The best après bars in Val d'Isère
It’s strange that the country that invented the word 'après' is generally so bad at it. Val d’Isère, however, does have the original incarnation of the on-mountain cabaret experience that is the Folie Douce. It's also home to Dick's Tea Bar, the iconic venue founded by Dick Yates-Smith in 1979.
Nonetheless Val, though livelier than many French resorts with everything from simple pubs to smart lounge bars, still doesn't quite match the likes of St Anton and Ischgl in Austria.
For further Val d'Isère inspiration, see our guides to the resort's best accommodation and restaurants.
La Folie Douce
Offering the only on-mountain action, La Folie Douce is located at the top of the La Daille gondola and frequented by as many people coming up from the resort in casual clothes as from the pistes. It has DJs and live bands on an open terrace and rocks from mid-afternoon until the lifts close.
Contact: lafoliedouce.com
Bananas
This long-standing restaurant and bar near the bottom of La Face is one of the first available watering holes when leaving the pistes and heading back to resort at the end of the day. Bananas remains one of Val’s liveliest après bars, with a daily happy hour and ‘freestyle’ drinks – the barman’s choice, depending on his mood.
Contact: 00 33 4 79 06 04 23; facebook.com/bananasvaldisere/
Dick's Tea Bar
While Dick himself is long gone, Dick's Tea Bar is still one of the liveliest venues in town. It hosts an after dinner club from 11.30pm. Luna Thursdays feature different DJs from all over the world while Sunday is hip hop night.
Contact: dicksteabar.com
Cocorico
Expect DJs or live music at this lively spot near the bottom of the home run from Solaise. Open daily from 2pm to 4.30am, Cocorico is popular, not least because of its proximity to the town, but also because later on the basement becomes Doudoune, a lively club with an international following that is the resort’s only serious rival to Dicks.
Contact: cocorico-n-co.com
