Exploring Europe's 12 Best Ski Destinations
ALL-INCLUSIVE SKI HOLIDAYS
All-inclusive hotels are pretty rare in ski resorts but they’re the perfect pick if you want to stick to a budget.
All of your meals and drinks are included in the cost of your trip, so you can save your spending money for après and activities.
Some hotels are entirely all-inclusive, and in others you can choose to upgrade your board basis. What you get varies between hotels, but all-inclusive generally covers:
- Buffet breakfast
- Buffet lunch or packed lunch
- Evening meal
- Selected soft and alcoholic drinks
FAMILY SKI HOLIDAYS
Family ski holidays are magical, from the cosy fireside evenings to the first time on the slopes. And planning an unforgettable ski holiday is a piece of cake when you know what to look for.
Where to stay, what to pack and how to choose the right childcare for you – this page is your guide to planning your perfect family ski holiday.
You can book everything with us – from childcare, ski school and equipment hire, to other winter activities to do off the slopes.
Your little ones will have heaps of fun in the safe hands of our Crystal Childcare professionals, who are all DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) and reference checked, or equivalent.
We look after kids aged 6 months — 4 years old in our Pepi Penguin Nursery, and aged 3 or 4 — 8 years in our Beanie Bear Club.
Crystal Childcare is available in selected resorts in France and Italy.
Choosing your family accommodation
Finding the perfect place for you and your family to stay adds an extra special layer to the holiday.
You can ski in and out of some places, while others are so close to the slopes, there’s very little walking needed.
Keep your eyes peeled for family-friendly facilities like swimming pools, games rooms, interconnecting rooms, kids’ evening meals and baby equipment.
Hotels
Put your feet up in a locally run hotel for a real flavour of the culture in resort.
You can enjoy authentic experiences and conveniently get to things you might need – like restaurants and leisure facilities. Some hotels are even ski-to-door, while others offer Crystal Childcare.
Self-catered apartments
You’ll get your own space, and a kitchen or kitchenette, so you can enjoy more independence with your meals and how you spend your evenings in.
Apartments come in all standards of comfort – from small studios to multi-bedroom apartments sleeping up to 10.
What to pack and what to wear
Kitting out your kids for skiing needn’t cost the earth. Your skis, poles and helmets can be rented in resort, but you’ll need to get the right outer clothing sorted before you go.
If it’s your first time, consider borrowing kit from a friend or asking around for any hand-me-downs before investing in your own gear.
What to wear
- Warm, waterproof outerwear – snowsuit or salopettes and jacket.
- Thermal clothes.
- Goggles or sunglasses.
- Sunblock with a high SPF – including a pocket-sized tube for ski school.
- Two pairs of ski gloves each.
- Ski socks – choose seamless for comfort.
- Warm outdoor boots with a grip sole (not wellies).
- Hat, scarf and gloves – fleece is ideal.
- Ski helmet – if your child is skiing, you can book one for hire before you arrive in resort.
What to pack
- Indoor shoes or slippers.
- Bottles and feeds – bibs and feeder cups.
- Specialised baby food items, including formula milk.
- Nappies, wipes and nappy cream.
- Aqua nappies and swimsuit (if you’re somewhere with a pool).
- Listening device and UK-to-overseas plug adapter.
- Small selection of toys and a comforter.
In most resorts, you can buy nappies, jars of food and formula milk from supermarkets or chemists. But if your child prefers specific brands or if you want organic baby food and snacks, it’s worth bringing those with you.
Essentials for families
Extra touches for your family ski holiday
To make sure things run smoothly while you’re on holiday, we can sort out some extra bits for you. Some of these need to be booked before you arrive in resort so they’re ready and waiting for you.
Travel cots with sheets and a blanket are available – just make sure you book these before you arrive in resort.
Cots and linen in independent hotels are available for an extra charge. Just ask our sales centre for more information.
Free car seats are included when you book private transfer but remember to include infants in the total number of seats required.
Car seats can’t be used on coaches and if you’d rather bring your own, just let us know when you’re booking.
Also, don’t forget infants (under 2 years) have a luggage allowance of 10kg on all TUI flights.
To find the right holiday for you, take a look at our ‘best for families’ resorts.
They’ve all got lots of places to stay that are close to the ski lifts, so you won’t have far to walk, plus loads of accommodation with family facilities — like bigger rooms and kids’ clubs.
On the slopes you’ll find great ski schools that are easy to get to and when you fancy doing something different, there’s plenty of activities to do, from swimming to ice skating and dog sledding.
GROUP SKIING
Going away as a group is one of the best ways to enjoy a ski holiday. Travel together, ski together – beginner or advanced, boarder or skier – it’s a fantastic experience.
Whether you’re a group of mates, a family, or even a university ski club, we can help you find your ideal group ski holiday.
Benefits of booking with Expedia:
Group discounts are available all season for groups of 10 or more booking together.
Get discounts on trips to destinations including Andorra, Austria, France and Italy.
The larger the group size, the greater the maximum saving.
Book your group ski holiday anytime to save even more when you stay at selected hotels and apartments.
How much you’ll save ?
Get your friends and relatives together for a holiday to the snow and make significant savings on your trip.
Discounts are available all season for groups of 10 or more who book together – but the larger the group size, the greater the maximum saving.
This maximum discount available varies by your flight route, departure date and the type of accommodation chosen.
Find your best fit
Booking a group ski holiday starts with a couple of questions: where will we go? Which resort will suit all the abilities in our group? What accommodation is best for groups?
To help you answer these questions, we’ve highlighted resorts and accommodations throughout our website and our Guide to the Mountain that are good for groups.
When browsing our deals, use the filters across the top of the page. Choose either ‘accommodation type’ or ‘resort type’ and select ‘best for groups’. This means that:
There’s a large selection and availability of rooms in that accommodation.
There are plenty of social areas where your group can meet, eat and drink together.
There’s plenty going on in the resort – so whether you’re skiing all day or happier off the mountain, there’s something to keep every member of your group entertained.
There’s a range of slopes available to suit all abilities – beginner, intermediate and advanced.
Make it hassle-free
Take the hassle out of organising your group ski holiday with our specialist booking service. The team are available seven days a week – and don’t worry about phoning all your mates, we’ll do that for you.
We can arrange flights from different UK airports.
We can hold holiday options while people decide what they want to do.
We can call group members separately to arrange payment and their ski essentials – lift pass, equipment hire and tuition.
We’ll make name changes for free if you need us to (up to four weeks before departure when flying with TUI).
We’ll email you a room list so rooms can be allocated in advance.
We’ll deliver lift passes if your group size is 10 or more.
If you’re a group of 10 or more, get in touch with our team so that we can help you find the ski holiday to meet all your needs.Â
LUXURY SKI HOLIDAYS
Treat yourself to an extra special ski holiday where luxury accommodation, amazing food and impeccable service come as standard.
Crystal’s Finest collection lets you take your pick of four and five-star hotels and apartments. And whichever one you choose, they all have something special — from stylish décor to soothing spa facilities.
If you’re going away as a family, look for our Finest accommodations that are also great for families, with excellent locations and kid-friendly facilities.
As well as somewhere smart to rest your head, our Finest ski holidays also include a bigger luggage allowance on TUI flights — 25kg of hold luggage and 10kg of hand luggage.
Luxury hotels
Our Finest ski hotels range from all-out luxury to boutique chic, and stylishly modern to traditional charm.
They’re in some of the top ski resorts across Europe and North America, and many are right next to the slopes or in the centre of town.
When you’re not on the mountain, you can make the most of spa facilities, cosy lounges and bars.
Mealtimes are a treat too — our Finest hotels are all highly rated by our customers for their food quality.
Among our partners are leading luxury hotel chains like Four Seasons Hotels, Fairmont and Westin, Kempinski, and Lodges & Mountain Hotels.
And some of our hotels even have the prestige of being among the Small Luxury Hotels of the World.
Luxury apartments
Find your mountain home in a luxury self-catering ski apartment in France or North America.
You can spread out and wind down in the comfy lounge, and cook up a storm in the well-equipped kitchenette — then indulge in some pampering in the onsite spa facilities.
Many of the apartments are ski-in, ski-out too, so you can get straight on the slopes each day.
THE BEST SKI RESORTS
Take a break from the hustle and bustle of daily life and head to the mountains this winter. We’ve rounded up our top ski resorts for escaping the masses – think quiet slopes, tranquil towns and sleepy mountain villages.
Exploring Europe’s Skiing Hotspots: Best Destinations Revealed
1.SCHEFFAU, AUSTRIA
Searching for a peaceful resort that still has plenty of piste to explore? Add Scheffau to your shortlist.
It’s in the heart of the SkiWelt, Austria’s second-largest linked ski area, so you’ll have 284km of runs on your doorstep.
The village itself is pretty traditional, with chalet-style buildings lining the snowy streets.
Evenings here are all about sampling local dishes in family-run restaurants and getting cosy with a hot chocolate in the hotel bar.
church and snow covered mountain
2.CHÈ‚TEL, FRANCE
A small, Savoyard-style village, Chȃtel is a quieter alternative to nearby Avoriaz.
Instead of high-rise apartment blocks, the streets here are full of wooden chalets clustered around a Gothic church.
Above the village, there are tree-lined slopes where beginners can build up their confidence.
And intermediates can head off to discover the rest of the 650km Portes du Soleil ski area.
Après is pretty low-key here – in between skiing, you can unwind in the pools at the Forme d’O aquatic centre or strap on some snowshoes and explore 40km of walking trails.
snow covered village
3.BAD HOFGASTEIN, AUSTRIA
The Gasteinertal ski area has over 200km of slopes, so there’s lots of room for skiers to spread out.
And after a day on the mountain, there’s nothing more relaxing than spending some time in a spa – luckily, Bad Hofgastein has one of the best ski resort spas in Austria.
The Alpentherme is fed by natural hot springs, and its hot pools, saunas and steam rooms are just what you need for a dose of wintertime wellbeing.
When you’re done in the spa, take a stroll around the cobbled streets and admire the colourfully painted medieval buildings.
snowy street at night
4.VAL DI FASSA, ITALY
The resort of Val di Fassa covers seven sleepy villages, which all have good access to the Dolomiti Superski and the Sella Ronda circuit.
You’re surrounded by the pink-hued peaks of the Sella Massif mountains – now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
And with loads of gentle slopes winding between the rocky outcrops, you don’t need to be an advanced skier to enjoy the views.
As for where to stay, take your pick from some excellent 3 and 4-star half-board hotels and enjoy evenings sampling the local Ladin cuisine, from pasta to pastries.
single skier on an empty slope
5.ST JOHANN IN TYROL, AUSTRIA
Tucked between the impressive Kitzbüheler Horn and Wilder Kaiser mountains is the small town of St Johann.
Often overshadowed by cosmopolitan Kitzbühel just down the road, it’s a perfect pick if you want to enjoy excellent skiing with a more laid-back atmosphere.
The historical centre has all the charm of an authentic Tyrolean town – think wooden buildings, colourful frescoes and an onion-domed church.
On the mountain, there’s a mix of mainly blue and red runs, with everything from open piste to wooded glades. And thanks to a speedy, modern lift system, the queues are usually short too.
6.SAINTE-FOY, FRANCE
One of France’s best unknown ski resorts, this village isn’t far from big-hitters Tignes and Val d’Isère, but it’s a world away when it comes to atmosphere.
Tucked away at one end of the Tarentaise valley, its compact ski area is a powder hound’s dream – almost all the off-piste terrain is skiable and lift queues are a rare sight.
The Savoyard village is full of rustic wood-and-stone chalets, with a few bars and restaurants dotted around.
And accommodation-wise, there’s a choice of luxury, self-catering apartments where you’ll have plenty of room to unwind after a day on the slopes.
Snow covered street
7.ALPBACH, AUSTRIA
The four valleys of the Ski Juwel ski area are sprinkled with quiet resorts, but when it comes to peaceful winter getaways, Alpbach is the pick of the bunch.
It’s regularly voted Austria’s most beautiful mountain village – picture timber-framed buildings clustered around a church with a slender spire.
The family-run guesthouses and small hotels give the place a friendly, laid-back feeling.
And when it comes to skiing, the wide, tree-lined slopes have plenty of space to perfect your turns.
snow covered village with a church
8.LA ROSIÈRE, FRANCE
La Rosière shares its slopes with La Thuile, just over the border in Italy, so you’ll get to ski two countries in one trip.
And with heaps of long blues and gentle red runs to explore, it’s a favourite with beginners and intermediates.
Surrounded by pine trees, the village itself has a laid-back vibe with a handful of cosy restaurants and friendly bars to visit in the evening.
Most of the accommodation is self-catering apartments, so you’ll have the space to spread out and the freedom to eat what and when you want.
And if you fancy somewhere even quieter, pick an apartment in the smaller village of Les Eucherts, 1km down the road.
9.SERRE CHEVALIER, FRANCE
Stretched across three valleys, Serre Chevalier is known for sunny weather and varied skiing, with everything from powder-filled bowls to tree-lined trails and even an Olympic downhill run.
The resort is made up of three authentic French villages, each with its own lifts and nursery areas, so getting on the slopes is hassle-free.
You can also stay in Briançon just down the valley – it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where you can spend an afternoon exploring the cobbled streets of the old town and visiting the 17th-century castle.
snow covered town
10.GRESSONEY, ITALY
Made up of three quiet villages, Gressoney is the ideal base from which to explore the Monterosa ski area – an off-the-radar place for most people.
With its high-altitude skiing, long runs and powder, experienced skiers will feel right at home here.
There’s also 180km of groomed terrain to tempt intermediates.
And with impressive views of Mont Blanc, the Monte Rosa massif and glaciers as a backdrop, you’ll have some great holiday photos share when you get home too.
village in a snowy valley
11.SANTA CRISTINA VAL GARDENA, ITALY
Nestled between Selva and Ortisei, Santa Cristina is the smallest of the three Val Gardena resorts – but the skiing is anything but small.
You’ve got easy access to the world’s biggest ski area, the Dolomiti Superski, as well as the famous 26km-long Sella Ronda circuit.
The village itself is home to laid-back locals and a mix of restaurants and shops that serve up a true taste of South Tyrolean culture.
After skiing, unwind in your hotel spa or sip an aperitivo at the bar.
12.RUKA, FINLAND
A big beginner area and heaps of activities make Ruka one of the best resorts for families.
The slopes are quiet all day and the lifts stay open late so you can ski when you fancy.
The resort itself is split between the main village and the quieter Ruka Valley area.
To get from one to the other, you’ll need to pop on your skis or hop on the speedy Village2Valley gondola.
When it comes to a cosy place to stay, this country sets the standard with its traditional log cabins – most of which come with wood fires and private saunas.
And with the Finnish wilderness on your doorstep, you’ll have no problem finding some peace and quiet.
ski slopes at night
13.EL TARTER, ANDORRA
Just down the road from the bigger resort of Soldeu is the relaxed village of El Tarter.
It’s part of the Grandvalira, the largest ski area in Andorra, with over 200km of piste to explore.
First-timers will love the gentle beginner slopes, while intermediates can whizz down the long, wide reds.
And if you’re skiing with little ones, check out the Bababoom Circus kids’ ski area.
In the village, there are lots of great-value apartments and a well-stocked supermarket, so you can whip up a tasty supper and enjoy a chilled night in with friends or family.
