Dreaming of a white Christmas this year? Why not try asking Santa for a ski holiday to one of Europe’s most magical festive resorts?
Stroll through twinkling alpine streets as the snow gently falls, cosy up to sip vin chaud in front of a roaring log fire and work up an appetite for all that delicious Christmas food with plenty of fun on the slopes. What could be more special?
Here are four of our favourite places in Europe to spend the most magical time of the year. We’re feeling all festive just thinking about it!
Lively Val d’Isère is a great place for a party at any time of year, but at Christmas it really goes to town with a fantastic programme of festive fun. The picturesque chalets and churches of the Savoyard town centre are beautifully dressed with fairy lights and wreaths, and the Christmas Eve parade is a real highlight. You’ll also find snow sculptures, fireworks, carol services and Papa Noël joining in the action on the pistes.
Snow is pretty much guaranteed, thanks to a lofty altitude of 1850m, and the vast 300km Val d’Isère-Tignes ski area has not one but two glaciers to provide snowsure skiing and snowboarding even this early in the season.
Experience a true traditional Christmas in the beautiful village of Mayrhofen. The festive atmosphere here is peaceful and romantic. From the elegant decorations and nativity scenes to the Tyrolean Advent market with its chocolate-box wooden stalls selling spiced gingerbread, mulled wine and local handicrafts, it’s all about beautiful tasteful celebrations. The little ones will love meeting Saint Nicholas and dropping off their Christmas wish-lists to the angels who look after the cute Christkindl post office.
Snow-wise, Mayrhofen boasts a massive snowsure area – which includes the epic Hintertux Glacier – and excellent snow-making facilities too.
Nestled beneath the towering peaks of the Dolomites, this stunning valley is home to some of the prettiest villages in Italy. Christmas in Val di Fassa is a tranquil, relaxed affair. You’ll find several quaint festive markets where you can pick up traditional wooden crafts, regional gourmet treats and gorgeous hand-made jewellery.
Or head down to the shores of beautiful Carezza Lake, known locally as the ‘lake of the rainbow’, where a real winter wonderland springs up each year. Think ice sculptures, a life-size nativity scene, cosy wood burners and dozens of tiny huts selling their wares. Oh, and the Italians certainly know how to do Christmas feasting in style!
A whopping 90% of Val di Fassa’s runs are covered by snowmaking facilities, and the vast Marmolada Glacier is within your Dolomites ski area pass so you’re sure to be blessed with the white stuff over your Christmas break.
If you love a good Christmas party (or three), lively Pas de la Casa is a fun festive choice. Its varied bars are popular with groups looking for affordable après-ski, while the annual Children and Youth Fair has lots to entertain kids of all ages over the holidays.
Add in lovely Christmas markets nearby, the traditional Christmas Eve midnight mass service – known in Catalonia as the ‘Cockerel’s Mass’ – and virtually tax-free goodies for the Boxing Day shopping trip and you’ve got a Christmas to remember.
With an impressive altitude of 2100m, Pas de la Casa is the highest of the Andorran ski resorts. Speedy lifts link it to the 210km Grandvalira ski area, which is growing in popularity year on year, and over 60% of its runs are covered by snow cannons.
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In Italy, children are welcomed with open arms and made a real fuss of which makes for a very welcoming environment to take your family skiing or snowboarding.
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