Although most ski resorts have beginner hills and ski schools, we have found that some are much better than others when skiing with kids, especially those that are just learning to ski. So here are Swiss ski resorts that we recommend from our experience skiing with our kids in Switzerland for over 10 years. Where’s your favorite?
See also How to dress kids for skiing
First time on skis
For your child’s first time on skis (probably before they start ski school), we suggest a small inexpensive ski hill. It doesn’t make sense to pay for an expensive full day lift pass when small children usually only last an hour or so and the parent will spend all their time supervising the child, not taking advantage of the full ski resort.
These small ski hills are usually really inexpensive. For example at Raten, a child’s day pass for their T-bar is only CHF 9. At Brunni Alpthal, it’s only CHF 10 to use the magic carpet (also for sledding) or CHF 18 for the beginner lift.
We also like places where you can drive directly to the lift, so you don’t have to pay for the gondola to reach the ski hill and so you can easily go back to the car to fetch extra clothes or snacks without riding a gondola down the mountain.
Here are a few small ski hills we suggest for absolute beginners.
We also suggest the free magic carpets at Flumserberg, which is at a higher elevation that these others and will have better snow all season. Unlike most higher elevation resorts, you can also drive up the mountain and park near this beginners area. Flumserberg is also a good choice if your family has skiers at different levels because there is something for everyone.
Best Swiss ski resorts for beginners
When my kids were first learning to ski, around 4-6 years old, I found that it’s very difficult to figure out if a particular resort would have slopes that were suitable for my beginning skiers. The ski piste maps only tell you part of the story and what looks like an easy blue run on the map can be a totally different experience in real life.
We also appreciate ski resorts that have “beginner” ski passes that are less expensive and only cover the beginning lifts. There’s no need to pay for the whole resort if you are only riding one T-bar all day. Some sell “points” passes, where you spend points each time you ride the lift.
The easiest choice for Zurichers is Flumserberg, which has lots of nice easy blue slopes and a great “international” ski school. It’s also super easy to access with public transportation. We have had our kids in ski school there many times and have been quite happy with it.
You might also consider Brunni Engelberg (not to be confused with Brunni Alpthal), which usually has a special offer where you get a free kids ski rental for the season with the purchase of a season ski pass (can be purchased through mid-Dec).
Swiss ski resorts with family discounts
Many ski resorts in Switzerland offer discounts for families, so you should definitely check the price list for options before buying your tickets. Here are a few ski resorts near Zürich that already have affordable pricing and also offer family discounts. As a bonus, they are also usually less crowded than the big ski resorts.
Big Swiss ski resorts near Zürich for families
If you like a large ski resort with lots of terrain, you have plenty of choices all around Switzerland. Within a day trip of Zürich, we can recommend Davos/Klosters, Engeberg Titlis, Arosa/Lenzerheide and Flims/Laax. Here are some of our reviews.
Ski holidays destinations for families
Most schools in Switzerland have a 1-2 week holiday (aka Sportferien) sometimes between late January and early March, traditionally used for skiing. Many families book ski holidays for these weeks, often booking a year in advance so it can be difficult to find accommodations during this time.
For these ski holidays, our family usually stays in Switzerland and does day trips so we can try a variety of Swiss resorts and cherry pick the best snow conditions. But we have done a few ski holidays, which I link below.
We have also done a few ski trips outside Switzerland, which can be more affordable for lift passes, ski school, food, and accommodations. We’ve enjoyed skiing in Samoens France, Cortina Italy, and St Anton am Arlberg Austria. Friends have highly recommended Solden and Montafon in Austria.
Many families enjoy all-inclusive Kinderhotels, that have child-care and kid-friendly activities so parents can also go skiing, not just tend to the children. See: Ski Holidays at Kinderhotels
Snow Report Switzerland
If you want to pick a ski resort with the best snow, here are some websites where you can get snow reports for Switzerland ski resorts.
Map of Swiss ski resorts
Here is a map of many Swiss ski resorts (not all, too many too count). The ones marked with stars are ones we have reviewed on our website.
Red are huge expensive resorts, blue are more affordable mid-sized resorts, yellow are small inexpensive ski hills.
2 responses
Hi Tanya, thanks a lot for this useful info! Do you know which ski resorts that have creche for childcare? The only ones we know are Klewenalp and Wengen. Thanks a lot!
I’m pretty sure Flims has one. We should ask on one of the forums about this.