Ski Europe: Find the best food, parties and kids' amenities

The views from the top are stunning; good skiers who are prepared to hire a guide will love it here and there is also great instruction available for those wishing to venture off-piste for the first time. Intermediates who love to cover ground may come across heavy queues over the sprawling terrain, although both the lift system and piste grooming have improved of late. Progression is the problem for beginners as, after conquering the nursery slopes, gentle blues are a couple of tricky runs away. However, families get a good reduction on lift passes.

Zermatt, Switzerland
Home of the Matterhorn, great slopes and the world's best mountain restaurants
http://www.zermatt.ch/index.e.html

Best for: strong skiers and long-lunch lovers
Kids: 2
Cost: £££££
Snow: 4

This is not a place for beginners. The sculpted high-mountain terrain is an incredible playground for intermediate and advanced skiers, with endless stretches of winding runs, acres of mogul fields and bounteous off-piste. That said, it's expensive and the lift system still needs improving, although giant strides have been taken in recent years to eliminate major bottlenecks. These, however, are minor drawbacks when you consider all that Zermatt has to offer. Life in the resort is lively and varied and the food up the mountain is second to none. King of them all is the Zum See restaurant - do not leave without sampling its bounty.

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