Take a short break to the mountains in Meribel, France
Map view of Meribel
Skiing in Meribel
For keen slope-bashers who dislike tacky purpose-built resorts, Méribel is difficult to beat. It is slap in the middle of the Three Valleys - the biggest inter-linked winter sports area in the world. With 200 lifts and 600 km of slopes, and endless off-slope possibilities, it is difficult to be bored in a fortnight here. Fans of Courchevel and Val-Thorens sniff at Méribel's local slopes, but since Mont Vallon and the top of the valley were opened up some years ago, Méribel can stand comparison on most counts.
Mountain Info
There are a number of different areas in Meribel, the most in demand (and most busy and expensive!) being Meribel Centre where the majority of the nightlife and shopping is to be found. Meribel Mussillon is located just below and Meribel Rond Point above. A satellite village has recently been created 2km from the centre - Meribel Villages has some lovely apartment residences and is served by a lift taking you up to the Altiport and a blue piste making return very easy. Towards the Val Thorens valley, you will find Meribel Mottaret which is a more modern and much cheaper village. And finally, there are various small villages a few kilometres below Meribel Centre which are linked by gondola to the main resort but are usually impossible to ski back to - these include the main one Meribel Les Allues.
Meribel ski resort
Skiing in Méribel and the 3 Valleys is the perfect for intermediates. Take a 3-valley pass and go exploring. Advanced skiers will find several excellent mogul fields plus the famous couloirs in Courchevel and Mont Vallon in Meribel which is a fantastically long and challenging piste with guaranteed snow. Off piste is excellent and we would advise you to take a specialist mountain guide to make the most of it. For more info and booking please check Merinet.
Mountain stats
Resort Altitude 1450m
Highest Lift 3200m
Longest Run 5km
Kms of piste 600km
Total Runs 275
Getting there?
The nearest airports are Geneva of Chambery, both of which are served by a number of UK budget airlines, charter and scheduled services. Other alternatives include Grenoble or Lyon which are slightly further away. Approximate transfer times are: Geneva - 2.5 hours, Chambery - 1.5 hours, Lyon - 3 hours, Grenoble - 3 hours. For car hire we recommend ebookers.
Meribel has easy access by road and is approximately 610 miles (975km) from Calais - all but the last 20kms is by motorway or dual carriageway.
Please note that Meribel also features on our site as a Mountain destination.
