Last Updated: February 6, 2021

Best Ski Resorts In Europe For Families

best ski resorts family europe

Winter is on the horizon and it’s time to start thinking about booking your family ski holiday. There is nothing more enjoyable than getting up into the mountains with loved ones and enjoying the best of what winter has to offer. 

Europe has a huge amount of excellent family ski resorts dotted around the Alps and Scandinavia that do their utmost to tailor their resorts towards making a family ski trip the best it can be. They care for all ages from under 5’s and under 10’s to creating experiences and activities for teenagers too. So no matter how old your kids are, the resorts have got you covered. 

Family ski holidays are everything but inexpensive which is why we have compiled a list of some of the best ski resorts in Europe for families, so you can make sure that you have the best experience possible. Have a read to find the best family ski resort for you. 

family ski resort europe

Les 2 Alpes, France

Les Deux Alpes is a huge ski resort, one of the biggest in the world. It sits high in the Alps with glacier slopes that make it one of the most likely places to have consistent snowfall over winter, you can even ski there in the summer. With 43 ski lifts and 90 runs that are evenly spread across beginner, intermediate, advanced, and expert runs, there is a slope for everyone’s abilities as Les 2 Alpes.

Kids can start learning to ski at Les 2 Alpes from the age of 1. One of their instructors invented the ‘ baby snow’ device that helps toddlers get used to the feeling of sliding on snow, so even your youngest kids can get some slope time. There are a number of excellent ski schools with great instructors that get all abilities on their feet. The resort is also rife with wide and gentle nursery slopes for anyone to get their confidence up and there are more gentle runs to help their confidence grown from there. 

Older kids who have some experience can keep themselves entertained with the Big Air Snowbag where they can try out risk-free jumps, and spend time at the Kid’s mini snow park, and at the large freestyle snow park. 

There’s also a bunch of non-skiing activities to choose from including winter Segway riding, snowmobiles, and ice gliders. You can also send your kids off with the ski patrol team to help open the slopes and they have a Robocoaster where they can experience a simulated avalanche (adults can go on this too). 

The resort is filled with accommodation to suit families and every budget. The town is also kid-friendly with lots of lovely bars, cafes, restaurants, and shops to spend your time in. 

Extra ideas: If you are heading to Frane specifically, then another couple of family ski resorts worth checking out are Val Thorens and La Plagne.

Levi, Finland

Levi ski resort is based in northern Finland, the land of northern lights, reindeer, and of course, Santa Claus. If you really want to immerse your family in a Christmas ski trip full of wonder, then Levi is the ski resort to do it in. You have access to 43 runs that are facilitated by 27 lifts, plus you have excellent chances of snow-filled slopes thanks to the resorts northern longitude.

Levi is open from mid-October to the beginning of May, so you also have a big booking window and is catered more towards over 10’s and teenagers than young children. There are a number of ski schools to choose from and great slopes for both beginners and intermediates. There are also quite a few expert and advanced runs for mum and dad or talented youngsters. 

Another benefit of Levi is their awesome terrain parks, something teenagers and older kids love to shred around. Off the slopes, you have access to reindeer safaris, snowmobiling, and dog sledding. Plus, a lot of the large hotels have loads of indoor activities to keep the family entertained and out of the cold.  

The resort has ample choices of family-friendly accommodation to suit your needs and there is a nice feeling to the village thanks to the lovely restaurants, shops, and bars. 

Åre, Sweden

Another one of the Scandinavian family ski resorts to consider is Are is central Sweden. Surrounded by lakes and peaks, just near to the Norwegian border, this is one of Sweden’s most popular ski resorts, and for good reason. Are is the largest and one of the best family ski resorts in Scandinavia. With access to a huge range of slopes, it also has some awesome family friend activities too. 

You have 94 runs to choose from, a lot of which are for beginners and intermediates. There are 3 terrain parks to keep older children and teenagers busy and they have even sectioned off an area of the slopes as family zones so you can all ski together without any worries. There are also come great ski schools to choose from. 

Outside of skiing, there are lots of things to keep the family entertained with. You have access to ice skating, snowshoeing, snowmobiles, dog sleds, swimming pools, and their famous mile-long toboggan run. 

Are is full of family-friendly hotels, chalets, and restaurants too for while you’re not making your selves busy with skiing and other activities.

family ski resort europe

Avoriaz, France 

Avoriaz is known as one of the best ski resorts in Europe for families. It’s one of the only pedestrianized ski resorts in France and offers a lot of ski-in/ski-out accommodation options for the family. You’ll find 53 runs to choose from that you can access via a modern and quick lift system. The runs range across all ability levels and for any experts, you have access to the famous Swiss Wall. 

There is a decided ski school for children aged 3 and up call the Village des Enfants. Young toddlers can have a full day of ski experience that includes lunch and tea, ideal for when parents want some alone time. There is also a ski school for older children and any beginners that won many awards in the past and are excellent at getting everyone on their feet and having fun. 

There are 4 terrain parks to choose from including 2 kids mini-parks and 120 meters long half pipe. These parks tend to have older kids and teenagers entertained for days at a time. 

Outside of skiing, you can entertain the family with ice skating, snowshoeing, bowling, dog sledding, snowmobiling the famous Aquariaz. Aquariaz is a subtropical water park that sits inside a huge glass dome on the top of the mountain. How they built it, we don’t know! It’s full of water slides and pools that are designed for both kids and adults to have a good time on. 

Galtur, Austria 

Galtur ski resort sits on the border of Austria and Switzerland between Samnaun and Ischgl. It is a part of the huge ski area known as Silvretta offering you access to hundreds of kilometers of slopes. The resort itself has 43km of local piste that spans 19 runs that are accessed via a modern 9 lift system. The runs cover all abilities and have been designed to be family-friendly with separate zones for differing skill levels. 

You can enroll kids from the age of 2 into their kindergarten for the day to give you some slope time, and ages from 3 and up can join the kid’s ski school. Older children can be kept busy with ski/boarding jump lessons, speed skiing sessions on snow blades, and by spending time in their terrain park. 

Every Friday the resort hosts a mini-Olympics and they do it like pros. There are award ceremonies, medals, music, and it’s a huge amount of fun for the whole family to get involved in. 

Outside of normal ski-time, there are avalanches awareness courses, a resort treasure hunt, off-piste ski safaris, night skiing, winter hikes, mountaineering. snowshoeing, ice skating, and curling.

The resort as a whole is very family-friendly and kitted out with great accommodation options, restaurants, bars, and more. 

Engelberg, Switzerland 

One of the things that makes Engelberg so attractive as one of the best family ski resorts in Europe is the prices. Kids under and up to the age of 16 only pay a third of the adult price, which is an amazing deal. The resort is host to 82km of piste that spreads across 19 different runs for all abilities, so no matter how skilled you or your kids are, there is a run for you.

The ski school offers taster classes for kids, child and parents ski calls for ages 2-5 and a youth ski course for ages 6-15. There’s also a cool terrain park for older children and teenagers to spend their time in. 

The focus at Engleberg is on the slope fun. Outside of skiing, they have an area for testing out hi-tech sleds, snow tubing, and a snowXpark where kids 10 and up can ride snowXbikes and snowXmobiles. It doesn’t just stop there either. There’s ice skating, ice hockey, winter hikes, a toboggan run, shooting, mountaineering, swing walking, curling, and some indoor activities as well. 

The resort has lovely family-friendly hotels and chalets to choose from and a host of restaurants, cafes, and shops to spend your time in when you’re not keeping busy on the slopes. 

family ski resort europe

Obergurgl, Austria

Obergurgl is one of the best family ski resorts in Austria. The old traditional town of Obergurgl is beautiful in itself and is set amongst the Tyrolean Alps with stunning views far and wide. With an altitude of 1907m, it’s one of the highest resorts in Europe that provides it with reliable snow cover and for some reason, it has a small amount of traffic, so you can enjoy some peace tranquility while you’re up in the mountains. 

You have access to 110 km of slopes that are split across varying difficulties and there is even some piste reserved for cross-country skiing too. Most of the runs are suited for beginners and intermediates, making it a great place for kids to build their confidence. There’s a host of ski schools to choose from and there are dedicated nursery slopes to makes sure any youngsters new to skiing can find their feet quickly. 

Off the slopes, you have the choice of ice skating, curling, winter hiking through ancient forests, indoor golf, and more. There are a huge number of hotels and restaurants to choose from. Some of the accommodation options even off childcare if you need it. 

Final Thoughts

Having read the review you can see that there is a whole bunch of different resorts to choose from. Picking the right one all depends on the age of your kids and their skiing abilities. Some of the resorts cater to kids on the slopes from the age 1, others at 3, and some others at 5. Whichever resort you end up choosing, they are all very welcoming and exceptionally well run with loads to keep everyone happy and entertained. 

About the Author Roger Timbrook

Roger is a little obsessed with travel. He has been to over 40 countries, broken 3 suitcases and owned over 10 backpacks in 12 months. What he doesn't know about travel, ain't worth knowing!

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