Located in the heart of the Vaud Alps, Villars offers guests a charming place to relax, unravel historic culture and enjoy winter sports. Positioned on a natural balcony with southern exposure at an altitude of 1,300m, Villars enjoys spectacular panorama extending from Lake Geneva to Mont-Blanc.
The ski resorts of Villars, Gryon and Les Diablerets are interconnected and form a ski area with more than 110 km of slopes. Enthusiasts of all levels will find what they are looking for here. At the summit of Glacier 3000, the highest point in the canton of Vaud, snow conditions are ideal from November to May.
Villars ski resort
The immediate skiing area above Villars, Bretaye is accessed via a mountain train (BVB Villars-Bretaye-La Barboleuse) from the centre of town or a gondola which is inconveniently positioned at the edge of the village. The Bretaye sector has good intermediate slopes and some good blue runs that beginners will enjoy progressing on to.
From Bretaye there is a blue and red slope that takes you (via La Rasse) to Villars’ other main skiable area Les Chaux. Here the slopes are a little harder and those intermediates who want terrain that is slightly more challenging will enjoy the runs here. There are short blue and red runs but the wonderful long blue run that leads all the way down to Barboleus in the valley must be tried. A gondola here takes you back up to the slopes.
Villars ski resort does also offer some challenging areas for the experienced skier, including the Chaux Ronde and Les Bouquetins black slopes, the latter descending from the highest point of the Grand Chamossaire 2120 chairlift down to Roc d'Orsay at the base gondola station. A challenging 5 km long trail to the village is the longest in the region with a 900m vertical drop, and has been used in the past for downhill world cup racing.
There is also the nearby resort of Les Diablerets which is accessed from Villars’ Bretaye area. It can take a while to get there but the Glacier is certainly worth checking out if the snow further down the mountain is in poor supply. What’s more there is a variety of runs on the glacier accessed by cable car that both confident and less confident intermediates will enjoy. For those wanting cruisey runs head to the Meilleret area whilst the slopes at Isenau provide more of a challenge.
Villars village
It's a traditional small Swiss mountain village that has plenty of charm and is within easy reach of 3 airports; Montreux, Geneva and Zurich. The town is lined with shops, bars and restaurants so there are plenty of places to dine out with friends and family.
The village offers a vast array of traditional cafés and restaurants, offering both local and international cuisine. The bars are cosmopolitan with everything from local music to Blues and Jazz and the most renowned night spot is El Gringo for late dancing and that last cocktail. Le P'tit Chalet has an outdoor bar and is right opposite the railway station, while L'Arrivée is a small chalet style bar with a terrace behind the Eurohotel Victoria. It is also well worth a visit to the new wine and cocktail lounge - the 105 Bar - in the centre of Villars. Other places to try are Le BeAr Bar in the Chalet RoyAlp Hotel & Spa, Le Green in the Hotel du Golf and of course the Moon Boot Lounge.
Villars also has a pool and there are some other relaxation and wellness facilites available too such as at the Chalet Royalp Hotel & Spa, the wellness centre at the Hotel du Golf and the spa at Les Mazots du Clos. You can also visit the nearby thermal baths at Les Bains de Lavey too.