Val Thorens
France
Europe's highest ski resort at 2,300m, and the closest thing to a guarantee that you will be skiing on Christmas Day.
Village 2,300m · top 3,230m
84
/ 100
Very snow-sure
Where will you wake up this Christmas?
Find extraordinary Christmas chalets across France, Austria, Switzerland and Italy — from cosy family hideaways to spectacular ski-in/ski-out mountain homes.
460 days until Christmas 2027 · chalet week 18 Dec – 25 Dec 2027
Four countries, four Christmases
The Alps are not one place at Christmas. Pick the one that sounds like yours.
- Christmas chalets in France
France
The biggest linked ski areas in the world, and the purpose-built high-altitude resorts that are the safest bet for snow in December.
- Christmas chalets in Austria
Austria
Real villages, the best Christmas markets in the Alps, and a warmth that purpose-built resorts cannot manufacture.
- Christmas chalets in Switzerland
Switzerland
The most dramatic mountains in the Alps, glacier skiing that opens whatever December does, and prices to match.
- Christmas chalets in Italy
Italy
The Dolomites at their most beautiful, long sunny lunches, and the best value Christmas week in the Alps.
Snow-sure at Christmas
Our Christmas Snow Score rates how reliably a resort has skiable snow in Christmas week — built from altitude, snowmaking and past Decembers, with the working shown on every resort page.
Cervinia
Italy
At 2,050m with glacier lifts and a link into Zermatt, the most snow-sure resort in Italy.
Village 2,050m · top 3,500m
81
/ 100
Very snow-sure
Val d'Isère
France
The rare resort that has both a real village and 3,456m of glacier-backed terrain above it.
Village 1,849m · top 3,456m · 300km of piste
73
/ 100
Very snow-sure
Tignes
France
Glacier skiing on the Grande Motte and the same Espace Killy terrain as Val d'Isère, for less money.
Village 1,810m · top 3,456m · 300km of piste
71
/ 100
Very snow-sure
Alpe d'Huez
France
Three hundred sunny days a year, 3,330m of altitude, and the longest black run in the world.
Village 1,860m · top 3,330m
70
/ 100
Very snow-sure
Méribel
France
The prettiest of the Three Valleys resorts and the one that suits families best.
Village 1,450m · top 2,952m
46
/ 100
Weather-dependent
Find your perfect chalet
Most people know the feeling they want before they know the resort.
Where we'd go this Christmas
Four resorts that do Christmas particularly well, and why.
Val Thorens
France
Europe's highest ski resort at 2,300m, and the closest thing to a guarantee that you will be skiing on Christmas Day.
Christmas Snow Score 84 / 100
Val d'Isère
France
The rare resort that has both a real village and 3,456m of glacier-backed terrain above it.
Christmas Snow Score 73 / 100
Méribel
France
The prettiest of the Three Valleys resorts and the one that suits families best.
Christmas Snow Score 46 / 100
Cortina d'Ampezzo
Italy
The most beautiful setting in the Alps, and an elegant Italian town that happens to have skiing.
Christmas Snow Score 38 / 100
Christmas inspiration
The research behind the choice.
Best Ski Resorts for Christmas
Our overall pick of Alpine resorts for Christmas week, ranked on snow reliability with atmosphere weighed alongside.
Best Snow-Sure Ski Resorts at Christmas
Which Alpine resorts are most reliably skiing in Christmas week, and why altitude is most of the answer.
Best French Ski Resorts for Christmas
France has the most high-altitude skiing in the Alps. Here is where it counts at Christmas.
Best Austrian Ski Resorts for Christmas
Austria does Christmas better than anywhere. The question is altitude.
Best Swiss Ski Resorts for Christmas
The most spectacular Christmas in the Alps, and the most expensive.
Best Italian Ski Resorts for Christmas
The Dolomites at Christmas, long lunches, and the best value in the Alps.
How this site works
We earn on bookings, not on clicks
When you book through a partner link we may receive a commission. It never changes your price, and it never changes which resort we say has the better snow.
Every number has a source
Altitudes, piste kilometres and prices appear with where we got them and when we checked. Where we have not verified something, the page says so rather than guessing.
Nobody can promise snow
The Snow Score tells you how reliable a resort tends to be at Christmas. It is not a forecast, and we will never tell you snow is guaranteed.
Some links below are commercial. If you book through one we may earn a commission, and what you pay is unchanged. How this works.