Our selection of family-friendly resorts

You don't know yet where to go this winter for your snow holidays, this article is for you. Here you will find our selection of resorts to go to with your family in complete peace of mind. You will have an unforgettable stay in the mountains, full of discovery and activities adapted to you and your children.

Image by PIRO from Pixabay 

How to choose a family ski resort?

There are several criteria to take into account when choosing a resort:

• Choose a resort with the Family Plus label, which offers a personalised welcome for families with activities adapted for young and old, to be experienced together or separately. The prices are adapted from the youngest to the oldest and with all the shops and services nearby to minimise the number of trips to the resort.
• Does the resort have a nursery for children?
• Is the resort well equipped for beginners, such as a snow line and a conveyor belt?
• Ice rink, sledging, swimming pool: does the resort offer any non-skiing activities?
• Check out the offers for children's passes (free for under 5s) or family packs.
• Make sure the slopes are suitable for your family's skiing ability.

Photo by Mihály Köles on Unsplash

Top 5 best family ski resorts

Saint-Lary-Soulan (Pyrenees) 

Saint-Lary 1700 is also known as the Pla d'Adet. This area has been redeveloped and designed especially for beginners, families and children. There are of course ski schools, Patou Park for skiers between 6 and 12 years old, a school slope and a small green slope, all overlooking a wide, sunny wooden pedestrian walkway close to the shops. Enough to progress quickly before taking the Adet chairlift to try the first blue runs. Moreover, a playful track is proposed, the Kidpark served by covered conveyor belts for the greatest comfort of your children. In terms of après-ski activities: Sensoria Rio, the Maison du Parc National, the cinema, the ice rink, etc. The resort offers special rates and promotions for families.

• Altitude: 1700 m to 2515 m
• 56 runs: 7 green, 26 blue, 13 red, 10 black
• Family Plus label

Bresse-Hohneck (Vosges)

The Bresse-Hohneck resort places particular emphasis on children's areas. With a multitude of activities for your children to enjoy an unforgettable stay. Labell'Glisse 2 slopes, one for the youngest and one for the oldest, are reserved for children who discover the joys of the mountain on sledges. The Opoualand slope offers raised turns, gantries and games of skill to the little skiers, while the Waouland boardercross occupies the most comfortable. La Bresse is the family destination par excellence in the Vosges Massif. There are facilities such as the "Anicé le Sotré" children's centre with qualified activity leaders who look after the children by offering them indoor and outdoor games and short walks at the foot of the slopes (children from 12 months to 6 years old) and the "Jardin d'enfants", a safe and fun area, fitted out with 2 snow wires, a conveyor belt and figurines, welcomes the children of the Piou-Piou club from 3 to 5 years old

• Altitude: 900 to 1353 m
• 34 runs: 6 green, 14 blue, 13 red, 1 black
• Family Plus label 

Villard-de-lans (Vercors)

Close to Grenoble, Villard-de-Lans is a family resort with a beautiful area of 230 km of downhill and cross-country ski runs linked to Corrençon. The ESF Nordique of Villard/Corrençon offers an introduction to Nordic skiing for the whole family. The Babysnow ride, allows your child to discover the joys of the first glides from 11 months to 3 years. On skis, on foot or with snowshoes, explore the snowy areas of Corrençon with your family. The advantage of Villard de Lans for families is that it also offers numerous non-skiing activities: a swimming pool, a sports centre, an indoor skating rink, beautiful snowshoe walks and a bowling alley. The resort's plus points for the family: 2 large learning areas for young children, a Luge Park on the Colline des Bains, a nursery for children aged 3 months to 4 years and a specific ski pass depending on age. 

• Altitude: 1050 to 2050m
• 36 runs: 12 green, 9 blue, 7 red, 8 black
• Family Plus label

Les Ménuires (Alps)

Les Ménuires is the family resort of the 3 Vallées. Its many services/infrastructures dedicated to children are a real guarantee of a successful ski holiday! Among the many assets of the resort of Les Ménuires, the reception of children from the age of 3 years in the Piou-Piou Club, the 2 beginners' areas specially fitted out and secured to allow children to progress without danger, the chairlifts equipped with a safety system at the level of the guardrail, the Family pass as well as the numerous activities/entertainments proposed for all the age categories. In addition, a nursery is available for little ones from 3 months. Pram traffic is made easier in the resort thanks to special facilities and free shuttles. Baby carriers, pushchairs, sledges, high chairs and cots can be hired from several shops in the resort.

In Les Menuires, your children will love :

• L'Arène des Neiges : A snow labyrinth at the top of Roc 1
• The Mini KL track to beat your speed record
• The Roc'n Bob sledging run: 4 km, 450 m difference in height and 22 sharp turns
• The Walibi Gliss' fun zone with a slalom course, a boardercross and a music zone
• Altitude: 1850m
• 86 runs: 12 green, 43 blue, 23 red and 8 black
• Family Plus label

Chamrousse (Isère)

The accommodation, restaurants and shops with the label are kid friendly, ask for the list at the tourist office. All the facilities and activities of the big resorts, in the warm and reassuring setting of a small resort, it's the perfect combination for a successful family ski holiday. A special session on a baby snow (slippery buggy) for children aged 1 to 3, guided by an ESF instructor. Learning to ski downhill, cross-country or snowboard adapted for the little ones, in private or group lessons with an instructor. Skiing sessions for beginners from 3 to 5 years old, supervised and secured by an ESF instructor, on the Piou-Piou clubs of Chamrousse 1650, 1750 and 1700. Activities dedicated to families and young children: free entertainment with sledge races, mascots, shows, leisure centre, loan of baby cots and pushchairs, themed trail between Chamrousse 1650 and 1750. The resort offers a free ski pass for children under 5 years old. And for the little ones from 3 months to 6 years old: a nursery "Les Marmots".

• Altitude: 1400 to 2250m
• 43 runs: 7 green, 14 blue, 16 red and 6 black
• Family Plus label