5 Days in Nendaz 4 Vallées, Switzerland over Festive: An Epic Way to Ski and Travel
Curated By
Brittany O’Brien
Curator’s statement
In a last-minute switch from skiing Rocky Mountains in the USA to skiing 4 Vallées, Switzerland, Nendaz quickly became a favorite. Nendaz is a small, local valley, which accepts the Epic Ski Pass for season 2025–2026, and a gem to experience. Their food, restaurants, après-ski culture, and people were delightful and very friendly. This last-minute trip to Switzerland over New Years made for incredible and forever-memorable moments.
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Things to do in Nendaz, Switzerland
Top of Mont Fort on a clear blue-sky day.
Skiing was incredible and one for the books. Being from Colorado, the Swiss Alps skiing was more challenging and an adventure trying to figure out a new mountain terrain
The Spa at Hotel Nendaz 4 Vallees & Spa was incredible and visits included in our room rate (services such as massages were extra). The outdoor heated pool overlooking Nendaz and the Swiss Alps made our after-ski soaks amazing.
New Year’s Eve and their fireworks were beyond anything we had experienced. On December 31, the fireworks were consistently going off for over eight hours. The town, people, and environment allowed for such a fun celebration of a year ending and a new one beginning.
Trekking over to Mont Fort from Nendaz and climbing over 6,000 vertical feet by way of lifts, gondolas, and ski runs (you can do it without skiing/boarding) was incredible! We had lunch in Bar Igloo and loved exploring the top of Mont Fort. On the clear day we did this, we could see the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc from the top.
The restaurants and the food were so enjoyable. Swiss culture allows for multi-hour meals and we loved the relaxing atmosphere of sharing meals and not being rushed. The food was delicious.
Once we landed in Zurich and before heading to Nendaz, we rented a car and drove to Liechtenstein for lunch. It was a fun way to get a passport stamp and send a few postcards to family and friends from another country. The drive was longer than expected but worth seeing and having a meal in a new country.
Places to eat & drink in Nendaz, Switzerland
La Taverna de l'Alpée was nestled in Nendaz and was an amazing dinner experience for our last night in town.
Bar Igloo on the Mont-Fort was such an experience on top of Mont Fort and provided a wonderful view of Matterhorn and great snack food and drinks. We made a reservation (highly recommended) and made our trek from Nendaz to Mont Fort (can be done without skis by riding the lifts/gondolas to the top of Mont Fort.
Restaurant Mont-Rouge is located in downtown Nendaz and was a fun local restaurant. You definitely need reservations, and the food and atmosphere were very authentic Swiss Alps. It was one of our best meals.
La Cabane was a great find last minute (but an early dinner) and fortunate we could get a seat. We loved our food at La Cabane and they were able to accommodate gluten-free very well. Their wine selection was great and the ambiance was extremely comfortable after a long day of skiing.
Le Verre d'ici (wine bar) in downtown Nendaz and was a local wine bar we stopped in one night before dinner. Delicious local wines and a fun atmosphere after a day of skiing. Highly recommend stopping in if you can get a table/seat.
La Taverne de l’Alpée had absolutely delicious cheese fondue and beef dishes. Being gluten-free, I was able to alert ahead of time and they accommodated me with ease. This felt like a very local restaurant, and one I would highly recommend anyone trying if they are in Nendaz.
Le Clos des Cimes is located in Hotel Nendaz 4 Vallees & Spa and made it easy for our first night’s dinner at our hotel. The service was slow, but the food was delicious. We also enjoyed breakfast every day in the hotel (included in our rate), and that was definitely a great European breakfast buffet.
We made New Year’s Eve dinner reservations at Edelweiss, and while the food had delicious flavor, most of our courses came out lukewarm. The setting in a Swiss hotel and restaurant was great, very easy to communicate with the staff and we picked our menu/dining options ahead of time (due to the holiday). I would recommend going back there on a non-holiday.
Need to know
If traveling with skis and winter equipment, ensure your rental car is large enough to hold the skis.
Be prepared to walk a lot of stairs (in ski boots if you are skiing) and wait in lines during holidays; however, it is worth every breathtaking view.
Make reservations for dinner before travel, especially if you are traveling over a holiday. The restaurants are not large and very popular with the locals.
Stay at Hotel Nendaz 4 Vallees & Spa and utilize the incredible spa and outdoor heated pool. It was one of our favorite ways to return from a day of skiing.
If you are used to skiing in the Rocky Mountains in the US, embrace the European ski culture and the experience; it truly was one of the best things we learned on this trip.
Nendaz’s New Year’s Eve and Fireworks for the days surrounding the holiday were the best we have ever experienced. They throw many amazing New Years Eve parties throughout the town, and all that we experienced made for a really fun evening.
Travel Advisor
Brittany O’Brien
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