Méribel

Situated in the centre of France’s rather large Trois Vallées ski region sits the very pretty ‘ski-village’ town of Méribel, with its rather iconic chalet-style architecture. When linked with neighbouring Val Thorens and Courchevel, and more than 600km of pistes and accompanying unlimited off-piste skiing between them, it forms one of the largest connected ski areas in the world.

Méribel is the largest town in the immediate area and provides the most comprehensive choice of après-ski bars and restaurants. The excellent shopping, particularly of interest to the technical ski and boarder wearer, is complemented by a local bakery, Fromagerie (cheese shop) and the wonderful the twice-weekly (Tuesdays and Fridays) traditional, local street market.

As with many of the larger ski resorts, Méribel offers a number of “quartiers” that offer an alternative to the busier centre of the town. This includes Altiport (a sleepy woodland area), Mussillon (the original hamlet) the rather upmarket Belvedere, the Rond-Point, Le Plateau and Morel. They are all uphill from Méribel itself, but within very easy reach and all have their own restaurants and shops.

The satellite Méribel-Mottaret resort is located at the top of the valley with access to the surrounding resorts now much more convenient via the recently-installed lift system. As well as the two main resorts of Méribel and Méribel-Mottaret already mentioned, there are also a number of traditional villages in the valley that are well worth a visit, and can be reached either by bus, taxi, or if you have one, by car.

With high peaks, the snow across the quite extensive slopes is excellent during the skiing season, and the ski runs are suitable for all class of skill, although hardened experts (sometimes technically referred to as ‘show-offs’) might suggest it is not one of the most challenging of ski slope areas. However, the big advantage is that it is very attractive for the beginner to intermediate skier.

And for those who want to take a break from the slopes, there is an Olympic Centre with Olympic and children’s swimming pool, water slide, indoor ice-rink, fitness centre, climbing wall and spa. But if you do prefer the great outdoors, there are walking routes, horse-sleigh tours, snowmobiling and snow-shoeing.

The winter season runs from early December to the end of April, and the main Mirabel resort has 15 gondola lifts and 19 chairlifts, while the summer season is during the months of July and August, offering walking, golf, mountain biking, children’s club activities and more.

Geneva and Lyon airports are the nearest two major airports to Méribel. Although Chambery and Grenoble are a little closer, regular flights and reasonably priced transfers can sometimes be difficult to get hold of. You can take either a private or shared transfer from these airports. Rather uniquely, Mountain Rescue support their fundraising activities by offering reasonably priced door-to-door transfers. The nearest rail town is Moutiers (18km away), which has an international railway station and offers regular bus transfers to the resort. A taxi service is also available.