in France and its ski resort is comprised of three villages, including Meribel Village, Meribel Centre, and Meribel-Mottaret. This explains why Meribel is now the most popular and vibrant alpine ski resort, in Europe.

LA FOLIE DOUCE MERIBEL-COURCHEVEL

For non-skiers, you can pamper yourself by checking out the cabaret of La Folie. While you are here, you can watch live music, professional dancers, as well as singers, strutting their stuff in exotic costumes with flying champagne bottles. The music itself is so loud you can even hear it from the opposite side of the valley. There is nothing in Meribel quite like the afternoon cabaret at La Folie. To get here you can take the Saulire Express 1 Gondola lift. Get ready to enjoy this wild party on the mountain on a nice sunny day. Sounds interesting right? Head over now and see it for yourself.

Summer Activities

MOUNTAIN BIKING

Bring your mountain bikes or hire in resort and enjoy the hills on wheels instead of skis. There are 100’s of kilometers of trails to explore and offer a real thrill in the stunning surroundings of the Alps. The best part of mountain biking in Meribel is that the lifts are adapted in the Summer so that they can carry your bikes! That means that you can arrive at the top ready to go instead of out of breath with burning legs!

WALKING AND HIKING

There are a huge variety of trails on offer in the Meribel valley so that there is something for everyone of all ages and abilities. The Vanoise National Park has a huge variety of wildlife that you won’t see back at home. Spot a chamois, marmot, ibex or eagle while hiking the Meribel trails. A really lovely idea is to walk to a mountain refuge where you can have a traditional alpine lunch before heading back home again.

VIA FERRETA

This is an amazing and exhilarating activity. It is easier than mountain climbing but harder than a normal hike. Follow the marked paths and scale the mountains. As you get to use bridges, ladders and steps it really is a unique adventure and perfect for those who always want a bit more of a thrill than hiking.

GOLF AND TENNIS

Meribel is proud to be home to a challenging 18 hole golf course. It is always particularly enjoyable due to the surrounding views. The course winds along the forest hills below the Dent de Bergin. It covers from Rhodos via the altiport down to Chantemouche which is nearly 1000 feet!
Anyone for tennis? For those on your holiday that prefer tennis then there are 10 courts at Bois d’Arbin and 2 mini tennis courts for children. There are also 2 courts up in Mottaret.

Travel to Méribel

AIRPORTS

In winter, there are four main airports you could fly into (see below) whilst in summer, flights only operate to Geneva and Lyon. Chambery Airport is where most Tour Operators fly into in winter but you can get independent flights here too. Once you’ve arrived, we recommend you take a private transfer to resort as this is easier and faster than taking lots of connections on public transport. Grenoble airport is also used by a number of winter tour operators and again we'd recommend a private transfer to resort from here.  Lyon and Geneva Airports are extremely well connected from most UK and European cities. Flights to either of these airports are much more competitively priced because of higher passenger volumes and you can fly into either one year round.

TRANSFERS

Once you reach the airport, bus or train station, the most popular option for onward travel to Meribel is to take a transfer minibus. Most minibus transfers for Meribel are offered on a private basis although some shared transfers are also available.

BUS

Using public transport can help keep the costs down on your trip to Meribel, however it can take considerably longer and may involve a few changes along the way. The closest bus station to Meribel is at Moutiers, the town at the bottom of the mountain (which is also where you'll arrive if you're coming by train). Buses from Chambery airport to Meribel operate 4 times per day on Saturdays and once on Sundays during the ski season. It takes around 2-2.5 hours to get to Meribel centre, changing at Moutiers on the way. The same winter bus operates to Meribel Altiport 3 times per day on Saturdays but not on Sundays.  

RAIL

The nearest train station for Meribel is at Moutiers (full name Moutiers Salins Brides Les Bains) and it takes around 25 minutes by road to get to Meribel centre from there.  If you’re travelling from the UK, the Eurostar leaves from London or Kent and takes you either direct to Moutiers or into Paris, where you pick up a connecting TGV train to Moutiers. These trains only operate in winter (from mid December to the 1st week of April) on Saturday during the day and overnight on Fridays (without sleeping compartments). 

SELF-DRIVING

Bringing your own vehicle with you to Meribel is a good idea if you want to have a little more flexibility getting around once you’re here, although in Meribel you' don't really need a car in winter to get around - the free shuttle buses do a very good job.  Bear in mind though, if you do decide to drive here, that in winter the road on the way up to Meribel from Moutiers is around 16km long and quite winding in places. Although snow clearers operate every day in winter, conditions can be hard to drive in and you may need snow chains. Read our Driving to Meribel Guide and find more information on Parking in Meribel once you’ve arrived. Hiring a car from the airport or train/bus station is a good option, allowing you more flexibility especially with really early or late flight times.

FERRIES

If you’re travelling from the UK, or perhaps from other European destinations to France by car, one of only a few options is to take the cross-channel ferry; another is the Eurotunnel train. You should book ferry tickets well in advance, especially if you’re thinking about travelling during peak holiday season.

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