Everyone loves to unwind after a day of tearing up the mountain.
Some will enjoy lounging in a deck chair enjoying the wonderful views and some will go all out whilst dancing on table tops enjoying a beer… or two… or four… or 6 with a few shots for good measure.
Either way there are plenty of ski resorts to suit your needs with some great bars and restaurants to visit. But choosing the right one can sometimes be tough!
But fear not! If you are looking for the best resorts to visit for Apres Ski then we have the top 6 European Ski Resorts for you.
We have done the hard work for you, tasted over 100 local beers, sampled the best tables to dance on and judged the best live music you can find in the Alps.
Some might not call that work… but we sure do!
6. Meribel, France
Enjoy afternoon drinks in the sun? Then the Rondpoint is the bar for you. With a large outside sun terrace you can sit and soak up the mountain atmosphere whilst enjoying some live music, toffee vodka and a couple of beers. You can find Ronnies (as the locals call it) above the centre of Meribel and sits just under the piste below the Rhodos bubble lift.
Another mountain favourite is the Folle Douche. Just like its sister venues in Val D’Isere and Val Thorens, it lives up to its reputation as one of the top Apres bars in the world.
The band plays on the roof top whilst you dance on the tables. You will see large crowds here and probably hear the party before you actually see it! Champagne showers are a regular thing at the Folle Douche so don’t be alarmed when a member of the bar team jumps up on the bar with two large bottles of champagne and starts spraying you.
The night life in Meribel has a very British feel to it with lots of pubs that have regular live music and DJ sets. Try Jacks Bar, Le Lift and Le Poste before heading to Dicks Tea Bar for some late night dancing to the variety of DJ sets they have playing.
A must try is a Mutzig Old Larger coming in at 7%+ and is very strong! Usually drun in half pints (demis) and is a drink that will really brighten up your night!
If you are looking for a night off from partying then Meribel has some lovely restaurants where you can find some very traditional home cooked food. A few of our favourites are Aux Petits Oigons, Igloo Restaurant and Le Refuge. All with a friendly welcome and serve some lovely dishes.
5. Tignes & Val d’Isere, France
Tignes & Val D’Isere are one of our favourite ski areas in Europe. Yes we have put two resorts together but you can ski between them with ease and make up one incredible ski area.
Val D’Isere is the birthplace of the Folle Douche where you will find one of the best on mountain parties in Europe.
Picture this, you are skiing down some of the most beautiful ski runs in Espace Killy about 3pm in the afternoon when out of nowhere you hear the slight sound of cheering and some load basey dance music.
You continue skiing and over the crest of the slope you suddenly see confetti cannons firing, hundreds of people dancing, a band performing on the roof top and barmen showering the crowd with champagne!
But be warned, you still need to make it down the mountain and back to your chalet from the Folle Douche. You can either get the gondola down and back to resort but if you miss the last lift… you will be skiing back down.
Once the party finishes but you are not ready to turn in for the night then you have several bars to enjoy in the main village of Val D’Isere. You can find Dickies bar where you are likely to see some big name DJ’s perform. They also have ping pong and slippers to swap in for your ski boots! This bar has everything and is one of the reasons why we love Val D’Isere.
Tignes on the other hand has some seriously wild parties. You can visit the Loop Bar where you will see some great bands perform each week. One of our favourites to watch is the famous Sunset sons who have been visiting the loop bar for years now!
The best time to visit Tignes is at New Years. Party into the New Year with the incredible party Tignes puts on. Fireworks echoing around the mountains and huge DJ sets being played from the top of the tourism office in the center of resort.
This party sees thousands of people attending and dancing into the New Year in style. This is a party you can not miss! By far one of our favourite Apres Parties to go to each year.
4. Verbier, Switzerland
Now then, Verbier might be seen as one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, where you will find billionaires and A-list celebrities.
But that doesn’t mean us mere mortals can’t ski there. The resort is actually more affordable than you think and is packed with some incredible Apres Ski bars. Le Farinet has been crowned ‘Worlds Best Apres Ski’ bar by Which? Now that is a pretty big claim and they aren’t wrong!
A very popular bar due to its live music, huge jugs of beer, VIP booths and famous Tattinger Pornstar Martini’s. You will quickly find yourself dancing on the tables looking up at the night sky… wait… looking up at the night sky? Yes that’s right, this place is a convertible. The roof literally comes off!
One of the most famous bars to visit is the Pub Mont Fort. Situated just up the hill from the offshore café you can leave your skis at the medran and head up to enjoy happy hour. (between 4pm and 5pm).
Everyone gets a little puckish after a day on the mountain so we recommend getting the bowl of nachos with chilli. This is an absolute treat to share! They also do some mean cocktails filled with signature shot mixes and go down very easily!
Now if you are looking for something a bit special then visit the very posh Farm Club. You can get your name on a bottle of Absolut. Not a bad way to party through the night.
3. Mayrhofen, Austria
Mayrhofen attracts huge crowds each year due to its lets say wild party atmosphere. It is tough to pick the best bar in resort as there are so so many!
Fighting for top spot are the Ice Bar at Hotel Strass, Bruck’n Stadl’s and White Lounde’s Igloo Bar.
The Ice Bar at Hotel Strass really kicks off around 3pm where you can find yourself partying with their polar bear mascot! After you have enjoyed the incredible DJ sets and many beers you can pick up a kebab or cheeseburger to help sober up on your way home! The Ice Bar really does like to take care of you.
Looking for an on mountain beer? Then head over to the White Lounge’s Igloo bar where you can enjoy the mountain views from their snow and ice den they have created. Spectacular views with spectacular beverages!
Now, who is up for a good old fashioned Austrian knees up? We are that’s for sure! Bruck’n Stadl’s is the place to be with an Oktobergest style, Dance floor that is packed-out until the early hours and a great Austrian vibe.
All of these bars are absolutely packed through the season but when festival season hits things ramp up a notch. Festivals such as Snowbombing bring the biggest DJ’s from around the world to the resort. Fat Boy Slim and Dizzee Racal have both featured over the past few years.
Overall this place is a must visit if you are looking for a resort for Apres Ski. Book with a big group or with just a couple of friends. You will always have a seriously good time here.
2. Ischgl, Austria
Austria is famous for some of the best Apres Ski in Europe. Ischgl is one of our favourite resorts for Apres Ski with its rustic Apres Huts, load music, large beers and clubs that had a cult like following. Trofana Alm is where you will find some real rustic après.
With swinging steins and local oompah music you will fall in love with this brilliant venue. Oh and don’t forget the Lederhosen wearing waiters and waitresses.
Have you ever been to Ibiza? Then you may recognize the Madlein Hotel that houses a branch of Pacha, a very popular night club in Ischgl. The most lavish nightclub is the multi-million euro Arena. Part of the Trofana Royal Hotel (just another 5 star hotel) which has live bands as well as girls dancing in cages scattered about the place.
Now if you are a fan of Jagerbombs then you will want to visit the Fire and Ice bar. This is the ideal place to take your friends to really go and party hard. Open from 15:00 you can spend a full night here no problem.
If you are looking for more of a relaxed environment then visit Pazanuner Thaya where you can enjoy their lovely roast chicken, pizza, mulled wine or Jagatee on the sun terrace. Located in the Silvretta Arena it is one of Ischgls most beautiful mountain lodges.
1. St Anton, Austria
Ladies and Gentlemen, we present to you… Our top ski resort for Apres Ski… St Anton!
Even if you are a regular skier or first timer you would have heard of the resort St Anton. And if you haven’t then you need to know more about it!
St Anton has recently been joined with Lech and Zurs to make a whopping ski area but St Anton has been famous for rather a long time. This Austrian resort has been party host to many skiers for the past few decades. The resort goes down in history as one of the best places to party in Europe.
There are two main Apres bars that you have to visit, the first is Krazy Kanguruh where at lunch time you will find the largest portions of ribs you could ever imagined. Then around 4pm the party starts… Champagne flowing, dancing on tables, Steins being chugged and music blaring! At the end of the night you will sometimes see local seasonaires racing back to resort on upside down bar tables… best to leave that to the professionals.
Merely a stones throw away from the Krazy Kanguruh bar you will find the Mooserwirt famous for dispensing more beer per square meter than any other bar in Austria. You will see bar staff working their way through the crowds holding trays of 15+ Steins full of beer. It is quite an art form they have perfected not to spill any beer whilst fighting through the hundreds of people dancing.
Both of these two bars are situated above the town of St Anton. You can walk to both bars using a small back road or you can ski down to them at the end of the day. These are not the only places to visit in the resort though. You can find many bars along the main road in resort.
Post Keller and Kandahar are world famous bars in the town center. Ladies go free in Post Keller and you will find some fantastic music with the largest bottles of Grey Goose you have seen! Kandahar is no slouch either, this place really gets rocking with some of Europe’s top DJ’s playing and some of the rich and famous to be known to visit this bar.
Overall St Anton is our number 1 place to visit. The skiing and Apres go hand in hand and is by far our favourite resort of them all.
Pictures
chalets-meribel.co.uk
en.tignes.net
firsttracksvideo.com
verbier.ch
onthesnow.co.uk
bergfex.com
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