My husband skis and I don't. What would you recommend for a city in Europe we could spend a week and he could ski a few days on a day trip basis and I could enjoy museums, music, etc.? Some ideas I had were Austria or Switzerland but I don't know what cities or what's the best way for him to transport himself to the slopes.

Innsbruck and Lucerne come to mind. The former is closer to ski areas, the latter probably offers more culture.

Hi LA,

Fly into Paris - 2 nights

If he still wants to go skiing he can take a flight to Munich, ski Innsbruk, and return to Paris.

Fly into Rome - ditto.

Enjoy your visit.

Hi laurie_ann,

Yes, it's a problem. Ski areas are usually a few hours from the city, so skiing on a day-trip basis isn't feasible. This is especially true if your husband is an advanced skier. However, there is really a lot to do besides ski in the Alps -- while he is skiing, you could walk, toboggan, explore mountain villages, shop for souvenirs, find an ice palace, etc. How about a compromise of five days culture and five days skiing?

s

Cortina d'Empezzo (sp?) in Italy is a few hours from Venice I believe.

You could also fly into Milan and then go North to Cervinia - which is on the Swiss Italian border and connected to world famous Zermatt.

Innsbruck would be pretty cool.

I went to St. Anton am Arlberg in Austria which was incredible. Then we went to Munich for a few days. St. Anton also has several towns nearby that you could explore while he is skiing (St. Anton, Christoph, Lech, Zurs). You could also take a train into Innsbruck while he skiis one day.

What about Turin/Torino? Don't know about the skiing but must be half decent if good enough for the Olympics??? City itself offers plenty to keep you busy!

Hi Laurie_Ann -

I'd highly recommend the Dolomites/ South Tyrol area.

I'm a non-skier - but often holiday in the Dolomites in the ski season, and find plenty to do.

Do you want to base in a ski resort? Or are you looking for a compromise solution from where you could day-trip?

If the former I'd recommend Ortisei in Val Gardena - a lovely ski area in dramatic scenery.

From Ortisei day-trip options include Bolzano, Trento, Merano, Innsbruck ... or, a little further afield, Munich, Verona ...

An alternative in this area would be to base in Bolzano itself.


In the Veneto area a good compromise solution IMO might be to base in Treviso. From there your husband could day-trip to Cortina d'Ampezzo or San Martino di Castrozza.

Day-trip options from Treviso include Venice, Padova, Bassano, Vicenza, Bologna, Verona, Asolo ...

Hope this helps ...

Steve

If you are interested in Switzerland, I too would suggest Luzern. The city has a lot to offer a sight-seer, and there is great skiing at Engelberg, one hour away by frequest trains.

http://www.engelberg.ch/Winter/index.php