Where Will You Find The Best Hot Chocolate On The Slopes?

Finding a bar or restaurant on the piste – preferably with a fantastic view – for a food or drink fuel stop, or some après ski, is one of the attractions of a mountain holiday for the majority of skiers and snowboarders.

And one of my favourite drinks of choice is a hot chocolate, but how you take this popular beverage is surely – pardon the pun – a matter of taste. For example, some people like their steaming mug of chocolate topped off with whipped cream or marshmallows, while others prefer it flavoured with a slug of brandy.

I love a good hot chocolate, but I once had one in an Austrian resort that was so thick you could almost stand a spoon up in it. I had never experienced anything like it. Enquiries revealed this quicksand of brown liquid was a speciality of that particular bar. They made the drink by melting whole slabs of chocolate into a cup. It was far too sickly for me, and yet several other members of the group I was with loved it.

As I said, it’s all a matter of taste, which is why I initially approached some research sent to me by Lindt UK with a touch of scepticism. To be fair, I tend to view most of these studies that land on my laptop through the eyes of a seasoned, somewhat cynical journalist.

Lindt UK analysed data from almost 300 European ski resorts to determine which, according to its findings, are the best (and worst) for hot chocolate. The research focused on the average price of a hot chocolate, availability in restaurants, cafes, and bars, and finally, online review ratings. They then scored each factor individually, and every resort was assigned a ‘Lindt Ski & Sip’ score out of 100 before being ranked accordingly.

Do you agree with Lindt’s findings? Read on to find out.

Based on Lindt’s scoring system, the best hot chocolate can be found in the Swiss resort of Villars-sur-Ollon, which gained a Lindt Ski & Sip score 83.5 out of 100. A cup of hot chocolate is available for an average price of €4 and is on around 25% of menus in the resort’s restaurants, hotels, and cafes.

A list of the top five:

1. Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland (83.5/100)
2. Crans Montana, Switzerland (81.5/100)
3. Madonna di Campiglio, Italy (80/100)
   = Cortina D’Ampezzo, Italy (80/100)
4. Breuil-Cervinia, Italy (79.5/100)
   = Tignes, France (79.5/100)

The bottom five:

1. Mont des Brumes, Belgium (32/100)
2. Risoul, France (37/100)
3. Val d’Arly, France (39/100)
4. Bad Gastein, Austria (39.5/100)
5. Lech, Austria (40/100)

The Price Of Hot Chocolate On European Slopes

When it comes to pricing, the average cost of hot chocolate across all the European ski resorts included in Lindt UK’s study was €5.58. However, this varies from country to country and resort to resort.
Of the countries with 10 or more ski resorts, Austria had the highest average hot chocolate price at €7.95. It was also voted the best country for skiing in Europe, with exclusive ski resorts like Lech contributing to its overall costs being higher than those in France and Switzerland. And while Greece might not come to mind when thinking of skiing, the Mediterranean nation’s ski resorts have the lowest average price for a steamy cup of cocoa, costing around €3.99.

1. Austria: €7.95
2. France: €6.88
3. Switzerland: €6.28
4. Norway: €5.43
5. Sweden: €5.22
6. Italy: €5.13
7. Germany: €4.8
8. Slovenia: €4.70
9. Spain: €4.67
10. Bulgaria: €4.10
11. Greece: €3.99

Ski Line has information and accommodation options in many of the ski areas mentioned above. To find out more, click on any resorts that are highlighted above.

Where Will You Find The Best Hot Chocolate On The Slopes?: A Summary

A key highlight of a mountain holiday for many skiers and snowboarders is finding a scenic bar or restaurant on the piste to enjoy a hot beverage or après ski. Among these, hot chocolate is a favorite, though preferences for its preparation vary widely. The Swiss resort of Villars-sur-Ollon ranks highest in Lindt UK’s study of nearly 300 European ski resorts, earning a score of 83.5 out of 100 for its hot chocolate offerings, priced around €4 on 25% of local menus. The study also notes price variations across countries, with Austria having the highest average price at €7.95, while Greece offers the most affordable hot chocolate at €3.99.