If you'd rather spend your winters on the snow and your summers in the mountain air, start here. You'll find homes in Niseko, Slovakia's High Tatras, and the hills behind the French Riviera, all within 25 km of a ski area.
Toyako sits on the shore of Lake Toya in Hokkaido, and this house is set where the lake and its wooded island mountain come into view from the upper rooms. It is a two-storey used house of timber construction, made up of a main house and an extension building…
Within 25 km of a ski area
ContactThe essentials
Life in the mountains comes with its own rules on snow, access, protection, and tax. These six facts show what to check before you buy.
Every winter, from 1 November to 31 March, drivers in 82 communes in the north of the Alpes-Maritimes, including Isola and Beuil, must carry snow chains or similar devices, or fit winter tyres.
Why it matters: Drivers heading into the mountains in winter may need this equipment. The prefecture lists the communes where the rule applies.
Kutchan, home of the Niseko Hirafu ski area, charges an accommodation tax totalling 3% of the room rate for stays from 1 April 2026, including Hokkaido's prefectural tax. Hosts collect it from guests and pay it to the town.
Why it matters: Hosts collect and file this tax. The town can explain how it works for a specific home.
Japan's government designates the whole of Kutchan and Niseko as Special Heavy Snowfall Areas, the stricter of its two heavy snow categories.
Why it matters: Heavy snow can bring extra upkeep. The seller or building manager can explain how the roof, access, and parking are cleared, and what that costs.
A non-resident who buys property in Japan must report the purchase to the Minister of Finance, through the Bank of Japan, within 20 days. Homes bought for your own or your family's use are among the exceptions.
Why it matters: Whether a report is needed can depend on how a home will be used. A local lawyer can confirm what applies to a specific purchase.
The Tatra National Park, Slovakia's oldest, was first declared in 1949. Its main area carries the third to fifth degrees of protection, and its buffer zone the second.
Why it matters: Protection rules can affect building and outdoor works. The park authority can confirm which degree applies to a specific plot.
Since 1 July 2006, adults in Slovakia's mountain areas have had to pay the Mountain Rescue Service for the cost of a rescue or search.
Why it matters: Mountain insurance is one way to cover these costs. The Mountain Rescue Service publishes a list of insurers on its website.
Sources: the Alpes-Maritimes prefecture, Kutchan Town, Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the Bank of Japan, the Tatra National Park, and the Mountain Rescue Service.
Compare your options
Here are all four markets on this page, with their mountain and ski properties and where starting prices begin.
| Country | Mountain and ski properties | Starting prices | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|
 France | 15 properties | Starting prices begin at EUR 389,000. | |
| Slovakia | 10 properties | Starting prices begin at EUR 330,000. | |
 Japan | 9 properties | Starting prices begin at JPY 120,000,000. | |
 Montenegro | 1 property | Starting prices begin at EUR 335,000. |
Distances are approximate and based on each listing's mapped location. Prices come from each listing and can change. This table is general information rather than financial or legal advice.
Have a question about buying in the mountains? See our FAQs
Keep reading
These INTRIC guides explain how buying works in two of the countries on this page.
Frequently asked questions
Clear answers to help you plan your purchase.
All the mountain and ski property for sale on this page is within 25 km of a ski area, based on each listing's mapped location. Some homes are in resort villages such as Niseko Hirafu and the High Tatras, while others are a drive from the slopes, including villas in the hills behind the French Riviera. Ask the seller for the exact distance and the winter drive time, so you can compare homes with confidence.
Mountain mornings begin with fresh snow on the trees and a stillness you can almost hear. You can be out on the slopes while the day is still new, then come home to a warm fire and the people you love. When the snow melts, the same hills turn green. You walk in clean, cool air and eat long dinners outside as the light fades over the peaks. Before long, it stops feeling like somewhere you visit and starts feeling like somewhere you belong.
To find the right home, look at four things: how good the snow has been at the nearest ski area, how easily you can reach the home in deep winter, who will look after it while you are away, and what there is to enjoy once the ski season ends. Get those right, and this could be the place your family keeps coming back to for years.
You can explore mountain and ski property in 4 countries, so you can compare very different ranges before you decide:
France, Slovakia, and Japan have the most properties on this page, so they are a useful place to start your search.
You can ask the seller for a map, the distance to the nearest lift, and the route in winter. Treat ski-in, ski-out as confirmed once you have seen how the home connects to the pistes on the resort's own map, and visit in season if you can.
Snow varies with altitude, exposure, and the season, so it helps to look beyond a single good winter. Ask the resort for several years of opening dates and snowfall records, and for how much of the area has snowmaking, and you will have a clear view of what to expect in the years ahead.
It helps to budget for heating, snow clearing, insurance, and any building or management fees as well as the purchase price. Ask for a full year of bills and the latest service charges, so you know what owning the home will cost in both winter and summer.
You can often let a home, but the rules depend on the country, the town, and any building or resort rules. Some resort properties are managed as hotels, so ask the seller how the letting works, how many weeks you can use the home yourself, and which licences and taxes apply.
Your next step
Every listing connects you directly with the developer or agent selling it. Open the property you love and press Contact to ask about pricing, availability, and exactly how close it is to the slopes.
