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Villars resort snow
Lat Long: 46.30° N 7.10° E
Ski Switzerland

Villars Resort Reviews

Weather Forecast for Villars at 1664 m altitude

Issued: 7 am 25 Apr 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Next snow in Villars: 1.6 cm on Thu 7th

Visitor reviews for Villars Ski Resort

Villars Ratings

Overall: 4.2. Based on 56 votes and 69 reviews.

Rate this resort

Snowsure: 3.7

  • Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
  • Is often closed due to a lack of snow
  • Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
  • Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
  • Villars is snowsure even in the poorest seasons

Variety of pistes: 4.2

  • The ski runs are featureless and unvaried
  • The ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week
  • Villars has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain

Off-piste: 3.9

  • No off-piste worth mentioning
  • Off piste is out-of-bounds
  • Some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days
  • A vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days

Scenery: 4.8

  • An ugly resort in a bland setting
  • Average mountain views and resort
  • A spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town

Access: 4.2

  • At least one overnight stop
  • Requires a whole day
  • Requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns
  • Arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon
  • There is a main airport within an hour of Villars

Public Transport: 4.7

  • There are no buses or taxis to Villars
  • There are slow or infrequent buses / trains available
  • Getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections

Accommodation: 4.3

  • No places to stay in/near Villars
  • A few places to stay in the resort
  • A wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets

Cheap Rooms: 3.2

  • No budget accommodation available
  • Just one or two hostels so book ahead
  • Several cheap hostels and pensions available

Luxury Hotels: 4.5

  • No luxury accommodation available
  • Just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead
  • Several up-market hotels in Villars

Ski in/Ski out: 4.0

  • The ski area is located far from any accommodation
  • A free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip
  • Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available

Childcare: 4.3

  • There are no child care facilities at Villars
  • The resort has limited child-care facilities
  • the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche

Snowmaking: 4.3

  • Villars relies entirely on natural snow
  • There are just a few snow cannons
  • There are snowmaking facilities on all pistes

Snow Grooming: 4.4

  • There are no snow groomers at Villars
  • Occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state
  • All the runs at Villars are groomed daily

Shelter: 4.1

  • There is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut
  • There are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close
  • Villars is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close

Nearby options: 4.1

  • If snow conditions are poor at Villars, it will be poor everywhere nearby
  • There are good alternatives within an hours drive
  • Other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions

Regional rating: 4.0

  • Villars usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region
  • Has average conditions for the region
  • Usually has the best snow conditions in the region

Lift Staff: 4.5

  • The staff at Villars are rude or unhelpful
  • Lift staff at Villars are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help

Crowds/Queues: 3.8

  • The resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues
  • It is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays
  • It is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare

Ski Schools: 4.6

  • No ski schools available
  • One or two ski schools but local language only
  • A few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors
  • Plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available
  • Excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors

Hire and Repairs: 4.9

  • Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex
  • There are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance
  • Good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible

Beginners: 4.6

  • Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard
  • A few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week
  • Vast areas of gentle terrain

Intermediates: 4.5

  • No intermediate terrain at Villars
  • Intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days
  • Vast areas of cruising runs

Advanced: 3.9

  • Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders
  • Enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste
  • Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week

Snow Park: 3.5

  • Not even a kicker at Villars
  • Average sized park quite well looked after
  • Huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails

Cross-country: 4.3

  • There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Villars
  • There are some cross country trails available
  • The area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails

Luge/Toboggan: 4.0

  • No designated luge or toboggan runs
  • There are toboggan runs that open quite often
  • Villars has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages

Mountain Dining: 4.3

  • Nowhere to buy food by the pistes
  • Some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive
  • There is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets

Eating: 4.3

  • Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop
  • There are a few places to eat in the resort but nothing special
  • A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants

Apres-Ski: 3.7

  • Nothing to do, not even a bar
  • There are a few bars in the resort but nothing special
  • Clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere

Other Sports: 4.6

  • No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts
  • Resort has just a small public swimming pool
  • Resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool

Entertainment: 4.2

  • Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here
  • The non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week
  • The resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports

Winter Walks: 4.6

  • Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails
  • A couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails
  • Extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities

Ski Pass Value: 3.9

  • A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available
  • The ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts
  • Ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area

Value (National): 3.7

  • Overall, Villars is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money
  • Overall represents average value for money
  • Overall offers the best value resort in the country

Value (Global): 3.7

  • Overall, Villars is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world
  • Overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries
  • Internationally the resort offers excellent value for money

Show all 35 ratings

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March 01, 2008
Del Re family from Ski Switzerland Switzerland
Agree with most of the comments made on Villars (eg. location from Geneva airport, families-friendly, English speaking instructors, etc. etc.) However, all the above has its negatives. 1) Far too overcrowded on the few piste it offers, mostly inexperienced skiers, many beginners in the ski schools (many over from the UK thanks to EasyJet), travelling too fast, out of control or simply acting silly. Over the half-term week in February I personally witnessed 2 broken arms and at least 14 red helicopter takeoffs from the Villars-Les Chaux area.... 2) No snow cannons on the Villars piste. Thanks to our environmental shortsightedness the snow level remains high and the runs to the town become treacherous muddy/slushy (this year from early February). Most smart resorts employ snow cannons to ensure a good surface is restored every night (Italy and France have some excellent examples). Villars has virtually no such installations. Unless they "wake up and smell the roses" they will lose out to higher altitude resorts (eg. Verbier, Ovronnaz, Crans, etc.). Time to invest...... The best advice for skiing in Villars when it is crowded is: a) get on the piste around 8.30am when the snow is crisp and most of the visitors are still sleeping. Enjoy Villars for about 2 hours with no queues and no crazy Englishmen hurtling down the mountain with the look of sheer panic on their faces. b) move over to Les Diablerets about 10.30am-11.00am. Ski and eat lunch there (less queues, better service, fewer silly skiers). c) Return to Villars town (if the runs to resort are passable) around 3pm-3.30pm before the whole mass of skiers begins the descent. Most of the helicopters were seen in this "twilight time" 3.30pm-4.30pm when the legs are tired, the runs are mushy, the room on the piste is limited, etc. Final comment: why would anyone consider skiing without a helmet. It is beyond logic to understand why we insist it on children (weighing one third our weight and travelling half our speed) but rarely see it on adults. A simple risk analysis would immediately identify that it is the adults that are far greater at risk (higher centre of gravity, less elastic, greater momentum, harder impact, etc.) So would the 14 incidents I witnessed. All adults getting taken away in helicopter. Food for thought. Safe skiing.....
January 16, 2008
Thomas family from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Villars is a great, medium-sized ski resort, offering skiing for all ages and levels. It is known for its good snow conditions making it a great place to ski. It is not far from Geneva airport and is easily accessible. Great resort for families with a friendly ski-school with friendly, good English speaking instructors. There is a good number of restaurants to choose from with some great ones hidden away in the mountains worth finding! Looking forward to returning this February with the family.
December 13, 2007
Jan Schnewlin from Ski Switzerland Switzerland
Absolutely great! New cable car taking only about 8 minutes from bottom to top! There is also a 24hour race every winter.
April 13, 2007
alun evans from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
stayed a week in Villars in Feb 2006, super little resort, close to Geneve airport and suitable for all levels of skiing
March 05, 2006
EH from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
This is a sensational resort. 72 miles door to door from Geneva airport (90% of it on 3 lane motorway), 220km of pisted runs, loads of off-piste if you know where to go, the 3rd highest glacier in Switzerland to give you guaranteed snow and if that's not enough the mountain scenery is incredibly beautiful to boot. Excellent restaurants and bars. Bernie Ecclestone is rumoured to have bought the Glacier to run as a business which illustates how awesome this place is.
February 23, 2006
Trevor Colebourne from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
I have skied for over 20 years in most European countries, and the majority of resorts in USA & Canada - so I ask myself where does Villars find its rank. Pretty high up in my view. I have never stayed in the resort itself (my pal has a place 30 mins down the road) so I cannot comment on the village life, but the place looks very good if not a bit on the quiet side (sorry I compare with the likes of Courcheval and Whistler.) Ok this is not the Trois Valleys or Colorado but this is an Easy Jet flight to Geneva (+ 1 hour) and you can get there from the UK for the price of a round of drinks in Courcheval 1850. When you arrive at the bottom lift station you will find the staff very pleasant and helpful and the day pass is fairly cheap. On to the more important stuff; the on piste skiing is excellent for the intermediate, and plenty of good stuff for learners. The advanced is a bit limited but if you enjoy long, high speed stuff (of the red & blue variety) you will not be disappointed. Try the run down by the golf course and stop at the restaurant for coffee (and in our case brandy) you will love it (but don't bother working out how many Swiss francs came out of your wallet) I'm back there again next week, and the snow looks good. I highly recommend this place; I suggest you try it even if only for a quick break.
January 20, 2006
Angus Gilmour from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Our family have skied in Villars for 2 consecutive seasons and will be returning in February 2006. Our first years was really to introduce our children to skiing and give them the basics through the ski school. Both boys absolutely loved it and we returned in 2005. My first impression was that there was not a huge mileage of challenging piste for the more advanced skier (I place myself in such category) and in February I enrolled in ski school. I am self taught and ski with my feet locked together and as I was feeling a little flush and conscious that my 205 metre skis the previous year were the longest by far in the train and cable car, I invested in a new pair of skis. I placed myself in class 6. Our week had a fantastic dump of snow and our group were taken off piste and we discovered areas that I had no idea existed and certainly were of equivalent difficulty as Verbier and Crans Montana but more beautiful and without the braying of Britons from Fulham and Chelsea. Sure, black pistes are not in great evidence and those that are are not particularly challenging. However, in the last 30 years I have noticed that black runs tend to be frequented by intermediate grade skiers (which is good) but those that are skiing tend to make runs of short durations stopping in places that are slightly narrower or steeper - and these are the places which give the run its black rating. That is more a criticism of skiing than of Villars itself. Take advantage of the lift pass and explore the adjoining resorts of Gryon and Les Diablerets. I have not been up to the glacier yet - in 2003 the day that I wanted to get up to the glacier it was closed due to extreme conditions and last year there was so much powder that it seemed such a shame not to take advantage of that that was on offer. I fully intend to take our family up there when we visit in Feb/March this year.
January 08, 2005
Simon Malster from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
If you are looking for a weekend break, Villars is a great choice as it took only 1hr 15 mins from Geneva airport. There are lots of new lifts and a decent ski area. Although it is a family resort we found some good bars and El Gringo night club was fun.
November 19, 2003
colincameron from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Great resort with lots of intermediate grade skiing. It also provides excellent facilities and slopes for beginners. Although it can be a bit limited for experts there is lots of excellent off piste. The resort is incredibly easy to get to from Geneva airport, being served with a railway all the way up through the village to the heart of the ski area! There are good ski schools, excellent hotels and the usual mix of restaurants, night clubs and bars. On the mountain there are a number of good places to eat and drink. The fact that this area links all the way to the top of the Diableret Glacier at over 3000m makes a this ski area a real gem with year round snow guaranteed at the top. The glacier is open for summer skiing with a large half pipe being built to give boarders a summer play park.