A Taste of Méribel: New Restaurants, Alpine Dining and What’s New for Winter 2026/27

Méribel is serving up one of its most exciting winters yet, with a wave of new restaurants and dining concepts joining its celebrated mountain food scene for 2026/27. From Italian dining on the slopes and music-led restaurants to fireside Savoyard cooking and a Michelin-starred dinner served aboard a gondola, gastronomy is taking centre stage in the heart of Les 3 Vallées this season. Alongside the new openings, visitors can expect major ski-area upgrades, new luxury accommodation and a packed calendar of winter events. Getting there is easier too, with Jet2.com expanding its ski programme for winter 2026/27, offering extended UK connections to Geneva, Lyon and Chambéry. From the best places to ski and stay to where to eat, drink and explore beyond the pistes, here’s how to make the most of a winter escape to Méribel.

New Restaurants to Try This Winter

Méribel’s gastronomy scene takes a major step forward this winter, with a series of new openings and reinvented addresses spanning everything from relaxed mountain lunches to ambitious evening dining and late-night venues. Just a five-minute walk from La Chaudanne, a new all-day lifestyle destination from La Belle Histoire Groupe will open this winter, evolving from breakfast and relaxed, high-quality lunches to après-ski with DJs, shows, cocktails and an ice bar. Meanwhile, Alto Méribel brings a new music-led concept to the resort, beginning with drinks and sharing plates accompanied by live piano before moving downstairs for French cuisine with Savoyard influences, live guitar and, later, disco-funk DJ sets.

At La Folie Douce Méribel-Courchevel, La Cucucina will open as a new 150-seat Italian restaurant serving classics including cacio e pepe and blue lobster linguine, while Maison Lapiaz opens in Méribel-Mottaret on 12 December 2026, offering casual street food by day and bistronomic sharing dishes by night. Former Méribel institution CroMagnon will also begin a new chapter as Chez Vous, a family-inspired restaurant centred around generous sharing dishes, home-style recipes and a weekly dessert inspired by the grandmothers of its owners and chef. Together, the openings give visitors even more reason to make dining a central part of the Méribel experience, from breakfast and mountain lunches to après-ski and late-night dining.

Dining Experiences to Book

Méribel’s food scene extends well beyond the restaurant table, with a series of memorable dining experiences making the most of the resort’s mountain setting. On 8 and 15 March 2027, Dîner dans les Airs will transform the Saulire Express gondola into an intimate restaurant in the sky. Wrapped in blankets and equipped with hot-water bottles, guests will dine as the cabins travel above the slopes after dark, with Michelin-starred chef Laurent Azoulay of L’Ekrin preparing each course from a temporary kitchen on the La Chaudanne snow front. As the gondola continues to rotate, his team will plate and load each hot dish directly into the cabins, creating a technically ambitious dining experience high above Les 3 Vallées.

For a more traditional taste of the mountains, Le Clos Bernard offers an equally atmospheric experience among the fir trees of Méribel’s Altiport forest. The long-standing restaurant combines wood-fired grills and Savoyard specialities with a cellar of more than 1,000 wines, ranging from local Savoie discoveries to grands crus and rare bottles. Its wine list has been ranked among France’s Top 100 by Terre de Vins, while dedicated wine evenings provide another reason to linger in the forest after the lifts close.

Where to Ski

Méribel’s unrivalled position at the very heart of Les 3 Vallées makes it an ideal base for exploring the world’s largest interconnected ski area, putting the slopes of Courchevel, Val Thorens and Les Menuires within easy reach while keeping skiers perfectly placed to return to Méribel at the end of the day. Its own valley is just as varied, from gentle beginner terrain to exhilarating high-altitude runs around Mont Vallon. For 2026/27, the experience gets even better: the Châtelet chairlift returns to service following avalanche damage, restoring a key link within the ski area, while Méribel-Mottaret’s Snowpark has undergone a complete refresh with a redesigned layout, new signage and a fresh visual identity. The Niverolle piste is being remodelled and equipped with snowmaking, while the Rhodos gondola renovation will also be completed this winter. More than €3 million has been invested in modernising snowmaking along the Truite green run between Méribel-Mottaret and Méribel, improving snow reliability while introducing more energy-efficient equipment and a redesigned water intake intended to better preserve the natural watercourse and local biodiversity.

Navigating Les 3 Vallées is also getting smarter this winter with Itinemap, a new feature on the Les 3 Vallées mobile app. Combining detailed interactive mapping with intelligent route planning, Itinemap suggests personalised itineraries based on skiing ability, destination and current conditions, adapting in real time to piste and lift openings. Whether heading to a mountain restaurant, meeting friends or simply exploring a new part of the ski area, the feature is designed to make getting around Les 3 Vallées easier and more intuitive.

Where to Stay

From traditional chalets to contemporary Alpine residences, Méribel has accommodation for every style of ski holiday, with several new options arriving for 2026/27. Rising Stone’s Lac Bleu brings 29 high-end apartments to the foot of the Hulotte piste and Morel chairlift, complete with an indoor pool, spa, fitness room, restaurant and ski shop, while Les Chalets d’Ourea adds just 14 apartments in the heart of Méribel-Mottaret. Elsewhere, Chalet Montclair joins the resort’s luxury chalet offering and four-star Hôtel Le Savoy reopens following another major phase of renovation, with redesigned rooms, communal areas and spa facilities. Chalet Pierre, one of Méribel’s original chalets dating back to 1959, also returns in December following a complete rebuild that preserves its historic Alpine character. The new-look chalet sleeps up to 15 guests across eight suites and features a full spa and ski-in/ski-out access via the Altiport.

Beyond the Slopes

There’s plenty to do in Méribel without clipping into skis, from snowshoeing and winter walking through the valley to swimming, ice skating and wellness at the Olympic Park. Culture is also making its way onto the mountain: artist Lucas Beaufort has transformed cabins on the Plattières gondola with artwork inspired by mountain and board-sports culture, while in Les Allues, Méribel’s former vicarage is being transformed into L’Écho, a new cultural centre bringing together a 100m² municipal library and museum exploring the history and identity of the valley, from its agricultural roots to its development as a world-class ski destination. Together, they add a cultural dimension to Méribel’s extensive line-up of off-slope activities.

What’s On This Winter

Méribel’s winter calendar adds another dimension to a week on the slopes, with sporting, cultural and festive events running throughout the season. New for March, Last Track offers skiers a different take on the traditional First Track experience. On 23 and 30 March 2027, guests can gather at the top of the Roc de Tougne chairlift in Méribel-Mottaret for a musical aperitif before setting off on the final run of the day, descending a freshly groomed piste by head torch as dusk falls over the mountains.

2027 also marks the 80th anniversary of ESF Méribel, celebrated with the return of the spectacular torchlit descents that have long been part of the ski school’s history. Taking place on Wednesday evenings throughout the school holidays, the descents will illuminate the resort as instructors ski from iconic locations including Mont Vallon, La Face and Les Crêtes, accompanied by sound-and-light displays. The anniversary year will culminate with the return of the Challenge des Moniteurs from 12–17 April 2027. First created in Méribel in 1951, the legendary competition celebrates its 75th edition in 2027, bringing ski and snowboard instructors together for six days of racing and technical competition.

Which Lift Pass to Buy?

Skiers can choose between passes covering the Méribel Valley or the entire 600km Les 3 Vallées ski area, with the latter ideal for exploring all seven resorts: Courchevel, Méribel, Brides-les-Bains, Les Menuires, Saint-Martin-de-Belleville, Val Thorens and Orelle. For 2026/27, a one-day adult Les 3 Vallées Solo Pass costs €84.20, while a six-day adult pass costs €421. Families can take advantage of the Family Flex pass, priced at €345 per person for five days for groups of three or more, with six days available for the price of five. Children under five ski free, subject to the relevant pass conditions.

Getting There

Méribel is easily accessible from the UK via Geneva, Lyon and Chambéry airports, followed by a transfer into resort, while rail and self-drive options offer alternatives to flying. Jet2.com is expanding its ski programme for winter 2026/27, bringing increased connectivity from the UK to key Alpine gateways and giving skiers more choice when planning their journey. Once in Méribel, the resort’s villages and main ski areas are connected by a free shuttle network, meaning visitors can easily get around without a car.

For further information on Méribel Tourisme, please visit Meribel.net.