What's Open on Christmas Day in Ski Resorts?

What changes in 2026

Christmas Day 2026 is a Friday and Boxing Day is a Saturday, the usual changeover day. Christmas Eve is a Thursday. The rules below depend on the country, because 26 December is a public holiday in Austria and Italy, but not in most of France or in the Swiss canton of Valais.

	24 Dec	25 Dec	26 Dec
Austria	Working day; shops may open 06:00–14:00	Public holiday	Public holiday
France	Working day	Public holiday	Working day (holiday only in Alsace-Moselle)
Switzerland (Valais)	Working day; ordinary shops close at 17:00	Public holiday	Not a cantonal holiday
Italy	Working day	Public holiday	Public holiday

Do the lifts run on Christmas Day?

Yes. None of the lift companies we checked lists a closure on 24, 25 or 26 December. Their season dates run straight through Christmas:

Ski area	2026/27 season
Les 3 Vallées (Méribel, Courchevel, Les Menuires)	5 Dec 2026–18 Apr 2027 (Courchevel from 4 Dec)
Val Thorens	21 Nov 2026–2 May 2027
Val d'Isère	28 Nov 2026–2 May 2027
Les Gets	19 Dec 2026–11 Apr 2027 (partial opening from 12 Dec, snow permitting)
Ski Arlberg (St Anton, Lech)	2 Dec 2026–18 Apr 2027, peak season from 19 Dec
Verbier 4 Vallées	12 Dec 2026–18 Apr 2027 (Verbier–La Tzoumaz from 5 Dec)
Val Gardena and Alta Badia	4 Dec 2025–7 Apr 2026 (last published season)

Mayrhofen in the Zillertal is one area that publishes its hours by date. For 2026/27 its Horbergbahn and Penkenbahn run 08:30–17:00 from 4 to 24 December, and 08:00–17:00 from 25 December, so Christmas Day is the first day of the longer timetable.

Is ski school on Christmas Day?

This is where resorts differ, and where families get caught out.

France

French group lessons usually run as a six-day block from Sunday to Friday, or five days from Monday to Friday. ESF Val Thorens sells both formats. In 2026 the Sunday-to-Friday week is 20–25 December, so it ends on Christmas Day. ESF Le Grand-Bornand, near La Clusaz, lists a children's afternoon course from 20 to 25 December 2026, 14:05–16:30. ESF Alpe d'Huez prices 20 December 2026 to 2 January 2027 as its Christmas high season.

Some groups do not run on the 25th. The Club ESF in Avoriaz, a season club for local children, held its 2025/26 Christmas holiday sessions on 24 and 26 December but not on 25 December or 1 January. Ask your ski school whether Friday 25 December is a lesson day before you book a Sunday-to-Friday course.

Austria

Skischule Arlberg in St Anton starts its group courses for skiers who can already ski on any day except Friday and Saturday, and beginners start on Sunday or Monday. In 2026 that means no group course starts on Christmas Day or Boxing Day. Its peak-season prices apply from 13 December 2026 to 9 January 2027.

Italy

Some Italian schools start their Christmas courses after Christmas. In the Aosta Valley, the Scuola di Sci Antagnod ran its Christmas group lessons from 27 December 2025 to 6 January 2026. Scuola Sci Monte Bianco in Courmayeur lists Christmas group lessons from Tuesday 27 December to Sunday 8 January, which matches the 2022/23 calendar. In Val Gardena, Scuola Sci Selva starts group courses on Sunday or Monday, runs them 10:30–13:00 Sunday to Thursday with a longer Friday session, and prices 20 December 2026 to 9 January 2027 as high season. Its page does not say what happens when that Friday is Christmas Day.

Childcare

Some chalet operators stop childcare on the day. VIP SKI says its childcare team does not work on Christmas Day.

Can you hire skis on Christmas Day?

Many hire shops open daily through the season. In St Anton, SPORT 2000 Jennewein lists its 2026/27 high-season hours, from 19 December, as Monday to Sunday and public holidays, 08:15–18:30. Austrian law allows sports shops in listed Tirol resorts to open on holidays (see below), which is why Tirol hire shops can open on the 25th and 26th. Hire shops set their own holiday hours, so collect your equipment on arrival day if the 25th is your first ski day.

Are shops and supermarkets open?

Austria

Shops in Austria must close on Sundays and public holidays unless the regional governor allows otherwise. On 24 December, when it falls on a weekday, shops may open from 06:00 to 14:00. Sweet shops and florists may stay open until 18:00 and Christmas trees may be sold until 20:00. On 31 December shops may open until 17:00, and food shops until 18:00.

Tirol has an exception for its resorts. The Tiroler Öffnungszeitenverordnung 2008 defines the winter season as 20 December to Easter Monday. In the places it lists as especially tourism-intensive, which include Ischgl, St Anton, Sölden and Kitzbühel, shops selling everyday goods (food, sports goods, clothing, toiletries) may open on Sundays and public holidays, for up to six hours between 08:00 and 20:00. Petrol-station shops and restaurants fall outside the shop-hours law. Lech is in Vorarlberg, not Tirol, so this ordinance does not apply there.

France

Only 25 December is a public holiday in most of France. French law makes 1 May the only holiday that all employees must have off; on other holidays, whether staff work depends on collective agreements or on the employer. So a resort supermarket can open on Christmas Day, and whether it does is the shop's decision. Several Sherpa mountain supermarkets list themselves as open seven days a week in season, but none of the store pages we read gives hours for 25 December.

Switzerland

In Valais, which covers Zermatt, Saas-Fee and Verbier, 25 December is a cantonal holiday and 26 December is not. Under the cantonal shop-hours law of 2002, ordinary shops close at 17:00 on the eve of a holiday, which includes 24 December, and stay closed on the holiday. Shops in places the canton lists as tourist resorts may open daily, including Sundays and holidays, until 21:00. The Zermatt tourist office lists Migros Zermatt as open 08:00–19:00 seven days a week, without separate holiday hours.

Italy

Both 25 and 26 December are public holidays under Italian law. We found no published Christmas hours for the supermarkets in the Dolomites resorts, so check with the shop when you arrive.

Restaurants and markets

Restaurants are not covered by the Austrian or Valais shop-hours laws, so they set their own hours. In a catered chalet the operator provides the Christmas meal; VIP SKI, for one, serves a traditional Christmas dinner. If you are self-catering, see our guide to catered or self-catered chalets at Christmas and book any restaurant meal early. Most Christmas markets have closed by Christmas week, and Bolzano and Merano close on 25 December; the dates are in our guide to Christmas markets in ski resorts.

Before you travel

Buy food for the 24th to 26th on arrival day, Saturday 19 December. Ask your ski school whether it teaches on Friday 25 December, and ask your operator what happens to childcare that day. Holiday hours for shops and hire shops are set each season, so check the tourist office page for your resort before you go.

Sources

• Stadt Wien: Austrian public holidays 2026, 25 Dec Friday and 26 Dec Saturday; 24 and 31 Dec not holidays
• Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft, Energie und Tourismus: shops closed on Sundays and public holidays; governors may extend
• Land Tirol: Öffnungszeitengesetz 2003 §6 (24 and 31 Dec hours) and §2 exceptions; Tiroler Öffnungszeitenverordnung 2008, winter season, tourism-intensive places and Sunday/holiday opening
• Service-Public.fr: French holidays 2026; 26 Dec only in Alsace-Moselle; only 1 May compulsorily off
• Canton du Valais: Valais holidays include Christmas, not 26 Dec
• Canton du Valais, SICT: shop-hours law of 2002, 17:00 on eves of holidays, tourist resorts open daily to 21:00
• Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri: Law 260/1949, 25 and 26 December public holidays
• Les 3 Vallées: 2026/27 season dates
• Val d'Isère tourist office: 2026/27 winter season dates
• Les Gets ski area: 2026/27 opening dates, full opening 19 Dec 2026
• Ski Arlberg: 2026/27 season and peak dates
• Verbier 4 Vallées: 2026/27 season dates
• south-tirol.com: Val Gardena and Alta Badia 2025/26 season
• Mayrhofner Bergbahnen: 2026/27 hours by date around Christmas
• ESF Val Thorens: six lessons Sunday to Friday or five Monday to Friday
• ESF Le Grand-Bornand: course 20–25 Dec 2026, 14:05–16:30
• ESF Alpe d'Huez: Christmas high season 20 Dec 2026–2 Jan 2027
• ESF Avoriaz: Club ESF 2025/26 Christmas sessions, none on 25 Dec or 1 Jan
• Skischule Arlberg: course start days and 2026/27 peak season
• Scuola di Sci Antagnod: Christmas courses 27 Dec 2025–6 Jan 2026
• Scuola Sci Monte Bianco: Christmas group lessons from 27 December
• Scuola Sci Selva: course days and 2026/27 high season
• VIP SKI: no childcare on Christmas Day; Christmas dinner
• SNOWELL: SPORT 2000 Jennewein St Anton 2026/27 hours including public holidays
• Sherpa: mountain supermarkets listed as open seven days a week
• Zermatt Tourismus: Migros Zermatt 08:00–19:00 daily