Crans Montana - eat, drink, party

Mountain restaurants

There are 16 restaurants up in the ski area and we reckon the ones at Les Violettes and Bella Lui are among the best. Our favourite though is the rustic Cabane des Taules (00 41 27 485 89 10), a converted cow shed.

Restaurants in town

Diners are spoilt for choice with the best in the Pas de l’Ours Hotel (00 41 27 485 93 33), which has 2 Michelin stars.

Otherwise you can eat well at 82 different restaurants, including Lebanese and Indian food. There could, however, be more for those on a budget or those who don’t want to fork out every night. If that is you then we recommend Taillens bakery, in both Crans and Montana, which has good value pizzas and sandwiches. For the cheapest pizzas in town we go to Pizza Mania in Crans.

Après-Ski

There is no single main run with après-ski bars at the bottom so many people tend to ski down the run nearest to their hotel and go back. However, don’t let that make you think there’s no action.

Monki’s bar in Crans is where most of the après-ski happens and as you descend the steps it begins to feel more like St Anton or Val d’Isère. Afterwards it is a short stagger to the Barocke nightclub, which remains open until 4am if you want to dance off any surplus energy.

In Montana, Harry’s Club is the place we head to for late night action. Otherwise there are plenty of bars and tea shops, including Bar Amadeus.

Towards the end of the season Crans-Montana hosts the Caprices Music Festival, which is gaining in popularity and reputation. It’s now in its sixth year. Last winter Duffy was the headline act and it has seen Joss Stone, Robert Plant, Iggy Pop and Lou Reed perform in recent years. We’ve been twice and thoroughly recommend it.