Not sure where to head this winter for your snow holiday? This article is for you. You'll find our selection of resorts for a stress-free trip with the whole family — an unforgettable mountain stay packed with discovery and activities suited to you and your children.
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How to choose your family ski resort?
Several criteria should be considered when choosing your resort:
- Choose a resort with the Famille Plus label — offering a personalised welcome for families with activities tailored for young and old, to enjoy together or separately. Adapted pricing for all ages, with all shops and services close by to minimise travel around the resort.
- Does the resort have a crèche for young children?
- Is the resort well equipped for beginners, with a magic carpet and a conveyor belt?
- Ice rink, toboggan runs, swimming pool: does the resort offer off-slope activities?
- Check for offers on children's passes (free for under-5s) or family packages.
- Make sure the slopes are well suited to the skiing level of your family members.
Photo by Mihály Köles on Unsplash
Top 5 Best Family Ski Resorts
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Saint-Lary-Soulan (Pyrenees)
At the heart of the Pyrenees and the Aure Valley, you'll find Saint-Lary village (830 m), with the warm and authentic atmosphere of a true Pyrenean village. Saint-Lary 1700 (Pla d'Adet) and Saint-Lary 1900 (Espiaube) offer a breathtaking panorama over the Pyrenean range and are, in winter, ideal bases for skiing enthusiasts. This area has been redesigned with beginners, families and children specifically in mind. Here you'll find ski schools, the Patou Park for skiers aged 6 to 12, a nursery slope and a small green run — all overlooking a wide, sunny wooden pedestrian promenade close to shops. Plenty of room to progress before heading higher on the Adet chairlift to tackle your first blue runs. There's also a fun run, the Kidpark, served by covered conveyor belts for your children's comfort. After-ski activities include Sensoria Rio, the Maison du Parc National, cinema, an ice rink, and more. The resort also offers pricing and promotions specially designed for families.
- Altitude: 830 m to 2,515 m
- 56 runs: 7 green, 26 blue, 13 red, 10 black
- Famille Plus Certified
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Bresse-Hohneck (Vosges)
Bresse-Hohneck places a particular emphasis on children's areas. With a wealth of activities for your children to make their stay unforgettable. Labell'Glisse has 2 runs — one for the youngest and one for older children — reserved for kids discovering the joys of sledging in the mountains. The Opoualand run offers banked turns, gates and skill games for young skiers, while the Waouland boardercross keeps the more confident ones entertained. La Bresse stands out as the ultimate family destination in the Vosges massif. It offers facilities such as the La Maison des enfants "Anicé le Sotré" crèche, staffed by qualified supervisors who engage children with indoor and outdoor games and short walks at the foot of the slopes (children aged 12 months to 6 years), as well as the Jardin d'enfants — a safe and fun space fitted with 2 magic carpets, a conveyor belt and figurines, welcoming children from the Piou-Piou club aged 3 to 5.
- Altitude: 900 to 1,353 m
- 34 runs: 6 green, 14 blue, 13 red, 1 black
- Famille Plus Certified
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Villard-de-Lans (Vercors)
Near Grenoble, Villard-de-Lans is a family village resort with a fine domain of 230 km of alpine skiing and Nordic skiing slopes linked to Corrençon. The ESF Nordique de Villard/Corrençon offers family Nordic skiing introductions. A Babysnow outing introduces your child to the joys of their first glides, from 11 months to 3 years old. On skis, on foot or on snowshoes, explore the snowy expanses of Corrençon as a family. Villard-de-Lans' key asset for families is its range of off-slope activities: a swimming pool, a sports centre, a covered ice rink, great snowshoe walks and a bowling alley. Family highlights at the resort: 2 large learning areas for young children, a Luge Park at the Colline des Bains, a crèche for children from 3 months to 4 years old, and age-specific lift passes.
- Altitude: 1,050 to 2,050 m
- 36 runs: 12 green, 9 blue, 7 red, 8 black
- Famille Plus Certified
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Les Ménuires (Alps)
Les Ménuires is the family resort of the 3 Vallées. Its extensive range of services and facilities dedicated to welcoming children is a true guarantee of a successful ski holiday! Among the resort's many assets: children are welcome from age 3 at the Piou-Piou Club, 2 specially designed and secured beginner areas allow children to progress safely, chairlifts fitted with a safety system on the safety bar, a Family pass, and a wide range of activities and entertainment for all age groups. A crèche is also available for little ones from 3 months old. Pushchair access around the resort is made easier thanks to specific facilities and free shuttle buses. Baby carriers, sled-pushchairs, high chairs and travel cots are available to hire from several shops within the resort.
At Les Ménuires, your children will love:
- L'Arène des Neiges: A snow maze at the top of Roc 1
- The Mini KL run to beat your speed record
- The Roc'n Bob toboggan run: 4 km, 450 m of vertical drop and 22 banked turns
- The Walibi Gliss' fun zone featuring a slalom course, a boardercross and a music area
- Altitude: 1,850 m
- 86 runs: 12 green, 43 blue, 23 red and 8 black
- Famille Plus Certified
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Chamrousse (Isère)
Labelled accommodations, restaurants and shops are kids-friendly — ask for the full list at the tourist office. All the facilities and activities of a large resort, within the warm and reassuring setting of a smaller one: the perfect combination for a successful family ski holiday. Baby snow sessions (sliding pushchair) for children aged 1 to 3, guided by an ESF instructor. Alpine skiing, Nordic skiing or snowboarding lessons tailored for young children, in private or group sessions with an instructor. Sliding sessions for beginner children aged 3 to 5, supervised and kept safe by an ESF instructor, at the Piou-Piou clubs at Chamrousse 1650, 1750 and 1700. Family and young children's activities: free entertainment with sledge races, mascots, shows, a leisure centre, baby cot and pushchair loans, and a themed trail between Chamrousse 1650 and 1750. The resort offers a free pass for children under 5. And for the very youngest from 3 months to 6 years: the "Les Marmots" crèche.
- Altitude: 1,400 to 2,250 m
- 43 runs: 7 green, 14 blue, 16 red and 6 black
- Famille Plus Certified
