Ski & snow towns, around the world.
Snow without the lift queue.
Abondance
Abondance, a tiny Alpine village in Haute-Savoie just south of Lake Geneva, lends its name to both a regional cheese and the breed of cattle whose milk produ…
Ladis
A small Tyrolean village in Austria's Landeck district known since the Middle Ages for its sulphur and sour springs, Ladis also draws visitors for ski touris…
Macugnaga
High in the Italian Alps at the foot of Monte Rosa's dramatic east face, Macugnaga is a tiny mountain village in Piedmont offering skiing in winter and hikin…
Cauterets
This spa town and ski resort in the French Pyrenees, Cauterets sits along the Gave de Pau river within the Pyrénées National Park, surrounded by mountain sce…
Mayrhofen
This well-known ski resort in Austria's Zillertal, Mayrhofen sits in the Ziller river valley in Tyrol and serves as the main base for alpine skiing across th…
Castel di Sangro
This compact town in Abruzzo's L'Aquila province, Castel di Sangro sits along the Sangro river with a central core of cafés and restaurants and a photogenic…
Gérardmer
Sitting directly on its own lake in the Vosges mountains of northeastern France, Gérardmer is a compact town with a café and restaurant scene that would suit…
Kranjska Gora
A winter sports hub in northwestern Slovenia's Upper Carniola region, Kranjska Gora sits on the Sava Dolinka River near the point where Austria, Italy, and S…
Alagna Valsesia
This compact alpine village in Piedmont's Valsesia valley, Alagna Valsesia sits at the foot of Monte Rosa — the second-highest peak in the Alps — and is inte…
Saint-Lary-Soulan
This dual-season mountain resort village in the Hautes-Pyrénées, Saint-Lary-Soulan draws skiers in winter to its slopes at Pla d'Adet and Espiaube, and hiker…
Crested Butte
A compact Colorado mountain town spread across a snow-covered valley, with a dramatic peak rising directly behind it, a lively café and dining scene well abo…
Sun Peaks
Built around a ski resort established in 1961 and formerly known as Tod Mountain, Sun Peaks is a compact village in the mountains of British Columbia, northe…
Ax-les-Thermes
Thermal spa village in the Ariège Pyrenees with more than sixty hot springs, Ax-les-Thermes also operates a winter ski area — Ax 3 Domaines, established in D…
Zell am See
Sitting directly on the shores of a deep alpine lake in the Austrian state of Salzburg, Zell am See pairs year-round mountain sports — anchored by the Zell a…
Jelenia Góra
A gateway city to the Karkonosze mountains in southwestern Poland, Jelenia Góra has a walkable historic centre with a restored baroque marketplace, 17th-cent…
Morbier
Morbier, a village in the Jura mountains of eastern France, lent its name to the cheese produced across the wider Jura region and was, alongside Morez, the c…
Busteni
A popular year-round mountain resort in Romania's Prahova Valley, Bușteni sits at the foot of the Bucegi Mountains and serves as the main gateway into that r…
Bardonecchia
This small mountain town in Piedmont's upper Susa Valley, Bardonecchia is a winter sports base with two ski areas — Colomion-Les Arnauds-Melezet and Jafferau…
Bagnères-de-Bigorre
Spa town in the foothills of the French Pyrenees, Bagnères-de-Bigorre sits in the valley of the Adour river and offers a café and restaurant scene that holds…
Penticton
Sitting between two lakes in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley, Penticton is a photogenic town with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants and easy…
Leukerbad
Mountain spa and ski resort in the Swiss canton of Valais, Leukerbad is best known for its thermal springs, which reach temperatures of up to 51°C, and the m…
Aussois
A pocket-sized ski and mountain village on the edge of the Vanoise National Park — France's first — in the Savoie department of the Alps, Aussois draws winte…
Leonessa
Founded in 1278 at the foot of Monte Terminillo in the northeastern corner of Lazio's Rieti province, Leonessa is a little town with an outsized number of hi…
Kolašin
Tiny mountain town in northern Montenegro that serves as a base for skiing in winter and hiking in summer, with the ranges of Bjelasica, Sinjajevina, and Kom…
Landeck
Small Tyrolean city at the confluence of mountain rivers in Austria's Upper Inn Valley, Landeck sits at the gateway to one of the country's most tourism-inte…
Chamrousse
Chamrousse, a ski resort village in the Belledonne range above Grenoble, holds a particular place in French skiing history: the sport was first practised her…
Arcidosso
This small Tuscan village on the slopes of Monte Amiata, Arcidosso draws visitors year-round with access to skiing in winter and mountain trails in summer, a…
Andermatt
High-Alpine village in the canton of Uri, Andermatt sits at the historic crossroads of Switzerland's north-south and east-west mountain routes through the Sa…
Ellmau
This year-round resort village in the Wilder Kaiser mountains of Tyrol, Ellmau sits within the Ski Welt skiing area and offers hiking, mountain biking, and c…
Gavarnie
This small Pyrenean hamlet in the Hautes-Pyrénées is the gateway to the Cirque de Gavarnie, a massive glacial cirque and UNESCO World Heritage Site that also…
Žilina
City on the Váh river in north-western Slovakia with a lively café scene and a historic centre whose arcaded main square is considered unique in the country.
Mariazell
Austria's most significant Catholic pilgrimage site, Mariazell is a small Styrian mountain village whose Basilica of the Nativity of Mary houses a lime-wood…
Mezica
Little Slovenian town in the Carinthian mountains near the Austrian border, Mežica grew up around a lead and zinc mine beneath Mount Peca that operated from…
Mittenwald
Violin-making has defined Mittenwald for centuries, and this small Bavarian Alpine town near the Austrian border carries that tradition alongside dramatic mo…
Wenns
A village in Austria's Pitztal valley, Wenns sits along the Pitze river and is home to the oldest farmhouse in Tyrol — the Stamserhaus, around 700 years old.
Rajcza
This tiny village in the Beskid Żywiecki mountains of southern Poland, Rajcza sits along the upper Soła river and serves as a base for both summer hiking and…
Arinsal
This tiny Andorran ski village high in the Pyrenees, Arinsal draws winter visitors with slopes suited to beginners and intermediates, and is particularly pop…
Fulpmes
Small market town in Austria's Stubaital valley, Fulpmes has served as the iron-working centre of the valley for generations and sits at the base of the Schl…
Capracotta
One of the highest-elevation villages in central Italy, Capracotta sits in the mountains of Molise and holds several historic churches for a settlement of it…
Artvin
A compact town in northeastern Turkey's mountains, Artvin sits on a hill above the Çoruh River with a centre concentrated enough for easy walking between caf…
Schoppernau
A modest winter-sports village in the Bregenzerwald region of Vorarlberg, Austria, set along the Bregenzer Ach river in the upper reaches of the valley.
Soldeu
A ski and snowboard village in the Pyrenees mountains of Andorra, Soldeu is among the country's best-known areas for winter sports, with modern facilities an…
Orizaba
This Pueblo Mágico city in Veracruz, Orizaba sits along rivers and parks in the highland mountains between Mexico City and the port of Veracruz, with a walka…
Radstadt
A heritage-dense modest town in Austria's Salzburg state, Radstadt sits close to the mountains and carries an unusual concentration of cafés, restaurants, an…
Saint-Véran
Claimed to be the highest permanent settlement in the French Alps, this pocket-sized hamlet in the Hautes-Alpes sits at high elevation within the Queyras Reg…
Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard
This lake-country municipality in Quebec's Laurentian Mountains, Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard sits on the shores of Lake Saint-Joseph and counts close to seventy l…
Schladming
Well-equipped winter sports town in Styria's Enns valley, Schladming has twice hosted the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships — in 1982 and 2013 — and also he…
Szczyrk
A winter sports resort town in the Beskid Śląski mountains of southern Poland, Szczyrk sits in the valley of the Żylica river with the peak of Skrzyczne risi…
Garessio
This pocket-sized Piedmontese village in the Ligurian Alps known for its mineral water, Aqua San Bernardo, which drew spa visitors at the turn of the twentie…
Bezau
This compact village in the Bregenz Forest region of Vorarlberg, Austria, Bezau sits among mountain terrain and draws visitors year-round for skiing and hiking.
Szklarska Poreba Dolna
A ski resort and hiking base in the Giant Mountains of south-western Poland, Szklarska Poręba serves as a gateway to Karkonosze National Park and draws visit…
Silver Star Mountain
Ski resort in the Monashee Mountains of British Columbia, northeast of Vernon, Silver Star Mountain operates a snow season from late November to mid-April an…
Serfaus
A Tyrolean ski village in northwest Austria, Serfaus is part of the Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis ski region formed in 1999 and sits on a sunny terrace above the Inn Va…
Disentis
One of Switzerland's oldest Benedictine monasteries — its current complex built between 1696 and 1712, though the foundation dates to 720 — anchors this smal…
Karpenisi
Karpenisi is the highest-elevation regional capital in Greece, a small town in the southern Pindus Mountains set along the Karpenisiotis river with Mount Tym…
Kaprun
A little Austrian town in the Salzburg province that pairs year-round glacier skiing on the Kitzsteinhorn — whose summit viewing platform sits high above 3,0…
Gudauri
Georgia's main ski destination, Gudauri sits high in the Greater Caucasus on a south-facing plateau near the Jvari Pass, with slopes above the tree line and…
Tsaghkadzor
Armenia's main ski resort sits on the eastern slopes of Mount Teghenis, a short drive northeast of Yerevan, and draws visitors year-round with forested mount…
Lilienfeld
Lilienfeld Abbey anchors this little Lower Austrian town in the Traisen River valley, south of St.
Samoëns
Alpine village in the Vallée du Giffre near the Swiss border, Samoëns holds a "ville fleurie" designation for the quality of its gardens and public greenery,…
Engelberg
A mountain resort in Central Switzerland, popular for both skiing and summer Alpine tourism, with a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size.
Reit im Winkl
This Bavarian village on the German-Austrian border known for reliable snowfall and a ski resort that earned Germany's first-ever Premium Winter Trails Certi…
Leutasch
A Tyrolean village in the mountains northwest of Innsbruck, Leutasch is known for its extensive cross-country ski trails in winter.
Oppdal
Compact Norwegian valley town ringed by broad forested slopes and high bare-topped mountains, Oppdal serves as a practical base for upland hiking and skiing,…
Rittersgrün
This village in the Erzgebirge mountains of Saxony, Rittersgrün is known today as a winter sports and hiking destination, with a well-developed trail network…
Risoul
This ski village in the French Alps between Briançon and Gap, Risoul pairs with neighbouring Vars to form the Forêt Blanche resort, offering a large network…
Ingonish
A cluster of small settlements on Cape Breton Island's Atlantic coast, Ingonish sits within Cape Breton Highlands National Park and along the Cabot Trail sce…
Innbygda
Compact Norwegian village on the Trysilelva river in Innlandet county, Innbygda serves as the base for the Trysilfjellet skiing area, which sits directly alo…
Bohinjska Bistrica
Small mountain village in northwestern Slovenia's Bohinj valley, Bohinjska Bistrica sits alongside the Sava Bohinjka river and serves as the main base for ex…
Myslenice
A town in southern Poland on the Raba River, Myślenice sits on the border between the Beskid mountains and the foothills, with the Zarabie district serving a…
Cowansville
A compact Quebec town built around Lac Davignon, Cowansville sits in the Eastern Townships region of south-central Quebec, with a central core of cafés and r…
Ohakune
Modest ski and tramping base on the southern edge of Tongariro National Park in New Zealand's North Island, Ohakune sits close to Mount Ruapehu's active volc…
Karpacz
A ski resort and hiking base in Poland's Karkonosze Mountains, Karpacz sits below the range's highest peak and serves as the most established resort town on…
San Martín de los Andes
A lakeside town in Argentina's Patagonian Andes, San Martín de los Andes sits on the eastern shore of Lago Lácar with a walkable centre full of cafés and res…
Raetihi
A modest village in New Zealand's central North Island, Raetihi sits in a valley between Tongariro and Whanganui National Parks, with views of the three volc…
Besse
A modest village in Puy-de-Dôme set within the Parc Naturel Régional des Volcans d'Auvergne, Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise sits close to the water and the mountai…
Sherbrooke
City in southern Quebec at the confluence of the Saint-François and Magog rivers, Sherbrooke sits at the centre of a region ringed by mountains, lakes, and s…
Mutters
A pocket-sized Tyrolean village on a mid-elevation terrace at the entrance to the Stubaital valley, just south of Innsbruck, with mountain terrain, scenic su…
Mouthe
France's coldest recorded place, Mouthe is a tiny Jura mountain village in the Doubs department where Météo-France officially logged −36.7°C on 13 January 1968.
Neuhausen
Home to the first nutcracker museum in Europe — with a collection of more than 5,000 examples — this modest Ore Mountains town in Saxony's Mittelsachsen dist…
Big White Ski
British Columbia's second-largest ski resort after Whistler, Big White sits high in the mountains southeast of Kelowna and operates from mid-November to mid-…
Tamworth
Walkable Staffordshire market town north-east of Birmingham, Tamworth sits at the confluence of the River Tame and carries a dense concentration of listed hi…
Kurort Oberwiesenthal
Germany's highest town sits in the Ore Mountains on the Czech border, making Kurort Oberwiesenthal a natural base for skiing and mountain recreation.
Sulmona
Sulmona, in the Abruzzo region of central Italy, has been producing confetti — the sugar-coated almond sweets — for centuries, and the tradition remains cent…
Krusevo
The highest town in North Macedonia and one of the highest in the Balkans, Kruševo sits in mountain terrain in the country's west and carries an outsized pla…
Smolyan
This highland town in Bulgaria's central Rhodope Mountains, Smolyan sits along the narrow valley of the Cherna and Byala rivers and holds the distinction of…
Oakland
This modest county seat in western Maryland sits close to Deep Creek Lake and the Wisp Ski Resort, with a historic district that makes it one of the more wal…
Ngong Ping
This highland plateau on Lantau Island known for the Tian Tan Buddha — a roughly 34-metre bronze statue — and the adjacent Po Lin Monastery, Ngong Ping is re…
Borovets
Bulgaria's oldest mountain resort, Borovets sits on the slopes of the Rila range and serves as one of the main starting points for hiking to Musala, the high…
Meiringen
Meiringen, a small town in the Bernese Oberland, claims two distinct pieces of fame: the nearby Reichenbach Falls, where Arthur Conan Doyle staged the fictio…
Quechee
Quechee Gorge, carved by the Ottauquechee River, is the centerpiece of this compact Vermont village in Windsor County.
Dobrinishte
Little spa and ski town in southwestern Bulgaria, Dobrinishte sits at the end of the scenic narrow-gauge Septemvri–Dobrinishte railway line and draws on seve…
Sixt-Fer-a-Cheval
At the end of the Giffre Valley in Haute-Savoie, Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval is a mountain village recognized among France's most beautiful, built around a priory and…
Predeal
Romania's highest town sits in the Prahova Valley, surrounded by four mountain massifs — Postăvarul, Piatra Mare, Bucegi, and Baiului — and offers a small ce…
Banite
This village in Bulgaria's Central Rhodope Mountains known for its mineral springs and balneotherapy centre, Banite sits alongside water in highland terrain…
Bukovel
Ukraine's largest ski resort and, as of 2012, the fastest-growing in the world, Bukovel sits high in the Carpathian Mountains in western Ukraine's Ivano-Fran…
Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via
Font-Romeu, one of the oldest ski resorts in France and the oldest in the Pyrenees, anchors this small commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales near the Spanish bo…
Dizin
Iran's first ski resort to receive International Ski Federation recognition, Dizin sits high in the Alborz mountains north of Tehran, with a season running f…
Vorokhta
A small Carpathian spa town and ski resort on the Prut River in western Ukraine, Vorokhta sits high in the mountains and is often regarded as a capital of Hu…
Bagnères-de-Luchon
This Pyrenean spa town in Haute-Garonne, Bagnères-de-Luchon — commonly called Luchon — combines thermal baths with a ski area at Luchon-Superbagnères, reacha…
Jilemnice
This compact town in the Giant Mountains Foothills of Czechia, Jilemnice serves as a natural gateway to the western Krkonoše range and is home to the oldest…
Collingwood
Georgian Bay town in Ontario known for winter skiing and summer access to limestone caves along the Niagara Escarpment, Collingwood sits on Nottawasaga Bay w…
Karaj
One of Iran's largest cities and the capital of Alborz Province, Karaj sits close to the Alborz mountains and is nicknamed "Little Iran" for its diverse popu…
Arkhyz
Mountain-resort village in the Republic of Karachay–Cherkessia, Russia, Arkhyz sits at high elevation in the valley of the Bolshoy Zelenchuk River, surrounde…
Frenstat pod Radhostem
This little town in the Moravian-Silesian Beskydy mountains of Czechia, Frenštát pod Radhoštěm sits at the confluence of the Lubina and Lomná rivers and serv…
Val-David
This modest Laurentian Mountains village north of Montreal with a lively food scene, a reputation as an arts community, and serious outdoor credentials: Parc…
Majdal Shams
Majdal Shams is the highest-elevation town in Israel, sitting in the southern foothills of Mount Hermon near the Syrian and Lebanese borders.
Stachy
Compact village in South Bohemia at the foot of the Šumava highlands, Stachy sits alongside the Jáchymovský stream and is home to one of the region's two lar…
Sigulda
A resort town on the Gauja river valley, Sigulda sits just over an hour from Riga by train and packs a striking amount into a little area: three castles, for…
Anykščiai
This small Lithuanian town on the Šventoji River is home to the tallest church in the country — the Roman Catholic Church of St.
La Parva
Ski resort in the Andes Mountains northeast of Santiago, La Parva sits within the Tres Valles area — the largest concentrated ski region in South America — a…
Kopavogur
Iceland's second-largest municipality sits immediately south of Reykjavík, with a walkable commercial centre, cafés, and waterfront access along the inlet wh…
Otepaeae
Estonia's self-styled winter capital, Otepää is a pocket-sized town in the hills of Valga County known as the country's leading skiing resort, hosting FIS Cr…
Pavcina Lehota
Small village in the Liptovský Mikuláš District of northern Slovakia, Pavčina Lehota sits within reach of the region's caves, aqua parks, and ski resorts, wi…
Esquel
Patagonian town in northwest Chubut Province, Esquel is the home station of La Trochita, the historic narrow-gauge railway known in English as the Old Patago…
Ignalina
A tiny town in eastern Lithuania within the Aukštaitija National Park, Ignalina sits beside several lakes — including Šiekštys and Gavys — and serves as a ba…
Kittilä
Municipality in Finnish Lapland above the Arctic Circle, Kittilä is home to the Levi ski resort at Sirkka and sits within reach of two national parks — Palla…
Veggli
A small hamlet in Norway's Numedal valley, Veggli sits on the Numedalslågen River in mountain terrain, with ski slopes and a lodge at Vegglifjell to the west.
Kostenets
This spa town in western Bulgaria's Sofia Province, Kostenets sits at the foot of the Rila and Sredna Gora mountain ranges and draws visitors with its minera…
Saarijärvi
A little town in Central Finland's lake district, Saarijärvi sits among 241 lakes — including Pyhäjärvi, Summanen, and Lake Saarijärvi itself — with forests…
Oukaimedene
Morocco's highest ski resort sits in the Atlas Mountains south of Marrakesh, with runs between roughly 2,600 and 3,200 metres and six ski lifts.
Bozi Dar
The highest town in the Czech Republic, Boží Dar sits in the Ore Mountains near the German border, where it has reinvented itself from a historic silver and…
Samokov
A gateway town in Sofia Province for the Rila mountain ski resorts of Borovets and Malyovitsa, Samokov sits in a valley between the Rila, Vitosha, and Sredna…
Gjern
This modest town in central Jutland, Gjern sits alongside the Gjern river and within the rolling Gjern Bakker landscape.
Valle Nevado
A ski resort in the Andes east of Santiago, Valle Nevado opened in 1988–89 under French developers who modelled it on Alpine winter resorts.
Berkovitsa
This Bulgarian town in northwestern mountain country, Berkovitsa offers a broad pedestrianized main street lined with shops and flower beds, with forested hi…
Borlänge
A town on the Dalälven river in Sweden's Dalarna province, Borlänge has a walkable centre with a solid food-and-drink scene.
Sjusjøen
This cross-country skiing destination on a forested mountain plateau east of Lillehammer, Sjusjøen sits at the heart of an extensive trail network connecting…
Banya
Thermal springs first tapped by Thracian settlers around the 4th century BC draw visitors to this Bulgarian village in Razlog Municipality, where mineral wat…
Kempele
Kempele, a compact town just south of Oulu in North Ostrobothnia, is the birthplace of NHL goaltender Pekka Rinne and home to one of northern Finland's large…
Ifrane
Established by the French colonial administration in 1928 as a mountain retreat from Morocco's summer heat, Ifrane sits high in the Middle Atlas at an elevat…
Bansko
Bulgaria's largest ski resort in the Balkans, Bansko sits beneath the Pirin Mountains in the southwest of the country and draws winter and summer visitors al…
Puke
One of the highest-elevation towns in Albania, Puke sits high in the mountains of the country's north and serves as a known ski area, making it a practical b…