Dreaming of a Winter Wonderland Escape in Europe? Check Into One of These New Hotels

An abundance of snow has already fallen across Europe this winter, and lift passes cost a fraction of the price of those in the USA. But you don’t need to be a ski enthusiast to revel in the winter wonderland vibes on the continent. A crop of newly opened hotels have made a vacation in Europe this winter downright irresistible. Throw into the mix roaring castle fireplaces, steamy thermal baths, woodsy snow walks, strudel baking courses, and champagne and melted cheese dishes hot from the oven, and you’ve got the makings of the perfect cold weather European getaway. Whether you ski or just après-ski, the following hotels give you a chance to explore winter in Old World style. (An added bonus? Your money will go further, too: The U.S. dollar is nearing parity with the euro and the Swiss franc for the first time.)

Adler Historic Guesthouse

Courtesy of Nikolaj Bielov/Adler Historic Guesthouse

• Location: Brixen, South Tyrol, Italy
• Why we love it: A 16th-century retreat with contemporary finishes—and an amazing rooftop pool and sauna
• From $260
• Book now

This humble and historic 16th-century hotel, which once hosted Emperor Maximilian I and Cosimo de’ Medici, reopened in June 2023 after a major renovation. Its 43 modernist rooms clad in blond wood are situated in the cobbled town of Brixen, under the watch of Bressanone Cathedral’s belfries and the surrounding Dolomites. Each room is a unique space—some featuring alcove windows overlooking the Eisack River, others with private garden terraces—while the plaster corridors inside recall the building’s medieval past. Don’t miss the Tagesbar’s excellent coffee, pastries, and Aperol spritzes. A sleek rooftop thermal pool and sauna are ideal for soaks and sweats after exploring the 26 miles of piste at the nearby Plose ski resort.

Althoff Grandhotel Schloss Bensberg

Photo by Jannis Hagels

• Location: Cologne, Germany
• Why we love it: A castle hotel with standout dining and art
• Loyalty program: Leaders Club (Leading Hotels of the World)
• From $250
• Book now

This early 18th-century royal hunting lodge is now a modern castle hotel atop a woodsy hill 20 minutes from busy Cologne. The rambling 101-room whitewashed palace with five octagonal cupolas abuts a garden lined with pines and paths for walking through the snow, while its two Michelin-starred restaurant, Vendôme from chef Joachim Wissler, and a Four Elements Spa encourage serious splurging. The castle walls are adorned with the owner’s art collection, including works by Joseph Beuys, Georg Baselitz, and Salvadore Dalí, not to mention original ceiling plasterwork designed for one of the last remaining members of the Medici family. Other sumptuous details include giant stone fireplaces, velvet sofas, clawfoot tubs, and views of Cologne cathedral in the distance.

The Brecon

Courtesy of the Brecon

• Location: Adelboden, Canton Bern, Switzerland
• Why we love it: An all-inclusive retreat with sumptuous après-ski amenities
• From $835, all inclusive
• Book now

Set along a hill in Canton Bern’s Adelboden, host of the annual Ski World Cup, the 22-room Brecon opened in July of 2024. The hotel, which is wrapped with spacious wooden balconies, is a conversion from a 1980s chalet and is a welcome adults-only (18+), all-inclusive property, a rarity in costly Switzerland. Welshman Grant Maunder and his American wife, Andrèa Maunder, refurbished the former Huldi Hotel and hired Dutch design team Nicemakers to give it a modern makeover—think geometric rugs, framed vintage alpine maps, and pastel pottery designed by Andrèa herself. After a day on Adeloboden-Lenk’s 124 miles of piste, retreat to the spa’s steam room, sauna, and 93-degree thermal pool.

Eriro

Courtesy of Eriro

• Location: Tyrol, Austria
• Why we love it: An adults-only, all-inclusive chalet retreat with cozy, wood-clad interiors
• From $1,677, all inclusive
• Book now

Opened in summer 2024, this dreamy nine-suite chalet with wooden ceilings, gauzy curtains, and roomy balconies on the border between the Bavarian and Tyrolean alps is located at 5,000 feet atop the Ehrwalder Almbahn gondola and accessed in Bond-style, via a short snowmobile ride. The adults-only (13+), all-inclusive hotel is home to a spacious spa area with two saunas and three onsen-like pools, including a darkened meditation bath. Stays include free access to the Ehrwalder Alm ski area and use of amenities like snowshoes, high-tech avalanche kits, and Swarovski binoculars for spotting ibex, foxes, and wintering woodpeckers. Chef Alex Thoss’s locally sourced cuisine includes tender chamois with smoked celeriac puree and black cabbage with a mix of pickled and fermented herbs, pinecones, and vegetables.

Experimental Chalet

Courtesy of Experimental Chalet

• Location: Val d’Isère, France
• Why we love it: A culinary-focused boutique hotel with an alluring spa
• From $350
• Book now

The 113 bedrooms at this newly opened boutique hotel in France’s winter sports haven of Val d’Isère feature decor touches like ecru bouclette textiles, rustic maple wood doors, white marble baths, and large balconies overlooking the snow-covered Vanoise massif. But suppertime’s Savoyard touches are even better. Fondue, raclette, tartiflette, and spruce hoops full of melted Vacherin Mont d’Or are fortifying dishes to help reheat your cold bones. If that doesn’t do the trick, head to the spa’s sauna, hammam, and indoor heated pool or four treatment rooms for Vitamin C masks, hot stone massages, and caviar facials.

Hotel AC Baqueira Ski Resort, Autograph Collection

Courtesy of Hotel AC Baqueira Ski Resort

• Location: Baqueira Beret, Spain
• Why we love it: A ski-in, ski-out hotel with plenty of on-property activities and family-friendly room configurations
• Loyalty program: Marriott Bonvoy
• From $280
• Book now

This Aran Valley ski-in/ski-out hotel on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees has all the winter fixings: sauna, whirlpool tubs, Turkish baths, spacious cowhide sofas, and cozy outdoor fireplaces where visitors can sip cava and nibble Iberico jamon while watching dusk fall over Baqueira’s 106 miles of twinkling silver slopes. Among the 100 guest rooms, with their dark wood tones, some have adjustable with bunk beds, ideal for families or groups of friends.

Hotel Glacier

Courtesy of Hotel Glacier

• Location: Grindelwald, Switzerland
• Why we love it: A log-lined sauna and rooms with balconies featuring private hot tubs
• From $340
• Book now

Access to 45 lifts and 133 miles of piste has long drawn skiers and boarders to Switzerland’s storybook Grindelwald village, home to weathered wooden chalets, waterfalls, and views of Eiger Mountain’s iconic north face. Some of the 28 rooms at the Hotel Glacier boutique hotel feature balconies with private hot tubs while its restaurant, helmed by chef Paul Cabayé, serves Alpine French cuisine and vegetarian-friendly options like grilled leeks with smoked kombu beurre blanc or egg yolk cooked in watercress and leek emulsion. The menu offers 600 Swiss and French wine labels; 160 of them are available by the glass. A log-lined sauna, heated outdoor whirlpool, steam room, and relaxation area with warm waterbeds are ideal after visiting Grindelwald’s sights like the 52mph First Flieger Zipline and using the velogemel snow bikes.

Hotel Torre di San Martino

Courtesy of Hotel Torre di San Martino

• Location: Borgo di Rivalta, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
• Why we love it: Guest rooms with an Old World feel and fortifying Italian cuisine
• From $150
• Book now

The Apennine mountains of Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region are grazing grounds for parmesan cheese–making cows and home to scenic alpine towns like Bobbio and Brugnello. It’s often overlooked by international tourists as a winter destination, but the region has 16 ski resorts, including Cimone/Montecreto and Schia, together home to 40 miles of piste and 23 lifts. The area draws visitors seeking outdoor activities, such as miles of bird-watching, cycling, snowshoeing, and cross-country trails.

Located inside castle walls of Borgo di Rivalta in the region’s Piacenza province, the Hotel Torre di San Martino has been operating under the ownership of the noble Zanardi Landi family since the 13th century. The hotel’s 18 Old World guest rooms have coffered ceilings, canopy beds, and shuttered windows opening to the garden. A small spa, stone fireplace in reception, medieval castle, and three restaurants, including a slow food locanda serving local specialities like culatello, tortellini in hot broth, and melted parmesan cheese add a little dolce vita to winter.

L’Apogee, Courchevel

Courtesy of L’Apogee Courchevel

• Location: Courchevel, France
• Why we love it: A ski-in, ski-out hotel with well-executed classic French fare and spacious guest rooms
• From $2,877
• Book now

Truffles, truffles, and more truffles are on the menu at the super-chic 53 room, ski-in/ski-out French hotel set atop the Olympic ski jump in glitzy Courchevel. Food here is a major draw, with classic fare like gooey gratineed French onion soup, suprême de poulet, and excellent patisseries and viennoiseries; a new pop-up Italian restaurant, Giovanni’s, is a reminder that Italy is just across the mountain. Part of the Oetker Collection, the property’s spacious rooms feature steam showers and heated bathroom floors, plus wrap-around balconies with Alpine views. Head to the friendly in-house ski shop to rent winter clothing and skis or hire a guide to show you the best restaurants in Les 3 Vallées, the world’s largest ski resort. A cozy spa with treatment rooms is no afterthought, with saunas, a steam room, a thermal bath, and an indoor pool.

Les Mazots du Clos

Courtesy of Robin Quarrelle Photography/Les Mazots du Clos

• Location: Villars Sur Ollon, Canton Vaud, Switzerland
• Why we love it: A family-owned hotel with just seven rooms and panoramic views of the Dents-du-Midi mountain range
• From $330
• Book now

Sitting 4,000 feet above the manicured terraces of chasselas vineyards in Switzerland’s lesser-known Alpine resort of Villar-sur-Ollon, this family-owned seven-room hotel is the antidote to Switzerland’s stuffy five-star palaces and crowded mega-resorts. Inviting wood-lined rooms feature sunny terraces overlooking the Rhône Valley and impressive views of the snow-frosted Dents-du-Midi mountain range. Les Mazots du Clos is not ski-in/ski-out, but it’s only a 10-minute walk to the Roc d’Orsay gondolas leading you to Les Diablerets slopes. Its buzzy restaurant serves up international cuisine like beef tataki with jalapeño and creme fraiche, fluffy Japanese milk buns, and crispy calamari with pineapple salsa. Also on site: A locally beloved jazz club, an à discretion wine bar, a library, and a spa with whirlpool, steam room, and saunas.

Rosewood Schloss Fuschl

Photo by Jonathan Maloney / Inga Beckmann for What The Fox Studio

• Location: Salzburg, Austria
• Why we love it: A luxurious reimagined castle hotel on a picturesque lake near Salzburg
• From $625
• Book now
  

This 15th-century fairy-tale castle turned 98-room lakeside resort and spa opened in the summer of 2024 but its airy rooms with lake and forest views beg to be wintered in. Located 30 minutes from Salzburg, the hotel’s main restaurant plates up hearty Austrian cuisine like crispy schnitzels and venison tartare, while a tea salon named after its former resident princess, Elisabeth “Sisi” of Austria, creates elaborate pastries like chocolate-hazelnut truffle cake and rum bundts. An in-house strudel baking class lets guests perfect their own patisserie panache. The modern spa’s three saunas feature an Old World “aufguss sauna” experience that uses local essential oils and essence of local beer. An outdoor thermal infinity pool perched over a woodsy ravine and a trail around Lake Fuschl provide ways to burn off those extra calories. Read Afar’s full review of Rosewood Schloss Fuschl.

62ºNord/Hotel Union Øye

Courtesy of Hotel Union Øye

• Location: Sunnmøre, Norway
• Why we love it: Standout dining, inviting social spaces, and cocktails on demand in the suites
• From $415
• Book now

This 2025 collaboration between the historic Hotel Union Øye, a member of Relais & Châteaux, and experiential travel company 62ºNord is your ticket to a cool Scandi winter. Located in Norway’s Sunnmøre region, renowned for its fjords, remote villages, waterfalls, and glaciers, the hotel keeps the cold away with giant crackling fireplaces in public rooms; a sunny palm room and light-flooded conservatory bring the wilderness indoors. Itineraries include Nordic wildlife safaris, helicopter fjord tours, and visits to local farms. For more sybaritic pleasures, slip into your robe and enjoy the Press for Champagne or Gin and Tonic buttons that deliver a cocktail to your suite on demand.