mountain pass
Col de la Madeleine
A challenging Tour de France climb in the Savoie Alps at 1993m, with long, winding approaches through pastoral valleys and dense forest.
15 km · about 30 min drive
Rhône-Alpes, France · Europe
Méribel works well as a base: 10 minutes from Courchevel, 21km from Lacets de Montvernier.
Méribel is a town located in Rhône-Alpes, France. With a population of 2,626, it is an important destination in Europe.
On a road trip, Méribel sits in France, where you drive on the right. It's in the Europe/Paris time zone. Below you'll find where to stay, things to do nearby, and everything you need to add Méribel to your route.
Méribel (French pronunciation: [meʁibɛl]) is a ski resort in the Tarentaise Valley in the French Alps. Méribel refers to three neighbouring villages in the Les Allues commune of the Savoie department of France, near the town of Moûtiers (45.401°N 6.5655°E / 45.401; 6.5655), called Méribel Centre, Méribel-Mottaret andRead more
Méribel Village. The villages are within Vanoise National Park and a part of the Les Trois Vallées interlinked ski system.
Méribel Les Allues is a ski resort that was developed adjacent to the traditional hamlet of Morel, with its centre situated at about 1400 metres above sea level. It was founded by a Scotsman, Major Peter Lindsay, who was looking for a new site for winter sports away from the ski resorts of Austria and Germany, because of the growing strength of the Nazi regime. In 1936, he visited the town of Les Allues for the first time. He then imagined how the town could become a ski resort. Firstly, he decided to create a property company in order to develop finances strong enough to build the resort. In 1938, the first lift was placed above Les Allues. A year later, he began the construction of the first chalets and hotels in the hamlet of Méribel. Three years later, the war would stop the development of the resort, but when it was over, development continued. Now a Colonel, Peter Lindsay used specialised architects, Paul Grillo (Grand Prix de Rome in 1937) and his partner Christian Durupt, so that all buildings would be in harmony with the Savoyard style, using wood and stone for the walls, with slanted slate roofs. In 1950, the Burgin-Saulire gondola was built to link the resort to Courchevel. Lindsay's family continue to hold a financial stake in the resort. Lindsay's ashes and those of his wife are scattered on the Burgin mountain.
Méribel was a subsite and hosted some events of the 1992 Winter Olympics hosted by nearby Albertville. The resort host the ice hockey and the women's alpine skiing events. Until 2011, Méribel was the host to the Altitude Festival, with acts such as KT Tunstall, Marcus Brigstocke and Omid Djalili performing in the bars and nightclubs around the resort. For 2011, it has been announced that the festival will be moved to Austria, with the organiser Richard Lett citing a reduction in support from the Méribel Tourist Office.
The ski resort is part of the Trois Vallées ski area. The Three Valleys area comprises 180 lifts, 335 marked runs (over 600 kilometres) and over 130 km of cross-country tracks. The Three Valleys was expanded in 1996 to incorporate a fourth valley, though the area kept the name Trois Vallées. The area comprises the resorts of Courchevel, La Tania, Méribel, Les Menuires-Saint Martin, Val Thorens and Orelle.
The resort comprises the sub-villages of: Méribel-Mottaret, at an altitude of 1,750 m towards the head of the Allues Valley—served by the Plattiers gondola which provides access to neighbouring resorts Les Menuires and Val Thorens; Raffort and La Gittaz, which are served by the Meribel Olympic Gondola; Chandon, which has free bus access to resort; and Méribel Village at 1,400 m on the road to Courchevel 1850 at the bottom of the Lapin piste and start of the Golf Chair to the popular beginners skiing area The Altiport.
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Méribel offers many attractions including tourist sites, museums, parks, and local restaurants. Explore famous landmarks, scenic roads, and natural wonders on our interactive map and plan your visit.
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Méribel is located in Rhône-Alpes, France, Europe. The coordinates are 45.4150 latitude, 6.5650 longitude.
Méribel has a population of approximately 2,626 people, making it a town in France.
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Full driving guide for France8 notable places within an hour's drive.
mountain pass
A challenging Tour de France climb in the Savoie Alps at 1993m, with long, winding approaches through pastoral valleys and dense forest.
15 km · about 30 min drive
famous road
Eighteen tightly stacked hairpins climbing a near-vertical cliff wall out of the Maurienne valley: a ribbon of switchbacks so photogenic it became an instant Tour de France icon in 2015.
21 km · about 25 min drive
mountain pass
The 1,566 m wooded warm-up act to the Col du Galibier, climbing out of the Maurienne valley in tight forested hairpins past an old optical-telegraph fort.
25 km · about 30 min drive
mountain pass
A 1,968 m Beaufortain pass whose road skirts the turquoise Lac de Roselend reservoir: one of the most photogenic climbs of the Tour de France and the Route des Grandes Alpes.
29 km · about 35 min drive
mountain pass
A historic Franco-Italian border crossing with a large summit lake and plateau, once traversed by Napoleon's armies on the route between Turin and Lyon.
31 km · about 35 min drive
tunnel
A 12.9 km Alpine tunnel linking Modane in France with Bardonecchia in Italy, the main all-year alternative to Mont Blanc on the Lyon-Turin route.
32 km · about 35 min drive
mountain pass
Named for the iron cross at its 2067m summit, this pass links the Maurienne and Arvan valleys with spectacular views of the Aiguilles d'Arves.
35 km · about 40 min drive
cafe
A small cafe at the top of the Col de l'Iseran (2,770m), the highest paved pass in the Alps and a key stage of France's legendary Route des Grandes Alpes.
36 km · about 40 min drive
April to October
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