The best winter destinations
23 places we'd send a winter-first traveler, from household names to under-the-radar picks.
Almaty, KazakhstanBig-mountain backdrop, Silk Road bazaars, cheap alpine skiing
Andermatt, SwitzerlandUncrowded alpine skiing in winter, high-pass hiking in summer
Aspen, USAChampagne powder in winter, wildflower peaks come August
Banff, CanadaTurquoise glacial lakes and peak trails in short alpine summer
Bansko, BulgariaPirin peaks and cheap Balkan skiing with mehana feasts in winter
Bariloche, ArgentinaAndean lakes town for winter skiing and summer trail days
Breuil-Cervinia, ItalyLong Matterhorn runs into Switzerland, reliable deep-winter snow
Chamonix, FranceMont Blanc's basecamp: glaciers, cable cars and deep winter powder
Cortina d'Ampezzo, ItalyDolomite peaks, ski culture in winter, via ferrata in summer
Deer Valley, USAGroomed Wasatch bowls and ski-in luxury, deep January powder
Harbin, ChinaIce-and-snow palaces lit neon and Russian domes, deep January freeze
High Tatras, SlovakiaAlpine lakes and granite ridges, hiking summer or skiing winter
Lapland, FinlandAurora season under glass igloos, deep-winter Arctic silence
Leavenworth, USABavarian village glowing under lights in deep December snow
Oulu, FinlandNorthern lights over the Arctic coast without Lapland prices
Quebec City, CanadaWalled old town and winter carnival in snow-globe February
Queenstown, New ZealandSouthern Alps powder and lakeside apres in deep winter
Taos, USAPueblo adobe and powder skiing under snowcapped Sangre peaks
Telluride, USABox-canyon powder in winter, alpine wildflowers come July
Tromsø, NorwayAurora nights and dog-sled Arctic silence deep in polar winter
Val Gardena, ItalyDolomite valley of jagged peaks, meadows in summer, powder in winter
Zakopane, PolandTatra ski slopes and highlander cheese huts, snow-sure in winter
Zermatt, SwitzerlandCar-free village under the Matterhorn, ski slopes open into spring