Europe's top winter sports resorts

If you're looking for an Austrian winter sport resort steeped in tradition, head for Kitzbuhel, where you will most likely find yourself among the glitterati. Kitzbuhel tends to gets very busy in January, when scores of guests arrive for the legendary Hahnenkamm race, in which daredevil skiers speed down the eponymous mountain. It is considered one of the world's most dangerous downhill runs.

Ischgl only has 1,500 residents but it attracts many more visitors during the winter months and boasts scores of hotels. From here, you can easily reach one of the largest ski resorts in the Alps, the Silvretta Arena. Traditionally, the beginning and end of the ski season is celebrated with major festivities and star-studded concerts.

Holidaymakers have been coming to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in southern Germany, for many decades. With a variety of ski slopes, ranging from easy to medium, totaling a length of 20 kilometers, this part of Bavaria is fantastic for winter sports enthusiasts. What's more, at this altitude, copious sunshine is almost guaranteed.

At 2,713 meters, the Watzmann is among Germany's highest mountains. The entire massif, located south of the Bavarian village of Berchtesgaden, draws climbers, hikers and winter sports enthusiasts. The region in Germany's southeast borders Austria.

Hintertux Glacier, situated at an altitude of 3,250 meters, is Austra's only year-round ski area. A new high-speed chairlift was inaugurated in 2015, which can shuttle 2,800 skiers to the region every hour. All seats are heated and protected by a weatherproof dome.

If this building looks familiar to you although you've never been in Solden, it's probably because you watched the James Bond movie 'Spectre'. Parts of the film were shot at the Ice Q restaurant, at an elevation of 3,050 meters. It offers great cuisine, stylish architecture and stunning views — reason enough to make your way up to Gaislachkogl peak, even if you're not a skier.

The Dolomites are among the best-known mountain ranges in the Alps. This is where you will find the jagged Tre Cime de Lavaredo peaks, the Sella group massif and many other fascinating formations. The region boasts over 1,000 kilometers of ski slopes, but can also be explored with snowshoes.

Sestriere, in Italy's Piedmont region, is another excellent destination for anyone keen on Alpine skiing. This is not only because of its stunning natural beauty, but also due to its fantastic infrastructure. This is partly thanks to Fiat founder Giovanni Agnelli, who had hotels and cable cars built here many decades ago. Today, the region boasts some 400 kilometers of ski trails.

Courchevel ski resort was created from scratch in the 1950s. It is part of a vast, contiguous ski area, boasting some 600 kilometers of slopes linked to each other by a network of ski lifts, gondolas and cable cars. Courchevel itself also offers several Michelin-starred restaurants.

The Aletsch Arena ski resort lies within a truly stunning UNESCO-protected landscape, the Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch. This is where you will find the impressive Eggishorn mountain and the truly monumental 4,478-meter-tall Matterhorn summit — fabulous views guaranteed.

Winter sports have been en vogue in St. Moritz since the mid-19th century, not least because of enthusiastic British travelers who helped popularize skiing in the region. Fast-forward several decades and St. Moritz is now one the most popular winter holiday resorts in the world, especially among the rich and famous.