Not everyone in a ski group wants to ski. Perhaps you have never tried it, perhaps you would rather walk, swim and eat well, or perhaps you are travelling with family and friends who will be on the slopes while you are not. The good news is that some ski resorts are wonderful places to spend a winter holiday without ever clipping into a pair of skis.
The best ski resorts for non-skiers have a real village or town with shops, cafés and restaurants; mountain railways and cable cars that anyone can ride to the top for the views and lunch; winter walking trails, sledging, ice skating and cross-country skiing; and a great spa. These are our 10 favourites, with the best hotel in each, from palace hotels to good-value boutique stays.
The best ski resorts for non-skiers at a glance
- Best overall: Zermatt, Switzerland
- Best for winter events: St. Moritz, Switzerland
- Best for a pretty town: Kitzbühel, Austria
- Best for dramatic views without skiing: Chamonix, France
- Best for sledging: Grindelwald and Davos, Switzerland
- Best for cross-country skiing and spas: Seefeld, Austria
- Best in North America: Banff, Canada, and Aspen, Colorado
Europe
1. Zermatt, Switzerland
Best for: couples, families and anyone who wants the Matterhorn view
Car-free Zermatt is a real mountain village of chalets, shops and restaurants, and its railways do the climbing for you: the Gornergrat railway runs to 3,089 metres for one of the most famous views in the Alps, and the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise cable car reaches 3,883 metres. There are winter walking trails and mountain restaurants that non-skiers can reach on foot or by lift. Riffelalp Resort 2222m, reached by the Gornergrat railway, has a heated outdoor pool facing the Matterhorn. Read our review of Riffelalp Resort 2222m.
2. St. Moritz, Switzerland
Best for: couples and anyone who loves glamour and winter events
St. Moritz invented the winter holiday, and much of what happens here has nothing to do with skiing: horse racing and polo on the frozen lake, the Cresta Run, curling, ice skating, horse-drawn sleigh rides and walking trails in the high, sunny Engadine. The Kulm Hotel, where it all began in 1864, has its own natural ice rink and a 2,000-square-metre spa. Read our review of Kulm Hotel St. Moritz.
3. Kitzbühel, Austria
Best for: couples, families and shoppers
Kitzbühel is a medieval walled town with painted houses, cafés and smart shops, and in late January the whole world watches its Hahnenkamm downhill races. There are winter walks, sledging and ice skating, and the cable cars give non-skiers easy access to mountain restaurants. Tennerhof, a Relais & Châteaux chalet in gardens above town, is Kitzbühel's most charming hotel. Read our review of Tennerhof.
4. Chamonix, France
Best for: adventurous non-skiers and anyone who wants to see Mont Blanc up close
Chamonix is a lively year-round town, not a purpose-built resort, and two of its greatest experiences need no skis: the Aiguille du Midi cable car, which climbs to 3,842 metres opposite Mont Blanc, and the Montenvers railway to the Mer de Glace glacier. The Grand Hôtel des Alpes is a beautifully restored 1840 grand hotel in the centre of town, and Hôtel Le Faucigny is a stylish, good-value alternative. Read our review of Grand Hôtel des Alpes.
5. Grindelwald, Switzerland
Best for: families, sledgers and sightseers
Beneath the north face of the Eiger, Grindelwald is one of the best places in the Alps for non-skiers. The Eiger Express gondola connects to the railway up to the Jungfraujoch, the highest railway station in Europe, and the region has long sledge runs and many kilometres of prepared winter walking trails. Bergwelt Grindelwald is a stylish design hotel with an 800-square-metre spa included in the rate. Read our review of Bergwelt Grindelwald.
6. Davos, Switzerland
Best for: families, walkers and travellers on a budget
Davos is a real town with shops, museums and one of the largest natural ice rinks in Europe. Above it, reached only by its own funicular, Berghotel Schatzalp is the Art Nouveau former sanatorium said to have inspired Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain. In winter you can sledge back down to town, and rooms cost a fraction of the palace hotels. Read our review of Berghotel Schatzalp.
7. Gstaad, Switzerland
Best for: couples, food lovers and spa lovers
Gstaad is the most discreet and glamorous of Swiss resorts, a car-free village street of chalets, boutiques and cafés, with winter walks, horse-drawn sleigh rides, cross-country trails and some of the best food in the Alps. The Alpina Gstaad has a Six Senses Spa and the Michelin-starred restaurant Sommet. Read our review of The Alpina Gstaad.
8. Seefeld, Austria
Best for: cross-country skiers, spa lovers and couples
On a sunny plateau just 30 minutes from Innsbruck, Seefeld is one of the great cross-country skiing resorts in the Alps, with an extensive network of gentle trails that are easy to learn, plus winter walking and horse-drawn sleigh rides. Alpin Resort Sacher has a 4,700-square-metre spa with indoor, outdoor and infinity pools, and the original Sacher-Torte in its café. Read our review of Alpin Resort Sacher.
North America
9. Banff, Canada
Best for: families and lovers of winter landscapes
Banff is a mountain town inside Canada's oldest national park, and winter here is full of things to do without skis: skating on frozen Lake Louise, walking the frozen waterfalls of Johnston Canyon, soaking in the Banff Upper Hot Springs and riding the Banff Gondola. Fairmont Banff Springs, the castle in the Rockies, has the excellent Willow Stream Spa. Read our review of Banff.
10. Aspen, Colorado
Best for: couples, food lovers and art lovers
Aspen is a real town with galleries, the free-to-visit Aspen Art Museum, excellent restaurants and some of the best shopping in the Rockies, and non-skiers can ride the Silver Queen Gondola to the top of Aspen Mountain for lunch with a view. Hotel Jerome, built in 1889, is the beating heart of town, and its J-Bar is an Aspen institution. Read our review of Aspen.
What to look for if you don't ski
- A real town or village, not a purpose-built resort, with cafés, shops and places to walk.
- Pedestrian lift passes. Most big resorts sell cheaper passes for the cable cars and mountain railways, so you can meet skiers for lunch on the mountain.
- Winter walking trails, sledging and skating. Ask the tourist office or the hotel concierge for a map of prepared winter trails.
- A great spa. A long afternoon in the pool and sauna is part of the joy of a mountain winter, so choose a hotel with a good one.
For more, see the most beautiful winter villages in the Alps, Christmas markets in the mountains and the best spa hotels in the Alps.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best ski resort for non-skiers?
Zermatt in Switzerland is our favourite, with a car-free village, the Gornergrat railway and Matterhorn Glacier Paradise cable car, winter walks and mountain restaurants that non-skiers can reach easily. St. Moritz and Kitzbühel are close behind.
What can non-skiers do in a ski resort?
Ride the cable cars and mountain railways for the views, walk prepared winter trails, go sledging, ice skating or on a horse-drawn sleigh ride, try cross-country skiing, and spend afternoons in the spa.
Is Chamonix good for non-skiers?
Yes. The Aiguille du Midi cable car and the Montenvers railway to the Mer de Glace are two of the best non-skiing experiences in the Alps, and Chamonix is a lively town with plenty of restaurants and shops.
Can non-skiers go up the mountain?
Yes. Most big resorts sell pedestrian lift passes for cable cars and mountain railways, so non-skiers can meet skiers for lunch at a mountain restaurant.
