 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello everyone.
Happy to have found this forum.
My husband has always wanted to see the Christmas markets. We decided to spend Christmas abroad (we are from canada). After 2 days of Christmas markets we want to then take the kids skiing for about a week. We had a great time skiing our small little hills by us. Even the 4 year old excelled. I started skiing last year so I'm looking for mostly blue hills. Seefaus area always comes up in our research but we are open to other areas. What we are looking for is
1. Fun kid friendly environment with more than just skiing
2. Good snow
Would you say the queues are 5,10, 20 minutes long during the holidays? More , less?
We will fly from vienna to Innsbruck and drive. The plan is to even split the stay and do let's say 5 days in one area and then 3 somewhere along the way to munich. Is there another good resort along the way suitable for families.
Hope I provided enough info.
Christina
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Saalbach/Hinterglemm would fit the bill: very snow sure as excellent artificial snow facilities.
Friends took their kids there many times from toddlers - hotels were great as many have family rooms where kids under teenage years go free, and provide crèche/kindergarten facilities so parents get time to ski
https://www.lengauerhof.at/en/kinder-familie.html
Xmas eve the hotels in the village collected one pressie per child, then a horse (with false antlers) drawn sleigh & Santa came round delivering the presents
They even wangled a deal when the kids became teenagers to only pay for kids accommodation (ie free meals) - hotel can't have realised that teenagers probably eat twice as much as adults 
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Sun 2-04-23 23:26; edited 1 time in total
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Obergurgl. High, snow-sure and no queues.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@C.manzo,
Innsbruck is a good base for local ski areas (free busses/trains to various ski area) and the best place for Christmas markets etc. @clarky999 will be along soon to give the best advice. Heading back to Munich from Innsbruck you could go via Garmisch which will be another great place to visit at Christmas even if the snow isn't at its best.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Christmas itself might not be too busy but New Year will be, could be difficult to change hotels ?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thanks everyone for your helpful replies. I'll take a look at all these locations .
I see serfaus often for being family friendly. Is this an option for late December?
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We were in the Kitzbühel area Christmas just gone with our 6 and 8 year olds. The ski area is big, Kitzbühel is a very nice ski town, with loads to do. The lift system is fast and modern, plenty of parking at the lift stations
The weather wasn't favourable for skiing across the whole of Europe but they managed to keep everything open with extensive early season snow making. Close enough to München and Innsbruck.
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I can't help with your skiing element as I've only skied at one place in Austria and I think it's too small to meet your requirements. However, I have been to the Christmas markets in Munich and can highly recommend those as I see you are heading back to Munch from Innsbruck. Are you flying out of Munich?
There's a small market at Munich Airport, with a big ice rink, which your family may enjoy. If you can spare any time in Munuch at all though, definitely go in and head for the market in Marienplatz. This is home to the famous Glockenspiel clock. In the winter it only chimes at 11am and 12pm, so do try to be there just before either of those times.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Munich has quite a few markets spread out, but I personally think there are better markets.
Innsbruck has it's own xmas market, as will a lot of Austrian towns.
You could stay in Innsbruck & ski the resorts close by if you dont mind driving or getting the various free buses each day.
Look at resorts & see what advent calendar brings. Most in Tyrol will have Krampus at some point (as will munich).
Most will have some sort of traditional market, instead of the cheap asia tat that is sold in Munich.
Some will have lantern lit walks, sleigh rides, story re-enactments, arts & crafts sessions, etc. - Mayrhofen does a lot of these for example.
Mayrhofen pass is for the whole Ziller area, so you could move & stay in another village after a few days. Dito with other ski areas/passes.
Maybe Alpbach if you want a traditional working austrian alpine village, or Soll is one of the nearest resorts in Austria to Munich.
Seefeld is not far from Innsbruck and full of blue runs as well as having a small market.
Worth checking lift passes as lots of resorts are free passes for under 8 - but not all! Might be a factor in saving $500cdn!
Nuremberg has a much better market than Munich imo.
Austria is likely to have more snow than Munich.
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| C.manzo wrote: |
Thanks everyone for your helpful replies. I'll take a look at all these locations .
I see serfaus often for being family friendly. Is this an option for late December? |
Yes this is definitely an option for late December. We skied there this year the week before Christmas and there was more than enough snow despite a poor snow start to the season.
The kids ski school is amazing there. We had no lift queues but Austria generally becomes busier on Boxing Day and stays busy until everyone returns to work after New Year. They’re getting a new gondola built this summer for next season.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Up to you but I would suggest skiing in one place as you’ll spend more time skiing or walking around town than packing and unpacking, and boot/ski fitting if you are not bringing those with you. Several ski areas are multi-village on one pass so base yourself well and travel around them. Take a day at the start for Innsbruck and at the end for Munich if you wish. Just a thought.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@C.manzo, Serfaus is well known for being very kid friendly likely to be a good choice. If you decide on there then perhaps spend a couple of days in Innsbruck beforehand to see the Christmas market it is an easy journey between Innsbruck & Serfaus (you dont need a car). There are a number of other areas nearby which would suit too, Alpbach might be ideal, Seefeld is a rather old fashioned spot maybe not so snow sure, one of the resorts in the Zillertal (Mayrhofen, Zell & Kaltenbach are the main ones) would work, Obergurgl has been mentioned it is snow sure & good for beginners but it can be bleak in mid winter, lots of other choices too.
You could stop in Salzburg for the market there, it can be beautiful. I have been there on a Sunday morning in January, blue skies, snow, hoar frost, no people, magical. However pre Christmas when the Adventmarkt is on there will be thousands of others with the same idea, even getting a "Kaffee und Kuchen" can be a challenge especially if the weather is poor as it often is. Maybe not so bad if you are staying in Salzburg as things will probably calm down once the day trippers leave. There are lots of skiing options nearby, Saalbach Hinterglemm though it might be a bit big for your needs, one of the smaller spots in the SkiAmade area maybe Altenmarkt or Zauchensee might suit as less busy, the Hochkönig villages get good reviews.
Not sure heading to Munich is worth it. There are a large number of Advent markets (yes the one in the main square is a bit tacky, there are better ones throughout the city) but once they close on 23rd or 24th there is not so much. Munich is great in summer when there are lots of outdoor things to do or if you like drinking beer all year round. I suspect 5 year olds are not into art galleries (of which there are some very good ones!).
Queues, difficult to forecast but if your stay is over New Year that is just about the busiest time of the year, there will be crowds whatever the snow conditions.
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