Snow-covered wooden chalets of Méribel below the forested slopes
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Luxury in the French Alps

Méribel

The wooden heart of the Three Valleys: a village of stone and timber chalets between Courchevel and Val Thorens, with its own altiport and one of the largest linked ski areas in the world on every side.

MéribelPhotograph: Pexels

Bonjour

The chalet village

Méribel was founded in the late 1930s by a Scotsman, Colonel Peter Lindsay, who came to the Allues valley to ski and stayed to build a resort. He laid down a rule that has held ever since: every building in wood and stone, with sloping slate roofs, in the style of a Savoyard chalet.

The result is the most harmonious village in the French Alps, and one long loved by British skiers. It sits in the middle of the Three Valleys, so Courchevel lies one way and Val Thorens the other, with more than 600 kilometres of linked pistes between them.

Most of its luxury is behind the doors of private chalets, rented with a chef and staff. The Olympic ice-hockey and women’s alpine races of 1992 were held here, and its altiport, at the top of the village, brings light aircraft and helicopters to the door.

A few words of French
EnglishFrenchSay it
Hello / Good dayBonjourbon-ZHOOR
Good eveningBonsoirbon-SWAHR
PleaseS'il vous plaîtseel voo PLAY
Thank youMercimair-SEE
The bill, pleaseL'addition, s'il vous plaîtlah-dee-SYON, seel voo PLAY
Enjoy your mealBon appétitbon ah-pay-TEE
GoodbyeAu revoiroh ruh-VWAHR
Stone and timber chalets in the snow at Méribel, below the peaks of the Trois Vallées
Chalets in Méribel

Where to go

Méribel at a glance

When to go, the one best hotel and restaurant, and how to arrive by private jet and helicopter.

Méribel

The central valley of Les 3 Vallées, with chalet architecture and direct ski links to Courchevel and Val Thorens. Its altiport sits at the top of the village.

When to goWinter, December to April; summer, July and August.

Arrive privately
By private jet or helicopter
Méribel Altiport (LFKX), next to Le Kaïla, for light aircraft and helicopters. Jets use Chambéry (CMF/LFLB); Geneva (GVA/LSGG) is about 2 hr 15 to 2 hr 30 by road.
A log fire glowing behind a brass fire screen in a dark room at night
The fire at night

Stay

Luxury hotels and chalets in Méribel

The officially five-star hotels.

The five-star hotels

The one confirmed, officially five-star hotel in Méribel.

See the hotel

Méribel

A glass of red wine, pink flowers in a vase and bread on a wooden table in a bright restaurant
A glass of red at the table

Dine

Dining in Méribel

The chefs who cook in your chalet.

Private chefs and catering

For a chalet, a wedding or a party.

  • Purple SkiMéribel and Val d'Isère

    Operates its own luxury chalets in Méribel and Val d'Isère, each with a resident private chef cooking breakfasts, afternoon teas and four-course dinners to the guests' tastes; its current chefs include Manuel Schmuck, with more than 20 years in MICHELIN-starred kitchens. Visit website ↗

Wide groomed pistes and chairlifts below snowy peaks under a deep blue sky in the Three Valleys
The pistes of the Three Valleys

Ski

Skiing in Méribel

The Three Valleys from the door: the ski schools.

Ski schools and private instructors

  • Supreme Ski & Snowboard SchoolMéribel and Courchevel

    Founded in 1991, it uses instructors holding the BASI Level 4 International Ski Teaching Diploma or an equivalent, and offers private lessons for adults and for children from age 3. Visit website ↗

Travel

Private jets, helicopters and first-class travel in Méribel

The altiport above the village, and the airlines to Geneva.

Private jet airports

  • Méribel Altiport

    At about 1,700 m at the top of Méribel, beside Le Kaïla, with a 406 m by 15 m asphalt runway whose central section slopes at about 11%. It takes light aircraft, has no control tower, and pilots need special mountain qualification.

Airlines to Geneva, the gateway to Méribel

First and business class.

See all 9
  • Qatar AirwaysDoha

    Flies from Doha to Geneva, Zurich, Munich and Milan Malpensa. Offers first class on some routes. Visit website ↗

  • Air ChinaBeijing

    Flies from Beijing to Geneva, from Beijing and Shanghai to Munich, and from Beijing, Chengdu and Shanghai to Milan Malpensa. Offers first class on some routes. Visit website ↗

  • SwissZurich

    Switzerland's national airline, flying nonstop from Zurich to New York, Newark, Boston, Washington, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Montréal, São Paulo, Dubai, Mumbai, Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo and Johannesburg, and from Geneva to New York JFK. Visit website ↗

A hand resting on a bath tray of flowers, bath salts and a candle above a bath strewn with petals
A bath after the slopes

Concierge

Concierge and family in Méribel

Every detail, handled.

Family, nannies and children

  • Scott Dunn Explorers Private NannyLondon (Val d'Isère, Tignes, Courchevel and Méribel)

    The private-nanny service of the luxury tour operator Scott Dunn, for guests on its ski holidays, for children from four months to eleven years, eight hours a day, six days a week, with daily updates to parents. Visit website ↗

A crescent moon in a pink and violet sky above the snowy slopes and dark forests of the valley
Dusk over the slopes, Méribel

Plan your trip

Luxury travel in Méribel: your questions answered

Where is Méribel?

In the Allues valley in Savoie, in the French Alps, in the centre of the Three Valleys between Courchevel and Val Thorens. Its altiport takes light aircraft and helicopters; jets use Chambéry, and Geneva is about two and a quarter hours by road.

Can you ski from Méribel to Courchevel?

Yes. Méribel sits in the middle of the Three Valleys, and its lifts link directly to Courchevel on one side and Val Thorens and Les Menuires on the other, across more than 600 kilometres of pistes.

When is the best time to visit Méribel?

Winter, December to April; summer, July and August.

Where are the best luxury hotels in Méribel?

Le Kaïla, one MICHELIN Key.

How do you arrive in Méribel by private jet?

Méribel Altiport (LFKX), next to Le Kaïla, for light aircraft and helicopters. Jets use Chambéry (CMF/LFLB); Geneva (GVA/LSGG) is about 2 hr 15 to 2 hr 30 by road.

Do you tip in France?

Service is included in French prices by law ("service compris"). A tip is not owed, but for good service it is usual to leave a few euros or round up, and more at the great restaurants.

What should you wear in Méribel?

Ski clothing is normal at lunch on the mountain and at après-ski, which takes place in the bars at the end of the ski day while guests are still in ski gear; the French name is used the world over. In the evening the grand hotels keep their own standards; check each hotel's dress code.

Beyond Méribel

More in the French Alps

The other great resorts of France, and The Alps beyond.

The French AlpsCourchevel 1850, Méribel, Val d'Isère, Megève and ChamonixExplore the French AlpsThe AlpsFive countries, seventeen resorts, first class onlyExplore The Alps
Skiers gathering at a stone and timber mountain restaurant below a wall of snowy peaks
Lunch on the mountain

Customs and etiquette

Customs and etiquette in France

How France does things.

Language
French is the language of the French Alps, from Chamonix and Megève in the Haute-Savoie to Courchevel, Méribel and Val d'Isère in the Savoie. English is spoken in the palace hotels, the ski schools and the leading restaurants of the big resorts, but a few words of French are always appreciated.
Greetings
Say "Bonjour, Madame" or "Bonjour, Monsieur" on entering a shop, a restaurant or a hotel before asking for anything; skipping the greeting reads as rude. From early evening the greeting becomes "Bonsoir". Friends greet each other with a kiss on each cheek (la bise); a handshake is right on first meeting.
Dress
Ski clothing is normal at lunch on the mountain and at après-ski, which takes place in the bars at the end of the ski day while guests are still in ski gear; the French name is used the world over. In the evening the grand hotels keep their own standards; check each hotel's dress code.
Dining and shopping
Lunch is usually served from noon to about 2 pm and dinner from about 7.30 pm; outside those hours many restaurants do not serve full meals. Book ahead for lunch at the great mountain restaurants in season. In the resorts most shops open every day during the season; in the valley towns many close on Sunday afternoons.
Tipping
Service is included in French prices by law ("service compris"). A tip is not owed, but for good service it is usual to leave a few euros or round up, and more at the great restaurants.
Mountain etiquette
The international FIS Rules for Conduct apply on the pistes. In mountain huts (refuges), book beds and meals ahead, bring a hut sleeping bag, keep quiet in the evening and take rubbish back down.

Every list on this page is checked by hand and dated: last checked October 2026. Hotels, restaurants and events link only to their own official websites, where confirmed.

A shopper in a camel coat walking with paper shopping bags
An afternoon of shopping

The Mediterranean Season Letter

Where to be, every season

Four letters a year, one for each season: the Mediterranean from spring to autumn, and Beyond the Mediterranean, into the Alps, in winter. The one best hotel to book, and the events worth crossing a sea for.