Verbier is another famously expensive Swiss resort, but unlike the chocolate-box pretty Zermatt, Verbier is busy, vibrant, and bustling. There’s wealth here too, with Verbier real-estate fetching eye-watering sums – take a look in an estate agent’s window whilst you’re there to get a sense of the demand for property there. However Verbier’s draw isn’t its architecture or pretty main street (although it’s no slouch in that department), it’s the extreme skiing and nearly as extreme night life.
image courtesy of www.freerideworldtour.com
Verbier is a the main resort in Switzerland’s largest ski area, The 4 Valleys, and with the highest point of the resort at 3330m the snow is reliable even at the beginning and end of the season. There’s plenty of skiing for all standards of skier, although this isn’t really a beginners’ resort and the easy slopes are quite separate to the main ski area. For intermediates and above though, the ski area is varied and extensive, and if you’re ready for backcountry skiing Verbier will not disappoint. The resort frequent plays host to events such as the Freeride World Tour Final and XSpeed Ski, boosting its credentials as a destination for serious skiers. If it’s night life you want, then you’ve come to the right place. Verbier nightlife is very different to another of our top 10 resorts, St Anton. The focus is less on true apres-ski (straight off the piste, still in ski boots, beer in hand, stamping around to cheesy power ballads) and more about a proper night out. That said there is a huge variety of establishment, from lively piste-side pizzeria/bars to very expensive night clubs. Foodies are well catered for, with a range of excellent restaurants to suit every wallet, from the seasonnaire to the hedge fund manager. Verbier is also relatively convenient to get to, just an hour and a half from Geneva by hire car.