Unless you were born an aristocrat, then chances are you’ve only got so many days of annual leave or days without commitment that you can travel.
Sometimes, it’s hard to choose between a delightful city break and skiing.
It doesn’t have to be a binary choice though. With a careful bit of planning and looking at the right ski resort towns or best cities for skiers, you can do both!
In no particular order, here are some of the best ski cities and towns for you to base yourself for your next snow sports holiday.
Innsbruck, Austria
If you fly into Innsbruck, you’re landing at a unique airport where pilots have to be specially trained to handle the steep descent amongst the towering peaks and valleys of the Tyrol region.
Innsbruck itself is charming and one of the best cities for skiers where you can enjoy Tyrolean food and culture, or even visit Europe’s highest zoo where you’ll find one of the world’s highest concentrations of alpine animals!
The transport infrastructure here is very good and famous resorts such as Mayerhofen and St Anton can be accessed by rail or road in just over an hour.
Salzburg, Austria
It’s no surprise that Austria has two of the best cities for ski breaks on this list. Salzburg oozes history and culture, as the birthplace of Mozart and lots to do including great shopping and dining.
And while Salzburg might not be bang in the middle of the Tyrol valley like Innsbruck, she isn’t short of a few great opportunities to ride Alpine terrain.
Untersberg is a small ski resort and the closest to the city, offering around 7 kms of pistes, accessible via gondola from the city centre. But for those looking for more terrain you’ll need to head 45 mins down the road to Hintersee or Abtenau.
Within an hour, you can also be in the Salzburger Sportwelt (230 kms of pistes), Hochkönig (100 kms of slopes) or Schladming-Dachstein (350 kms of terrain) making Salzburg a incredible option for a ski city break.
Turin, Italy
Turin is the birthplace of the Fiat 500 and it’s a city that’s steeped in history. Being the capital of Piedmont, this corner of Northern Italy has some tremendous culinary specialties such as white truffle, Barolo wine, and Piedmont chocolate.
After a couple of days loading up on great Piedmontese produce and appreciating the arches and avenues of the city, skiers can reach the nearby resorts of Sestiere, Sauze d’Oulx (Via Lattea) and Bardonecchia via train or bus from Turin’s Porta Nuova station. It’ll take about an hour and half by public transport, or slightly less by car.
Moreover, some Italian resorts offer shuttle services from the city centre itself varying from 1-2 hours.
Denver, USA
For American readers, the mile-high city is hardly a revelation. For Europeans though, a craft beery metropolis on the edge of world-class Colorado skiing sounds too good to be true!
Around an hour and a half drive from Denver, you can reach famous resorts such as Vail and Breckenridge (and it won’t be cheap!).
Closer to the city though, smaller ski towns such as Copper Mountain, Echo Mountain, Eldora, Loveland and Arapahoe are certainly worth considering with them being closer, cheaper, and probably quieter! Many of these are served by bus connections, or simply drive on the great road connections to hit the snow in just over an hour from Denver.
Zurich, Switzerland
The biggest city in the Alpine nation is well served for great little ski resorts by road or their excellent public transport system. The pick of the bunch is Hoch Ybrig, which is a fab and family friendly resort around 50 minutes from Zurich.
Other options less than an hour by car include Stoos, Mythen, Amden and Sattel-Hochstugli.
The city of Zurich itself is also a very beautiful city, with a lot to see and do. Culture vultures, shoppers and gastro lovers will be spoiled for choice in this amazing ski-friendly city.
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Safe, vibrant, and green. Slovenia’s clean capital of Ljubljana is a city that often flies under the tourist radar but has been more and more talked about in recent years.
Visitors can get lost in the old town, enjoy the enchanting Tivoli Park, and enjoy the melting pot of different culinary cultures from Italian to hearty central European fare such as goulash and schnitzel.
From the city, the captivating lake Bled can also be reached in less than an hour where there’s also a small ski area of its namesake.
Further along, Kranskja Gora is renowned for its diverse terrain and suitability for skiing across all skill levels.
Read more: Ljubljana ski holiday destination
Zakopane, Poland
This popular mountain town in the south of Poland is the gateway to the Tatra mountains. Popular with Poles, it’s a great place for hiking in the summer, and in the winter you’re a short drive from a variety of great little ski resorts.
Bialka Tatrazanska is one of the best ski resorts in Poland, just a 30 minute drive from the town. Or, head straight into the rugged Kaspowry Wierch in under 20 minutes. You can also drive into neighbouring Slovenia to check out Jasna in around 1 hour 35.
There are also smalller ski areas dotted around the town, which are fun for some short hops.
This is probably one of the prettier mountain towns on this list, and it’s also very cheap. Although you won’t find epic Alpine runs, Zakopane is a great value ski town and city break in its own right.
Read more: Zakopane – A Budget ski gem.
Munich, Germany
The capital of Bavaria and the land of lederhosens, pretzels, and steins of beer.
Munich boasts historic beer halls, hearty cuisine, and beautiful parks that can be enjoyed all year round (beer sure to check out the surfers on the Eisbachwelle!).
Munich is a nice European city with plenty of culture and activities to tie you over for a few days but not everyone realises that you can reach Germany’s largest ski resort from the city centre by train in just 90 minutes.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is home to the Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain, and the resort which is split across two areas (Garmisch-Classic and Zugspitze), should have enough blues and reds to tie you over for a couple of days.
Moreover, the food is reasonable for a ski town and the town is delightfully quaint.
Sapporo, Japan
Sapporo lies on the north Japanese island of Hokkaido. The city is vibrant and is renowned for its modern vibrance, cultural heritage, and Sapporo beer!
Moreover, Sapporo serves as the gateway to some of Japan’s world-famous, powdery ski resorts. Chiefly among these is Niseko (~90 minutes) which attracts snow-seekers from all around the world for its abundant snowfall and variety of ski terrain for expert skiers and snowboarders.
Another ski resort near Sapporo is Rusutsu, the largest all-season resort in Hokkaido. With hot springs, ski runs for every level and of course, reliable snowfall, you’re spoilt for choice in this area.
Vancouver, Canada
No list of the best cities for skiers could omit the gem of British Columbia, Vancouver. With its picture-perfect waterfront, the vibrant food culture of Granville Island, and the lovely Stanley Park, there’s a reason why everybody wants to live here.
Additionally, within just 30 minutes skiers can head to Cypress Mountain for near-urban skiing.
Make no mistake though, the true snow mecca in these parts is world-famous Whistler-Blackcomb which is less than a two-hour drive or bus ride away.
Granada, Spain
Lying high up in the Sierra Nevada mountains in Southern Spain, Granada (not to be confused with the Caribbean island of Grenada), is a historic city famous for its magnificent Moorish architecture such as the iconic Alhambra Palace.
Soaking in the history and Tapas of the city is one thing, but just 30km away awaits Europe’s sunniest ski resort Sierra Nevada Ski Resort, boasting an extensive network of ski slopes for all levels.
Such an unusual fusion surely puts Granada as one of the best ski resort towns.
Annecy, France
Often dubbed the “Venice of the Alps”, Annecy is an alpine city in France that captivates its visitors with its meandering network of canals that wind through its historic old town.
With its pastel-coloured buildings lining the water’s edge, romantic bridges, and flower-lined streets, Annecy exudes picture-perfect charm.
Less than an hour’s drive from the city, the pretty ski resort of La Clusaz can be reached which hasn’t quite attracted the hordes of crowds in comparison with the larger French resorts yet. In La Clusaz (or nearby Grand Bornand), wide fluffy slopes beckon with a chilled-out apres ski ambiance.
Bariloche, Argentina
Located in the heart of Argentine Patagonia, Bariloche is known as the Switzerland of South America and given its luxury chocolate shops and snow capped peaks surrounding the city, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’re in Interlaken, rather than Argentina!
Just a 30 minute drive from the city you will encounter Cerro Catedral, often described as the best ski resort in all of South America.
Now Argentina is a huge country but should you find yourself in this part of the world, such a city ski combination is surely worth considering!
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