Sarah - Director"Make sure you make some time to ski down to Meribel Village on your Three Valleys holiday. There are lovely blue tree-lined runs and you can stop for a bite to eat at the Altiport. You may even see a plane coming into land. If you have time, also check the LDV for apres - always live bands and a great vibe!"MERIBEL
Meribel needs no introduction. Situated in the heart of the Three Valleys, this pretty resort has proved popular for British ski holidays for many years and gives access to over 600km of pistes. Meribel was founded by a Scotsman called Colonel Peter Lindsay in 1938 and has continued to evolve and thrive ever since. The resort's popularity for holidays and short breaks is not only due to the extensive skiing but also the attractive chalet style architecture. The resort has managed to retain its Alpine charm and consists of chalet style wood and stone buildings, not a high rise apartment block in sight.
When looking for ski holidays in Meribel, there are 3 distinct areas to consider: Meribel Centre, Meribel Village and Meribel Mottaret. Meribel Centre is the largest and is home to the main shopping area along with the greatest selection of après ski bars and restaurants. Worthy of a mention for those who like to party are Le Rond Point (The Ronnie) and La Folie Douce who both have lively but different après-ski parties. Meribel Village has a great apres bar and is surrounded by lots of lovely chalets. The Lodge du Village (LDV) has a lively lounge bar as well as a sunny terrace and balcony making it an ideal spot to have a drink whilst watching the sun go down.
Meribel ski holidays are incredibly popular due to the diverse nature of the resort, in terms of runs, accommodation, nightlife, restaurants and activities.
Our top hotel picks for your Meribel ski holiday: Hotel L'Eterlou.
SKI AREA OVERVIEW
The Meribel valley offers a vast choice of pistes suited to all standards of skiers and snowboarders. If you are new to skiing don't be intimidated by the vast ski area, Meribel offers beginners the gentle tree-lined runs around the Altiport and there are plenty of challenging runs for intermediate and advanced skiers higher up on the Saulire where there are steeper blues and reds which allow mixed-ability groups to ski in the same area. Meribel itself has a very good snow record as most of the ski area located above 1800m but there are also over 700 snow cannons for lighter snow conditions, the Three Valleys are renowned for their piste maintenance.
If you want to upgrade your lift pass, accessing the 3 Valleys from Meribel is easy, perfect for ski weekenders with only a few days at your disposal. The 3 Valleys offers over 600kms of pistes with over 150+ lifts and pistes that range from 1260 - 3230m! Cruise the sweeping red and blue runs of Courchevel and ski above the tree line in the snow sure Val Thorens. For practising your slopestyle there is the Plattières snowpark located above Meribel - Mottaret with its jumps, banks and halfpipes or you could head to the Moonpark in Meribel to try out your freestyling skills on jumps, rails and boxes. Further afield La Tania also has a snow park and Courchevel has a larger dedicated rail park.
Brides Les Bains is lower than Meribel itself is also available for those looking for cheaper accommodation and is included in the Meribel local area ski pass.
Meribel ski holidays await!
Flight + Transfer
222.4kg CO2 *
* Average kg of CO2e per person, based on a return journey from London Gatwick to Geneva, and shared minibus transfer.
Train + Transfer
14.2kg CO2 *
* Average kg of CO2e per person, based on a return journey from London St. Pancras to Moûtiers, and shared minibus transfer.
Self-Drive
103.3kg CO2 *
* Average kg of CO2e per person, based on a return journey from the M25, via. the Dover ferry in a car carrying 4 people.
To reach the nearest station (Moûtiers), you'll need to take the Eurostar Ski Train via. Lille. Find availability and tickets at Eurostar.
- The local market in Meribel is on Tuesdays and Fridays. It’s worth taking a look for the local cheese alone. And you thought Meribel ski holidays were just about skiing and apres!
- After skiing stop by the famous La Folie Douce and enjoy the party atmosphere, from here jump on your skis and catch the party at Ronnie's. You won’t stop dancing!
- If you fancy some time off from skiing, you can always use the outdoor heated swimming pool behind Jacks bar.
- Ski down to Meribel Village during your holiday and enjoy a hot chocolate for elevenses.
- For the extreme skier – Ski the brand new black run at the top of Saulire, the Couloir Tournier. It is even equipped with cameras so you can be filmed skiing or boarding (or tumbling) down it.