Christmas, snow, and skiing: the perfect formula for winter vacations

Snow, mountain, and ski enthusiasts know that the 111 ski slopes and the Aran Valley make this area the best for spending Christmas.

Enjoy the activities with the comfort of accommodations at the foot of the slopes and the spacious houses in the villages of the Valley.

The Baqueira Beret resort is one of the snowiest destinations in Europe, with 160 km of skiable area between Baqueira, Beret, and Bonaigua, as well as 3 itineraries, 7 km of Nordic ski circuit, 1 Snowpark, 1 Slalom Stadium, 1 Ski Kronos, 1 Boardercross, 1 Funpark, a freeride area, and 36 ski lifts.

In addition to alpine skiing, Baqueira offers other snow activities:

  • snowboarding,
  • cross-country skiing,
  • freeriding,
  • snowshoeing,
  • dog or horse sledding,
  • snowmobiles,
  • mountain ski routes around the resort…

These activities allow skiers to access the most beautiful and wild corners of the mountain, but with circuits prepared for beginner skiers.

Christmas snow and skiing on winter vacation

The resort has up-to-the-minute information on the slopes; you can also check the weather forecast with the Meteoaran report:

Aran Valley weather

During the Christmas holidays, events are traditionally celebrated such as:

  • the arrival of Santa Claus, first in Beret and then in Baqueira, on a sled pulled by dogs,
  • the opening speech of the festivities from the balcony of the Vielha Town Hall,
  • the living nativity scene and chocolate party in Salardú,
  • the lighting of the tree to celebrate Christmas in Artíes, where there is also a parade with floats,
  • the New Year’s Eve chimes in Bagergue and the Tronca de Nadau, a tradition in which a song is sung while the trunk is hit and sweets and little gifts are obtained,
  • the spectacular torchlight descent on New Year’s Eve,
  • the New Year’s solidarity concert.
  • the Three Kings parade, arriving in snowplows from level 1500 of Baqueira, and delivering gifts in the towns of Naut Aran,
  • relaxing in the Baronia de Les hot springs,
  • visiting Caviar Nacarii with a glass of cava and tasting of Pyrenees caviar,
  • having an Olla Aranesa to warm the stomach,
  • and of course, skiing in Baqueira Beret.

Vielha town center

Christmas in Baqueira

snow and skiing in winter

From December 24 to January 5 in Baqueira Beret you can enjoy a wide variety of activities to celebrate the Christmas holidays.

Start Christmas Eve with Santa Claus visiting the children, touring a large part of the resort on a dog sled. He arrives in Beret and from there moves to Baqueira 1800. Your children will be able to greet him and ask for the gifts they want.

In Baqueira Beret, the torchlight descent accompanied by a fireworks display in the late afternoon or evening is already a tradition, with the subsequent Vin Cau to forget the cold and fireworks to say goodbye to the year.


On January 1, you can enjoy the New Year’s benefit concert.

To end as every year, the Three Kings parade on snow machines.

At lunchtime, you can access themed venues such as the Refugio San Miguel, the 5J Grill Baqueira, and the Moët Winter Lounge, where you can enjoy their terraces.

For those who like the atmosphere and après-ski, they can go to Baqueira Bar 1500 and the terrace of the Moët Winter Lounge, where music is played from noon.

Other events organized in Baqueira:

  • the Audi Salomon Quest Challenge with tests of all types of glides. It is a popular test, halfway between competition and leisure, which allows you to discover Baqueira in all its extension, since it leaves Beret and events are held until reaching Bonaigua.
  • The CEVA Duathlon is a mountain skiing and alpine skiing competition in Beret, which attracts many athletes.

winter vacation

Christmas in the Aran Valley

The Aran Valley and its towns offer many activities to celebrate Christmas: small nativity towns, churches with history, Christmas traditions, typical gastronomy.

In addition to the cultural and gastronomic attraction of the Valley, you can practice sports, thanks to the optimal conditions and activities of the Baqueira Beret ski resort.

The entire valley is dressed and decorated to receive Christmas, for that reason, the walks through the decorated villages are very pleasant, dotted with visits to its Romanesque churches, with guided routes such as that of Santa María de Arties (December 30 and January 6).

With luck, you can visit the Umans e Natura exhibition, which reflects the relationship over time between man and the Aranese land (check first availability).

Those who like museums have several in the Aran Valley, which preserve in their rooms unique documents and objects that help to understand the special idiosyncrasy of the Aranese land and its people.

The little ones can go to the Parc Infantil de Nadal in the Palai d’Esports de Vielha, with different activities to entertain themselves all afternoon, next to the Palai de Geu, where they can have fun ice skating.

vacation with snow and ski


And lovers of traditions cannot miss the festival of “Era soca de Nadau” in Les, a recovered custom that is celebrated on December 24 in the Plaza de la Iglesia.

It consists of burning a huge trunk to the sound of ringing bells, after which the midnight mass is celebrated and hot chocolate, coca and muscatel are served while musicians sing songs of the land and tell stories to the little ones.

From the 27th to the 29th, the Mercat de Nadau en Arties is celebrated, an interesting sample of Aranese crafts and typical products of our gastronomy.

And speaking of eating, the visitor cannot fail to try the most genuine Aranese cuisine, that of winter, energetic and comforting, and especially the star dish, the Olha Aranesa.

Toriaran has fabulous accommodations in the towns of the Aran Valley.

Check availability and book now!

Book accommodation for your winter vacation as soon as possible. In high season there are usually absolute full houses, so we advise you to get ahead in renting your accommodations in the area.

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Author: Totiarán

At Totiaran, we know the Aran Valley like the back of our hand. We have been managing vacation rentals for years with a professional, close, and fully adapted approach to this unique destination. We select each accommodation, take care of every detail, and support both owners and travelers to guarantee quality, authentic, and worry-free stays. Our local experience is the foundation that allows us to offer trust, results, and a way to experience the Aran Valley as it deserves.