Winter Breaks

Alberta’s skiing scene aside, there are plenty of other reasons to add a winter break to this Canadian province to your bucket list. From delicious food, nightlife and culture to other outdoor pursuits, there’s plenty on offer to make sure a holiday to here is one to remember – and we’ve rounded up just a few of our favourites. 

Keep your cool on an ice walk

The Canadian province of Alberta becomes a snow-filled wonderland when winter swings around.  Therefore, for an epic, picturesque and action-packed winter break that’s a little more far-flung than the same old haunts in the Alps, a trip out west to Canada is just the tonic for the snow-loving holidaymaker. Whether you live for the pistes, love a taste of après culture or just fancy warming your toes in front of the fire after a day out soaking up mountain air and the dramatic sights of the Canadian Rockies, the province of Alberta is a great place to do this.

With beautiful beaches, blue skies, and blazing temperatures, escape the post-Christmas chill with a trip to the largest of the Canary Islands.  There is a lot to say for a holiday haven which mixes familiarity with notes of the exotic. Tenerife is just such a destination. The biggest of the Canary Islands has long been loved by generations of British tourists-who know it to be a perfect possibility for winter sun.

Experience Macedonia's Pristine Powder
Skiers looking for perfect powder, that fluffy, untouched stuff of dreams and snow that's all but guaranteed love Popova Sapka in northwest Macedonia, which one reviewer called "the Balkans' St Moritz".  Set at 1,700m up in the rounded peaks of the Dinaric Mountains, Popova is higher than most of its Eastern European competitors meaning good cover is pretty much a given from January to March (the town's simple, effective slogan is: 'We have snow').  No wonder, then that it's hosted both the European and Balkan Ski Championships along with the Sarplaninski Cup, which was launched at Popova in 1947.  Wide, open runs combined with plenty of incredible off-piste terrai and great value accommodation mean Popova is one of Eastern Europe's best kept ski destinations.

Tired of going to same place each and every Christmas?  Well we have found five destinations that you might like and enjoy. Whether you want to be in Europe, the States or down South, one of these will fit  your budget.  You can sleep in a hotel with a difference with the opportunity to see the Northern Lights or join an expedition down in Antarctica to learn more about penguin and do some Whale watching.

For most of us living in European countries, Autumn means shorter days and longer nights; the warmth and happy feeling of summer has started to fade.  Sometime if we are lucky we get a prolong warm that comes around in the day, but when the nights draw in and we feel an autumn chill, many of us will be yearning for some warmth and sun.

One thing sure to ruin a wintery holiday is no snow. Yes, it’s that time of the year again when we fish out our furry boots and become amateur meteorologists in the hope there will be a decent covering of the white stuff.

But there is one place where you don’t need to worry about snowfall. The Kitzbühel ski area in Tyrol, Austria, is as powdery as it gets, with an average 180 days of snow a year, making it the country’s first non-glacial ski area opened for the winter season.

Spain's resort towns are still a destination when the summer is over and most of the tourist are gone. The winter months offers a different feel to the region, and depending on what you are into and what you would like to do these five cities will offer you just that and more.

Areas like South Tyrol, Italy’s most northerly region is one of Italy’s key attractions in the winter months as sky professionals and enthusiasts come in their thousands to enjoy the white stuff.  But, have you ever consider Tuscany as a winter destination for snowshoeing and winter walking? The same lovely long walks you have in the summer months you have them here in the winter months as well; with one major difference, it is much quieter.

While some ski resorts in the Alps have to wait for the peak of the winter season to offer the good white stuff others are already in full swing.  So if you want to take an early ski break this winter, why wait when you can be on the pistes  before the madness of the height of the season.  We have found five resorts located above 2000m that have what you want for an early ski break.