The Skiers' Guide to Geilo

My husband and I went for a week at Feb half term last year. It is colder than other Europe resorts but it was also incredibly quiet and at times we had runs to ourselves. The ski area is quite small so not for those who prefer to do a lot of mileage but it was perfect for families. Pistes well groomed and everyone very friendly. Other activities we did were ice plunge (great fun) and tobogganing (best ever!!). Really pleased that we went but if you want to do more skiing then probably prefer a bigger resort.

Very family-friendly. We used the ski school at Slaatta and my daughter loved the instructors and made a lot of progress over four days. During the week the slopes weren't too busy and the lift queues were short; however, on Friday afternoon it got a lot busier as weekenders arrived. Still less busy than some Alpine resorts though, considering it was the New Year holiday.

There was a great ski bus connecting the two sides of the resort - free, and running every 10 minutes. The train from Oslo to Bergen stops right in Geilo so it's very convenient to reach from either of those two cities (approx 3.5 hours).

Slope-wise, I preferred the Vestlia side. There had been some snowmelt on the south-facing Geilo/Slaatta side, followed by a freeze, which resulted in icy slopes. As a beginner, I found this to be difficult to ski on, but if you are more experienced it probably wouldn't be an issue. I found the snowier, north-facing Vestlia slopes more comfortable to ski on.

There are not that many green slopes on the Vestlia side, but I enjoyed the ones I went on. Plenty of long blues and reds available, but I didn't try them - maybe next time!

The Kikut lift was efficient and comfortable. The cafes at the slopes were nice too.

Another big plus for English-speaking families is that everyone we dealt with - from ski school staff, to resort personnel, bus drivers, people in shops and restaurants - had great English, and everyone was so helpful.

Downsides to Geilo - there's only one really - the price of food and drink! The cheapest bottle of wine local restaurants that we visited averaged approximately 50 euro - so it turned out to be a healthier week than we had planned! You would probably have a wider choice of restaurants in a bigger resort, but we were happy with the ones we did visit. We ate a lot of pizza!

We're already planning our next trip to Geilo!

Great ski resort it has won awards every year, kind of speaks for itself. Good for families . we love it.

Excellent place, really good quiet runs during the week, little busy on the weekend. Plenty of runs for intermediate riders and good for beginners. Would go again.

Amazing and beautiful, everyone was super friendly. Plenty of slopes to cater for different skill levels, nice and quiet with plenty of snow.

These slopes are a particularly good place to learn while starting out especially if you have kids but also offer some more challenging slopes for more advanced skiers. Most importantly it was never too busy. The scenery is magnificent!

Beautiful ski resort, not overly busy. Easy to access, with its own train station. Good rental equipment and prices. Food and accommodation a bit more expensive but worth it. Plenty of pistes for all levels and abilities. Would recommend for families and first time skiers / snowboarders.

Third time visiting. This time during Easter so slopes were a lot busier but still plenty of room. For quieter slopes would suggest avoiding the Easter week. But if youre there for Apres, Easter is the best time.

Not only good for alpine skiing but also amazing cross country skiing. Highly recommend.

The hotels are also super nice in the area with great hot tubs with amazing views.

Geilo is perfect if you like somewhat smaller resorts with more locals than tourists.

Very nice smaller resort, was quiet and had great snow when I went in January. Only downside was I found myself getting a bit bored due to the size of resort and few challenging runs. Would be perfect for beginners