Best ski resorts near Barcelona

When the Spanish royal family goes skiing, this is where they come. Baqueira Beret is the largest resort in Spain, with three connected sectors and the Michelin-starred tables of the Aran Valley waiting at the bottom.

Six villages, from Encamp to Pas de la Casa, make up the largest ski domain in the Pyrenees. Add duty-free prices and regular World Cup finals, and Grandvalira becomes an easy family yes.

Spain comes to Formigal to ski hard and dance harder. The biggest domain in the Aragón Pyrenees, linked with Panticosa, it is home to La Marchica, the wildest après-ski party in the country.

The northern, wildest sector of Andorra's Vallnord, Ordino-Arcalís has the best snow and freeride terrain in the country. North-facing and high, it is a powder-hunter's secret.

High on the French border, Pas de la Casa is the lively, high-altitude gateway to Grandvalira, the largest ski domain in the Pyrenees with around 210 km of pistes. Famous for snow-sure slopes above 2000 m, duty-free shopping and a legendary party scene, it draws a young, budget-minded crowd looking for big mileage and even bigger nights.

Soldeu is the main base village of Grandvalira, the giant ski domain that is the largest in the Pyrenees with around 210 km of pistes. Modern, welcoming and famous for its top English-language ski school, it combines genuine ski-in, ski-out lodging with easy access to family-friendly slopes, making it the natural gateway to the whole of Grandvalira.

At 1,540 m, no village in the Spanish Pyrenees sits higher, and Aneto, the range's tallest peak, rises right behind it. Cerler is compact and family-run, with an atmosphere that stays defiantly Spanish.

The Skyvall gondola climbs straight from the spa town of Loudenvielle to the snow, linking two valleys at altitude. Peyragudes had its Hollywood moment as the opening scene of Bond's Spectre.

The highest resort in the French Pyrenees, Piau-Engaly sits at 1850 m near the Spanish border and holds snow when lower neighbours struggle. It is compact, modern and a freeride favourite.

The highest resort in the Pyrenees, Boí Taüll starts at 2020 m in a remote corner of Catalonia and is prized for dry, abundant snow. It sits beside the UNESCO Romanesque churches of the Vall de Boí.

Grandvalira's smaller sibling has built its name on first turns. Vallnord is a favourite of British learners and budget-minded families, with gentle progressions and La Massana down in the valley for everything off the snow.

Beneath the Col du Tourmalet, the climb that breaks Tour de France riders every summer, sits the largest linked ski area in the French Pyrenees. Grand Tourmalet spans Barèges and La Mongie on either side of the pass.