The Skiers' Guide to Méribel

Meribel is the spot for everything. Being middle market and cheap for self-catering accommodation, and a variety of accommodation types catering to everyone, Meribel is the ultimate all-rounder when it comes to resorts. With a great evening buzz and entertainment, a fabulous ski school and lift access to an unparalleled amount of mountain, containing every flavour of terrain, it suits those from complete novices to powder hunters, big mountain bashers and park maniacs. The runs are kept well and youll never get bored here.
Our last visit was a group of completely mixed abilities, and
It was an enormous success, the beginners were able to learn fast and not hinder the experts hunting pow from first lifts, but all could meet up for a drink and a boogy at le rond point or le folie douce! Staying in the heart of meribel, bowling was great fun, we enjoyed several pints at Jacks bar and le Taverne, and had a great night at the ice hockey. One of my favourite weeks of skiing ever!

I have been going to Meribel since I was a child and worked there for 2 seasons, so know it well. I really wanted my children to experience this amazing resort this year and the fun we had learning to ski there. They absolutely love it, and want to go back! It has everything they wanted, from the easy runs to learn on the faster runs once theyd improved and the fun of the snow park. You also have access to both Corchevel and Val Thorens so endless opportunities so on and off piste. There is always enough snow to get some skiing in. Meribel is not cheap, but then what ski resort is!!

Skiing in meribel allowed for a week of eating good, drinking lots and skiing all day everyday
The connections between the ski areas were excellent, allowed for us to ski in the whole of Les trois valley
10/10 would go again

We stay in Méribel Mottaret which we love as its quieter but so easy to get to Méribel town if we want too!

We stayed in Meribel Mottaret which is the perfect location to explore the whole of the 3 valleys, with modern and efficient lifts. The snow was brilliant in Jan and there is a wide variety of runs. There was virtually no nightlife in Mottaret and to enjoy this side of things we had to use the bus service to Merilel Centre., the home runs on the Courcheval side were also not particularly family friendly as these tended to be steep and icy. A great location for keen skiers who aren't to concerned with nightlife but not the best for families and those after a vibrant apre.

For me, monitor the web cams to see where the best visibility is between Courchevel and VT. Run the Cascades

As part of the Three Valleys. Meribel is my favourite. Its the heart of the 3 being the connecting resort. And its my pick of any resort to ski in the world.

Good skiing all round, with great après, night life and things to do for people that arent skiing.

Although there isnt much off piste, when it does dump there are great options to go find some fresh track.

Long, wide blue and green runs that are easy to get to from the centre. Its perfect for all capabilities. And if you dont want to ski Meribel, youre one gondola away from Courchevel and only a two from Saint Martin leading to Les Menuires then Val Thorens.

We stayed in Brides Les Bain which has a great cable car that gets you up to Meribel for the first lift and had live bands and fireworks whilst we were there.

The 3 Valleys is a huge ski area, and we haven't explored it all yet. Some of the blue runs off the top can be challenging at the start if poor snow but otherwise the runs are marked up pretty well.

This was my 2nd season at the 3 valleys. As a 30 year old who have just started skiing, I have been lucky to pick up skiing in the largest resort in the world! Meribel is a charming resort with excellent range of runs.

We went as a mixed group of skiers and snowboarders and everyone had an absolute blast. As an intermediate skier, I have managed to ski across all three valleys comfortably whilst my advanced snowboarder partner managed to do all four (yes, theres a fourth valley!)

When I was learning last year, the abundant green and blue runs were instrumental in building my confidence. I have taken lessons with ESF and oxygène and would say that they are very comparable in skill and price. The instructors were professional, kind and very knowledgable.

The après scene is amazing! We visited both la folie douce and rond point which had the most exhilarating atmosphere and music.

One thing people dont mention enough when reviewing resorts are the availability of public facilities. I was pleasantly surprised that most of the lifts had public toilets attached. There were also multiple scenic spots with well maintained public picnic benches for a lunch with a view

Overall, Meribel was a lovely resort to stay at with plenty of runs and terrain of varying difficulty. The town itself was a charming wee town with plenty of restaurants, bars and shops and is serviced regularly by free public bus (the mèribus). Excellent skiing experience and will definitely be back for a third season

Méribel has its own selection of good runs for every level, but its main advantage is the close proximity to other three valley ski areas. You can take one lift to Courchevel and two to Val Thorens so you dont get bored. The snow hasnt been great this year but all access runs have been kept open leaving access to the whole resort an option all season. There are multiple options for good aprés but the folie douce is more expensive than in other resorts. There are many different price options for food up the mountain.

Méribel, in the heart of the 3 valleés, is one of the best resort in Europe. With easy access to Courchevel and Val Thorens, you have access to one of the biggest ski areas in the world. You will never have nowhere to explore, whether youre there for a 3 days, a week, or even a season.

The quality of the pistes are very good, with lots of variety. Theres plenty of itinerary runs you can test you skills, the Grand Couloir (down into Courchevel but accessed from the top of Saulire lift in Meribel) is one of the most reknowned slopes in France.

The restaurants and après ski in Meribel are hard to beat. It can be quite expensive but Monshu is perfect for a late lunch, followed by a pitcher of beer, just down the piste in Le Rond Point, one of the liveliest apres spots.

There are also plenty of good ski rental locations, restaurants, and clubs in Meribel Village.

The main drawbacks with Meribel, are the price (it is an expensive resort) and the business. Particularly during holidays, Meribel is one of the busiest resorts and the pistes are never empty. However, thanks to the high quality infrastructure, you will never be waiting too long in a lift line!

I did a ski season in Meribel and the resort is fantastic.
It sits in the middle of the largest ski area in the world (3 Valleys) and has a nice balance of class and fun.
The town itself is stunning with many beautiful chalets built into the valley, but with free buses and lifts at all three areas of the town, it is a great holiday destination.

Apres is fantastic with the legendary Follie and Rons Point. And there is so much skiing for all levels.

Price point is high however, this is due to its fantastic reputation.

Great resort for both beginners and experts. Loads of ski lifts, plenty of pistes, plenty of on mountain restaurants etc. the town is lively with plenty of pu s and restaurants. Highly recommended!!

Meribel is a fantastic resort with plenty of fun for all ages. Some great apres spots both up the mountains and in the towns and a pleasantly surprising amount of well priced and yet fantastic restaurants

Just returned from a week in Méribel and it was a fantastic resort. It had great locals shops/supermarkets for everything you needed. Great bars and restaurants with plenty of food options. The ski lifts were easy to navigate and the slopes were fantastic for all ski abilities.
The runs have all been put together well and everything is very well signposted so its very hard to end up in the wrong place.
The other 2 valleys (courchevel & val thorens) are very easy to get to and you can get a ski pass which covers all 3 valleys. Theres also a 4th valley which is great to explore with some spectacular views and great runs too, which Id highly recommend making the journey across for.
Food wise, Barometer is great for pizza, la taverne is amazing for cheese fondue and sulleys does amazing chicken platters.
Precision ski is great for ski hire if needed.
On the slopes you cant beat folie douce for the apres ski but down in Meribel centre, Jacks is the place to be after a long day skiing with a great happy hour until 5pm and live music daily at 5:45pm which gets the whole bar rocking!
Overall Id say Meribel is a great choice whether youre with a group of friends, with your family or on a getaway with your partner. Being the middle valley, it also allows you to easily explore the more youthful/student orientated val Thorens or the more extravagant and luxurious Courchevel.

Meribel is in the middle of the 3 (or is 4) valleys with skiing for all conditions and ability. You can ski a season and still have lots to enjoy and explore.

Great resort, great for beginners and advanced skiers, I find the intermediate slopes to be quite hard. The blue runs in meribel can be steep. But there is a large green area and unreal skiing for more experienced.
So much to explore! Viewpoints and points if interest to follow along with on the app. Very family friendly lots of activities going on. Amazing food and drinks all around the resort and really good access to lower towns via the Olympe gondola. 10/10 skiing.

Unreal ski area if you get the full 3 valley pass. Good apres, you can go folie, to Ronnies and down to Jacks all in one apres session. Great nightlife and great food options.

We stayed in Meribel Village, a quieter area just out of Meribel Town.
It was a great place to stay, our hotel apartment was only a few metres from a ski lift. Being able to ski in, ski out was fantastic, and made for us making the most out of each day.
The ski area of the 3 valleys was great too, its so so big, there was always a slope that was quiet enough to enjoy yourself.
Facilities and bars/restaurants on the slopes were great, lots of choice.
My only gripe is that we went just before the FIS world championships were being held there, and the week we were there, we didnt get much snow (thats down to luck I guess). But the majority of the snow making machines were taken away and being used preparing the worlds slopes, so some of our slopes were a bit bare and icy at times, but still skiable.