Family ski holidays when planned correctly can be a fantastic memorable experience or an expensive stressful one. Skiing with kids is a whole new game, there are lots of new things to think about and challenges almost akin to climbing Mt. Everest! Booking can seem like a minefield especially when you take into account the extra costs.
But we’re here to help and In this blog we will tell you about the most important priorities, give you tips and tricks, find alternatives you may have never thought of, and guide your budget for these peak dates, turning that mountain into a molehill (from a booking perspective, thankfully you’ll still be skiing on mountains).
Family Priorities
Five of the most important priorities for family skiing holidays are:
- Short transfers
- Ski in ski out
- Accommodation that is close to ski school
- Interconnecting or rooms next to one another
- Flight times or departure points
These holiday features can make or break a ski holiday, are more expensive and get sold out quickly on peak dates. To keep the cost within your budget you should be booking as early as possible when planning your family break.
Top Resorts with short transfers
Austrian resorts tend to have the shortest transfer time and are normally about an hour away from the nearest airport. However, the shortest transfer time we have is 30 minutes to Levi in Finland when flying into Kittila.
In France, great ski resorts and areas for family skiing with short transfers are; Alpe d’Huez, Les Deux Alpes, Grand Massif and Portes du Soleil, these are all around an hour and a half from the nearest airport, so very short transfers for the little ones on peak dates.
Ski-in ski-out or getting close to ski school
As a rule, when looking on our site for a family skiing holiday, the higher the snowflake rating the closer the accommodation will be to the slopes. The exception to this is if the accommodation has a hot tub, and if this is the case it's more likely to be further away. Many of our properties will have the distance to the ski school information provided, helping you choose between two that you’ve seen you liked. By default being close to the slopes often means that you are close to the ski school, however, it is worth ringing one of our experts to double check.
Interconnecting rooms and the alternatives
Interconnecting or numbered rooms are very important for family skiing holidays, 4 star hotels in Italy and Austria will often have them. Chalet hotels are also very popular for families as they often have a good range of suites and include childcare with most of them.
Having a sole occupancy chalet on peak dates between 2 or 3 families can ease the pressure of the rooming situation. Chalets have a great home away from home feel and kids can roam at their leisure.
If you can’t find a chalet, then a self-catered apartment could be a good alternative, these are often ski-in ski-out and occasionally you can upgrade to Half Board.
Flights
or areas like the 3 Valleys, Espace Killy and the Paradiski ski area, it is advisable to get early morning flights to avoid the traffic on peak dates. Morning flights are cheaper and you can get your ski hire sorted early reducing your stress for your family skiing holiday.
Iglu's Top Tips and tricks
Saving Money
Saving money normally means going against the grain. This means you need to think about what is most important to you and what you can compromise on for your family skiing holiday. We've written a full guide on how to save money on your family ski holiday if you'd like more information.
If your kids are relatively new to skiing and your budget is low, then Bulgaria, Slovenia and Bosnia Herzegovina are perfect for peak dates. The price for ski hire, lessons and lift pass will cost you less than what it costs for a lift pass in France and the standard of instruction is fantastic.
Booking a small resort will save you money and is normally more suitable for kids. Children tire easily, so shorter runs will give them the confidence to thrive and you can easily meet them after their lessons.
Make it an experience, not just a ski trip
Resorts with a host of activities like Levi in Finland will make it a fun-filled family skiing holiday. Here you can do husky rides, visit Santa, and have hotels with great facilities to keep the kids entertained.
Book early
An advantage of booking early is that some of our holidays have free places for children and with low deposits from £100 per person it's easy to secure your dream holiday. Infants normally only have a small charge or with someone on holiday their places are free, but the crèche will come at an extra (small cost) but does mean you can enjoy a full day on the slopes. Ski holiday extras such as; childcare, lessons and ski carriage tend to get booked up very early for peak dates. You need to book these early to avoid disappointment for your family skiing holiday.
Our ski deals are regularly updated with fantastic offers such as 2-4-1 lift passes, equipment hire deals, exclusive savings and more.
All-inclusive with Club Med
Lessons, food, childcare, ski-in-ski-out locations and great hotel facilities are all taken care of on a Club Med holiday. Once you have booked your family skiing holiday you don’t need to spend a penny in the resort. Included in a Club Med ski holiday
- Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks
- Flights and transfers
- 3 main meals a day
- Snacks throughout the day
- Morning and afternoon ski lessons
- Fun evening entertainment
The only thing you need to pay for is ski hire and holiday insurance. There are also a couple of resorts that charge extra for childcare, however, talk to one of our ski specialists and they will let you know. Club Med regularly works out at great value for money.
Browse Club Med Ski Holidays
Best for budget family skiing holidays
Value for money
Mid-range
Top of the range
Our final tip is to just give us a ring on 0203 553 1668 or complete an email enquiry here as soon as possible especially if you are wanting to book a peak date. We will take the stress out of booking this all-important family ski holiday.
