Discover the top things to do in Méribel-Mottaret in winter – whether you’re a skier or not – with a guide to this lesser-known French ski resort, which has access to the huge Three Valleys ski area.
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Mountain views, log cabins fringed with icicles and fir trees laden with snow drifts. The feeling of freedom as you speed down the slopes. And the sense of relief when you get your boots off at the end of the day and settle down by a log fire with a glass of mulled wine. It took me until my 30s to finally try skiing, but once I did I was an instant convert.
Méribel-Mottaret in France was the first place I ever skied, and I loved it so much I’ve been back three times. Mottaret is part of the Three Valleys ski area, but isn’t as well known as its neighbours, and it can be hard to find information about as it’s often combined with nearby Méribel. So here’s all you need to know about to Meribel-Mottaret, on and off the pistes.
Where is Méribel-Mottaret?
Méribel-Mottaret is located in the French Alps. It’s right at the heart of Les Trois Vallées (Three Valleys) ski area, the largest in the world with over 600km of pistes and seven different resorts, including famous names like Courchevel and Val Thorens.
Méribel-Mottaret is considered a sub-resort of the more well-known village Méribel. But it’s located 3km further up the mountain at 1750 metres altitude and has a much quieter, more villagey feel. Mottaret was purpose-built in the 1970s and has a mix of traditional chalets and apartments, many of which are ski-in-ski-out, and is mostly car-free.
Things to do in Méribel-Mottaret: For skiers and snowboarders
The Méribel Valley has around 150km of pistes of its own, as well as access to the other resorts in the Three Valleys. So you can choose to buy a lift pass for just the Méribel Valley or the whole Three Valleys, depending on your ski/snowboard skill level.
For the 2024–2025 winter season, a lift pass for the Méribel Valley starts from €66.60 for one day or €333 for six days. Or a pass for the whole Three Valleys costs €79 for one day or €395 for six days. There are discounts for children aged 5–17 (under 5s go free), over 75s and families. There are also reduced prices at the start and end of the season.
For beginners
If you’re new to the slopes, Mottaret’s ESF ski school offers group and individual ski and snowboard lessons. Group lessons are available in the mornings (and afternoons during peak season), and cost €230–€275 (depending on dates) for five days for adults or kids. Or a 90-minute private coaching session for up to four people costs €129–€160.
There are a couple of nursery slopes to practice on in Mottaret, but when you’ve got the basics you can head down the green Truite piste to Méribel. The Altiport area above Méribel (access via the Rhodos gondola) is a good place to practice. It’s a golf course in summer with gentle, wide slopes, and an airstrip at the bottom so you might see planes landing.
For intermediates
Once you’re feeling confident, there’s a huge range of pistes around Méribel-Mottaret to choose from – the Three Valleys is made up of 41% blue runs and 34% reds. The Plattières gondola from Mottaret leads to a good run of blues back down to the village.
Or continue on up on the Bouquetin chairlift and ski down the other side of the mountain, following blues and greens to Les Menuires. There’s also Jerusalem (access via Méribel’s Tougnette lifts), a 3.6km blue piste to the village of St-Martin-de-Belleville. And a network of blue slopes runs from the top of the Pas du Lac gondola down to Courcheval.
For experts
Advanced skiers have the whole of the Three Valleys to play with. There are a few black runs – including the Face piste used as the women’s downhill run for the 1992 Olympics (access via the Olympic lift) and The Eclipse down into Courchevel le Praz, which is the Three Valley’s longest black run at 3.3km with a 970-metre vertical drop.
The two red runs from the top of Mont Vallon are long and steep, and often have lots of moguls. This area also has some good off-piste skiing as well as views of the Plan du Tuéda Nature Reserve. Or perfect your tricks at the snow park above Mottaret.
Things to do in Méribel-Mottaret for non-skiers
If you don’t want to ski – or need a day off to help your aching muscles to recover – there are plenty of other things to do in and around Méribel-Mottaret.
Winter hiking
At the far end of the village there’s an area designated as a nature reserve which is out of bounds to skiers – the Plan de la Tuéda. A path (marked with yellow signposts) leads around a frozen lake surrounded by Cembro and Arolla pine trees. It’s an incredibly peaceful route that’s usually almost empty with sound muffled by the snow.
You can head further into the reserve along the cross-country ski tracks, with beginner and intermediate routes. Or take a half-day or full-day snowshoeing excursion.
Go sledging
If you fancy speeding down the slopes without skis, you can hire or buy a sledge in Mottaret. There’s a toboggan-only track called the Luge du Doron above Méribel which is free to use, illuminated at night and has a ‘magic carpet’ lift to take you to the top.
There’s also night sledging down the Little Himalaya piste in Mottaret’s Yeti Park (access via the Combes chairlift) on Thursday evenings 5.45pm–7.45pm. The run is 2km long and costs €7 for one go or €18 all evening (you must supply your own helmet/sledge).
Other activities
Méribel-Mottaret has a cinema with two screenings per day in winter. There are also lots of things to do for non-skiers at the Olympic Park in Méribel, including an ice-skating rink, bowling alley, climbing wall, 25-metre indoor swimming pool and spa.
To get from Mottaret to Méribel there’s a walking path which takes about half an hour each way. Or there’s a free shuttle bus between them which runs every 15–30 minutes from 7.30am–8.30pm and then hourly until midnight, taking less than 10 minutes.
The details
The weather in Méribel-Mottaret in winter
At 1750 metres high, Méribel-Mottaret is one of the highest resorts in the Alps, so you’re almost guaranteed good snow. Mottaret’s ski season normally runs from early December until April (this year the resort is open 7 December 2024–21 April 2025).
January is the coldest and snowiest month, with average high temperatures of -2ºC (28ºF) and lows of -9ºC (16ºF). December and February generally stay around freezing too, but it warms up to highs of 7ºC (45ºF) and lows of -2ºF (28ºF) by April.
How to get to Méribel-Mottaret
Méribel-Mottaret’s nearest airport is Chambéry Savoie Mont Blanc Airport, 107km away. But only a few airlines fly there, so it’s more common to fly to one of the other nearby airports – either Geneva (140km), Grenoble (170km) or Lyon (225km).
You can also get to Méribel-Mottaret by taking the train* to Moûtiers. Eurostar run a Ski Train from London St Pancras to Moûtiers (with a change at Lille) between 21 December 2024 and 2 March 2025. The journey takes around 9.5 hours, but only runs once a week – from the UK to France on Saturdays and from France to the UK on Sundays.
Otherwise you can take a regular train from Paris Gare du Lyon to Moûtiers in around five hours (with changes in Lyon and Chambéry/Aix-les-Bains). From Moûtiers, it’s a €11.25 bus ride (1 hour 10 minutes) or €75 taxi ride (35 minutes) to Mottaret.
From the airports, you can either take a bus or train to Moûtiers then travel on from there. Or transfers are available direct from the airport to Mottaret – a shared transfer one way from Geneva airport to Méribel-Mottaret costs €62 and takes three hours.
Where to stay in Méribel-Mottaret
Mottaret is split into two sections: Chatelet is on the eastern side near the Platieres gondola and Laitelet is on the western side by the Chalets gondola. Both give easy access to the slopes and have a range of hotels, chalets and self-catering apartments.
For groups, renting a chalet can be a good option, with breakfast, afternoon tea, dinner and local wine included in the price. Chalet Yankee Lodge sleeps up to 10, with fantastic views down the valley and the Chalets gondola onto the Truite piste only 300 metres away. Or if you’re in a smaller group, many ski companies offer rooms in shared chalets.
Another option is a chalet hotel. You still get meals provided but they tend to be bigger, with extra facilities like spas and crèches. Hotel Les Arolles* is a ski-in ski-out hotel in Laitelet, right on the edge of the Furet piste on the way into Mottaret. Rooms sleep two–five and the hotel has a swimming pool, jacuzzi and sauna, plus a restaurant and bar.
Or Les Sentiers De Tueda* self-catering apartments in Chatelet are a good budget option, with skiing to the door. Cheapest are the studios which sleep four (two sofa beds and bunks) but there are also one-bedroom apartments. Apartments are compact but have small kitchenettes (with hot plates, microwave, dishwasher and fridge) and balconies.
Where to eat and drink in Méribel-Mottaret
Méribel-Mottaret has around about 15 restaurants to choose from. Some of my favourite options are the Pizzeria du Mottaret for good-value pizza and pasta dishes, La Vieille Creperie for sweet and savory crèpes, the compact and cosy Le Zig-Zag for traditional local dishes like fondue and raclette, or Les Rôtisseurs du Mottaret for meat lovers.
Mottaret isn’t a party resort like Méribel, so if you want a big night out you’re better off heading down the valley. There are a couple of bars in Mottaret though, like Downtown Bar and Le Rastro (which is the place for late-night dancing on the tables!).
If you’re self-catering, or want to pick up supplies for a packed lunch, there are a couple of small supermarkets in Mottaret (Sherpa and 8 à Huit). There are picnic spots by a lot of the lift stations; the one at the bottom of Altiport is a sunny, sheltered spot.
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