What’s one of the best things about winter? Skiing! If you’re planning to take the family on a skiing trip this year, take a look at our Mamas’ recommendations for family-friendly resorts.
Austria
Austria was our Mamas’ most popular ski destination, with many different resorts to choose from and great snow. February is the best time to visit.
Lermoos is a small village with beautiful pistes and lots of Dutch-speaking instructors. For variety, Bieberwier is just a 5-minute drive away and has lots of pistes and lifts.
Moar-Gut is a family-friendly resort with its own hotel, which offers various baby and child-friendly packages. Facilities include a creche, petting zoo, playground, indoor play rooms and a spa for the grown-ups. The food is highly recommended.
Rauris is fantastic for young children and the Hotel Raurishof has excellent reviews due to its great service and food.
Seefeld is just 35 minutes by car from Innsbruck. It is a nice village to walk around, a skating rink and a great indoor swimming pool. It is good for beginners but not that challenging for very accomplished skiers. It is not as high as some resorts so if there is not enough snow, try nearby Axamer Lizum.
Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis are three villages linked together into one big ski resort. This is a great destination for families just an hour or so from Innsbruck. There are excellent daycare facilities giving parents the freedom to ski alone. Great food and amazingly child-friendly environment. The Schlosshotel Fiss is very child-friendly. It has a swimming pool, kids club and ski-back accommodation. Try Tiscover for booking your accommodation.
Zell am See can be reached by a Ski Night Train which drops you in the centre of town and is specially designed to transport all that bulky equipment. It’s a real adventure for the kids and wonderful to wake up in the mountains surrounded by snow.
Zillertal, Hintertux, Kuhtai and Saalbach-Hinterglemm were also recommended.
France
France offers a multitude of resorts to suit all abilities.
Grand Massif has the piou piou club for small children. The interconnecting resorts offer slopes for all abilities.
Chamonix caters well to beginners while offering challenges for the experienced skier.
Semnoz is a small resort, just 20 minutes from the medieval town of Annecy, where the crowds are few and mostly local. It’s low on amenities, but great for kids, and easy on the family budget.
Surprisingly few recommendations from our Mamas for France so do get in touch if you have a favourite family resort here.
Germany
Winterberg is about 3.5 hours from Amsterdam and great for a quick getaway. There is a children’s play area, ski school and family-friendly dining. A large number of junior slopes also make it a great place for children.
Italy
Bardonnechia, located close to the French border, is a beautiful and reasonably-priced ski destination with delicious cuisine. The city of Turin is an hour and a half away by car and makes a lovely day trip.
Südtirol in the Dolomites was a popular choice with our Mamas. It has great slopes for both beginners and experienced skiers and is incredibly picturesque with beautiful historical cities and villages. Mamas also appreciated the spa facilities and the delicious wine and food. It is extremely child-friendly with accommodation to suit all budgets.
Val Gardena, Alpe di Suisi, Piani di Bobbio are also recommended.
Slovakia
Slovakia has lots of lovely ski slopes and is cheaper than some of its European neighbours. Jasná is popular with families and has plenty of runs suitable for beginners.
Spain
Andorra is a three-hour drive from Barcelona so if you feel the need to get somewhere warmer and twin your trip with a city break, you haven’t far to travel. Arcalís, Grandvalira, and Pal/Arinsal are all great for families and have special children’s areas with obstacle and adventure courses.
Pssst! Book your skiing holiday via booking.com/amsterdammamas and we’ll receive a portion of the reservation value. Find the perfect accommodation for your family and support Amsterdam Mamas at the same time!
This list has been compiled from the recommendations of our members on the Amsterdam Mamas Facebook group.
photo credit: Yay Images
Deborah Nicholls-Lee
Deborah Nicholls-Lee is a freelance journalist who moved to the Netherlands from the UK in 2009. She is the founder of Clean Page Copy, a proofreading and copywriting service for non-native speakers of English. See her website to find out more about her work.
