The Skiers' Guide to Villars - Gryon

A lovely resort that’s got enough for every piste skier or boarder. Wonderful and quiet, calm and family friendly and family run.

Went as first time skiers, ESS group lessons were excellent and we felt well supported at all times. The slopes were well maintained and only started getting chipped up well into the afternoon. There were some good runs as beginners although the inter-area lifts all took red runs to access which was annoying. Not a massive apres culture but all the available bars were good and the blue run from Bretaye down to Villars is one of the best and nicest ways to finish a run day that I've ever been lucky enough to find.

Great resort, loads of very accessible off piste and cruise runs - the reds are more like blues and the blacks are more like reds

1st time to this resort and we were not disappointed. Lovely hotel - Victoria, ease of ski hire and lovely town with good places to eat.

The resort was big enough for adventure, but great for families with different skiing abilities.
A central place from several runs, was the restaurant and train station which was helpful in allowing the family members to split off and do different runs, and then regroup easily.

Restaurant area and ski school was busy, but it was 1/2 term so expected.
That said we had no issue getting a table with only a short wait.
Similarly the queues for the lifts/ gondolas were minimal, and moved fast.

Weather prevented us visiting the glacier 3000 with heavy snow fall and poor visibility, but we were grateful for the fresh snow during the week, for our skiing.

Swiss prices are on the expensive side, so ensure your budget accounts for this!

For families the ski school meet at Bretaye which is accessible by mountain railway. For adventurous skiers you can take the telecabine from Roc D Orsy and meet the rest of family after a short red to Bretaye. The lift system is top notch with a link to Les Diablerets once you find your feet. Recommend lunch at Hotel du Lac and enjoy the treeline run bk to the village if enough snow.

Villars sur Ollon in Switzerland is a breathtakingly beautiful resort for Christmas. I loved ice skating at the Pationaire too. Fondue and wines I highly recommend. It’s Christmas every day in Villars.

Snow not great in dec/jan but teams made a good job of situation. Dump occurred after our visit so assume better now.

Family friendly resort. Smallish, but great for a week! Particularly good if learning to ski. Lovely atmosphere here

A great place for a calmer family or friend ski trip. Not too cold but good snow. It felt cozy. Good instructors for family. Recommended.

It’s quite a small resort (at least it’s smaller when there’s less snow and lower parts are closed) but it’s very charming, family feel with mostly relatively easy runs making an excellent option for advanced beginners. Family vibe, friendly.

We had a lovely time in Villars. It was a nice quiet family resort with some unique settings. The train up the slopes was a highlight. There are lots of nice beginner friendly pistes and the snow park was versatile for all abilities.

A day trip to the nearby glacier 3000 is a must, with incredible view points and a bigger ski park.

Lots of great places to eat out in the evenings and lovely shops in town.

The spa was excellent for a chill out afternoon and there are lots of sports facilities accessible through this.

Lessons from the ski school was great fun and allowed progression through the groups during a week. They were friendly and helpful, giving individual feedback and showing us drills to improve our skiing.

There were a couple issues with lifts breaking but on the whole the queues were small even during peak Christmas.

Villars is connected to les Diablerets to provide a reasonably sized ski area - certainly good for intermediate skiers for a week or so. It has modern lifts and rarely gets crowded. The runs are mostly cruisy blues and reds with a few more challenging blacks and a modest amount of off-piste.
Perhaps Villars greatest strength is that it is the easiest ski resort to get to from Geneva Airport, making it ideal for weekend breaks. There are two public transport options, both utilising trains direct from Geneva Airport, with one requiring a change at Aigle to a very reliable bus service and the other changing trains for a service to Bex and taking the cog railway from there.

I have been visiting Villars since i was 7 years old. It sits on a sunny shelf near Lake Geneva and has a special place in my heart because my parents used to live here. It is a family friendly resort but also has a lovely vibe with plenty for all skiers and boarders to enjoy. It is joined up with Les Diablerets via a crazy chair lift that goes both ways. There is a tradition that you ask a question of the chairlift coming towards you. You can also access Glacier 3000. There is a clue in the name as to how high that is!
Villars is in the French speaking canton of Vaud. The ski schools are great and have lots of very friendly English speaking instructors. There are off-piste opportunities and several snow parks. In the town there is a swimming pool and wellness spa. There is an ice rink where you can also watch the local team play ice hockey in the evening if you are lucky. It is free of charge and a fabulous experience. There is also a bowling alley and sports bar with pool tables and other games. They also show sports on screens. It has a nice vibe and attracts a variety of people. Villars can be accessed by Eurostar or ferry from the UK or a flight to Geneva and a short train ride around Lake Geneva and then a bus or train up to Villars. If we want to preserve the mountain environment we all love then we should all travel with the lowest carbon footprint. If the Eurostar is booked early it is comparable in cost to flying and has 1/10 of the carbon footprint.

Villars-Gryon (also linked to Les Diablerets) is a beautiful, family friendly resort, with a vast range of pistes in its three resort area. The intermediate runs are particularly well groomed and varied, with black competition runs in abundance as well. The ski schools are superb, particularly the Red-suited Swiss school, whose instructors are great teachers & really helped me improve my technique. Many of them are former Olympic skiers, so you know that you are getting superb instruction. You can ski all day long without repeating a piste. The numerous lifts are well maintained and reliable. The mountain top restaurants and bars serve delicious local specialities - Hotel du Lac, le Golf, Lac des Chevonnes and Jimmys Bar are my favourites. The accommodation in the village ranges from the fabulous Hotel Royalp to apartments and hostels- there is something for everyone. Easily reached by the highly efficient Interreggio lakeside train from Geneva (with gorgeous views of Lake Geneva along the way) then a short bus-ride from Aigle, this delightful resort is well worth a visit. With Les Dents du Midi and other spectacular peaks visible from just about every type of accommodation, plus the beautiful shops and restaurants and very friendly people, you cannot fail to enjoy a visit to Villars-Gryon-Les Diablerets. Its gently wonderful Swiss charm has great appeal, giving you superb skiing with fun socialising too.

Great ski school and beautiful views. A lot of options for new skiers and great apres in the village afterwards

Love Villars, Gryon and Gstaad including the option to ski glacier 3000
Fantastic skiing, apreski and the local spa was refurbished to high level

Excellent ski resort, my favourite, been coming here for years, something for everyone. Recommend going up to the glacier if you need something a bit more challenging.

Small intimate resort. South facing so slopes can suffer in the sun. Great for kids but not enough variation for more advanced skiers. There are a number of drag lifts so can get busy. Typical Swiss resort with pretty tree lined runs, chalet style accommodation and the obligatory cog railway to get up to the ski area. Free shuttle bus is great as can work you tit he much quicker telecabine lift. Proximity to Geneva makes it busy at peak times. The resort has skating swimming spar bowling to keep kids entertained off the slopes.

Top tip- ski between 8.39 and 11 as locals fill up the queue quickly in afternoon with discounted afternoon pass.

I love this resort it links in well with the Les Diaberellets system and glacier 2000. Well well looked after and loads of options for both on and off piste skiing. You can get remote if you require with high quality ski mountaineering and touring. I have had endless hours of run in Villars. Totally recommend a visit.

I love Villars. Enough piste to keep everyone entertained and very family friendly, as well as accessible for wheelchair users and disabled skiers.