Apres Ski in Nendaz
Nendaz has a couple of apres-ski hotspots as well as a variety of themed bars, a nightclub and plenty of restaurants for rarified cuisine to traditional Swiss favourites done well as well as Mexican, Italian and Thai food options.
Apres Ski Bars in Nendaz
Straight off the slopes, you don’t have to go far to the après ski terraces of Les Etagnes and Lime It’s Up for your first vin chaud or beer of the evening. These terraces have a welcoming and convivial atmosphere, but if you prefer something indoors, try Tchin-Tchin, a sophisticated and cosy piano bar with a log fire adjoining L’Arôm’ Antique pizzeria.
There’s a host of friendly and relaxed themed bars in Nendaz, including the Mexican-style Cactus Saloon which attracts a chilled, young crowd, Le Malabar (which also has a tiny restaurant in the basement, phone: +41 (0) 27 288 13 68), with a Morrocan-themed interior and serving decent-priced beer and the Canadian Pub, which is a disco-cum-pub decorated with stuffed a moose head on the wall and other paraphernalia.
For those that want to party on into the night, there’s L’Oxygène, a disco that has free entry.
Restaurants in Nendaz
There are 30 restaurants in Nendaz, so there is plenty of choice, including the Mont-Rouge Restaurant (Tel: +41 (0) 27 288 1166) with a 13-star Gault et Millau rating which is not cheap, but the food is special and is served in elegant surroundings.
Other recommendations are the Trattoria Dei Savi (Tel: +41 (0) 27 288 12 68), which has a loyal following for its delectable Italian antipasti, pasta and seafood, L’Arôm’ Antique (Tel: +41 (0) 27 288 2510) with its wood-fired pizzas and cosy atmosphere, La Cabane (Tel: +41 (0) 27 288 2011) for its generous servings of modern Swiss cuisine in a cute timber chalet, La Poya at Hotel Mont Fort (Tel: +41 (0) 27 288 2616), for modern brasserie-style French and Le Chant du Torrent (Tel: +41 (0) 27 288 2446) which serves local specialities such as fondue in an informal atmosphere and is good value.
The Town of Nendaz
There’s something for all ages in Nendaz village and a unique slice of pastoral history. And it’s good value too.
Nendaz is situated on the mountainside overlooking the Rhône Valley. The old part of town is downhill, further away from the slopes, and started as a farming community. Tradition still thrives: there are cowsheds you can visit and in summer there are alphorn festivals and fruit orchards to visit. The baroque church in Nendaz was built in 1499. The centre is partly pedestrianised.
Nendaz is a fairly large town comprising chalets, apartments and hotels, a variety of restaurants, bars and amenities such as physiotherapists and crèche services. The main streets lead off the roundabout next to the tourist office which is topped with a traditional gondola.
Nendaz is easy to get to. It’s only half an hour’s drive on winding roads from Nendaz to nearby Sion which has an airport and railway station. Geneva Airport is approximately a two-hour journey by car. There are good private/shared transfer services from Geneva if you don’t want the hassle of driving yourself. Although it depends on where you are staying, for the most part, a car is not needed in Nendaz itself.
Other Activities in Nendaz
Make the most of your winter holiday in Nendaz by exploring other options as well as skiing.
Nendaz offers something quite special in the form of moonlit skiing three times each winter in January February and March – a fun night out with friends or a romantic excursion. Contact Télenendaz for information or to book. Tel: +41 (0) 27 28 95 200.
Snowshoeing and winter hiking are popular here with 40km of snowshoeing trails and 100km of winter walking trails. The hiking trails are demarcated with yellow signs and ribbons and the snowshoeing trails with purple signs and ribbons. There is a map showing trails in purple and routes start from the forested outskirts of Nendaz at the top of Tracouet and from Siviez. You can hire snowshoes from sports shops in Haute-Nendaz.
Other activities include finding out where your fondue cheese comes from with a cow barn visit, exploring the old village, sledging, snow tubing, paragliding, ice-skating at the sports centre and 11km of cross-country skiing trails.
Nendaz has been given the ‘Families Welcome’ award by the Swiss Tourism Federation for its provision for children. There are two creches with activities such as mini treasure hunts organised by the tourist office.
There are no spas in Nendaz but there is a booklet available from the Tourist Office with a list of massage therapists and beauticians in town.
Nendaz Tourist Office
For more information, contact the Tourist Office in Nendaz
Nendaz Tourism
1997 Nendaz
Valais, Switzerland
Tel: +41 27 289 55 89
Web: www.nendaz.ch