Val d'Iseres' nightlife is almost as exhausting as its mountain pursuits! With a wide range of restaurants, bars and cafés to keep you well fed and watered there is also a plentiful array of opportunties for a bit of après or late-night venues for a spot of clubbing. The countless terraces ensure that you can always find a sunny spot to relax in...
Alpine Food & Drink
Although not as renowned as the haute cuisine of Paris or the fine bistros of Lyon the Alps do have a number of tasty treats in store for those who like to sample some regional specialities. Meat and cheese feature heavily in Alpine cooking – so it’s just as well there are plenty of mountains where you can work off the extra pounds! ... see "Dining in the Alps" for more
Aprés Ski in Val d'Isere
There are several options for après ski and your choice will depend largely on where you come down the mountain. If you have been skiing Le Fornet or the Solaise area then there are several après ski bars in the resort centre.
Just off the slopes, and popular with the British is Grand Marnier where every drink from coffee to vin chaud comes with a generous Grand Marnier addition and you have free access to the bottle when you order one of their delicious crepes. There are tables out on the slopes here if the sun is still out. Also in this area is Saloon which is popular both for après and for later in the evening. There is a pool and football table and they have a live band most nights for après ski as well as a system where you skis are watched outside while you enjoy yourselves.
There is a live band in The Moris Pub every evening from 5-7pm and they also have a Happy Hour with discounted drinks during this time. For cheaper après drinks, Café Face is also a good option. At 4pm, a large beer is sold at €2 and they go up 20cents every hour after that until 10pm. There is live entertainment some evenings and the staff sing as they work. Pacific Bar is best for sport events and has a slightly later Happy Hour of 6-8pm.
If you finish your skiing in La Daille, then Folie Douce (at the top of ‘OK’) is a great place to stop while you are still on the slopes and the weather is nice. They have live music daily from 3pm until 5pm and an outside bar, and food station where sandwiches, waffles and snacks are available. The band play on the roof and there is usually a huge crowd with lots of dancing in the snow and on the tables! For a quieter option, Rosée Blanche at the bottom of the runs in La Daille has a sunny terrace where you can watch everyone descend the mountain and probably does the best Vin Chaud in Val d’Isere. Just across the road is The Tov Bar which is open from 4pm for après and here you can get the cheapest drinks in resort.
For an insider's view of the après ski scene in Val d'Isère, why not keep up to date with the weekly exploits of our intrepid Après Reporter, selflessly punishing his liver just to bring you the latest news from the bars and parties in resort!
For details of all these bars and more please see our Bar, Cafes & Clubs listings page.
Clubs & Bars in Val d'Isere
Val d’Isere is very popular for its nightlife and there are several bars open until the early hours. You will also find that the hotel bars will remain open for as long as all of the guests are in there having a good time!
Bars open until 1.30am include Warm-up, Café Face, The Moris Pub, Pacific, Victors, Saloon, Le Foret and The Tov Bar down in La Daille and for that extra half-hour, try Le Petit Danois or Bluenote which are open until 2am. After this, the options become a bit more limited but Dick’s Tea Bar is open until 4am and there is also La Graal which is a bit more French orientated but became more popular in the 2006/2007 winter season. They have a mini-bus service to take people home when they close at 5am – this can save a long chilly walk to Le Fornet or La Daille if you have missed the last bus!
Many of the bars have Happy Hours where drinks are half price - Le Petit Danois does ‘two for one’ on everything from 9-10pm every night; and Victors does ‘two for one’ cocktails from 8-10pm every night – and these are fantastic. There is Karaoke in Le Foret every Thursday night, a live band in the Moris Pub from 11pm -1am every night, and try The Tov Bar for ‘Mutzig’ – the super strength lager from the Savoie region, just don’t plan an early ski the next morning!! For any big sport events, Pacific Bar is sure to be covering it and has the best atmosphere. They have several big screens and do a Happy Hour from 6pm – 8pm.
Val d’Isere has a variety of restaurants catering for all types of tastes. From traditional French dishes and local savoyarde specialities to Italian, burgers and tex-mex options.
For excellent a la carte menus try La Table des Neiges in Hotel Tsanteleina (starters €17-€21, mains €20- €32) or Le Grand Ourse at a similar price – both in the town centre; Auberge Saint Hubert (starters €12-€16, mains €20- €27) or La Savoyarde (€35-€45 for meal and wine) for local specialities; and for the best menu selection including pizzas, pastas, salads, meat and fish dishes head for Le Samovar in La Daille (Daily speciality menus start from as little as 14€) or Bar Jacques in the centre of town (€25-€35 for meal and wine).
It is always wise to reserve your table – especially during the winter months, as many of the tour operators share the same ‘eating-out night’ so it can get very busy. You can find details of all the above restaurants and more on our Restaurants and Mountain Restaurants listing pages.
Mountain Restaurants in Val d'Isere & the Espace Killy
La Fruitière
One of the pleasures of coming to a ski resort is sampling the local specialities in the wonderful setting of one of the many mountain restaurants. They can vary greatly in terms of cost, quality and service; most of the ones on or near pistes are carb-loading lunch stops for hungry skiers and will be more likely to be of the self-service cafeteria style. However, they invariably have a piste-facing terrace from where you can enjoy the view and soak up a bit of sun.
There are several mountain restaurants in Val d’Isere and they all serve food of a good standard. They all serve similar types of food with combinations of local savoyarde options as well as the classic pastas, burgers, pizzas and salads. Unfortunately, they tend to be expensive at about €10 for a main plate. Some of the livelier bar/restaurants will have live music or DJs playing towards the end of the day to get the après mood going!
Many of the restaurants are self-service – Tete de Solaise in the Solaise area, Le Signal in Le Fornet and Folie Douce and La Tovière in the Bellevarde area – and these are a little cheaper. For sit-down meals, it is possible to book a table and this is a good idea if you are skiing at peak times – Christmas, New Year or school half-term and Easter holidays. Popular restaurants include La Fruitière, and Le Triffolet in the Bellevarde area and L’Edelweiss in Le Fornet.
The town centre of Val d’Isere is closely linked to the slopes themselves and the restaurants and cafes in the centre are marginally cheaper than the mountain restaurants.
Popular Tignes mountain restaurants include La Tovière and downstairs in L'Alpage. Also worth a mention is the Panoramic Restaurant at the top of the Funiculaire railway - as well as doing good grilled meats it also has amazing views and a huge sun terrace. The Bar Restaurant de la Grande Motte at the foot of the funicular has good value paninis and snacks to be enjoyed on the large sunny terrace. One of the most reasonably priced is Les Marmottes found at the bottom of the Marmotte and Borsat Express chairlifts in the centre of the Espace Killy.
The Chalet du Bollin, just above Val Claret, has waiter-service and self-service sections and can be reached even by novice skiers or boarders. There are several little restaurants at Tignes Les Brevieres, of which the most popular is probably La Sachette. La Cordée at Tignes Les Boisses usually has a good ambience and decent food. A favourite with many is the Restaurant L’Arbina, just across from the Aéroski télécabine in Le Lac, which has an excellent sunny terrace. For a really great lunchtime bargain head for Tignes Cuisine next to the Rosset chairlift for €5 chicken noodles or homemade pasties that will keep you going all day!
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