Val Thorens, France + Add a trip
on Méribel
City Life: Snow place like home
Méribel lies at the centre of the Trois Vallées, the largest ski area in the world. Try as you might to tame the piste, the ski runs never run out.
400 miles of well-groomed gradients await; that's the same as skiing from London to the Alps - although there are easier ways to get here. Méribel has been an international favourite for decades, particularly with the British and while the purpose-built resort has expanded over the years its serried ranks of traditional-style chalets have never lost their charm. The peaks and valleys also offer other activities including skating, snow-shoeing, parapenting and tobogganing, which makes the resort ideal for all levels of energy and ability.
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Getting There
Automobiles
Follow the E711 and E70 from Lyon, or the E25 and E712 from Geneva, to Chambéry. Take the péage to Albertville and then the N90 dual carriageway to Moûtier. The turn-off for Méribel is about 10 minutes beyond the town.
Planes
Chambéry airport is nearest and just under 90 minutes away. Flybe has winter services from Southampton, Norwich, Exeter, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle (www.flybe.com). It's just over two hours to Grenoble airport and about three hours' drive to Geneva airport (www.gva.ch).
Trains
Eurostar operates an overnight Ski Train service. It runs on Fridays and Saturdays stopping at Moûtier 30 minutes from Méribel (www.eurostar.com).
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Local Knowledge
Dialing
Country code for France: +33. Méribel: (0)4.
Reads
Do go / Don't Go
The Trois Vallées is one of the greatest ski areas in the world and unsurprisingly popular in the winter. The ski season lasts from late November until April. In summer the resort is very quiet but the scenery remains as spectacular as ever.
Cuisine
Raclette, tartiflette and fondue are delicious, filling meals that will replace all the energy you've expended on the slopes. Wild mushrooms are widely used and are particularly good in fondues. The local smoked pork and cured ham is full of flavour. Epogne is baked dough filled with cheese and vegetables and makes for a great snack. Forest berries and orchard fruits are often made into irresistible desserts.
Taxis
Call +33 (0)4 7901 10 10 to pre-order a taxi.
Tipping
A service charge is normally added to your bill (service compris) in restaurants and cafés but it's still customary to leave a small tip. For taxi drivers, add 10 percent to the metered charge.
Currency
Euro.
Packing
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Worth Doing
Arts
And...
For really extreme sports try the bobsleigh run at La Plagne. Built for the Olympic Games in 1992, it's possible to travel over 60mph and reach over four Gs as you hurtle along the 1500-metre-long course.
Shopping
La Gourmandine on Route de la Montée in Méribel has a good selection of local foodie specialities. Cheese fanatics should visit La Fromagerie in the centre of the resort which also has a first-rate fondue restaurant downstairs (+33 (0)4 79 08 55 48).
Viewpoint
A lift carries you up from Méribel to the summit of Saulire at just over 2700 metres. If you're planning to ski back down to Méribel via the Biche run afterwards it's best to go in the afternoon, when the sun shines on the western flank. In the morning it's the Courchevel side that gets the sun.
Something
There's a free bus service that runs around Méribel and surrounding hamlets between 08hr and midnight.
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Diary
20-25 January Columbia Ride Week features the world's best freeriders and includes film screenings of their daredevil antics as a finale. February The International Fire and Arts Festival lights up Courchevel with pyrotechnics. Late March The British Alpine Ski Championships turn Méribel into a little bit of Blighty.