Vail Valley
Vail Valley
4.5
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The heart of the city of Vail where most of the area's restaurants, shops and attractions are located.
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104 within 3 miles
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31 within 6 miles
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
355 reviews
Excellent
266
Very good
69
Average
13
Poor
5
Terrible
2
christopherbO9687MP
Acton, MA730 contributions
Jul 2023
Vail Valley has a nice collection of shops & restaurants catering to year-round tourists. Much of the main shopping & entertainment district is a series of pedestrian-only streets, so it's easy to walk around seeing the sights. Since Vail is a relatively new resort, all of these buildings are of a recent vintage and attempt to capture the "Swiss Chalet" look (mostly successfully). Much of this district stays open until ~2:00 AM (including the free bus service throughout Vail), so you don't have to use your car much after its parked.
Written July 22, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ViM
Denver, CO182 contributions
Jul 2020 • Family
We've been coming to Vail for about 40 years and always enjoy seeing the changes, summer and winter. This time with the COVID restrictions, there was more outside seating at restaurants and also 'open containers' allowed in some areas of the Village and Lionshead. Lots of galleries and speciality shops for browsing.
Written July 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Travel R
Rochester, MN2,029 contributions
Jun 2022 • Family
Pretty area. Quite a bit to do and see even in the in between season (May/Early June). Easy to navigate especially with free bus service. Wish the parking capacity on the Vail app was more accurate but it tends not to be during busy events. Seems to be made for bikes and dogs.
Written June 10, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MKTBE
Topeka, KS4,090 contributions
Oct 2022 • Couples
This is the second year that we have visited beautiful Vail Valley in the Fall. It is absolutely delightful on these crisp Fall days, and the mountains are alit with the gorgeous yellow Aspen Trees. We love the accommodations, the restaurants, the shopping, but especially the hiking/nature trails of Vail Valley.
We decided to fit in one more hike before heading home! Berry Picker Trail might not have been a wise choice. LOL. It was gorgeous but...10,000+ elevation at the top, with a 2,300 elevation gain. 3 hours of uphill, strenuous hiking & 1.45 down & 30,000 steps for the day, 8 miles round trip, with more miles tacked on to get to trailhead!! We were exhausted, but would highly recommend BerryPicker Trail. The memories of the beautiful hike will last a lifetime!
We decided to fit in one more hike before heading home! Berry Picker Trail might not have been a wise choice. LOL. It was gorgeous but...10,000+ elevation at the top, with a 2,300 elevation gain. 3 hours of uphill, strenuous hiking & 1.45 down & 30,000 steps for the day, 8 miles round trip, with more miles tacked on to get to trailhead!! We were exhausted, but would highly recommend BerryPicker Trail. The memories of the beautiful hike will last a lifetime!
Written October 8, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
northernk
Phoenix, AZ13,310 contributions
Jun 2023
So when I lived in Denver I would come up to the mountain towns but I never understood Vail or it's lay out. Unlike most of the mountain towns they have no real Main Street, it's not an easy town to get around in by car, streets are tight and it is packed in between the mountain and the highway. So I spent time in other towns, but this time I think I understood it, it's a walking town. Unless you're staying at a hotel with parking or renting a place .. it's better to park at the big garage off the highway and walk in, especially on a beautiful sunny June day we were there. Once I did that I figures out between going from one gondola to the other.. that it's a walking town so the design is perfect for keeping it that way. It's a very pretty if commercial town, though this time if felt less so than Breckenridge which felt very commercial. The town area here even has some walking only streets and it's so pretty what a joy it must be to grow up amoungst this but probably taken for granted if one did. All that being said i came to quite like Vail this time and hope to be back. Enjoyed walking around and the shops and all the town had to offer.
Written July 25, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KK78
Bay Shore, NY831 contributions
Jan 2024 • Friends
I loved this quaint, clean, walkable town! I loved that all the walkways are heated - no slush, snow or ice. That makes it so nice to walk around! So many cute shops to look in and places to eat and drink. Even for a non-skier, I loved the town. It's the perfect size to explore for a relaxing long weekend.
Written January 29, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rjmartintx
Dallas, TX199 contributions
Aug 2016 • Couples
One of the great things about visiting Vail in the summer is the free parking in the Vail Village Parking Building or the Lionshead lot. When you exit the freeway into Vail Village, the Lionshead lot is to the right and Vail Village Free Parking is to the left. But beware: as you take the roundabout to the left for the Vail Village parking, you will probably see a flashing sign advising you it is just down the road. Do NOT be deceived in turning right at the big blue P sign and driving 100' to turn into the Public Parking garage. That one will cost you $20 for two hours, but there are no signs warning you or indicating it is not the free parking. Instead, proceed another 100 yards along the road and you will see a huge parking garage entrance right on the road. That's the free one.
Written August 4, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Efren C
Dallas, TX131 contributions
We went to Vail with a group of friends and had an amazing time. The views of the mountains are amazing. The village has it all, restaurants, shops and bars. Excellent to take pictures and walk around the village which looks so much like a German little town.
Written October 26, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
OnThe50Yardline
Dallas, TX118 contributions
Mar 2018 • Friends
Nice place. It was modeled after St. Anton am Arlberg in Austria and that is a pedestrian village that works real well. I’ve been skiing there, too. But Vail is in the US, and it doesn’t work as well; did you take the bus to get to Vail? I doubt it. Why do you have to walk everywhere or take a BUS when you get there? This isn’t Europe, it’s the Rocky Mountains and people need a car but they don’t allow them here…still!
Visitors can park in one of the large parking structures at the bottom of the hill and walk uphill to the slopes…yuk! With all your heavy equipment!
The shops are nice…but aren’t we all from big cities with designer shops galore? It’s a little fakey and not necessary these days to blow your horn that you’ve got money. If you can afford a ski vacation, you are doing all right. Tone it down a little!
The slopes are the best part of the entire Resort. But is everyone in your group expert skiers?? If not, rethink this place. It’s for great skiers, but aren’t the Baby Boomers getting up in the years now? Do they bounce off the moguls like they did 20 or 30 years ago? Are they all still doing double black diamond slopes?? I don’t think so…and if you’re a beginner or haven’t skied in a few years, getting off the Mountains steep front face is a nightmare. It’s better to take the lift down to the base, but who does that? No one does and it’s steep and icy and sometimes patchy snow. Rethink, regroup and be real. There are other places closer to the airport, too!
And if you like to sleep in peace and quiet, forget it! With a mega-major US Interstate splitting the middle of the town, going up a huge Pass, and a huge turn right as you enter West Vail, 18 wheelers downshift to tackle the climb and the noise reverberates and bounces off the Mountains even in the middle of the night. It sometimes will wake you up it’s so loud. I’d rather be in an airport; and this is supposed to be nature??
It’s just not what it used to be. And since the passes are what most of the locals use, Vail has the best skiing for their skills and they crowd up the place, don’t buy anything, take the best parking spots, cut in line, wear nasty clothes and bring their brown bag lunches and take the best seats in the lunch facilities on the Mountains, buy a coke and sit forever until their friends finally arrive; and make the uninformed tourists have to sit at the bar and eat their lunch. No thanks!
One word words sums it up: Overrated! (And over-priced, too!)
Visitors can park in one of the large parking structures at the bottom of the hill and walk uphill to the slopes…yuk! With all your heavy equipment!
The shops are nice…but aren’t we all from big cities with designer shops galore? It’s a little fakey and not necessary these days to blow your horn that you’ve got money. If you can afford a ski vacation, you are doing all right. Tone it down a little!
The slopes are the best part of the entire Resort. But is everyone in your group expert skiers?? If not, rethink this place. It’s for great skiers, but aren’t the Baby Boomers getting up in the years now? Do they bounce off the moguls like they did 20 or 30 years ago? Are they all still doing double black diamond slopes?? I don’t think so…and if you’re a beginner or haven’t skied in a few years, getting off the Mountains steep front face is a nightmare. It’s better to take the lift down to the base, but who does that? No one does and it’s steep and icy and sometimes patchy snow. Rethink, regroup and be real. There are other places closer to the airport, too!
And if you like to sleep in peace and quiet, forget it! With a mega-major US Interstate splitting the middle of the town, going up a huge Pass, and a huge turn right as you enter West Vail, 18 wheelers downshift to tackle the climb and the noise reverberates and bounces off the Mountains even in the middle of the night. It sometimes will wake you up it’s so loud. I’d rather be in an airport; and this is supposed to be nature??
It’s just not what it used to be. And since the passes are what most of the locals use, Vail has the best skiing for their skills and they crowd up the place, don’t buy anything, take the best parking spots, cut in line, wear nasty clothes and bring their brown bag lunches and take the best seats in the lunch facilities on the Mountains, buy a coke and sit forever until their friends finally arrive; and make the uninformed tourists have to sit at the bar and eat their lunch. No thanks!
One word words sums it up: Overrated! (And over-priced, too!)
Written March 22, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WayfairingMan
Buffalo, NY46 contributions
Nov 2017 • Couples
I'm reminded this month of a trip my wife and I took to Vail, Colorado, last October 2017. We also went to Aspen that same month. Of the two, we preferred Vail the most. (We also enjoyed Aspen). Vail was easier to get to from Denver (although we did enjoy our trip over the Continental Divide to Aspen), the cost of gas was much cheaper, you were immersed in the surrounding mountains, a stream bisected the village with picturesque bridges, lots of boutique and ski shops, intimate gathering spots, magnificent hotel resorts with outside dining, and the European feel throughout the village was wunderbar. At night, we enjoyed the twinkling lights surrounding some of the hotels. As October is off peak, the ski gondolas weren't running, but we saw a number of people hiking up and down the mountain trails. It was not crowded with people when we were there, but we could easily imagine the international crowds during ski season. Hotel room rates were discounted in October from their normal peak time rates. (We loved our room and meals at Pepi's). Free parking can be a challenge but check the Town of Vail website for specific parking info as it differs during the year.
Items of Note:
1) Vail is at a 8000+ elevation while Denver is at a 5000+ elevation. Drink plenty of water and get acclimated to the elevation before exerting yourself.
2) Interstate 70 has signs posted regarding use of snow chains (9/1-5/31 for commercial vehicles).
3) You are in a Resort area. Expect to pay more (and enjoy more).
My wife and I will be going back to Vail. It is one of our special get aways.
Items of Note:
1) Vail is at a 8000+ elevation while Denver is at a 5000+ elevation. Drink plenty of water and get acclimated to the elevation before exerting yourself.
2) Interstate 70 has signs posted regarding use of snow chains (9/1-5/31 for commercial vehicles).
3) You are in a Resort area. Expect to pay more (and enjoy more).
My wife and I will be going back to Vail. It is one of our special get aways.
Written October 13, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Just confirming that non of the gondolas are running 9/29 until November for winter season? So all of October there is no gondola?
Written September 23, 2024
Can you ride the gondola in the winter? We like to take our boys up there to just enjoy the scenery.
Written December 24, 2018
I would recommend skiing at Breckenridge which is 40 minutes away and closer to Denver. They are higher elevation (9,600 feet at base) because Vail is lower elevation and the front of the Mountain melts early in the spring. Breckenridge stays open until the third week in April. Not because of snow but because skiers have lost interest and not enough demand to keep open.
Written June 20, 2018
Where would the best place to hike in early spring?
Written April 2, 2017
In most sport goods stores you can find hiking maps with a difficulty rating and expected time for the whole run. The selection of the best runs depends on your condition and expertise level besides weather conditions that change quite rapidly.
Written April 3, 2017
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