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Top Tens
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Skiing best resorts for skiing
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Snowboard best resorts for snowboarding
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Snow Sure most snow-sure ski areas
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Apres ski best for lively apres & nightlife
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Group top for varied ability groups
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Family best for families & child friendly
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Luxury top ten exclusive and 5 star
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Pretty the world's prettiest ski resorts
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Beginner best resorts to learn to ski
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Intermediate best intermediate ski resorts
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Advanced best resorts for advanced skiers
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Off Piste best resorts for off-piste skiing
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Biggest biggest resorts & linked ski areas
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Non Skiers best Ski resorts for Non-Skiers
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Snow Parks best resort snowparks
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Shopping best resorts for shopping
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Summer best resorts for summer skiing
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Cheap best resorts for cheap skiing
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Cross Country best resorts for cross country ski
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Romantic most romantic ski resorts
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Christmas best resorts for skiing at Christmas
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New Year best resorts for skiing in New Year
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Half Term best resorts for skiing in Half Term
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Easter best resorts for skiing at Easter
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Eco best resorts for green skiing
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Ski in, Ski out best resorts for ski-in/ski-out
Top 3 French Resorts
Top 3 Italian Resorts
Spanish Top Resort
Top 3 American Resorts
Sno Idea?
There's no doubt the most popular country for British skiers is still France, but Austria is fast catching up the king of winter destinations. Thanks to slightly lower prices and now legendary Austrian après ski scene, the biggest and best such as St Anton and Mayrhofen are now just as popular as French giants Val d'Isere and Meribel and their close second tier neighbours Val Thorens, La Plagne, Tignes and Courchevel.
The winners in recent winters have been the Italian destinations, with their relaxed, family friendly atmosphere and focus on great food and having fun. If France is about the "ski", then Italy is definitely about the "holiday" and our repeat bookings of top Italian ski resorts Sestriere, Courmayeur and Sauze d'Oulx bear testament.
Looking for an ambiance that's a cut above? You'll find superb luxury hotels & chalets in all the great resorts, but the poshest, like Verbier, Courchevel & Zermatt are where to enjoy the most refined après ski & boutique shopping in the alps.
For huge mileage, or to be sure of terrain for all abilities in your party, look at the true mega-ski-areas like the Three Valleys (the world's biggest linked ski domain) or Espace Killy and their equivalents in Switzerland (4 Valleys), Italy (the Milky Way and Dolomiti Superski) and Austria (the Arlberg Ski Circus, Ski Welt, Zillertal Superski area and Europa ski region). It's also worth checking out the other French favourites of Paradiski and Portes du Soleil as they're vast and slightly cheaper than Les Trois Vallees et al.
Ski Resort Reviews
"I’m 72 and have been going to Tignes for 16 or 17 years now. I would recommend it ..." J. B.
"I'm just writing in to say what an awesome time we had in Val d'Isere and thanks fo..." Matt Burgon
"I really like Courchevel. I prefer it to Meribel, the runs around Courchevel are be..." Iain Hogg
"We love St Anton, it’s our favourite location, we’ve returned a few times and hav..." Beth Fitzgerald
"The domain is second to none and I’d highly recommend it! We skied the whole 3 Va..." Jane Phillips
"Mayrhofen is a great place, in fact I’ve just got back from a skiing holiday somew..." Carl Norman
"We had an amazing week in Meribel last January. The snow was terrific and we loved ..." Kat O'Connor
"As a small village in the heart of the Valais Canton, south-west Switzerland, Verbi..." Benedict S
"It’s an acquired taste (Avoriaz is purpose built) but I definitely prefer the area..." Roger Benfield
"Zermatt is a lovely town, stunning. We were total beginners and we learnt to ski he..." Lindy
"I’d been to Andorra before but not Soldeu – it’s brilliant. Andorra is value for..." Ross Campbell
"If you’re renting in Morzine, you can ski out in 2 directions. We’ve always had t..." Rob and Jackie
"Loved the skiing here, the village is very pretty and typically Austrian and the ap..." Mrs Allibone
"I’d been walking in Cervinia in the summertime and always wanted to go back in the..." Leslie Webb
"Kitzbühel is one of my favourite resorts, I like the town being traditional and Au..." Michael Norton
"Whistler is brilliant, I had never been there before this holiday but now I really ..." Jenna
"Livigno is a delightful place, an absolute gem. I can’t find a reason why someone ..." K.L.
"The landscape is mindblowing - we had two days of sunshine when the scenery was abs..." David Duncan
"Grindelwald is a really special place with so much mountaineering history, it’s th..." Lucy B
"We hadn’t been to Yllas before and were seeing Finland for the first time – there..." Richard Hampshire
"Would certainly go to Ischgl again. The après ski is very good, very friendly an..." Mrs Galliford
"Our holiday was absolutely brilliant; myself and my sons thoroughly enjoyed it and ..." Adam Souness
"The fact that Murren is car free makes it very peaceful. It’s a very traditional v..." Celestria Hales
"We’ve been to La Thuile a few times now. It’s a good, big area with lots of runs,..." Anon
"The best thing about Courmayeur is the off piste skiing. They’ve just opened a mas..." Peter Davidson
Ski Resorts FAQ:
A village/town located by a ski area, set up with the facilities needed for a ski holiday - including accommodation, shops, restaurants, bars and access to the mountain.
Our ski specialists can help you decide! Get in touch by phone or online enquiry and we’d be happy to hear about your requirements and suggest the perfect resort for you.
If we had to pick just one all-rounder it would have to be Val d’Isère in France, but there are nine other smashing places to ski listed in our top 10 ski resorts.
Soldeu & El Tarter, Solden, Bansko, and Bohinj are excellent value ski resorts, with incredibly good value food and drinks, modestly-priced accommodation and very reasonable lift passes.
The best family ski resorts are La Plagne, Avoriaz, La Rosiere and Lech.
St Moritz, Courchevel, Zermatt, Aspen and Verbier are some of the shiniest resorts on the planet offering 5-star luxury. Our luxury ski resorts page gives more information, and shows the holidays available to these exclusive destinations.
Cortina, Zermatt, St Moritz and Kitzbuhel are some of our favourite resorts to enjoy with your beloved – all have stunning scenery, romantic hotels and excellent restaurants not to mention world class skiing. Check out our top 10 romantic resorts list for some more recommendations.
- Zermatt, Switzerland
- Les Deux Alpes, France
- Val Thorens, France
- Solden, Austria
- Whistler, Canada
All of these resorts have high altitude slopes and glaciers, making for some excellent skiing conditions late into the season.
Meribel, Soldeu & El Tarter, Lech and Bansko are some of the best beginner ski resorts.
Chamonix just about pips Switzerland’s Verbier to the post in the best off-piste skiing department with its ‘Vallée Blanche’. Discover more top ski resorts for off piste skiing.
Zermatt, Megeve, St Moritz and Kitzbuhel are the ones best-known for their good looks, with their picturesque ancient churches, chocolate-box chalets and resplendent views of snow-clad mountain peaks. Our prettiest ski resorts page has the full list of the top 10.
The most snow-sure resorts are Zermatt, Saas Fee, Val Thorens, Les Deux Alpes and Solden.
Flaine, Avoriaz, Jackson Hole, Zermatt and Saas Fee are a handful of the resorts taking steps to reduce their energy usage and carbon-emissions with initiatives like car-free roads, biofuel heating systems and hydroelectric ski lifts. Read more about green ski resorts.
Ski resorts with the best snow parks are Avoriaz, Breckenridge, Les Deux Alpes and Val d'Isere.
Ski destinations with a short flight and short transfer are Morzine, Avoriaz, Flaine, Chamonix, Kitzbuhel, Zell am See and Courmayeur. Ski destinations that are quickest to get to by car from London are Les Gets, Avoriaz, Megeve, Chamonix, Alpe d’Huez,Morzine, and Courmayeur.
The most magical ski resorts for Christmas are Val d’Isère, Mayrhofen, Meribel, Zermatt and Zell am See.
The best ski resorts for New Year are Tignes, St Anton, Verbier, Sauze d’Oulx and Pas de La Casa. Expect huge parties, all night dancing and fireworks.
Shops (including rental shops), bars, cafes, restaurants, accommodations (chalets, hotels, chalet hotels, apartments), leisure centres (often with pool and spa facilities), cinema (in larger resorts), bowling alley (in larger resorts), ice rink, childcare facilities, ski schools, tourist information centre, medical clinic, parking area and ski lifts (chairlifts, gondolas, cable cars and drag lifts).
St Moritz in Switzerland is where winter sport tourism first took hold. The resort’s Hotel Kulm dates back to 1864. Rumour has it that St Moritz was the first place in the Alps to have flushing toilets and electric street lamps.
Whistler-Blackcomb in Canada is the biggest single ski resort in the world, covering around 8000 acres. In Europe, there are vast ski areas that can be accessed by one ski pass but consist of several resorts, such as The Three Valleys (Val Thorens, Les Menuires, Meribel and Courchevel) and the Portes du Soleil (Morzine, Avoriaz, Les Gets, Chatel, Morgins and Champery).
Many ski resorts in the Alps are car free, including Flaine, Avoriaz, Zermatt, Saas Fee, Val Thorens and Valmorel, Takle a look at our eco-friendly ski resorts page containing information on other planet-friendly measures being taken by ski resorts.
The only ski resorts to now allow snowboarding are Deer Valley in Utah, Alta in Utah and Mad River Glen in Vermont.
Top 10 Best Ski Resorts in the World
| Resort | Country | Best features | Holidays from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Val d'Isere | France | Attractive, high altitude resort, snow sure Espace Killy ski area, awesome après ski | £284 |
| Zermatt | Switzerland | Gorgeous Swiss village, Matterhorn views, Europe’s highest ski area | £1259 |
| Meribel | France | World’s biggest ski area, charming chalet resort, lively après ski, great for families | £258 |
| St Anton | Austria | Legendary off piste & après ski, huge Arlberg ski area, snow sure | £784 |
| Whistler | Canada | World class resort all-round, huge ski area, lively town, amazing hotels | £921 |
| Verbier | Switzerland | Luxury resort, wild après ski, incredible off-piste | |
| Kitzbuhel | Austria | Stunning mountain town, historic ski resort, luxury hotels | £973 |
| Courchevel | France | Luxury ski resort, biggest ski area in the world, charming villages | £454 |
| Mayrhofen | Austria | Laid back mountain town, festival host, varied skiing | £638 |
| Chamonix | France | Classic mountain town, Mont Blanc views, varied ski areas | £206 |
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