Travel Report Nendaz

In February 2011 we were a guest in the largest ski area in Switzerland, Les Quatre Vallées in the charming village Nendaz in Switzerland.

The Journey!

Train journey through Switzerland

A lot of people travel to Switzerland by car from all over Europe, but connections are great by air as well. We flew into Geneva Airport, where we used a so-called 'Swiss Transfer Ticket', a public transport ticket that allows unlimited travel through bus and train. The journey by train took us about two hours, following a fantastic route passing Lake Geneva, via Lausanne, Montreux and Martigny. The train tracks were adjacent to the lake almost the whole journey, where one panorama view from the train windows was even more beautifull than the next. Arriving in Sion, we took a regional bus, driving up for the last 40 minutes towards Haute-Nendaz. From the UK, there are also direct flights from London to Sion airport, close to Nendaz (Book from London with Snowjet).

Haute-Nendaz

Village Map Nendaz

The village Haute Nendaz is very compact, with two different levels in altitude. It has a charming village centre with a large ski gondola toward the ski slopes. There are 35 restaurants, 15 cafes, 2 clubs and 7 bars. Apart from this, there are a few super markets, bakeries, sport shops and facilities that could be useful such as a physician, dentist, physiotherapist, hair dresser and pharmacy. The Village also holds the "Familles Bienvenue" label, proving the quality of its offering for children.


Accomodation in Nendaz
Nendaz has only 4 hotels, with most of the accomodations being chalets and appartements scattered across the different village areas (see; http://www.myslopes.com/switzerland/ski-holiday-nendaz.php). We liked the hotel we were staying at, 'Hotel Les Etagnes' a lot. Hotel Les Etagnes had nice, clean rooms with a surprisingly good restaurant. The hotel is situated a bit higher up in the village, with a great view overlooking the Nendaz valley and next to the ski lift and ski run down into the village.

Les Quatre Vallées

Les Quatre Vallées

Besides Nendaz, this enormous ski area also encloses the villages Veysonnaz, Thyon-Les Collons, Bruson, La Tzoumaz and Verbier. Verbier is of course the most well-known destination and has the most exclusive name. It attracts a large number of well-to-do English (Richard Branson has a bar/club and hotel here) and scandinavian visitors. Veysonnaz is dominated more by Dutch tourists. We liked Nendaz because it has an international mix of visitors, and wasn't as extreme in its pricing. The ski area has something to offer for every skill level skier or snowboarder. The slopes of Les Quatre Vallées stretch across 410km of ski slopes. Nice and wide blue or red ski runs suitable for families, but also challenging black ski slopes and moguls descents. Especially for the more advanced skier and snowboarder this area offers a lot of challenges and interesting descents that allow you to make long day trips and keep every day different and exciting. You also see yellow/black runs on the ski map that are difficult, steep runs that also allow you to go off-piste when there is enough snow. When buying a ski pass for the area you can choose to buy it for the whole 4 Valleys area, or only for Nendaz and the surrounding area (Called Printze). From our experience, we advise families or beginning skiers to take a ski pass for the 'smaller' ski area, that already encloses about 200km of ski slopes. You can always upgrade this ski pass for one day to include the other side of the ski area.

Haute-Nendaz has a telecabine-ski lift that brings you upp directly towards the ski area, on the slopes of Tracouet. This part is connected to the ski slopes in direction of Siviez (which is part of Nendaz). Siviez is really the heart of the ski area, with ski lifts going to both the direction of Veysonnaz and Thyon-Les Collons on one side and ski lifts in direction of Verbier and La Tzoumaz in the other direction. If you take the ski lift up towards Verbier, it's possible to go up to the top of the ski area, the Mont Fort Glacier!

Panorama from Montfort

Our guide Werner from the Ecole de Ski de Suisse called the view point here quite possibly the most beautifull panorama in the Alps, and we felt he didn't exagarate one word! There is a multitude of mountain tops you see springing up around you here, including the Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn. The ski area all in all was so large, that we were happy to have an experienced guide such as Werner, so did not have to think too much on the ski lifts needed on the way back. Be sure to take care of time when you wonder off into Les Quatre Vallées, and save enough time at the end of the day for your ski back towards your starting point.

Apres-ski & Restaurants

Apres ski Nendaz

The apres-ski bar Cheers, situated right in front of Hotel les Etagnes offered a lively Dutch/Swiss/German apres-ski evening, with a fantastic view across the surrounding mountains. Besides this apres-ski bar we also enjoyed the apres-ski bar and terrace at hotel-restaurant Edelweiss and Bar Le Cactus, where the terraces and bars where lively and full of enjoyment right after a day on the slopes.

The restaurants in Nendaz offer a relatively wide selection in choice with 35 restaurants in total. Besides the restaurant belonging to Hotel Les Etagnes, which we recommend we also enjoyed eating at La Cabane, where we enjoyed a typically Swiss Raclette. On the ski slopes there are a number of larger mountain restaurants run by the Telecabine organisation, but most of the nicer restaurants are privately owned. One of our favourites was 'Le Novelly', a slope-side restaurant, on the middle of the run down from Veysonnaz in direction of Siviez. This restaurant that has the atmosphere of a beach-club, consists of about 10 small chalet-style buildings that are situated in a circle next to each other. The food was excellent here, and if you are lucky you can enjoy one of the relaxing chairs to enjoy the sun for a while after enjoying your lunch.

All in all, Nendaz is a ski holiday destination that has a lot to offer. A real swiss village with authentic housing and chalets that are build in traditional wooden style. The village encompases all facilities you'll need for your stay. The ski gondola in the middle of the village brings you up to an enormous ski area that will challenge old and young, beginners and experts. W'll definately come back to Nendaz!

More information on Nendaz can be found on: www.nendaz.ch
General info on (winter) holidays in Switzerland: www.MySwitzerland.com