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Villars with its mountain railway, gentle low-altitude ski slopes and year-round tourist trade, Villars is the kind of place that has been rather overshadowed by modern mega-resorts. But for a relaxing family holiday - perhaps combining skiing with other activities - this formula has clear attractions.  Villars sits on a sunny shelf at 1300m, looking south-west across the Rhone valley towards the mountains of the Fortes du Soleil. Roads go up from Ollon and Bex, a rack railway only from Bex. A busy high street lined with shops unconnected with skiing gives Villars more the air of a small town than of a ski resort; but a pleasant, reassuring town, with all but two or three of the largest hotels built in chalet style, and fields and woods close at hand. There is further accommodation well outside the main village at Barboleusaz, where a gondola serves the slopes of Les Chaux, and further up those slopes. This season will see an improved link with Les Diablerets, to the north; and outings to Leysin and Champery are possible by rail or road. Many other resorts (such as Verbier) are within driving distance.The railway goes on up into the ski area, terminating at Bretaye (1800m); a gondola from the other end of the village goes higher into the skiing.

The col of Bretaye has intermediate slopes on either side, with a maximum vertical of 300m back to the col and a couple of much longer runs back to the village.

To the east, easier open slopes (very susceptible to sun) go down to La Rasse (1350m), the meeting point with the otherwise separate Les Chaux sector. Low altitude and southerly orientation mean that Villars' snow reliability is not good.This is not a resort for advanced skiers, although there are occasional steep pitches to be found - and small but worthwhile off-piste areas. For intermediates not worried about mileage or snow reliability, there is an interesting range of pistes. Until now, reaching the similarly appealing skiing of Les Diablerets involved an intimidating, un-patrolled black stretch. Getting back required a tiring walk at the top. But from this season a chair-lift will provide a link straight to the Laouissalet drag in the Diablerets sector, and there will be a gentle piste back from the same point.

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