Hi and Thank you for your question.
In Europe, ski resorts represent regions rather than a single resort
like in the USA. There are usually a variety of hotels and chalets
serving one resort – for the purposes of this answer I have listed a
recommended 4/5 star hotel for each resort (please be aware that the
resorts get very booked up over Christmas and there is also
self-catering accommodation available at the resorts). I have also
outlined which airport you need to fly into to get to each resort.
I have picked 5 ski resorts, which have an excellent reputation and
have been recommended by other sources too.
Chamonix, France,
The resort:
A well known, classic French ski-resort, Chamonix is a town at the
foot of Mont Blanc. I have visited Chamonix myself at New Year and
loved the place: great atmosphere and beautiful setting.
‘What really sets Chamonix apart from all other resorts is the
matchless abundance of off-piste terrain, explorations of chutes,
snowfields, glaciers and high bowls that are best done with a guide.’
http://gorp.away.com/gorp/activity/skiing/down_topeur4.htm
'Renowned for its’ wonderful snow, Chamonix offers superb skiing
facilities for skiers of all aptitudes. The Chamonix ski area is
divided into 6 ski locations which are linked by an efficient free
(with your lift pass) bus service.'
http://www.southridge.co.uk/ChamonixInfo.htm
Accommodation:
The Mont-Blanc Hotel has 4 stars: ‘The Mont-Blanc Hotel could not be
more central and adjoining the Tourist Office and ski school, this is
one of Chamonix's leading hotels.’
http://www.all-hotels.com/xbook/servlet/hotel-details?hotl_id=39660
The Mercure Coralia hotel in Chamonix has 3 stars, it has 2 luxurious
suites; further information can be found here
-http://hotels.carrentalflightshotels.com/hotel/10004406-11262890O.html?&src=10004406&ses=6519e3e869d912b2d87c172085dcf78258160
How to Get there:
It is best to fly into Geneva in Switzerland and then travel by road
to Chamonix itself.
Further Information:
The A-Z of Chamonix: http://www.chamonix.net/english/home.htm (lots of
information)
Skiing information: http://www.skibluesky.com/skiing.html
General Information: http://www.ski-europe.com/resorts/chamonix.html
Arlberg, Austria
The resort:
‘"The Arlberg" is the name given to five picturesque towns in western
Austria and the roughly 85 lifts and scores of runs that link them.
St. Anton (www.stantonamarlberg. com), one of the most famous resorts
in the world…St. Anton is popular with young, energetic and aggressive
skiers and snowboarders.’.
http://gorp.away.com/gorp/activity/skiing/down_topeur2.htm
‘St Anton am Arlberg is arguably one of the best ski resorts in the
world. It has a big ski area, good snow, improving lifts and lots of
snowmaking facilities and, with the 'Arlberg Ski' pass, you can ski at
Lech, Zurs and St Christoph as well. Situated only an hour from
Innsbruck and two hours from Zurich, the resort is easily accessible.’
http://www.ifyouski.com/resorts/featured/stanton
The Arlberg region is very big and ecompasses the towns of St Anton,
Stuben, Lech and Zurs. St Anton, in the heart of the region, is the
most popular location and has a lot to offer both on and off piste.
Accommodation:
St Antoner Hof is a 5 star hotel in St Anton, 5 minutes walk from the
town centre and has a pool, sauna, and Jacuzzi. Further information
can be found at the following websiter:
http://www.simplytravel.co.uk/newsite/destinations/ski/stanton/ant03.html
How to Get there:
Coming from USA it will be easiest to fly into Zurich (as only
European flights go into Innsbruck) airline which serve this airport
include Delta, Swissair, United, Northwest, KLM, Lufthansa,
Scandanavian, British Airways and Air France.
Further Information:
For more information about the skiing, visit the following website:
http://195.188.244.210/skiwwwat/stant.htm
Val D’Isere, France
The resort:
‘Val d'Isère not only has one of the world's best snow records, it
also has one of the world's largest ski areas: 100 square km, with 300
km of exceptionally exciting and varied runs for skiers of all
standards’ http://www.yseski.co.uk/skiing.htm
‘Val d''Ishre ( http://www.valdeisere.com ) and neighboring Tignes (
http://www.tignes.net), now promotionally called L''Espace Killy,
incorporate everything French skiing is famous for. There''s an old
village core, popularly known as Val Village, now turned into a
glamorous downtown and surrounded by enough new accommodations to
justify nearly a hundred lifts. ‘
http://gorp.away.com/gorp/activity/skiing/down_topeur9.htm
This is one of Europe’s best known resorts here are a wide variety of
off-piste facilities.
Accommodation:
There are a number of 4 star hotels in Val D’Isere (no 5 star that I
could find):
The Blizzard Hotel: (http://www.ehi.com/travel/ehi/france/val-d'isere-hotels-blizzard-hotel.htm
)
Residence Hotel Sqaw Valley
(http://www.ehi.com/travel/ehi/france/val-d'isere-hotels-residence-hotel-squaw-valley.htm
)
Hotel Christiania (http://www.hotel-christiania.com/homepa-a.htm )
How to Get there:
It is best to fly into Geneva airport in Switzerland, it is around a
4hour journey by road from here.
Further information:
You can find out more at Val D’Isere’s official website:
http://www.valdisere.com/index-gb.htm
Cortina d''Ampezzo, Italy
The resort:
‘Cortina, as everyone shorthands it, is the leading resort of the
magnificent Dolomite Region - in fact, the leading resort of all of
Italy. Stylish, chic and located in a magnificent mountain range,
whose summits are crowned by dramatic rock formations, this historic
village has turned into one of the classiest and costliest of all
European resorts. … It boasts a wide variety of slopes for all
abilities, matched with an abundance of off-snow activities, that
makes it a popular winter getaway for all Italians who want to see and
be seen. ‘ http://gorp.away.com/gorp/activity/skiing/down_topeur3.htm
This resort offers dramatic scenery, varied levels of skiing and good
off-slope facilities, however it can get very crowded in the holiday
season and is expensive.
Accommodation:
‘Of Cortina’s 65 hotels, 53 are considered three- and four-star
establishments. Guests expecting luxury beware; the great majority of
the area’s hotels were built over a century ago, and construction,
furnishings, and layout bear evidence of this fact…. The best hotels
include the Miramonti Majestic, a lovely old chateau two kilometers
outside of town, and the more central and typically Tyrolean De La
Poste in the town center. ’ (
http://216.74.150.71/ski-europe/skimatcher/map-contentPage.asp?item_id=29#accom
)
You can find out more and make reservations for the Miramonti Majestic
Grand Hotel at the following website:
http://www.dolomiti.it/hotel/cortina/miramonti/dxeng.htm
And for the De la Poste hotel at the following:
http://www.hotels.cortina.it/delaposte/posta2.htm
How to get there:
The closest international airport is Venice and it is about a 2 ½ hour
drive north to Cortina (100 miles). British Airways, Delta and
Alitalia airlines fly into Venice.
Further Information:
This is the link to the official website of the area:
http://www.sunrise.it/cortina/home-en.html
There is general information and comments about the quality of skiing
at the following website:
http://216.74.150.71/ski-europe/skimatcher/map-contentPage.asp?item_id=29
Jungfrau Region, Switzerland
The resort:
‘Switzerland''s Jungfrau Top Ski Region is dominated by some of most
famous summits in the Alps, notably the Eiger, the Jungfrau (which you
can ascend via train, one of the best scenic rail journeys on the
planet), and the Schilthorn.‘
http://gorp.away.com/gorp/activity/skiing/down_topeur5.htm
The region includes the towns of towns of Lauterbrunnen, Murren and
Grindelwald and is in Southern Switzerland.
Accommodation:
Most accommodation seems to be in Gridenwal
Situated at the foot of Mount Eiger, the Grand Hotel Regina
Grindelwald is the only 5 star hotel in the town, it has a pool, sauna
and suites available (it is a member of the ‘leading hotels of the
world’). You can visit its website here:
http://www.grandregina.ch/eframehome.htm
How to get there:
The best way to get to the region is to fly to Zurich International
airport and it is about a 2 hour drive from there (to Grindelwald).
You can also fly into Geneva, but it is a slightly longer drive from
there (around 2-3hrs). Airlines that serve the two cities from the
United States include Delta, Swissair, United, Northwest, KLM,
Lufthansa, Scandanavian, British Airways and Air France.
Further information:
Further information about this region can be found at the following
website:
http://www.jungfrauregion.com/HomePage.html
You can find out more about Grindelwald at the following websites:
http://www.grindelwald.ch/defaulte.htm
http://ch.avisit.com/English/272.html
General Information about top European Ski Resorts:
Lists their top 10 ski resorts:
http://gorp.away.com/gorp/activity/skiing/down_topeur.htm
General resort information (quality of skiing and snowboarding):
http://www.chaletsdirect.co.uk/luxuryskichalets.htm
Best Traditional Resorts:
http://www.travellady.com/articles/article-europeski.html
Search Strategy:
I knew something of these resorts already, I also used the following
search terms in Google:
Top European Ski Resorts
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=Top+european+ski+resorts
Europe ski resorts
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=Europe+ski+resorts&btnG=Google+Search
Europe ski resorts exclusive
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=Europe+ski+resorts+exclusive&btnG=Google+Search
Of course these are just a few of Europes many ski-resorts, but they
definitely rank among the top ones. I hope that this answers your
question, please advise if you need any further clarification.
Kind regards,
Ali |
