10 Best Family Activities in the Alps Besides Skiing (2025-2026 Guide)

Let me be direct: a family ski holiday to the Alps isn't just about carving pristine turns down snowy mountains. After twenty years in the travel industry—guiding thousands of families through winter wonderlands from Chamonix to Cortina—I've learned that the families who return year after year aren't the ones glued to the slopes. They're the ones who discovered something deeper: that the real magic of Alpine villages lives in the quiet moments between descents, the laughter echoing across frozen valleys, and the memory of a child's face lighting up when snowflakes land on their nose.

Here's what separates a forgettable ski trip from one your family talks about at dinner tables for years: balance. And that balance starts with knowing exactly what to do when the skis come off.

1. Snow Tubing & Sledding: Pure, Unfiltered Joy

Let's start with the obvious crowd-pleaser: if you have kids, snow tubing will become their favorite part of the trip. Full stop.

Modern Alpine resorts have elevated sledding from "something to do" to an entire experience. Resorts like Snowmass in Colorado and La Plagne in France operate dedicated tubing parks with conveyor lifts that eliminate the exhausting hike back up. Your kids climb into an inflatable tube, push off, and experience the kind of screaming-with-laughter adrenaline that makes winter memories stick.

Why It Works for Everyone

The beauty? Unlike skiing, tubing has zero learning curve. A three-year-old enjoys it as much as a twelve-year-old. Parents who don't ski suddenly have something to do alongside their children. And the price point? Typically $15-30 per person for an hour, making it one of the most affordable activities in the Alps.

Pro tip: Book tubing for late afternoon, when the slopes are quieter and lines are shorter. Your kids will thank you.

2. Ice Skating in Mountain Villages: Romance Meets Family Fun

Picture this: your family gliding across a frozen outdoor rink while snow-dusted chalets glow warmly in the background, twinkling lights reflecting off the ice. This isn't a cliché—it's every family's winter fantasy, and it's completely real in places like Zell am See, Austria, and Stowe, Vermont.

Most major Alpine resorts now have open-air ice rinks right in the village center. Many provide skate rentals, and increasingly, resorts offer "penguin skates"—those adorable ice-skating training aids shaped like penguins or bears that let toddlers learn balance while staying warm.

The Après-Skate Ritual

The magic isn't just the activity itself. It's the ritual that follows: parents and kids sitting on heated benches, nursing hot chocolates topped with cream, watching the light fade behind the peaks. It's a moment of pause in a holiday that, for families, often feels chaotic.

Skating also does something skiing can't: it lets non-athletic family members participate equally. Your grandmother can skate. Your two-year-old can skate. Everyone's included.

3. Horse-Drawn Sleigh Rides: Step Into a Fairy Tale

I've watched children hold their breath during sleigh rides through snow-covered forests in ways I've never seen them do on slopes. There's something primal about it—the soft clopping of hooves, the creak of wooden runners on snow, the silence broken only by bells and breathing.

Resorts across the Alps—from Jackson Hole to Morzine—offer both daytime scenic rides and romantic evening versions (the latter is for parents, after the kids are tucked in bed). Some include dinner at a mountain hut; others are simple twenty-minute journeys through forest trails.

Is It Worth the Cost?

The cost varies ($30-100 per person), but the return on investment is immeasurable. Unlike skiing, every family member—regardless of age or ability—can enjoy this equally. A colleague of mine who arranges honeymoons told me the most-booked evening activity in the Alps isn't a fancy dinner; it's a sleigh ride.

4. Snowshoeing & Winter Nature Walks: Quiet Wonder

Not every moment of a family vacation needs to be high-octane. Sometimes the best memories come from slowness.

Snowshoeing—essentially walking on oversized shoes that distribute your weight across snow—lets your family explore Alpine meadows, forests, and ridgelines without the technical demands of skiing. Resorts like Stowe, Zell am See, and Courmayeur offer guided family snowshoe trails designed specifically for mixed ages and abilities.

Why Families Love It

What you get: fresh air, exercise, wildlife spotting (look for hare and ptarmigan tracks), and the kind of exhausted-happy that leads to early bedtimes and peaceful evenings. Most resorts rent snowshoes for $10-20 per person, and guided tours run $40-80.

Your five-year-old and your seventy-five-year-old can walk together. No equipment fiddling. No cold hands from holding ski poles. Just you, your family, and the silence of the Alps.

5. Dedicated Kids' Clubs & Indoor Play Centers: The Strategic Break

Here's something I'll say bluntly: parents need breaks. And when the weather turns ugly or someone gets skiing fatigue (yes, it's real), kids' clubs become your secret weapon.

Alpine resorts increasingly offer sophisticated kids' clubs that operate while you're on the slopes or relaxing at the spa. At Ellmau, Austria, the Ellmi Kids' Club (ages 2-6) runs arts, crafts, snowman building, and indoor games. La Plagne offers similar programs. Some resorts even include Michelin-starred dining packages that assume you'll drop the kids off for dinner.

This isn't outsourcing parenting—it's strategic rest. You'll ski better, you'll be less frazzled, and honestly, kids often learn more from trained instructors than from anxious parents trying to entertain them.

Cost: $60-120 for a full day, but often included with certain accommodation packages.

6. Outdoor Hot Springs & Thermal Pools: Soaking, Laughing, Thawing

After a day in the cold, there's nothing—and I mean nothing—like the contrast of a hot spring pool surrounded by snow.

Resorts near Steamboat have Old Town Hot Springs with eight pools, waterslides, and on-site childcare. Across Europe, thermal baths are common in valleys below major ski areas. The experience is hypnotic: floating in steaming 38°C water while snowflakes melt on your shoulders.

Restoration for All Ages

Beyond the physical warmth, thermal pools offer something psychologically restorative. Families sit together in the water, no screens, no competing activities, just conversation and laughter. Your teenager's armor comes down. Your toddler stops fighting.

Word of warning: Always check pool rules for young children. Some facilities require swimming competence for deeper areas.

7. Torchlit Processions & Evening Events: Community Magic

Many Alpine resorts—particularly in Austria and France—host torchlit ski processions where locals and visitors descend illuminated slopes at night, sometimes with live music and bonfires at the base.

Beyond skiing-specific events, villages host fireworks, snowman competitions, musical performances, and light displays. Zell am See, for instance, hosts seasonal festivals that transform the village into something operatic.

These events do something extraordinary for families: they embed your trip into the rhythm of the village. You're not tourists watching a show; you're community members participating in tradition.

Cost: Most are free or $10-20 per family.

8. Dog Sledding & Husky Experiences: Connection & Adventure

Huskies don't care if you can ski. And kids, amazingly, don't either when they're looking into the eyes of a dog that's genuinely happy to pull them through snow.

Resorts in Austria, France, and Norway offer dog-sledding experiences ranging from 30-minute village tours to backcountry adventures. Jackson Hole and Park City are particularly renowned for this.

Your kid gets to touch actual huskies, hear their excited yelps, feel the acceleration, and experience something truly wild. It's adventure without technique. It's capability without prerequisites.

Cost: $100-250 for a guided experience, but the psychological impact lasts forever.

9. Mountain Coasters & Alpine Slides: Gravity Does the Work

Several Alpine resorts operate gravity-powered attractions—mountain coasters (like bobsled sleds on wheeled tracks) and alpine slides (summer bobsled runs operated in winter on grass).

These aren't technically winter sports, but they offer speed and thrills that non-skiers crave. A child who's terrified of skiing edges? They'll hammer down a mountain coaster screaming with delight. The barrier to entry is literally zero—you sit, the gravity engineers the rest.

Cost: $15-40 per ride, often available in bundles.

10. Village Exploration & Culinary Experiences: The Slow Travel Moment

Finally, and I say this after two decades in travel: some of the best family moments come from doing absolutely nothing structured.

Car-free Alpine villages like Avoriaz and Valmorel become playgrounds when skis come off. Cobblestone streets, independent chocolate shops, tiny bakeries where you can watch pastries being made, restaurants with children's menus that don't insult intelligence—this is where families reconnect.

Build in one full day per week without skiing, without planned activities. Let your kids lead. Grab hot chocolate. Get lost. Chat with locals. These unscripted moments often become the ones you remember.

The Philosophy: Why Balance Matters

After guiding thousands of families through Alps winters, here's what I know: the families who have the best experiences aren't the ones who maximize skiing. They're the ones who understand that a great family ski holiday is actually an Alpine immersion—part skiing, part exploration, part rest, part connection.

The Alps are magnificent because they offer everything: adventure for thrill-seekers, quiet for those seeking peace, activities for every age and ability. Use them wisely.

Your family's best Alpine memory won't be a 40-second ski run. It'll be the moment your child laughed while sledding, or looked you in the eyes from across a thermal pool, or held your hand while watching torches descend a mountain at night.

That's why we really come to the Alps.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Which Alpine ski resorts are best for non-skiers?
Resorts with vibrant villages and pedestrian centers are best. Zell am See (Austria), Chamonix (France), and Zermatt (Switzerland) are top choices because they offer bustling town centers, shopping, ice rinks, and easy access to mountain restaurants via gondolas, even if you don’t ski.

2. Is it expensive to do non-skiing activities in the Alps?
It varies. Activities like snowshoeing, winter walking, and village exploration are free or very low cost (rental gear is usually $10-$15). However, premium experiences like dog sledding or horse-drawn sleigh rides can range from $50 to $150 per person.

3. What can toddlers do in ski resorts if they are too young to ski?
Most family-friendly resorts offer plenty for toddlers. Snow tubing, sledding, and building snowmen are universal hits. Many larger resorts also have indoor aquatic centers and kids' clubs specifically designed for children under 4, offering supervised play while parents ski.

4. Do I need to book activities like dog sledding in advance?
Yes, absolutely. Unique experiences like husky sledding and horse-drawn sleigh rides have very limited capacity and often sell out weeks in advance, especially during Christmas and February school holidays. It is highly recommended to book these when you book your accommodation.

5. Can non-skiers meet skiers for lunch on the mountain?
Yes! This is one of the best parts of an Alpine vacation. Many resorts sell "pedestrian passes" for gondolas and cable cars at a reduced rate. These allow non-skiers to ride up to the peaks, enjoy the views, and meet the rest of the family for lunch at mountain huts without ever putting on skis.