Planning a family ski holiday with young children can be challenging, especially if it’s your first family ski trip. Picking the right ski resort is incredibly important in shaping the best possible experience for all the family. Luckily, there are many ski resorts across Europe that cater to families of all sizes, ages and abilities.
What Makes a Ski Resort Family-Friendly?
When planning a family ski holiday, some important things to consider include; the availability of family-friendly accommodation options, mixed-ability pistes, nursery slopes and learning facilities, great ski tuition, family-friendly amenities and resort accessibility. Price is also another factor to keep in mind, as a family ski trip can be expensive, especially for a larger family! Check out our handy ski lift pass pricing guide and budget planner to help you plan your next family ski trip.
To help make your family ski trip unforgettable, we have selected our top picks of the best European ski resorts for families:
Flaine, France
Best for: Family-friendly accommodation
Flaine is a popular ski resort set in the heart of the Haute-Savoie and is one of the best French ski resorts for families. Linked to Les Carroz, Morillon, Samoëns and Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval via an excellent lift system, it offers a vast amount of top-tier skiable terrain to suit all abilities. Flaine is a budget-friendly resort and ski pass prices are some of the cheapest in the French Alps. Accommodation mainly consists of ski-in-ski-out apartment-style buildings which are very well suited to families. It is a car-free resort and has a bustling pedestrianised centre with lots of family-friendly amenities, including a swimming pool, ice rink and cultural centre. Flaine is a great place for children to learn to ski, with plenty of beginner slopes and excellent ski instructors available on Maison Sport offering both group and private lessons. Flaine is also an incredibly accessible resort. Just a 1-2 hour drive from Geneva Airport, it is a great option for families looking for a ski resort with a short transfer time. Find everything you need to know about Flaine in our Ultimate Resort Guide to Flaine.
La Thuile, Italy
Best for: Budget-friendly family ski holidays
Sitting on the French-Italian border in the Aosta Valley, La Thuile is linked to the equally popular French family ski resort of La Rosieré. However, for us, La Thuile takes the top spot for families as it is more budget-friendly than its French neighbour and Italian food is always a hit with kids. Ski passes in La Thuile are great value and discounts are available for families and beginners. La Thuile is a relatively crowd-free resort which makes it great for families with young children. It has an ice rink, a swimming pool and a toboggan run, that will be sure to keep the kids entertained off the slopes! The resort has two nursery slopes in the village complete with magic carpets. La Thuile has a great range of instructors available on Maison Sport to help your children improve and discover a love for the mountains. Criminally underrated, La Thuile offers excellent skiing for all abilities, sunny slopes and spectacular mountain views. You can even hop over the border if you fancy skiing two countries in one day!
Tignes, France
Best for: Children’s ski tuition
Sitting in the Espace Killy ski area in France, Tignes is one of the best ski areas in the world for reliable snow and offers ideal conditions for beginners, making it a great destination for families with young children. Tignes consists of four villages; Val Claret at 2,100m, Le Lac at 2,100m, Lavachet at 2000m and Les Brévières at 1,550m. Tignes Le Lac is the central hub and is our top pick for families. There is a great selection of expert instructors based in Tignes available on Maison Sport, offering both private and group lessons, so you can choose the instructor and lesson-type that best suits your child’s needs. Tignes offers several wide, gentle slopes and has an excellent nursery area for beginners. Skiing newbies have plenty of runs to choose from with 55% of the runs in Tignes consisting of greens or blues. In addition to the 150km of local slopes, Val d’Isère is just around the corner, so you have plenty of terrain to explore while your children are in lessons! Tignes Le Lac also offers a variety of family-friendly activities off the slopes. If you fancy a break from skiing, there is an ice rink, swimming pool and a climbing wall to provide some entertainment for the kids!
Zermatt, Switzerland
Best for: Mixed-ability family skiing
Zermatt is a popular Swiss resort for families due to its incredibly diverse skiing and its traditional alpine charm. The car-free resort offers reliable snow conditions and incredible views of the magnificent Matterhorn. The large and varied ski area caters to all abilities and boasts one of the longest runs in Europe if you fancy a challenge while the kids are in lessons! Despite there being no slopes in the village itself, the Leisee Wolli-park beginners’ ski area, accessible via the Leisee Shuttle funicular, offers the perfect environment for children to learn the ropes and experience the mountains! In the resort, there is an indoor climbing wall, a large open-air ice skating rink and a thrilling toboggan run for some off-slope family fun. Zermatt is often considered expensive, but not so much for families! The resort offers free lift passes for children aged 9 and under and great deals for under 16s, which will take a large amount off the overall spend of your holiday. Noted for its family-friendly values, Zermatt has been awarded the ‘Family Destination – Familien willkommen’ quality label by the Swiss Tour Federation.
Alpe D’Huez, France
Best for: Family-friendly amenities
Alpe D’Huez is a high-altitude resort (1,860m), so conditions are reliable throughout the season. It has a great lift system, accessible from 7 different locations in the town, meaning you won’t be too far from a ski lift wherever you are staying. With 49km of green runs and 54km of blue runs to explore, Alpe D’Huez makes an excellent resort for beginners. There are designated learning areas and plenty of ‘beginners only’ runs that are ideal if you are kids are just starting out with skiing. There is also a great selection of independent instructors on Maison Sport based in Alpe D’Huez on hand to teach them. Beyond the beginner slopes, the resort boasts some wonderful, challenging terrain to keep yourself or older kids occupied while the youngest are in lessons! Accommodation, shops and restaurants have family values in mind, and an array of non-skiing activities including ice skating, swimming and crazy golf are all included with your ski pass, so you can save some pennies! Due to its family-centric ethos and amenities, the resort has been awarded ‘Famille Plus’ status by the French Ministry of Tourism – so don’t just take our word for it!
Book ski lessons in Alpe D’Huez
Morzine, France
Best for: Accessibility
With many French families living in the resort year-round, Morzine is very well suited to family ski trips. As well as charming, family-friendly accommodation, it offers an array of family-friendly amenities such as a swimming pool, ice rink and a dedicated sledging slope. Conveniently located close to Geneva Airport, you can arrive at the resort in as little as one hour and fifteen minutes! If you are looking for a fuss-free journey then Morzine is a stand-out resort! For those new to skiing, Morzine has plenty of wide slopes suitable for learning and the Pleney area is dedicated for beginners. Morzine also offers discounted ski passes for families and beginners. You won’t have to worry if snow cover is low as it is connected to the neighbouring resort of Avoriaz (1,800m) and the rest of the Portes du Soleil ski area via the Super Morzine gondola. Avoriaz has a car-free centre and excellent nursery slopes. The Portes du Soleil ski area provides access to terrific, varied terrain, suitable for all abilities, including beginner-friendly snowparks, perfect for little adrenaline junkies.
It’s Time to Start Planning Your Family Ski Trip!
Selecting the perfect ski resort in Europe for your family comes down to your specific needs and preferences. Whether that may be mixed ability pistes or ski-in-ski-out accommodation there will be a perfect resort for every type of family! Make sure to use our guide to the best ski resorts for families in Europe to help you plan the perfect trip for your next family skiing adventure!
You might also like: Top 5 Ski Resorts for Beginners
For more ski resort inspiration, check out the skier review-based rankings of the Best Ski Resorts for Families in Europe from our friends at Snomad.
