7 of the best places to go skiing in Europe

Finding the perfect place to ski in Europe has a similar feeling to falling in love. My first experience was in Avoriaz in France. I was slopeside eating a melted raclette panini, the cheese bubbling and oozing in my gloved hand. The sweet tang of local cheese tasted like a hot gourmet love letter. Surrounded by fang-like mountains to the soundtrack of toe-tapping techno, Cupid’s arrow hit my heart. Somewhere, your ski-slope love affair is waiting to be discovered.  

And there’s a blizzard of choices out there. Among Europe's much-admired resorts, like Verbier and Val d’Isère, you’ll find lesser-known places to ski that would be headline acts anywhere else in the world. So whether you’re seeking quieter lift lines or buzzing après-ski dance floors, I'll help you find the perfect place in Europe to plant your ski poles this winter.

1. Selva, Italy

Best for miles

In Italy's Dolomites you can head out on day-long 40km "ski-fari" around the Sella Ronda, skiing your way from resort to resort using just the one ski pass. Circling the huge limestone formation of the Sella massif, the route dips through four separate Ladin valleys and five mountain passes. You can keep your skis (or snowboard) on the whole way — and even get towed by a horse through the Hidden Valley.

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Formed by a giant prehistoric coral reef 200 million years ago, the UNESCO-listed mountains are streaked in a myriad hues – catch the dawn and dusk enrosadira phenomenon, or alpenglow, when the rocky peaks blush pink. Selva is the perfect base in Val Gardena, with direct access to the Sella Ronda via the Costabella chair lift. Bonuses include nearby hamlets like the church-studded Ortisei. 

Best alternative for miles: Limber up for Les Trois Vallées, the largest interlinked ski area in Europe with over 600km of pistes. Base yourself in charming Méribel in the heart of the valleys for all area access.

2. St Anton, Austria

Best for the après ski scene

Bare-chested, bearded mountain men dance on tables and no one even notices. Slopeside at St Anton’s MooserWirt ⁠— one of the wildest après outposts in Austria, if not the world ⁠— the crowd goes crazy like a Eurovision audience drinking schnapps shots and steins of beer.

You'll find a joyful, mass of humanity living their best outdoors lives here, encapsulating Austria in a nutshell ⁠— or a shot glass. Imagine a funfest of people dancing like it’s 1999 (to a playlist that is often from 1999!).

The 3pm après bar crawl starts along Piste 1 before culminating at the full-tilt MooserWirt. Pro tip: finding your skis post-party is like wading through metal avalanche debris. Stow them somewhere memorable.

The ski area itself (part of Ski Arlberg) is an amphitheater of frozen peaks soaring like static sails, where the gourmet experiences are as hectic as the afternoon shenanigans (don’t miss deliciously sweet Kaiserschmarren pancakes at the Alm Hospitz). 

Best alternative for après ski: Head to the cumbersomely named Skicircus Saalbach-Hinterglemm-Leogang-Fieberbrunn, which boasts more than 30 bars. Try the locally distilled Bartl Enn Schnapps, regarded as some of Europe’s best.

3. Crans Montana, Switzerland

Best for freestylers

“Build it and they will come”, believed the Alaïa Chalet founder Sam Bonvin, and he was right. Previously known as the home of the late Roger Moore (of James Bond fame), Crans Montana has experienced a generational revival. Bonvin’s one-stop-freestyle-spot Alaïa Chalet was one of the catalysts for this change of fortune, with its trampolines, indoor skate ramps, foam pits, an outdoor skatepark, lodge and Alaïa Bay, a motorised surf pool.

Up on the 150km of slopes, the Crans Montana resort has cemented its status as a freestyle hub after hosting a Red Bull The Nines event in 2022. A generation of low-pant-wearing skiiers and snowboarders arrives carting GoPros bringing a fresh energy with them.

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The Alaïa Parks is the largest snowpark in Western Switzerland (100,000 sq m over two sites) and boasts an Olympic-sized halfpipe. In the town, creative urban art from the Vision Art Festival (including over 80 murals) mixes with traditional carvings, creating a tale of old happily meeting new. 

Best alternative for freestylers: Watch the Mottolino Snowpark in Livigno in Italy as it ramps up to host the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic freestyle competition.

4. Borovets, Bulgaria

Best for budget skiers

Bulgaria is a hands-down winner for budget skiers in Europe. The former aristocratic playground of Borovets was tarred by the UK tour-package push in the 2000s, but since the pandemic it’s been rediscovered. It’s located about an hour from Sofia airport, and has a ski school and rentals. Plus, eating out costs half the price of a catered chalet in France.

Beginners seeking low-cost commitment are the main market for this resort. The skiing terrain of 58km with a longest run of 12km is among atmospheric pine forests. In the village, the main drag is a package holiday town on snow, with a smattering of currency converters, English-style bars and local-style tavernas called mehana with traditional food and music. 

Best alternative for budget: Bansko is a cosmopolitan step up with notable nightlife (visualize roaming saxophonists), a cobblestone town and even a Kempinski hotel. It costs more than Borovets, but you do get what you pay for.

5. Zermatt, Switzerland

Best for non-skiers

If you know someone on the brink of joining the snow tribe, Zermatt will entice them over the edge with mountain-focused, non-skiing encounters.  

The car-free glamorpuss of Zermatt is known to skiers for the omnipresent Matterhorn, the highest lifted ski point in Europe (3899m) and 360km of riding. 

But the big news for non-skiers is the Glacier II gondola opening, the final link of the Matterhorn Alpine Crossing connecting Swiss Zermatt to Italy’s Breuil-Cervinia. The 90-minute trip includes the summit Glacier Paradise station and point-blank glacier views. 

Then there’s the Matterhorn Museum – Zermatlantis, which tracks the village’s fortunes from poor farming hamlet to international magnet (including the broken rope from the Matterhorn’s tragic first ascent). Try wandering the 500-year-old Hinterdorf alley, with its crooked wooden buildings, and riding the 125-year-old Gornergrat cog railway to Europe’s highest-altitude hotel, the Kulmhotel Gornergrat.

Best alternative for non-skiers: Buzzing Chamonix in France is the grande dame of mountaineering, with a pedestrian main street, shopping, belle epoque architecture and Aigle du Midi cable car (3842m) up Mt Blanc.

6. Avoriaz 1800, France

Best for design lovers  

Ah, Avoriaz. Love it or hate it, there’s nowhere like this futuristic, snowbound village perched on a spectacular balcony at 1800m.

The location seems impossible, coiled like a cat poised to freefall into the Morzine Valley. And if the location doesn’t stun, the mimetic architecture will. A collection of acutely angled, red cedar shingle-covered buildings, each more bizarre than the last, melds organically with the mountain here. Avoriaz was a wild gamble involving three renegade architects under 30 (Jacques Labro, Jean-Jacques Orzoni and Jean-Marc Roques) in 1966. It was built to be environmentally friendly before sustainability was a "thing," using passive heating principles and mainly natural materials.

With a seasonal snowfall average of around 7.5m, Avoriaz is France’s snowiest ski resort – a reason alone to visit. Throw in its Portes du Soleil address with linked slopes and a trip here becomes as unique as a Savoyard snowflake.

Best alternative for design lovers: The French went hard on brutalist high-altitude resorts in the '60s. Once maligned for their appearance, ski areas like Val Thorens and La Plagne are now lauded as snow-sure, forward-thinking masterpieces. 

7. Scandinavia

Best for early- and late-season skiing

Scandinavia is the cool kid on the block – literally – from blazing northern lights to traditional Sami ice-bound culture and remote wilderness. If you’re a passionate connoisseur of skiing, at some point, you’ll dig an edge into Scandinavia.

Think of a ski trip here as a winter holiday based around skiing rather than a pure ski trip. Imagine skiing in Levi, Finland under the aurora borealis, nuzzling reindeer after visiting Santa in Saariselkä or hitting peak hygge after a cold plunge and sauna basically anywhere.

SkiScandinavia is a local expert, organizing trips including to Sweden's largest alpine ski area, Sälen, and Norway's largest alpine ski area, Trysil, located either side of Scandinavia Mountains Airport.  

Best alternative for early- and late-season skiing: Riksgränsen, a freeriding hotspot 16 hours’ drive north of Stockholm opens in February when the sun appears and stays open til midsummer, with skiing under the midnight sun.