Why choose a halal-friendly ski resort
Skiing is becoming an increasingly popular winter pastime. It’s a great way to spend time together as a family, enjoy an active holiday and explore the great outdoors. Although alpine ski resorts are traditionally not very halal-friendly, we have found you some excellent ski resorts where Muslim families can relax after a hard day's skiing with readily available halal food, alcohol-free areas and women-only spas/indoor pools. We also want to introduce some destinations such as Türkiye and Bosnia, which may be less familiar to European skiers but which offer an excellent choice of alcohol-free and halal-friendly hotels.
Ski the World with Halalbooking
Halalbooking now features almost 1,000 ski hotels in 20 destinations worldwide from renowned international ski destinations such as Austria to new and exciting emerging destinations such as Azerbaijan. Search for the destination of your choice and then use our halal filters to find the features most important to you and your family, whether it is availability of halal food, alcohol-free areas or a pool or spa where modest swimwear is allowed.
To find ski hotels on halalbooking.com search for your travel dates (and destination, if you have already decided on one) and then filter your search results using the ‘Property type’ filter and choose ‘Ski hotel’.
Here’s a selection of our favourite halal-friendly ski resorts and destinations:
📍 Bosnia and Herzegovina
There are two ski resorts within an hour’s drive of the Bosnian capital Sarajevo: the small ski resort of Jahorina, just 28 kms away, and Bosnia’s largest ski area, Babin Do, on the impressive Bjelasnica mountain.
This is a great destination for combining skiing with sightseeing or simply enjoying the friendly, relaxed atmosphere, staying in an alcohol-free hotel with halal food and women’s only leisure amenities. Popular choices for halal-friendly ski hotels in Bosnia include the Pino Nature Hotel and the Hotel Han Bjelasnica.
Hotel Han Bjelasnica ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 📍 Sarajevo
A breath-taking setting, amidst pristine mountain scenery yet within easy reach of Old Sarajevo. An idyllic alcohol-free and halal-certified retreat with a spa, its indoor pool is open to women-only at set times, it serves only halal food and is ideal for families.
Pino Nature Hotel ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 📍 Sarajevo
An alcohol-free hotel in the Bjelasnica mountains, ideal for an active holiday - skiing or hiking. Approximately 30 kms from Sarajevo, it serves all halal food and its spa is open for private hire.
📍 Switzerland
Switzerland is one of Europe’s best-known ski destinations. Explore some of the most incredible, long descents in the Swiss Alps! The car-free village of Wengen boasts skiing from 1,270-2,320 metres and offers a number of ski hotels with halal-friendly features, including halal food options and alcohol removed from your room if booked on halalbooking.com.
Staying in a halal-friendly hotel in Wengen provides access to 112 km of downhill skiing, with 33 individual pistes, served by 19 ski lifts in Wengen's Jungfrau top ski region!
You can read more about Wengen in our dedicated blog: Halal-friendly skiing holidays in the beautiful village of Wengen in the Swiss Alps.
Hotel & Spa Silberhorn Wengen ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 📍 Wengen
Hotel Silberhorn is located in the centre of the car-free village of Wengen, which is only reachable by train. All rooms offer superb mountain views and just a short walk away from the town's train station.
📍 Türkiye
Although Türkiye is not well-known in Europe as a ski destination, it is in fact an extremely mountainous country with no fewer than 10 mountain ranges. Its highest mountain, Mount Ağrı, is over 5,000 metres high. Türkiye has many ski resorts and offers some of the highest and most snow-sure skiing in Europe at altitudes of up to 3,360 metres.
Whether you are a seasoned skier or a newcomer to winter sports, Türkiye offers a choice of great ski resorts with pristine slopes and deep powder snow and is one of the leading destinations with halal-friendly ski hotels that are alcohol-free, offer halal food and have some women-only facilities.
Halal-friendly Skiing in Uludağ (Bursa)
Uludağ is one of Türkiye’s most picturesque ski resorts, with pretty tree-line pistes and a range of skiing to suit all abilities. It is particularly good for beginners, who will enjoy progressing through the runs. It boasts 18 pistes, ranging from 1,750-2,543 metres, served by 7 ski lifts. Staying at the Bof Uludağ Ski Resort generally offers a ski-in, ski-out experience as it is located at the foot of the slopes, with excellent views from its sun terrace. It is the ideal spot from which non-skiers - or those taking a break - can admire the views.
Bof Uludağ Ski Resort ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 📍 Bursa
This alcohol-free hotel is right on the piste in the heart of the pretty Turkish ski resort of Uludağ. After a day on the uncrowded slopes, enjoy relaxing in the women-only or men-only spa or mixed pool.
Uludağ has the added advantage that it is very close to Bursa, Türkiye’s first Ottoman capital. Take the cable car down the mountain to explore its rich history including the Koza Han, the impressive covered bazaar, which was at the heart of Türkiye’s silk trade. One of Bursa’s most impressive monuments is the Ulu Camii (Great Mosque), which combines elements of Seljuk and early Ottoman architecture. It was commissioned by Sultan Yildirim Bayezid I and opened in 1399. It is considered to be one of the most important mosques in the Islamic World. Also visit the Green Mosque which was commissioned by Sultan Mehmet I in 1412, and was the first Ottoman mosque to use tiles as a feature of its interior decoration. His tomb is also here.
In fact, you can pay your respects to a total of six Ottoman sultans, who have their final resting place in Bursa: Osman Gazi, Orhan Gazi, Yildirim Bayezid, Çelebi Mehmet, Murat I and Murat II. Sultan Osman Gazi was the founder of the Ottoman Empire, which established Bursa as its first capital. He is the son of Ertuğrul, who you may recognise as the protagonist in the hugely popular TV series ‘Resurrection Ertuğrul’, which has been a hit worldwide.
Bursa is renowned for its delicious Iskender Kebab - named after Alexander the Great - and its candied chestnuts (Kestane Şekeri). It is also the site of significant thermal springs - there is nothing better than relaxing your aching muscles after a hard day’s skiing in one of the traditional Turkish baths, with thermal pools, which have women-only and men-only sections.
Since the new airport has opened in Istanbul, it’s even easier to reach Uludağ. It should only take around 3 hours by road - and these days you don’t need to take a ferry. If you can visit mid-week, you will find that the pistes are much less busy.
Halal-friendly Skiing in Kartepe
Since the new Istanbul Airport has opened, it’s even easier to get to Kartepe, as it’s just 1.5 hours by road from the airport, making it one of Türkiye’s most convenient halal-friendly ski options. It is a relatively compact ski area, with just over 21 kms of pistes, served by 4 lifts. It is especially good for beginners and intermediates, with friendly nursery slopes, which are perfect for children. The views are astonishingly beautiful, and you will enjoy skiing the pretty tree-lines slopes.
The Green Park Kartepe ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 📍 Kartepe
A contemporary hotel, popular with skiers, amidst mountain scenery, with ladies-only and men-only spas. The surrounding mountains and beautiful Sapanca Lake attract nature-lovers all year round.
Halal-friendly Skiing in Erciyes (Kayseri)
Erciyes has the distinction of being Türkiye’s highest ski resort, with its ski area stretching from 2,100 to 3,360 metres. It boasts an extensive ski area with 55 kms of pistes, served by 14 lifts. It caters well for skiers of all abilities. Due to its altitude it is relatively snow-sure, but also has artificial snow-making capabilities. Its season runs from December until the end of April.
It is located in a picturesque spot, on the extinct volcanic mountain of Erciyes, east of Cappadocia and south of the town of Kayseri, just 45 minutes’ drive from Kayseri airport. The resort is perfect for intermediates and its longest piste is an exhilarating 3.5 km long!
You could choose to combine a visit to the ski resort of Erciyes, with a stay in the fascinating area of Cappadocia, with its unusual rock formations and underground cities.
For more inspiration about ski holidays in Türkiye, read our dedicated blog article: A Winter Getaway – The Best Ski Destinations in Türkiye.