The Allues hamlets and Méribel Village

A faint scent of warm timber drifts from the old communal bread ovens in Les Allues while the bells of 12th‑century Saint‑Martin ring over slate lanes. You pass hay barns on stilts, then the modestly painted chapel at Villaret. Rolling through Les Allues, Le Villaret, and Chandon reveals the valley’s life before the ski era: drying racks, two‑pitch roofs, icy fountains. Three kilometers on, Méribel Village still circles its tiny square and Sainte‑Brigitte chapel, and a little higher Le Raffort lines up its dark mazots like a quiet timeline.

With a dedicated driver in Méribel, the half‑day stays wonderfully flexible: hotel pickup, a quiet Mercedes on call, stops when you want them. Start in Les Allues, an easy 6‑minute ride from the Altiport area if that’s your base, and pause to sample local blue cheese at a village cheesemonger. While your driver handles the roads, step into chapels and peek at the ovens; he waits for photos, then heads up through Méribel Village and Le Raffort, with time for a terrace espresso before a smooth 15‑minute return to the Plateau or the Centre.