For those that aren’t seasoned ‘Meribellians’ it can be hard to grasp the separate areas that make up Meribel as a whole – but don’t worry, we’re here to help! Especially as it is an easy hop between all the villages.
May 01, 2020
While the name Meribel brings to mind a quaint, picturesque mountain village it can be overwhelming to discover the many areas that make up the Meribel valley ski resort. Once you know your way around Meribel however, you can benefit from the wonderful skiing, restaurants and bars and character of each location and enjoy something different each time.
Meribel benefits from having four distinct separate areas - as you can see on the map - plus lots of very pretty outer lying villages along the main route.
The excellent free in resort shuttle bus 'Meribus', connects the 4 distinct areas and makes it extremely easy to hop between each of the 4 main areas. It runs regularly from 7.30 to half past midnight.
The village of Meribel Les Allues
The village of Les Allues benefits from being the oldest and most pretty village in Meribel, dating back to the twelfth century. Les Allues sits to the right of the main road (Rue du Alluetais) and has one main road with lots of smaller alleyways, gorgeous cul-de-sacs and a mishmash of lovely French buildings. It sits at 1100m and and benefits from easy access to skiing at over 3500m.
At 12km from Moutiers it takes an easy 15 minutes to reach the bottom of the valley so coming to the resort via car is super easy as there is quick access to the autoroute.The village also has the Olympe bubble, running directly into the heart of the Chaudanne lift area in Meribel Centre where all the main lifts fan out from.
Meribel Village
As you continue to travel up the main road you will reach a large roundabout. Head to the right and you will continue on to Meribel Centre, but head to the left and you will come to Meribel Village. Situated on the road towards La Tania (a separate resort, part of Courchevel around 20 minutes away) Meribel Village is a small settlement below the altiport ski area that benefits from the gorgeous ‘Lapin’ blue run heading straight into the village and Golf chairlift that runs above it. If you ski to Meribel Village you can enjoy the lovely sunny terrace at Lodge Du Village, enjoy a great lunch, some apres ski drinks and live music daily.
Meribel’s completely free ‘Meribus’ also stops at Meribel Village from Les Allues. The ‘A’ Bus runs up from Les Allues, stops at Meribel Village and then heads on to Meribel Centre.
Meribel Centre
Meribel Centre is the largest area of the valley, with a huge stylish collection of chalets, hotels, restaurants and bars. The main area of ‘La Chaudanne’ is where the majority of lifts in Meribel fan out from. There are also ‘Meribus’ stops for all four of the main bus lines. The ‘Centre’ is the location of most bars and restaurants.
Meribel Centre also stretches up the valley towards ‘Le Rond-Point des Pistes’ and the ‘Altiport’ area. The Rond Point and the Altiport are both great beginner ski areas, and is home to the extremely popular Rond Point Apres Bar. After having a few drinks you can ski down to ‘La Chaudanne’ or take the ‘C’ bus which heads up the main ‘Route de l’Altiport’ which is lined by more restaurants and chalets.
Meribel Mottaret
The final area of Meribel is the ‘Meribel Mottaret’ area sitting at 1700m above the other three areas. Developed in 1977 Mottaret is a mostly ski-in ski-out area home to some excellent restaurants, snack bars and lots of afternoon sun. You will most likely ski through Mottaret as it is a great way to get to Mont Vallon, or to ski over to Val Thorens. It also hosts a free magic carpet for beginners.
Mottaret is also on the free ‘Meribus’ bus route ‘D’ so if you’re looking to go and practise on a magic carpet you can head to Mottaret and take the Bus back down.
To view the full Meribel PDF map from meribel.net Click Here
The excellent free in resort shuttle bus Meribus, connects the 4 distinct areas and makes it extremely easy to hop between each of the 4 main areas. To view the ‘Meribus’ timetable which runs regularly from 7.30 to half past midnight click here
