You don't need to strap on skis to have a proper winter holiday in Europe. A new round-up of non-skiing snow trips spans Arctic Finland to the Italian Dolomites, and the options go well beyond the usual spa-and-market formula.
In Finnish Lapland, just inside the Arctic Circle, the Ruka resort is launching a winter activity programme this December. E-fatbiking through snowy forests, ice-fishing through a hole cut in a frozen lake and snowshoeing at night in search of the northern lights all cost under €90. Quirkier picks include floating down the freezing Kiveskoski river in a thermal suit and a forest yoga session with grazing reindeer for company. Santa's Cottage, half an hour away, runs elf-training sessions for children from €105.
Scotland's Cairngorms are dark by mid-afternoon in winter — and that's the point. The Tomintoul and Glenlivet area is an International Dark Sky Park, and the Tomintoul Discovery Centre lends out stargazing kits and hosts astronomy evenings, including a Geminids meteor-spotting night in mid-December. Storyteller Sarah Hobbs leads after-dark walks weaving Gaelic and Pictish night-sky tales (£20), while the off-grid Lazy Duck huts in Abernethy Forest come with stargazing windows above the beds.
Chamonix's non-skiing side includes a new four-night self-guided snowshoeing trip from Responsible Travel (from £790pp) based in Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, taking in a balcony trail facing Mont Blanc. The red cog train up to the Mer de Glace glacier, with its blue ice tunnel, costs €49.70, and the new Mont-Blanc Museum — opened in July — displays memorabilia from the 1924 Winter Olympics.
Romania's Carpathians are home to more than 10,000 brown bears and around 2,500 grey wolves, and Exodus's seven-night Transylvania snowshoe trip (from £1,459pp) is based at a family guesthouse in Magura, with hikes along the 200-metre walls of the Zărnești Gorge. There's also Brașov's old town, a bear sanctuary with over 120 rescued animals, and Bran Castle looking gloriously gothic without its summer queues.
Innsbruck packs in a bobsleigh run on the Olympic track at Igls (from €45), night sledding, an overnight igloo at Kühtai from €537 with fondue and sauna included, seven Christmas markets from November, and a new Ice Magic illuminated skating trail through the city.
Finally, Stockholm offers Nordic skating — long-distance wild skating on natural ice. Guided trips on Lake Mälaren or the Baltic archipelago start at £143 with all gear, while Hellasgården, under 30 minutes from the city, has ploughed tracks and a sauna for afterwards.
Why it matters: winter trips used to mean skiing or nothing. These options suit couples, families with small children, and anyone who'd rather snowshoe, stargaze or eat dumplings than brave a black run.
Story first reported by The Guardian Travel.
