There is a bar in Val d'Isère that runs until half four in the morning, and there is a hotel bar where the loudest thing in the room is the fire. Both are genuinely part of the same village: come for the nightlife, or spend a week here and barely notice it exists. Which evening you get depends almost entirely on which door you walk through, and a couple of these don't really start until most of the village is already in bed.
The hotel bars, for a slower drink
Hotel Blizzard. The best one in the village, in our view. Low panelled ceilings, a fireplace, and sofas worth sinking into. Non-residents are welcome, and it works as well straight after skiing as it does later in the evening. Good for: a low-key end to the day, no plans needed beyond walking in.
Hotel Tsanteleina. A contemporary room with traditional touches, a log fire burning through the winter, and sofas and chairs arranged for conversation rather than standing around. Quiet enough to actually hear the person next to you.
La Mourra. Sister hotel to the Blizzard, at the top of the village past the old Hotel Moris and Pub site. A large bar with stools and sofas around it, and a mirrored back-bar behind the counter.
Taverne d'Alsace, at the Hotel Kandahar. Also one of the restaurants on our restaurants page, and just as good for a drink on its own. At the bottom of the main street, with informal bar seating up front and larger tables further back for a group. Good for: eight of you turning up without a booking.
Après-ski, right off the mountain
Cocorico. At the base of the Solaise piste, with live bands. Expect: it to be loud, and full from the moment the lifts stop turning.
Les Tontons, Le Bar. At the foot of the slopes in La Daille, with a big sunny terrace and shared tables built for a group. It runs from morning coffee through to après-ski and evening drinks, so it works whichever part of the day you land in it.
La Folie Douce. Up at La Daille, reached by gondola. A costumed lunchtime show runs from half past twelve to two, which works for the whole group, and the DJs and live performers that take over through the afternoon lean more toward a proper party than a quiet drink.
Later, for the ones still going
Dick's Tea Bar. Opens as the lifts close and keeps going well into the early hours. Good to know: the night here really gets going late, so it pairs better with a dinner first than with après straight off the mountain.
Le Petit Danois. In the centre, with live music from half five and a DJ from nine, alongside pool tables and pub food served all day. It opens for winter season only, so it's worth checking it's running before you build an evening around it.
Doudoune Club. For later still, a nightclub on Chemin du Charvet with a dance floor, an outdoor terrace and a dress code, open from eleven at night into the small hours, Tuesday to Saturday.
Something different
La Cave sur le Comptoir. On Avenue Olympique, run by Antoine Veuriot, with a wine list built around his home region's Jura wines alongside cheese, cured meats and local bread. Good for: the night the group splits, and four of you want a table, a bottle and a proper conversation.
Planning the evening
Après here runs on a fairly hard schedule, starting the moment the lifts stop and winding down around dinner, so skiing to the very last lift usually means missing most of it. There's then a real gap between the après bars and the later ones, and dinner is the natural way to fill it: something booked for eight, with the later bars afterwards if the evening carries on.
If you're here with children, the hotel bars are the ones that won't mind.
One honest note
Bars in a ski village change hands and hours across a season as often as restaurants do. Ask our team when you arrive and we'll tell you what's open and what's changed.
Discover Val d'Isère with One of a Kind Travel
A good bar is often just a short walk from the door. Our chalets and apartments in Val d'Isère are spread across the village, close enough to the centre and the old village to make that walk an easy one.