Ski & snow towns.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.
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…
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…
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.
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…
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.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Lilienfeld
Lilienfeld Abbey anchors this little Lower Austrian town in the Traisen River valley, south of St.
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…
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…
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,…