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Family Ski Holidays
An unforgettable week together in the mountains! Book family skiing with Sno® experts. An unforgettable week together in the mountains! Book family skiing with Sno® experts.
Ski holidays with children
A chance to spend time with the children, but also enjoy well-earned adult time, certain that the kids are having a ball too. Fairy tale towns and chocolate box chalets all add to the magic of taking in the mountains and riding the snow.
For children an endless round of fun playing, sledging, skiing and boarding is interspersed with hot chocolate and the thrill of being with parents far removed from the treadmill back home. Learning is second nature to kids of any age, and they take to the snow like ducks to water. Watching their excitement, at play in the mountains, is a thrill in itself.
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Top family ski accommodation
Ski holidays with Childcare
With young children in tow, great childcare is key to a successful trip. Many chalets and hotels organise ski school, nannies or kids clubs, but don’t feel tied to using what’s offered in-house. Family-friendly resorts organise care for children from 3 months up to teenagers, from Ski School crèches and ski clubs through to private companies providing bespoke childcare and lessons. Decide what type how much (mornings/afternoons/all-day/evening babysitting) then book early for peak dates like the Christmas, New Year, Half Term and Easter school holidays.
Skiing with nanny or other families:
It’s increasingly popular to take a carer with you, or book in a group with other families, to share the childcare duties. Taking your own childcare has the twin benefits of (i) better discounts for large groups and (ii) not paying for childcare. You may also feel more comfortable if you know the person looking after your children. Naomi here at Sno gets taken skiing annually by a couple of families - her place on the trip is much cheaper than childcare for four kids.
Skiing with grandparents:
Grandparents love being with the kids in such a special environment - it’s wonderful for the kids and the folks, and saves on childcare costs. Read tips on skiing with children for more advice. If they don’t ski, grandparents are well catered for by choosing a more interesting resort with attractions beyond the slopes – go somewhere remarkable like Zermatt or Chamonix where you can walk inside the glacier, take the cog railway, visit the Alpine museum, view the Mont Blanc or Matterhorn… these real mountain towns with centuries of history are far more than mere “ski resorts”.
Best family ski resorts
The world’s best family ski resort is La Plagne!
With a claim as big as “world’s best”, there will be many that disagree, but we’re going to say it anyway and then you can send us your opinions! Here are a few more of the best, with the reason why they’re best in their field.
Best family ski resorts for being:
“quiet and safe, great childcare” → La Rosiere
“big mountain for everyone” → La Plagne
“learning to ski on a budget” → Flaine
Self-Catered Family Skiing
Find a cheap family ski holiday by choosing self-catered apartments. Pick your departure date & airport on our family ski deals page (it’s where the best discounts are). The very cheapest like self-drive (with ferry ticket for your car included) and even accommodation-only are a bit more DIY, but Sno cheaper way to ski!
Family Chalets
Relaxed home-from-home atmos', catering included and free wine with dinner! Many of our family chalets have “high tea” so children eat earlier, with adults dining together later, relaxed because the kids are a stone’s throw away. We love larger “chalet-hotels”, combining chalet catering with the extra facilities of larger accommodation.
Family Hotels
With half-board usually including breakfast and dinner, and often more options in terms of room types/sizes, hotels aren't as intimate as a chalet, but offer more privacy if your family is sharing (i.e. if not enough of you to book an entire chalet for sole-occupancy). Choose one with a pool to entertain off the slopes.
Inclusive Family Skiing
All-inclusive ski holidays are just the ticket for a week of hassle-free skiing and keeping costs under control. All food and drink is included in the price of the holiday and with childcare and ski lessons often thrown in too, you’re not only saving money but making the whole clan’s experience a great deal simpler - from the pre-holiday planning to your daily routines in resort.
Single Parent ski holidays
Our sociable, ‘families only’ chalets and family-focussed hotels are perfect if you’re planning a ski trip as a single parent. Staff are ready to lend a helping hand when it comes to things like childcare, meal supervising and the ski school run. You get to relax with other parents, while the youngsters make friends and keep each other company. There’s also plenty of chance to enjoy quality time together with your child, out on the mountains, around the resort and snug in your chalet or hotel.
Sno Secret
- For child-friendly nursery slopes lookout for a “magic carpet” among the best family ski resorts.
- Skiing with older children is a completely different bag, so read our skiing with teenagers resource.
- Taking granny or tots who won’t ski every-day? Pick a resort for non-skiers, with lots going on, off the slopes.
- Being prepared = stress free. Read our top tips, print off the packing list, and then… breathe…
- If you're looking for somewhere more characterful and authentically alpine than the French mega resorts, but find Italy not quite so organised in terms if childcare and ski schools, our recommended favourite skiing nation is Austria.
Family ski holidays FAQ:
On our family ski deals page. You’ll often find fabulous price reductions on school holiday week packages, offers on lift passes and/or equipment hire and added extras like nannies or ski guides.
For family trips, you want to pick a ski resort with accessible skiing for all ages. There are several tour operators geared toward family experiences like Esprit and Ski Famille where childcare elements can be pre-booked as part of the package- otherwise, you’ll be relying on creches in resort, or providing your own childcare (if required). Some of the best ski resorts for a first family holiday are:
- La Plagne and La Rosiere are family favourites with great skiing for younger kids and fun activities off the slopes.
- Avoriaz has excellent ski schools and fantastic facilities for first-timers, coupled with a traffic-free resort.
- Obergurgl is a high traffic-free resort in Austria with accessible terrain for even the newest of skiers.
- Mayrhofen has a wide variety of slopes for all the families, and the town has a lively atmosphere.
The best beginner ski resorts are:
- Les 2 Alpes, France
- La Plagne, France
- Lech, Austria
- Saas Fee, Switzerland
- Meribel, France
Lots of hotels, chalet hotels and specialist family chalets have on-site kids club/s. Most resorts also have a range of local childcare options, from private nannies and babysitters who can come to your accommodation to separate ski schools and kindergartens you can sign up for.
What to pack for a family ski trip?All the clothing elements and toiletries remain the same across the ages, but you might want to consider things like:
- Games and toys - Some chalets/hotels might have some games, but it is always best to bring some more. Games like Uno take up little space.
- Tablet/laptop- Most properties have Wi-Fi, and some have TVs but taking a tablet or laptop allows you to watch Netflix - great if there’s a whiteout.
View our full packing for a family ski holiday list
- Book out a luxury chalet where your chef can form a meal plan entirely around your needs.
- Stay in a hotel or chalet that provides a multi-option menu or buffet-style dining.
- Speak to us about your likes and dislikes and we’ll be able to advise accordingly.
A chalet hotel – the best of both! This is a hotel in size and appearance, often with facilities like a pool, spa, kids club and bar that you often wouldn’t find in a chalet. The catering is traditional chalet board: breakfast, afternoon tea & supper on 6 days.
£400pp isn’t unheard of for a cheap apartment, flight & transfer package for a family of 4, nor is £2000pp+ for a 5* hotel, flight & transfer package. Prices vary depending on dates, resort, accommodation & travel. Meals, lift passes, ski hire and lessons will add to that. Tell us your budget and we’ll show you what kind of ski holiday fits it.
Yes! All-inclusive makes organisation easy as you have less holiday components to arrange – pretty much everything’s covered in one booking. It’s great value for money, often with all food and drink, ski lessons, childcare, entertainment and lift passes bundled into the price of your stay. Club Med all-inclusive ski holidays are ideal for families as they include childcare over 4 years old, ski lessons (over 4 years), snowboarding (over 8 years), plus all food, drinks and snacks! In many resorts, there is also dedicated kids spaces and extra entertainment for kids.
Our family chalets and hotels are great for single parents. Staff help out with things like getting children to ski school, childcare allows for some ‘you’ time and you’ll have the chance to meet other parents while the kids make friends.
- Book a hotel with a teen zone/club
- Book them into group lessons or a performance clinic
- Pick a resort that’s popular with Brits so they can make friends
- Enjoy activities like snowmobiling, spa sessions and bowling together
- Find more on our skiing with teenagers page.
Ski lessons are best booked in advance. They run for half (morning/afternoon) or full days. Group lessons put (usually 4-6) people of a similar age and ability together with 1+ instructors. Private lessons are 1:1 tuition or a small group of family/friends can share an instructor. Lessons begin and end at a set ski school meeting place.
Yes - you can book a private instructor to teach the whole family together in one or a series of sessions. There are also ski guides if your family are experienced skiers who’d like a tour of the ski area (and the odd tip here and there) from a local expert.
Yes - typically until a certain time of the day children are welcome to enjoy things like hot chocolate and snacks if accompanied by an adult. If you’re unsure whether the kids are allowed, it’s best to check with staff when you first arrive.
There are plenty of chalets which allow dogs (usually for an additional fee). Take a look at our ski chalets that allow dogs page for tips about bringing your canine friend along - there are a few things to make sure you do before you travel, like getting a pet passport and any necessary vaccines.
Most popular family ski holidays
| Hotel | Resort | Country | Rooms | Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Massif Samoens | Samoens | France | 420 rooms | All-inclusive resort, childcare, ski & board lessons, swimming pools |
| Club Med Valmorel | Valmorel | France | 192 rooms | All-inclusive resort, kids clubs, ski/snowboard school |
| Hotel Les Cimes du Soleil | Avoriaz | France | 252 rooms | Ski in/out location, childcare |
| Chalet Nicole | La Plagne | France | Sleeps 30 | Close to slopes & ski school, family suites, spa facilities |
| Club Med La Plagne 2100 | La Plagne | France | 326 rooms | All-inclusive resort, childcare, ski lessons, ski in/out location |
| Les Arcs Panorama | Les Arcs | France | 433 rooms | All-inclusive resort, childcare & ski lessons |
| Village Montana Hotel | Tignes | France | 83 rooms | Ski in/out hotel, play room, kids club, swimming pool & spa facilities |
| Hotel Bergwelt | Obergurgl | Austria | 75 rooms | Childcare, games room, spa facilities |
| Chalet Alpenblume | Obergurgl | Austria | Sleeps 40-50 | Near slopes, wellness area, family rooms |
| Club Med Pragelato Via Lattea | Pragelato Via Lattea | Italy | 234 rooms | All-inclusive resort, childcare & lessons, swimming pool, spa |
| Chalet Camelia | La Rosiere | France | Sleeps 14 | Central location, family rooms, sauna |
| Chalet Romeo | La Rosiere | France | Sleeps 16 | Families-only chalet, close to lifts, sauna, family rooms |
We update this list often but facilities can change, so if any specific feature is essential to your trip, make sure you ask us to confirm the details before you book your holiday.
Cheap family ski holidays
| Resort | Country | Family friendly resort features | Prices (pp) from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meribel | France | Brit-run ski schools, huge ski area, things for every age group | £638 |
| Courchevel | France | Super beginner runs, Brit-run ski schools, luxury family chalets | £1005 |
| Val Thorens | France | Very snow sure, chalets near pistes, massive ski area | £603 |
| La Tania | France | Smaller 3 Valleys base, tons of skiing, friendly village | £887 |
| Tignes | France | Properties near pistes, snow sure skiing, independent ski schools | £471 |
| Val d'Isere | France | Snow sure skiing (& lots of it), non-ski activities, range of accommodation | £880 |
| Alpe d'Huez | France | Large, sunny ski area, great chalets, good for beginners | £291 |
| La Plagne | France | Ski in/out accommodation, snow sure, great place to learn | £388 |
| Les Arcs | France | Ski in/out properties, huge, high ski area, good for beginners | £444 |
| Morzine | France | Huge ski area, short airport transfers, family chalets & hotels | £822 |
| St Anton | Austria | Excellent ski school, family chalets, non-ski activities | £909 |
| Flaine | France | Short transfers, ski in/out properties, great beginner runs | £418 |
| Chamonix | France | Short airport transfers, plenty of non-ski activities, great ski schools | £1100 |
| Les Gets | France | Short airport transfers, huge ski area, super family chalet | £749 |
| Les Deux Alpes | France | Great for beginners | £454 |
| La Rosiere | France | Lovely family chalets, great beginner skiing, ski France & Italy | £286 |
| Yllas | Finland | Beginner friendly slopes, ski & meet Santa, awesome activities | £579 |
| Obergurgl | Austria | Snow sure skiing, chalets & hotels near the slopes, properties with on-site childcare | £1049 |
| Mayrhofen | Austria | Fun slope & igloo village, super activities | £919 |
| Avoriaz | France | Ski in/out, traffic free resort, amazing family chalets, great leisure centre | £477 |
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