Most UK schools break up on Friday 18 December 2026 and go back on Monday 4 January 2027, which gives two ski weeks: Saturday 19 December (Christmas) and Saturday 26 December (New Year). Operators price Christmas at about 1.5 times a January week and New Year at about 1.7, so the festive weeks sit between high season and half term. What makes them different from half term is the snow. By mid-February every resort has a base; in the third week of December, some have only what the snow cannons made in November.
Why altitude matters more at Christmas
The finder's snow confidence score starts from altitude (the share of pistes above 2,000 m, the top lift and the height of the main skiing), then adds aspect, glacier, snowmaking and snowfall, and takes off a penalty for early and late weeks that hits low villages hardest. On 19 December that penalty is at half strength; by mid-January it is gone. So a resort like Söll, at 700 m, scores 26 for Christmas and 46 in January, while Val Thorens scores 100 in both. The full method is in the snow-sure resorts guide.
Christmas also has the shortest days of the season (lifts close around four), the coldest temperatures, and the most festive villages. Tree-lined Austrian and Italian resorts look the part in a way the high French purpose-built ones do not. If the snow is there, they are the better Christmas; the trouble is knowing in October whether it will be.
Christmas week: Saturday 19 December
Two intermediate adults and two children of 7 and 10 who have never skied, flying from Gatwick, with the package, lift passes, hire and the children's lessons.
| Resort | Country | A head | Family of four | Snow score | Door to door from London Gatwick |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bansko | Bulgaria | £1,085 | £4,340 | 53 · Usually fine | 8 h via Sofia |
| Bardonecchia | Italy | £1,092 | £4,369 | 59 · Usually fine | 5.5 h via Turin |
| Sauze d'Oulx | Italy | £1,131 | £4,524 | 52 · Usually fine | 5.5 h via Turin |
| Passo Tonale | Italy | £1,172 | £4,689 | 89 · Very likely | 7 h via Milan Bergamo |
| Alpbach | Austria | £1,272 | £5,089 | 36 · A gamble | 5.5 h via Innsbruck |
| Söll | Austria | £1,292 | £5,169 | 26 · A gamble | 5.5 h via Innsbruck |
| Cervinia | Italy | £1,326 | £5,304 | 90 · Very likely | 6.5 h via Turin |
| Soldeu | Andorra | £1,362 | £5,449 | 62 · Usually fine | 7.5 h via Toulouse |
| Flaine | France | £1,409 | £5,635 | 69 · Usually fine | 5.5 h via Geneva |
| Les Deux Alpes | France | £1,445 | £5,780 | 79 · Very likely | 6 h via Grenoble |
| Morzine | France | £1,463 | £5,850 | 39 · A gamble | 5.5 h via Geneva |
| Alpe d'Huez | France | £1,492 | £5,968 | 72 · Usually fine | 6 h via Grenoble |
| Mayrhofen | Austria | £1,517 | £6,066 | 48 · A gamble | 5.5 h via Innsbruck |
| La Plagne | France | £1,564 | £6,255 | 78 · Very likely | 6.5 h via Chambéry |
| Les Arcs | France | £1,590 | £6,360 | 69 · Usually fine | 6.5 h via Chambéry |
| Sölden | Austria | £1,600 | £6,399 | 84 · Very likely | 5.5 h via Innsbruck |
| St Anton | Austria | £1,673 | £6,691 | 73 · Usually fine | 5.5 h via Innsbruck |
| Val Thorens | France | £1,683 | £6,733 | 100 · Very likely | 6.5 h via Chambéry |
| Tignes | France | £1,718 | £6,870 | 98 · Very likely | 7 h via Chambéry |
| Méribel | France | £1,814 | £7,258 | 57 · Usually fine | 6 h via Chambéry |
| Val d'Isère | France | £1,941 | £7,763 | 100 · Very likely | 7 h via Chambéry |
| Zermatt | Switzerland | £2,218 | £8,871 | 88 · Very likely | 7.5 h via Milan Malpensa |
Two adults (intermediate) and children of 7 and 10 (first week, group lessons), flying from London Gatwick on 19 December. Covers the package (flights, transfers, half board or catered chalet), 6-day lift passes, hire and the children's lessons. Not food. Estimates from 2026/27 brochure bands and published prices; get a live quote.
New Year week: Saturday 26 December
| Resort | Country | A head | Family of four | Snow score | Door to door from London Gatwick |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bansko | Bulgaria | £1,181 | £4,725 | 61 · Usually fine | 8 h via Sofia |
| Bardonecchia | Italy | £1,194 | £4,775 | 66 · Usually fine | 5.5 h via Turin |
| Sauze d'Oulx | Italy | £1,236 | £4,944 | 59 · Usually fine | 5.5 h via Turin |
| Passo Tonale | Italy | £1,281 | £5,123 | 92 · Very likely | 7 h via Milan Bergamo |
| Alpbach | Austria | £1,386 | £5,544 | 44 · A gamble | 5.5 h via Innsbruck |
| Söll | Austria | £1,406 | £5,624 | 34 · A gamble | 5.5 h via Innsbruck |
| Cervinia | Italy | £1,452 | £5,808 | 92 · Very likely | 6.5 h via Turin |
| Soldeu | Andorra | £1,485 | £5,939 | 66 · Usually fine | 7.5 h via Toulouse |
| Flaine | France | £1,531 | £6,125 | 76 · Very likely | 5.5 h via Geneva |
| Les Deux Alpes | France | £1,571 | £6,284 | 83 · Very likely | 6 h via Grenoble |
| Morzine | France | £1,589 | £6,354 | 47 · A gamble | 5.5 h via Geneva |
| Alpe d'Huez | France | £1,623 | £6,493 | 75 · Very likely | 6 h via Grenoble |
| Mayrhofen | Austria | £1,657 | £6,626 | 56 · Usually fine | 5.5 h via Innsbruck |
| La Plagne | France | £1,700 | £6,801 | 81 · Very likely | 6.5 h via Chambéry |
| Les Arcs | France | £1,730 | £6,920 | 74 · Usually fine | 6.5 h via Chambéry |
| Sölden | Austria | £1,748 | £6,994 | 88 · Very likely | 5.5 h via Innsbruck |
| St Anton | Austria | £1,830 | £7,321 | 79 · Very likely | 5.5 h via Innsbruck |
| Val Thorens | France | £1,832 | £7,328 | 100 · Very likely | 6.5 h via Chambéry |
| Tignes | France | £1,872 | £7,486 | 100 · Very likely | 7 h via Chambéry |
| Méribel | France | £1,981 | £7,923 | 64 · Usually fine | 6 h via Chambéry |
| Val d'Isère | France | £2,124 | £8,498 | 100 · Very likely | 7 h via Chambéry |
| Zermatt | Switzerland | £2,436 | £9,746 | 92 · Very likely | 7.5 h via Milan Malpensa |
Two adults (intermediate) and children of 7 and 10 (first week, group lessons), flying from London Gatwick on 26 December. Covers the package (flights, transfers, half board or catered chalet), 6-day lift passes, hire and the children's lessons. Not food. Estimates from 2026/27 brochure bands and published prices; get a live quote.
Reading the two tables together
- New Year costs about £100 a head more than Christmas and scores a few points better for snow, because it is a week further into the season. Both are far cheaper than half term.
- Passo Tonale and Cervinia are the value picks for both weeks: high, north- and south-facing respectively but both above 2,000 m, both with a glacier, both under £1,500 a head. Tonale's under-8s ski free; Cervinia's slopes are wider and longer.
- The cheapest three (Bansko, Bardonecchia, Sauze d'Oulx) are "usually fine" rather than "very likely": all lean on snowmaking in December, and Sauze's record is the patchiest. Fine in a normal year, exposed in a lean one.
- Söll, Alpbach, Morzine and Mayrhofen are the festive-looking villages, and the finder marks all four "a gamble" at Christmas. They are January and February resorts. If your heart is set on one, Mayrhofen's Hintertux glacier is the insurance policy.
- Val Thorens, Tignes and Val d'Isère score 98 to 100 in both weeks, at £1,700 to £2,100 a head. Val Thorens is the cheapest of the three and the highest.
Christmas practicalities
- Lifts and lessons run on Christmas Day in most resorts, and ski schools start their week on the Sunday or Monday as usual. Christmas dinner in a catered chalet is a British institution; in a hotel, check it is included.
- New Year's Eve is the loudest night of the season in Val Thorens, St Anton, Sölden and Mayrhofen. Quiet-village families should look at La Plagne, Flaine, Passo Tonale or Alpbach.
- Book the cold-weather kit. December at 2,000 m is the coldest skiing of the year, especially for children in lessons. Mittens, neck warmers and a spare layer are not optional.
- Transfers on 26 December can be slow: it is a changeover day for half of Europe. Short transfers (Flaine, Morzine, St Anton, Sölden, Bardonecchia) earn their keep.
Price your own festive week. Pick 19 or 26 December, your airport and your group. The finder ranks the resorts by snow confidence, fit, cost and journey, and shows who flies there.
Open the finderCommon questions
Is there enough snow to ski at Christmas?
In the high resorts, almost always: Val Thorens, Tignes, Val d'Isère, Cervinia, Passo Tonale, Sölden and Zermatt all have skiing above 2,500 m and glaciers. Below about 1,500 m it depends on the year, and the finder marks those resorts a gamble at Christmas.
Is Christmas or New Year better for skiing?
New Year has slightly better snow and more lifts open, and costs about £100 a head more. Christmas is quieter on the slopes and louder in the chalet; New Year the other way round.
What is the cheapest Christmas ski holiday?
For a family of four from Gatwick, Bansko, Bardonecchia and Sauze d'Oulx at about £1,085 to £1,130 a head all in, then Passo Tonale at about £1,170 with much better snow.
Are the lifts open on Christmas Day?
Yes, in every resort on this list. Some ski schools skip Christmas Day lessons; check when you book.