10 Reasons Why Villars Is Loved By The Rich And Famous

The Sun

Situated at 1300 m on a sunny south-facing terrace high above the Rhone valley, Swiss holiday resort Villars-sur-Ollon enjoys breathtaking views of the Dents-du-Midi and the Mont Blanc massif and as far as Lake Geneva. This is one of the areas with the most hours of sun in Switzerland.

Blessed by the sun. Photo: myswitzerland.com

Best Chalets

Suburbs of charming, wooden chalets have developed around the village – celebrities, Formula 1 drivers and entrepreneurs own many of these gorgeous properties.

An incredible amount of wood and natural materials one of the beautiful chalet in Villars – go below for more pictures

Popular For Second-Homes

The village is popular with second-home owners because of its closeness to Geneva airport – just drive shortly through the hills and you’ll get quickly to the motorway.

A second home is where your heart is

Spectacular Views

Villars is in the heart of the Vaud Alps and enjoys breathtaking views of the Dents-du-Midi and the Mont Blanc massif and as far as Lake Geneva. 17 km away, the Glacier 3000 skiing area is the highest point in the Vaud Alps, with a spectacular view of their finest peaks.

The Dents-du-Midi. Photo: hikr.org

Beginners And Experts

Villars offers slopes for skiers of any level.

The Isenau skiing area is the ideal ski area for beginners. The slopes are largely blue (easy). Glacier 3000, instead, offers a snow park which is already open in October (during pre-season). Many professionals take advantage of this to prepare for the upcoming winter season. The park offers three levels of difficulty. The Big Mama run gets the adrenaline soaring in every snowboarder and free skier.

Go for it in the sun! Photo: villarsskirental.com

A Life Outside Skiing

It’s not about skiing only, in this resort. Gourmet restaurants are outstanding, activities include paragliding, snowshoeing, skating, tobogganing, swimming and walking on prepared paths. Rail excursions are popular, and the working Salt Mine in Bex is fun to visit  – numerous galleries, shafts, staircases and vast halls are open to the public, and  several kilometres of this 50 km long underground labyrinth are open to the public.

The salt mine in Bex. Photo: seldesalpes.ch

Family

There are many options for kids too: theme parks and places for excursions are many, and just nearby.

For water entertainment, try the AquaParc. The Swiss Miniature Railway Parc Swiss Vapeur Parc in Bouveret, the canopy park  Parc d’Aigle, and  the biggest natural labyrinth in the world, the Adventure Maze in Evionnaz, are also popular.The  “Fun Planet” near Villeneuve, the city of Montreux and the beautiful Castle of Chillon are also good options for a family outing.

Musical Notes overlooking lake Geneva: Montreux

Village Charm

Pretty wooden chalets set between trees, terraced and indoor cafes, winter markets, a year-round life: Villars is a charming village. The sense of security is palpable.  There is no hint of graffiti, there’s a friendly “bonjour” from everyone you pass and even the village fox feels safe enough to sit in the middle of the road of an evening.

This authentic, year-round village, with amazing views of the Grand Muveran and Dents du Midi massifs from just about every chalet, shop, hotel, tea bar or restaurant, enjoys a calm and civilised pace of life (Heston Blumenthal, 3 Michelin stars chef and founder of The Fat Duck Restaurant)

Village charm. Photo: telegraph.co.uk

Two Of The Most expensive Boarding Schools In The World

When you have a top school located in the middle of Europe, in a very safe environment and beautiful surroundings, you keep the name of pupils private and low profile..then you are probably in Villars. Check the prices for Beau Soleil and Aiglon College on Billionaire.

Best Education. Photo: sitebeausoleil.ch

The Mountain Railway

The Villars Mountain Railway is one way into the heart of the slopes – the cogwheel starts in Bex and climbs up via Villars. The Bex-Villars-Bretaye train is a historic line built between 1898 and 1901 to Villars and, in 1913, to Bretaye.

The famous cog-train in Villars. Photo: alpes.ch

Chalet charm in Villars.

New properties are being built in the village, but they all feature natural materials and wood, wood, wood.

A fashionista touch in one of the gorgeous chalets

Every detail is carefully thought through

I couldn’t photograph the chalet properly: too high for my camera!

Beautiful inside and outside

Impressive heights