...
Everything in Verbier works to perfection and if this is what you seek, then be prepared to pay for it.
There are 2 lift stations leading away from the main square, the biggest is Medran, while Savoleyres serves many of the apartments and chalets further away from the main parts of town. ... Read review
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
.../>
Everything in Verbier works to perfection and if this is what you seek, then be prepared to pay for it.
There are 2 lift stations leading away from the main square, the biggest is Medran, while Savoleyres serves many of the apartments and chalets further away from the main parts of town. The Medran lift with its new big gondolas takes you up to the pinnacle of Verbier skiing, ‘Mont Fort’. This is a glacier and may be skiied ... ...category runs side-by-side, so the Verbier regulator states one is ‘Red’!!
From just below ‘Mont Fort’, there are a cascade of varying runs back to the resort, all of which are several miles long and guarantee you will need to stop off at ‘Chez Danni’s’ or another mountain restaurant to partake of a little liquid refreshment.
Once back in town, you have a variety of bars to help relieve you of your money, from the Mont ... more
Probably amongst the top 10 ski resorts in the world. Having been to 2 of the others, Zermatt and Val D’Isere, this ranks as good as any in my submission.
Like the other European ones it IS expensive, but class shines through at every corner. This is no longer a small little village. In summer, the population may only be about 2,500, but in winter this swells to maybe 50,000.
Having owned a property here, I can tell you for sure that the skiing is top-notch for all but beginners, although this has been a moot point for many years and is being addressed, as is the length of lift queues, but the latter may not be so easy while the community allows the building of more and more chalets.
Nothing is cheap here, with ski passes for a week being about Sfr 340.00(you had better check these prices because the latest prices on the website(www.verbier.ch), are difficult to interpret here(not language).
Beers in the resort are about Sfr 3.50 each. A meal will set you back about Sfr 100.00 in a good’ish restaurant.
The resort is gained by driving up from Martigny, by the ‘St Bernard Express(?!! – 90 minutes)’ train, to Le Chable, where you cross over the railway track and take a 'gondola' (ski lift) up to town, or by the Post bus which carries the mail. This by law always has to run and on time, come what may – regardless of the weather (no wrong sort of snow or leaves for them). Alternatively take a taxi for Sfr50.00 – 60.00, which takes about 40 minutes.
Everything in Verbier works to perfection and if this is what you seek, then be prepared to pay for it.
There are 2 lift stations leading away from the main square, the biggest is Medran, while Savoleyres serves many of the apartments and chalets further away from the main parts of town. The Medran lift with its new big gondolas takes you up to the pinnacle of Verbier skiing, ‘Mont Fort’. This is a glacier and may be skiied in summer too. The views from the top are truly magnificent and from there much of Switzerland (including the Matterhorn in Zermatt) are visible, along with parts of Italy and France. The trip to the top is a ‘must do’, even for non-skiers. From the top it is possible to ski directly back to your chalet during most times of the season and saves the usual tedious humping of skis over your aching shoulders. All sorts of runs are available from just below the top. The top has 2 similar runs, both of which are very difficult and steep, but for some vague Swiss reason, one is given a ‘Red’ category, while the other is given a ‘Black’, which is stupid in the extreme, because some skiers go up there, only to find the ‘Red’ is as tricky as the ‘Black’. Apparently, the Swiss Authorities will not allow 2 ‘Black’ category runs side-by-side, so the Verbier regulator states one is ‘Red’!!
From just below ‘Mont Fort’, there are a cascade of varying runs back to the resort, all of which are several miles long and guarantee you will need to stop off at ‘Chez Danni’s’ or another mountain restaurant to partake of a little liquid refreshment.
Once back in town, you have a variety of bars to help relieve you of your money, from the Mont Fort Pub, which is close to the Medran lift, to the Big Ben Pub, or the Milk Bar.
After dark, there are a myriad of restaurants to suit all tastes and appetites, but the vast majority are Swiss, offering all the usual cheese dishes as well as other traditional favourites such as viande sechee (cold dry meat). Bearing in mind that the original inhabitants of Verbier and similar ski stations in Switzerland were cattle and sheep farmers, it is no surprise that many of the traditional dishes are based on what they were able to make from the raw materials they had to hand. If you bother to walk down to the remaining few chalets in the old town, (which is located below the school on the main road into town), you can see the pretty old church and the remaining traditional chalets made from wood and stone. Under these you will find sheds for the cattle to winter, (while in summer they clank their bells on the green slopes), providing heat for the inhabitants above and food for all in the way of milk, cheese etc.
There is a way of life here which transcends normal ‘valley’ behaviour, thoughts and feelings. You can touch it as a tourist for your odd week here and there, but to fully flavour it, go and enjoy it in the summer, when the main tourists have gone (except August, when the music festival is on) and you will find a very friendly and calm atmosphere.
If this is the winter, roll on the summer months, with the orchestras and the holiday feeling. August brings, like no other place a season of fun, street parties and suchlike. The ‘Kermas’ begins. This is over 2 separate weekends in July/August and is either side of the National holiday (Swiss National Day - 1st August). You SHOULD be there for one or the other, both, or all – I WILL!!
I am sure I have left out much (as usual), but since I love Verbier SO much and my good friends there, I can only commend it to you heartily.
Also, please go to the ‘Farm Club’ disco (the best in Europe in my view) and send my best wishes to Guiseppe and Serafino Beradi, who own the place and tell them I’ll see them soon.
Thanks.
P.S. When here, go and look out for my friend Francis Sultani, who will be your friend, as he is mine. He knows it all and will help you with anything you need to know.
Advantages: Fantastic Scenery Disadvantages: very expensive
Verbier is quite a large village so there is a decent selection of bars, restaurants and shops which is certainly nice if you want to take a break from skiing one day. Although I warn you make sure your doing your currency conversions right as it's really not cheap, ok we all know Switzerland is not cheap to start with but comparing prices with sports shops in Geneva and in Verbier I found quite a difference. One other thing that bothered me were ... ...snow fell and with the snow came Fog which didn't make for good visability as it also created ice inside my goggles and everyones elses who I was with. The whole area has fantastic scenery, I would recommend going to Verbier providing your not travelling on a budget. ...
LittleMiss 07.12.2000
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Verbier
verbier situated in the swiss alps is a superb resort suited for all skiers. i have been there now 4 times and each has been pleasurable. the slopes are wide and varied and there is something for everyone here. every standard of skier will enjoy his holiday here. the town itself is very pretty unlike the concrete monstrosities that can be found over the border in france. what is more there are excellent creche facilities which make this resort a ... ...that i can see in verbier is the cost however. i would say that for a good days skiing and then apresski you will need to part with around 35 to 40 pounds. its no wonder that fergie rates this as her favourite skiing resort. having said this, verbier is definately a resort you should visit if you consider yourself to be a decent skier. nobody should miss it ...
mouse1 06.02.2001
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Verbier
Advantages: Varied terrain, fab night life, good celeb spotting. Disadvantages: VERY expensive!
...Recomended to go futher than Verbier to the following villages where pietes are quieter and have fun exploring. Verbier also holds the Red Bull Extreme competition: crazy. The night life in Verbier is fab darling, with huge noisy pubs, cuet unique bars and a handful of night clubs. But take a bulging wallet, as some places you have to pay for a table and the beer (although served as half a litre not a pint- horay!) is not cheap. Plenty of classic ... ...budgets. This is a town that exudes money, where designer sunnies and fur coats are rife, and its great to swan around. It is not a budget holiday- although anything can be done cheap but it is well worth it. Fab nightlife
Extreme Sking Beautiful people ...
cathyp 18.09.2003
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Verbier
Advantages: Easy to Reach Disadvantages: Expensive
I have been going to Verbier for the last 5 years and it is the most beautiful place.
It does tend to be a bit on the expensive side if you are eating out a lot. But if you go self catering the supermarket prices are not dramatically different to here and there is a large variety of fresh produce.
Drinks in a lot of bars can get pricy put places like Pub Mont Fort have a cheep happy hour. The Après Ski bars (especially the Farinet) can get very ... ...the atmosphere! Pub Mont Fort is always busy and tends to be where the instructors and more regular resort visitors go in an evening, however it does tend to get a little Smokey but this will change when the smoking ban comes into force.
If you want to avoid really long queue's I'd book you holiday around the 2nd or 3rd week in January if at all possible as this is just after the Christmas/New Year rush but before the Easter rush, the snow is awesome ...
Pinkbonsai 07.05.2008 (09.05.2008)
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Verbier
Advantages: too many to mention Disadvantages: perhaps geared more to the advanced skier
Meribal is, by far and away, the best resort i have visited - i have skied in Austria, Switzerland, North America and France). Though extremely enjoyable for the advanced skier, it may be less so for those wanting to learn. The pistes are varied and challenging and can catch out the best of skiers.
Furthermore, the resort is, by far and away, not the most expensive by any means - if you are after the exclusive skiing holiday, then Verbier should be your destination.
Meribel is situated in the middle of the 3 vallees, which means you can, with the right 3 vallees ski-pass enjoy a trip over to courchevel, which again is definately worth a visit.
The apres-ski, again, is lively and varied. Meribel is the home of the original Dick's Tea Bar, a venue that is renowned throughout the Alps as being a great night out and plenty of fun if ...
mouse1 13.02.2001
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Méribel
Advantages: A beautiful country. A rare old world charm that has the right mix of modern and fachionable. Great food and greet people. Disadvantages: Can be very expensive, especially if travelling with a family.
The best thing about Switzerland is that it is a great country for any tourist or traveller. Wether you are a family, couple or the gap year student it is a country that has activities for people of all ages. Firstly it is a beautiful place. If you want Heidi images of mountains and cows roaming open spaces with large bells round their necks you've got it. If you are after a fun and fashionable place to ski and get a tan, its there. From Geneva, with its shopping and culture to Verbier with it's great mixture of slopes and bars Switzerland caters to all who want to experience its charm. The food is delicious with many mouth watering recipies of raclette,rosti and of course strong cheeses and sumptious chocolate. The peole are freindly and now days you can get by with out knowing any french or german. It can be expensive but prices off ...
Advantages: Beautiful country Disadvantages: Quite expensive and very cold in winter
The last eighteen years Switzerland was my home, so I should be an expert on this theme. Let?s see what I can tell you about this beautiful country.
Weather:
Spring/Summer: Switzerland is a few degrees Centigrade cooler than England, except the region next to Italy ? Tessin. In all other counties it is between 12 and 24 degrees during this seasons, in Tessin it is between 14 and 28 degrees.
Autumn/Winter: This seasons are quite cool, especially in the skiing-regions (Davos, Arosa, Verbier, Nendaz are some of the biggest ? and dearest). Temperatures vary from minus 10 up to 10 degrees Centigrade.
Languages:
Switzerland may be very small, but it has four (!) official languages. So it should be no problem to speak English to everyone, as well as German and French. The fourth language is dying, so you want really find people ...
