Families & Kids' Activities in Meribel

Adventure Park

In the Bois d'Arbin woods near the Truite piste you will find a woodland acrobatic adventure park. There are 4 forest circuits of varying difficulty strung high in the trees, with rope bridges, death slides, and other ingenious tests of your balance and nerve.  There is even a mini-course for children over 2 years old.

For adults and accompanied children (110cm height minimum).  Please see our Action Fun & Sports listings under Parc Aventure Méribel for further information and contact details.

Children's Clubs - Summer

There are children's clubs for all age groups. Most, but not all, speak at least some English.

KINDERGARTEN ‘LES SATURNINS’
Olympic Centre, Méribel Tel: 04 79 08 66 90
For children 18 months to 3 years
Activities: indoor and outdoor games, picnics
Open Monday to Friday

LES PIOU PIOU KINDERGARTENS (formerly les P'tits Loups)
Olympic Centre, Méribel Tel: 04 79 08 66 90
Le Chatelet, Mottaret Tel: 04 79 00 36 66)
For children aged 3 to 8
Activities: crazy-golf, rock-climbing, archery, grass skiing, swimming, hiking, trampoline, fishing, adventure park, dam construction, painting, face-painting etc.
Open morning and afternoon, with optional lunch

MERICLUB
Tel: 04 79 08 66 90 / 06 22 52 75 93
For children aged 8 to 13
Activities: educational, cultural and sports activities, trampoline, mountain fishing etc.
Open Monday to Friday

LES CASTORS JUNIORS
Tel: 04 79 22 08 23, or contact Marie de Gélis: 06 60 11 75 68
For children aged 6 to 12
Activities: introduction to the natural environment of the mountains; trekking with a donkey; discovery of the forest, plants, rocks etc; fishing; learning to orientate; sleep overnight in a tepee; watch the stars; see the animals; listen to mountain legends around a campfire.

SPORT KIDS (run by Alain Falcoz)
Tel: 04 79 08 67 25 / 06 60 38 37 39 / 04 79 00 37 39
For children aged 8 to 18 years
Sports activities for three different age groups: Kids (8-10), Juniors (11-13) & Teenagers (14 and over)
Activities: mountain-biking, quad, roller-skating, rock-climbing, kayak, rafting, street-hockey, swimming, scuba-diving, archery, grass-skiing, adventure park, paint-ball, karting, canyoning etc.
Open Monday to Friday

MOUNTAIN GUIDES’ OFFICE
Tel: 04 79 00 30 38
Activities: rock climbing for children aged 8 to 13; 2 half-days on an artificial climbing wall and 1 full day at a natural site with a test at the end.

JEUNESSE ET FAMILLE LEISURE CENTRE
Morel, Méribel Tel: 04 79 08 60 39
French Youth & Sports Ministry certified leisure centre for children & teenagers aged 3 to 16
Activities: For children 3 to 12: creation, expression, circus crafts, magic & ventriloquy workshops, sports clinics, ice-skating, theatre, mime & clowning. For children 12 to 16: sports & mountain discovery weeks (camping, swimming pool, trampoline, paint-ball, mountain-biking, water-sports, archery, canyoning etc).
Open Monday to Saturday

Note also there is an enclosed play area at la Chaudanne in Méribel.

Children's Entertainments

Méribel offers a number of organised entertainments for children throughout the summer. Highlights include:

• Junior Beavers Club: 6-12 year olds can discover the mountains and learn how to identify plants and animals, go fishing, orienteering and more under the supervision of mountain professionals and a little goat called ‘Neige’
• Le Mericlub: a weekly course of educational, sporting and cultural activities that include a night in a mountain hut
• Sport Kids: Alain Falcoz takes children aged between 8 and 17 years for a week of archery, mountain biking, climbing, kayaking, mountain biking, paintball and more.

There is also an enclosed play area at La Chaudanne. For festivals and other entertainments enquire at the Tourist Office for details or check our What’s On Calendar to see what is happening when.

Horse Riding

Improve your skills with lessons in the outdoor arena (adults or children, minimum age 5 years) at the Club Hippique du Bois d'Arbin, or join guided treks into the mountains.

Although the views are splendid, there are only a few places where one can gallop.  Be honest about your ability and the instructors will take you somewhere best suited to give you a good ride; the treks are wonderful for intermediate riders, but can be less exciting for experienced riders so let them know if you are capable of something a bit more lively!

Please see our Action, Fun & Sports listings for contact details.

Indoor Climbing Wall (Mur d’Escalade)

Complete beginners can make a first ascent of the indoor climbing wall at the Olympic Centre with instruction from local mountain guides. Harness, helmet and climbing shoes are provided, and safety ensured by a safety rope. Once you reach the top, climb or abseil back down to the ground. These is a great way to get fit, as it is surprisingly hard work (you'll certainly feel it the next day!) and is suitable for anyone over the age of 5. Available Tuesday and Thursday 6–8pm (Tuesday to Friday during holiday periods). Experienced climbers may use the wall free of charge from 9am to 6pm weekdays and until 7.30pm at weekends.

Swimming Pool

Meribel has a fantastic 25m indoor pool featuring a flume and children’s paddling pool in the Olympic Centre in La Chaudanne.  During the winter season it is open daily from 3pm - 7pm with late night opening until 10pm on Wednesdays. In summer it opens from 11am to 7.15pm and gives access to an outdoor sunbathing area.  You can pay per visit, buy a weekly pass or pay for 10 entrances up-front (which works out slightly cheaper). Entrance is free for children under five.

Swimming lessons and aqua-gym classes are also available - you'll find that you get fitter faster by exercising at altitude!

The swimming centre has disabled access and facilities.  See here for contact details.