The 13 best family ski resorts
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Smug with a recent snow dump and already aglow with fairy lights and flickering chalet windows, the pretty family ski resorts dotted across the Alps are polishing their skis and warming up their boots for a season to remember.
Scandinavian skiing has been in full swing for some time – courtesy of their longer winters – while Canadian and American resorts are stoking fires and oiling chairlifts in the same anticipation of a return to pre-pandemic levels. But where to take smalls or the teens? Some of the world’s most alluring, snowglobe resorts simply don’t cut the mustard with multi-level broods in tow.
Zermatt may have guaranteed snow with its cannons and its Hans Anderson charm, but there are scant ski-in, ski-out options (if you’ve ever tried to dress tots in ski gear before hurling them into a transfer or herding them and their ski clobber to the lifts, you’ll appreciate the insider tip). Similarly, Chamonix may have upped the ante on its family-friendly pistes and areas with the Mont Blanc Legend area on Flégère, but the resort remains largely geared towards the serious skier, with steep, challenging runs (teenager territory). In short, all ski holiday ingredients change quite abruptly with sprogs: hotels and chalet options, mountain lunches, small group skiing, viable routes on a piste map… As with life, there is skiing before and there is skiing after children.
So, from the best nursery slopes and ski schools to winter afternoons of huskies, sledge rides, and ice skating en famille, here’s our guide to the world’s best family-friendly ski resorts (which will make for an actual winter holiday).
Méribel, France
Everyone knows that Méribel is a hit with the Brits. Those who skied here as youngsters return every year with their own broods, citing not only profound nostalgia but the snow parks (the Piste des Inuits and the Yeti Park at Mottaret), the cosy, traditional chalets and the tear-jerking views of the mighty Mont Blanc. The relentless investment in chair lifts ensures a well-oiled system connecting 600km of pretty Trois Vallées pistes – limiting queues and sibling squabbles. Under-fives ski for free - a boon for young families eager to find their tots’ ski legs (as the French do), and easy links to Val Thorens soaring peaks and Courchevel’s slicked blues and greens serve up endless squiggles for families to pour over after supper, planning steak frites stop offs at Le Clos Bernard or Le Rond-Point (Ronnie’s).
Where to stay: Not only is Le Kaïla Méribel's plushest hotel (expect fur throws and deep woods softening the sharp, contemporary angles and a serious spa), it also has one of the best kids areas in the resort, with workshops for all ages (from cooking classes to DJ sessions for teens). Fish & Pips, are Méribel insiders on the swishiest, family-friendly chalets, such as light-filled, Chalet du Valon, Nordic-style Chalet de Koisseu and Chalet du Cygne, with extraordinary valley views to gawp at over croissant breakfasts.
Alex KaiserLech, Austria
Lech’s understated, discreet spirit, its wide, powder-laden slopes and ruddy-faced taverns emitting wafts of schnitzel and apple strudel make it high on the list of family ski resorts of choice (including the royals). Aside from an abundance of nursery and beginner slopes and ski schools, one of Lech’s greatest draws is the relatively unknown fact that under-eights ski for free (wunderbar!). The Arlberg ski area’s 502 kilometres of spruce pistes is a playground for children or teenager's shredders, with easy connecting lifts to St Anton, Suben and Zürs and a new 85km-long circuit, the ‘Run of Fame,’ which winds through the entire Arlberg ski area. Family après usually convenes in the pastel-hued town for ice skating and horse-drawn sleigh rides, where cafés selling sinfully thick hot chocolate and timber chalets peer over the Lech river. The Austrians take family lunches seriously – clicking skies off in a hurry for fondues and Gröstle at Hus Nr 8 and The Stube – a toasty spot at the swish Alberg Hotel.
Where to stay: Lech’s grande dame, Hotel Alberg (where Princess Diana famously took Prince William and Prince Harry skiing) is an antlered, silver service paean to Austrian Alpine tradition. At the modern end of the design scale, Severin*s Lech Hotel is a bond-worthy lair with children’s bunks carved into family suites, and a children’s playroom with snooker and ping pong.
Courchevel, France
Swanky chalets, groomed pistes, and restaurants flashing more Michelin stars than Fendi logos on the Bambi beginners. Doesn’t sound like your archetypal family holiday spot. But amid the oligarch diamante, the lobster lunches and altiport fanfare is a returning tribe of families who relish the veiny map of vast Trois Vallées ski runs for all levels and winter folklore spirit in town. Up in glossy 1850, with its string of Bond-worthy chalets and glamorous hotels, Ecole du Ski Français’ ski instructors lead tots down beginners' slopes to la Croisette in duckling formation, while budding snowboarders and skiers listen into ESF Courchevel’s technique tips in understated 1550 (while parents sneak in an hour or two of skiing, à deux). More grown-up children tend to make a beeline for the snowpark for its kickers, jumps and airbag or join their parents on powder-fuelled epics through the scenic backcountry with a seasoned private guide from Guide Courchevel. Families bed into a plethora of cockle-warming mountain restaurants for tartiflette and fondue, such as Pilatus and la Soucoupe, or collect crepes from vendors in town to the background din of huskies, psyched for their evening sledging session.
Where to stay: Haute 1850 hotel, Cheval Blanc Courchevel manages to absorb spirited children into the calm, high-octane chalet picture with its Carousel Kids Club (putting top West London nurseries to shame), the roster of stimulating outdoorsy activities (while parents ski or spa) and refreshingly unpretentious take on highchairs and sticky fingers amid the duck foie gras and cowhide. 1650’s more understated Portetta, with its hygge-style family suites, has partnered with Scott Dunn’s Explorers Kids Club – a mere snow plough away from the hotel’s boot room after a morning chocolat chaud.
Richard WaiteMegève, France
Founded as a ski resort by Baroness de Rothschild in 1916, in a bid to replicate St Moritz’s charm in a French setting, Mediaeval Megève attracts the smart leather weekender set who were sent down the slopes on skis before they could walk. They, along with their well-mannered broods, return year after year for rounds of raclette at the buttoned-down l’Alpage and the superb Piou Piou Club’s ski school, or for toddlers, the Les Petites Frimousses day nursery, (aka child-free ski time). The easy transfer to Megève (just over an hour from Geneva) is a game changer for families, as are the town’s car-free cobbled streets and generously varied pistes for all levels. La Caboche is the first-timer spot, the run to St Nicholas from L’Epaule is intermediate bliss, and a handful of thrilling blacks, such as Emile Allais, and freeride terrain (particularly Magic Garden Coté 2000) is a siren call for the advanced families and adrenaline-seeking teenagers. For a treat, parents can now take children to La Ferme de Mon Père, Zannier’s rustic, bistro-style restaurant where a menu based mainly around seasonal vegetables showcases the region’s plucked and foraged treasures (or indeed, pre-book a babysitter and head there à deux).
Where to stay: Families au fait with turn-down service hang their helmets at Four Seasons Hotel Megève or its more private Les Chalets du Mont d’Arbois, (all named after various members of the Rothschild family). Beaumier l’Apaga’s hotel and chalets reference Megeve’s rural past through cosy wood cladding and farmhouse tables, with gentle modernism and unpretentious spirit.
Paul ThuysbaertSt Moritz, Switzerland
The form, according to St Moritz veterans, is to rely on its slew of swanky hotels’ creches and nothing-is-too-much approach to sprog paraphernalia and pool times for an actual family holiday. Not only is St Moritz and Engadine area high enough for a generous helping of snow and sunshine, but its Cresta-focused, Slim Aarons-documented history of frozen lakes and snow-capped palaces also evokes child-like awe in all those lucky enough to chug into the enchanting resort. So, naturally, it’s a hit with families… and any child under the age of 10 raised on a diet of Frozen. Suvretta and Celerina run the best ski schools with children’s ski lifts, moving carpets and at the base station of the Celerina-Marguns gondola lift, the Snowli restaurant – a family classic with hearty menus for smalls. Seasoned skiers will relish the tangle of scenic reds on the mighty Corviglia and an abundance of cruisy blues carry schnitzel-satisfied families back to their chalets or fairytale hotels for Swiss hot chocolate and fireside board games. Expect Brother’s Grimm-worthy horse-drawn carriages, tobogganing and cross-country challenges for St Moritz’ take on extracurricular.
Where to stay: Gothic grande dame, Badrutt’s Palace invented skiing and really all winter frolicking (along with the original après). Its 3-12 children’s club adheres to the aforementioned St. Moritz form, while fairytale turrets and the Palace’s own ski school keeps the whole clan happy. The Grand Hotel des Bains Kempinski partners with top-brass Suvretta House ski school pulls the proverbial rabbit out of the hat at its kids' club and keeps a generous slot for splash time at the spa’s pool.
Alex Filz PhotographyVal Gardena, Italy
The skeleton key to 740 miles of Dolomite piste, South Tyrol’s Val Gardener may be a hit with the pros and backcountry enthusiasts, but it’s also a stellar resort choice when it comes to family ski resorts, without the Cortina or St Moritz price tag. They return each year for the trusty Selva Ski School and Funslope just below the Dantercepies lift, as well as the apres tobogganing, ice skating and snowshoeing. The lofty ski school standards spill into the other two villages of St. Christina and Ortisei and Val Gardena’s Mini Club keeps sprogs aged 2 onwards entertained while parents snake down the labyrinthine runs. Crisp and corduroy pistes and clean mountain air lure all ages outside with their skies and high hopes –jacket pockets bulging with chocolate for chairlift breaks. Younger families tend to head to the beginner terrain at Seiser Alm, while the thrill-chasing aficionados carve up the Sella Ronda – a famous run that loops around the dramatically steep and craggy Sella massif. Really though, it’s the resort's (and its hotel’s) knack for smoothing over the pain points of skiing with children that makes it so appealing, from all-in ski packages (where skis, lessons and lunch are figured out) to outdoorsy activities for children once they’ve peeled their goggles off.
Where to stay: Adler Spa Resort’s turreted, Wes Anderson-worthy exterior belies its smooth, contemporary innards – where a stellar kid’s club, cavernous pile-them-all-in suites and daily menu of children’s activities roll out for returning families. Biancaneve Family Hotel’s name is the giveaway, with tots donning armbands dotting the pool, the ski school a mere snow waddle away and the full face paints, rabbit-petting, table tennis melee in the kids club (the sort that achingly chic chalets simply can’t stoop to).
Pål Harald UthusGeilo, Norway
Not only is Norway's Geilo a great backup if the Alps suffers an absence of snow, but the whole resort has also been choreographed with families in mind, from its fantastic six-months-and-up creche and gentle slopes at Trollklubben (located at the base in Vestlia) to the forest trails and fun snow playgrounds at Slatta. An abundance of nursery slopes is ideal for tots and first-timers to practice those tricky turns and snow ploughs with the Norwegian broods, while the runs for older children and parents are challenging enough, without encountering sudden icy blacks (a scenario that can often arise in Les Trois Vallées). A new family-friendly lift now takes children to Kikuttoppen from the Kikut base, while Havsdalen allows beginners to gradually edge up the mountain to Fjellcrossen, where they can show off new ski school skills. Geilo, like most Norwegian resorts, excels at traditional winter merriment, with dog sledging and horse-drawn sleigh rides – the authentic sort that is deeply embedded in Norse lore. Even the Oslo to Bergen railway, chugging into the resort, has its playroom carriage for the sprogs.
Where to stay: Geilo Mountain Lodge’s in-house ski pass and equipment set-up avoids the familiar post-transfer hustle into town and buys more time on the pistes. The locavore restaurant serves traditional, hearty crowd pleasers which families ready themselves for after a quick stint in the sauna. Trawl Airbnb for rustic cabins and chalets, such as ski-in-ski-out Tabu, which sits on the edge of hardagervidda National Park.
Vail ResortsBeaver Creek, USA
Long runs with heart-thumping views of the Rockies, wide open corduroy pistes without the Vail crowds – Colorado’s Beaver Creek is a sensational spot for multi-level skiing and a winter magnet for affluent Americans. Its lift layout and pistes are well-catered to families, and beginners and intermediates make a beeline for Red Buffalo Park, with its 200-acre family learning area. Beaver Creek’s official ski school is the one to go for, and its guides are recommended for families au fait with the sport, yet keen to explore the resort’s lesser-known tracks and staggeringly pretty backcountry with its flora and fauna. If families are unable to book a ski-in/ski-out hotel, the White Carpet Club is a great alternative – essentially a lounge for easy parking, lockers and ski valets right at the base of the gondola. Various weekly events, such as Thursday Night Lights (a glow-stick trail at dusk) are organised through the ski schools, while restaurants such as sun-trap Mamie’s Mountain Grill and wow-factor Saddle Ridge are toasty, convivial spots for families (children love the s'mores and marshmallow-heavy hot chocolates). The sheer size of Beaver Creek opens it up to a plethora of ‘wilderness’ activities such as snowmobiling (where in Europe you’d likely be whizzed around a track), and dog sledging (The Sleigh Rides at 4 Eagle Ranch are epic), while Eagle airport allows an easier run into the resort than Denver, (a few hour’s transfer away).
Where to stay: Ski-in/ski-out Park Hyatt is beloved by children and teenagers for its toasty outdoor pool that spills onto the slopes and post-dinner s’mores around a campfire. Less pricey Osprey at Beaver Creek’s proximity to the Strawberry Park Express Lift is a game-changer for herding the whole gang onto the slopes and perfect for sauntering into the village having peeled off the salopettes.
Jason DeweyAspen, USA
Rather than carving out a few beginner slopes or consigning the smalls to snow playgrounds, four-mountain-resort Aspen is built on notions of family skiing, right from the tots to the late-out-of-bed teens. Europeans traditionally dock their broods in ski school or lure them down slopes from the moment they can walk (tough love) so they’re whizzing down reds like bullets before they can multiply. American resorts take a softer, more holistic approach, best seen at Aspen’s Treehouse Kids Adventure Centre (toddler nirvana), its ski school which also involves ‘extracurricular’ fun off the slopes, and Elk Camp – a snowy scene of tubing and snow biking with s’mores and hot chocolate to hop off for (book onto their Ullr Nights). Older children and teens will love the ever-changing features of the fun parks, such as the S3 Park on Buttermilk with its snowy warren of boxes, trails and jumps. Aspen loyalists are thrilled with the Buttermilk Base area’s substantial facelift, where Buttermilk Mountain Lodge restaurant will replace the former Bumps and ski schools, all-day ‘recess’ and terrain parks for teens are all bunched into one area (music to parents’ ears). As far as prices go, few eyebrows are raised in Aspen when families arrive in private jets…
Where to stay: St Regis Aspen Resort is a hefty, leather and marble-clad hotel with a lobby scattered in comfortable sofas for families to pile into after a day on the slopes (patrolled by Kitty the Bernese Mountain dog). The large, outdoor hot tub and pool assault course is a thrilling apres prospect for children, while parents take it in turns to use the spa – or hire one of the hotel’s babysitter’s for the pleasure. Aspen legend Hotel Jerome (Hunter S Thompson used its J-Bar as his watering hole), has only just emerged from a serious revamp, with swish rooms donning complimentary cots or extra beds, a family-friendly pool timetable and a superb babysitting service for parents of tots to enjoy the new lobby bar or a bistro-style supper à deux.
Helmuth RierMorzine, France
One of the Alps’ most picturesque villages, Morzine has retained its authentic spirit with a deep sense of community and skiing families who have come here for generations. Part of the Portes du Soleil ski area, the resort enjoys wide, cruisey (and generally sunny) pistes with a hypnotic Mont Blanc strutting in the distance. Parents can accompany tots to Action sports or Felix Ski at the Pleney’s base for their first taste of skiing (on plastic) or dog sledging, while the marginally older lot tend to head to The Piou Piou Club, which progresses through its Ecole du Ski Francais affiliation to higher levels and age groups. There are raclette and fondue-filled restaurants easily accessible for the non-skiers, and plenty of cream-topped hot chocolate spots for that long stretch between breakfast and lunch. Teenagers will relish the more challenging slopes and aprés snowmobiling, while beginners and intermediates can put ski school hacks into practice on the Little Indian Run and Burton Riglet Park. The town centre recalls a Christmas market for most of the winter, with a traditional carousel, ice rink and horse-drawn carriages that jingle past the bobble hats and winter coats.
Where to stay: OK, it may not light up the design world, but Hôtel les Côtes’ soothing simplicity, cosy family suites and children’s aprés activities (expect anything from bowling to ping pong) is a resounding hit with families who return year after year. The self-catering chalet apartments are a best-of-both option, with families enjoying the Hôtel les Côtes’ service alongside the privacy of a private chalet, dipping into the hotel restaurant as they please. The Farmhouse in Morzine is where the aesthetes and traditionalists take their broods, with cosy rooms of Persian rugs, wooden beams and french antiques sleeping up to four. The slightly eccentric refurbed manor house is a home-from-home refuge, where families debrief ski adventures over third helpings of potato dauphinoise along a communal farmhouse table.
Romain RicardArosa, Switzerland
Families travelling from the UK searching for the perfect ski resort can’t go far wrong with the sub-two-hour flight from London to Zurich, Switzerland. As with most snowy destinations, Arosa is a lengthy, steep drive up the mountains, but stepping out into the crisp altitude makes the additional journey time worthwhile. One of the largest terrains in the country, Arosa’s slopes are ample, which makes it the perfect destination for a group of varying abilities. Beginners and children should head to the nursery slopes in Inner Arosa to gain confidence before progressing to gentle but slightly more advanced runs at Tschuggen. Nightlife here is far from booming, so families won’t be out of place when the sun sets; apres ski feels more like a social get-together and a chance to refuel than a wild affair.
Where to stay: Faern Arosa Altein opened in December 2022, bringing a taste of modern design to its historic village. Elements of the original building remain pivotal to the interior: marble columns, dark wood wall panelling and tall ceilings bordered with intricate coving have been polished and restored to look brand new, but bring charisma to the entrance hall and downstairs bar. Two floors down is an amalgamation of rooms dedicated to kids. Things are more colourful here, and there’s a cinema room, a pool table and arcade games for teens, and a specially designed space with child-friendly toys like duplo, books and wooden building blocks. The swimming pool is also family-friendly, as is the restaurant. Spacious deluxe corner bedrooms offer views across the mountains and connecting doors make retreating in the evening a joy, no matter how early that might be. Sustainability efforts are being made, so bring your own toiletries and expect to choose your evening meal in the morning to support minimal food waste.
Ortisei, The Dolomites
Ortisei in Val Gardena spans the Dolomites’ mountainous terrain, sparkling like glitter in the harsh winter sun. It draws established snow babies and intrigued newcomers alike. What makes this place special is its lack of pretence, which infiltrates the crisp Italian air in a way that instils confidence in the youngest skier. Perhaps the adrenaline junkies are ‘carving it up’ off-piste (the region spans 176 km of slopes), but across the main expanse of snow, children not only seem welcome but celebrated. When they’re ready to upgrade from the dedicated ‘Bunny Run’ at the foothills of Ortisei, they pepper the glossy mountains in tandem, sporting matching high-vis jackets that spotlight their location and encourage respectful adults to slalom around them. Après lodges fuse Austrian flair with Italian finesse, their cosy fireside interiors and scents of spaghetti and apple strudel, making it all the more tempting to take a rest bite. Kids’ menus are par for the course and set the tone for an all-generation catch-up post-session.
Where To Stay: Family-run Gardena Grödnerhof Hotel & Spa couldn’t be better located for the Ortisei Alpe di Siusi cable car and the child-friendly slope, nor better designed for families visiting Val Gardena. The Mini Club spans two floors and offers supervision from 3pm until 11pm daily, as well as ample activities from crafts and a ‘disco floor’ to a motorised climbing wall, cinema room and racing car arcade-style games. In addition, families can book a private snow-shoeing excursion, enjoy the indoor pool and debrief over complimentary snacks in the Lobby every afternoon.
Saint-Gervais, Mont Blanc
Perhaps the most child-friendly element of Saint-Gervais in Mont Blanc is Charlotte’s Snowboard Cross Track. The specially designed course allows young skiers free reign to a vast area of snow where they’re encouraged to learn freestyle confidently; it’s dotted with obstacles and mini jumps designed to advance their skills in ways only dedicated space and time can. The small, historic town at the foot of the mountain is also home to many family-friendly restaurants. The expected apres-ski hotspots and the landscape’s terrain is made up of 21 per cent beginner-level runs well suited to multi-level groups looking to spend time together.
Where To Stay: There are just three stand-alone chalets at Armancette and an intimate 17-room hotel nestled snugly into the mountainside at Evasion Mont-Blanc. It’s the epitome of ‘picture-perfect alpine bolthole’, and checking in goes hand-in-hand with an overwhelming sense of escapism from the everyday. Chic yet understated interiors reflect its surroundings: layers of cosy blankets, wood panelling on the walls and alluring open fireplaces. Family-friendly well-being, comfort and outdoor immersion are at its heart. Alongside dedicated ski schools, it offers experiences that suit all ages and adventurers, from snowshoeing, hiking and e-biking to dog sledging, helicopter rides and canyoning. There’s a nursery on site for the smallest members of the group, and those booked into the ski-in, ski-out chalets will enjoy a private spa, hot tub and panoramic views of one of the most famous mountains in the world.