Sunshine, powdery snow and fun on the slopes.

For many, winter is the ideal time for a vacation.

And the Alps, Europe's highest mountain range, is an ideal destination for a winter getaway.

Even though winter has been slow to arrive in Europe this year, snow conditions are now ideal - and not just for skiing.

Join us to discover the best places for winter sports in Europe.

[Unintelligible] The Zugspitze in the Bavarian Alps.

At 2,962 meters, it's the highest mountain in Germany.

And one of the most popular selfie spots.

Around 500,000 tourists visit every year.

The ski area has around 20km of slopes, so it's not particularly large, but it is sunny and typically has enough snow.

You can also spend the night on the Zugspitze in an igloo village.

With rooms kept between 4 and 0°C, it's a chilly affair.

But don't worry, there are plenty of ways to keep warm.

The amazing views don't stop there.

In good weather, you can see all the way over Austria and Italy and to Switzerland.

And Switzerland is also home to our second winter destination: St.

Moritz, one of the most famous and exclusive ski resorts in the Alps.

There's always something to see here, like the annual Snow Polo World Cup.

Theres also the world's only natural ice bobsleigh track.

You can even ride in a bobsleigh as a guest - if you dare.

Speeding down the track at 140km/h is a thrill, to say the least.

If the extra adrenaline kick isn't for you, you can simply hit the slopes.

There are four major ski areas around St.

Moritz, with a total of 87 slopes and runs of all levels of difficulty.

It's perfect for burning calories.

Towering at 4810m, Mount Blanc in France is the highest mountain in the Alps.

The cable car won't take you all the way to the top, but it does take you to 3800m.

From up here, you can experience the real magic of Mont Blanc.

You can also ski at this high altitude, although it's a challenge.

Otherwise, you can easily stroll through the resort town of Chamonix at the foot of Mont Blanc.

The town has plenty of hotels, stores, restaurants and cafés to discover.

This is one of the most photographed images in Austria.

The Church of Heiligenblut in front of the mighty Großglockner mountain.

At 3798m, it is the highest mountain in Austria.

The ski area begins at an altitude of nearly 3000m, and you have the choice of skiing in deep snow or on the slopes down into the valley.

You'll notice it's quieter here than in many other ski resorts.

You can also explore the area on snowshoe, guided by a ranger of the Hohe Tauern National Park.

On a snowshoe hike, an ibex can be observed from a distance... And golden eagles... and marmots.

Our last destination is the Dolomites in South Tyrol, Italy, which offer thousands of kilometers of slopes at all levels of difficulty.

It's Europe's largest ski region, consisting of 15 ski areas, and it's very popular with tourists.

You can also try ice climbing.

It's no longer a niche sport for extreme mountaineers, but a popular pastime.

The area's many frozen waterfalls offer ideal conditions for climbing adventures.

But no matter which sport and ski area you choose, at the end of the day, enjoy a well-earned break with a treat at one of the many mountain huts and chalets.

Cheers!

The Italian village of San Martino de Castrozza lies at the foot of the Pala mountain group, the largest massif in the Dolomites.

And this is where many mountain climbers start their ascents.

Rocco Romagna is a mountain guide and head of the Aquile di San Martino.

He and his team make sure all mountain climbers in the region stay safe.

We take easy routes, but hard ones too.

Of course, we also work in the winter when we primarily accompany people on skiing tours, and we also do free riding, ice climbing and snowshoeing depending on the kind of clients we have.

Today, he's accompanying Giulia and Matthias on a two day tour.

The first day's goal is to reach the Tognazza cliff face over 2,200 meters up, a real challenge for beginners.

Mountain guide Livio Pinese is also helping them along on their tough tour.

We have great conditions, even if it did rain a bit last night.

But the rock is dry and our climbing route is perfect too.

Let's get ready to go!

And of course, the right safety equipment is an absolute must.

You often pair up to go climbing and the more experienced one goes ahead.

Rocco Romagna will be in the front with Giulia following along the rope.

This route is medium difficulty.

Great, Julia, good job.

Livio Pinese is looking after Mattias, who's less experienced.

It's a big responsibility.

Besides being a good climber, he has to build up trust and have great instincts to safely bring even beginners to the final destination.

Good job!

Give me five!

That was tough, but you really did great!

We're pretty high up, huh?

I'm going to yell louder or you won't hear me.

Alright.

Matthias and Giulia really give it their all and make it to the first day's destination.

I'm really happy.

Of course, I was scared, but it's an incredibly nice feeling, getting to the top, all exhausted.

It's indescribable.

It's time for us to go, people.

It's going to take quite a while to get back to the cabin.

After about three hours, the group reaches the high plateau of Pale di San Martino, where they'll spend the night in a hut at more than 2400m altitude.

I'm looking at tomorrow's route, and to be honest, I'm a little worried.

Even if Rocco says it's easier compared to today's climb, the wall is vertical, plus the rock has a different texture.

So I don't know what to expect.

I hope well be pleasantly surprised.

On the morning after, the climbers start their ascent to 2700m.

Even the path leading up to the beginning of the climb is challenging for most.

Okay guys, we're on the last stage.

We're climbing the southwest face of the Roseta.

This route consists of seven stages, so just keep focused and give it your all.

A sudden weather change brings in thick fog, making the conditions even more nerve-wracking for the climbers.

Nice and easy now.

This part is vertical, so it's trickier.

Matthias hates vertical walls, doesn't he?

Yes.

Matthias, get your feet positioned right to shift your weight.

He's a little exhausted, too.

And trying to overcome his fears.

Matthias finally reaches the top, and so does Giulia.

I'm totally frozen!

And you, Matthias?

Nice!

It was really beautiful and super cold.

My feet are hurting, and I was pretty scared at those heights.

But now I'm here and just proud that I made it.

Hey there!

It's Axel Primavesi, always looking for some kind of special experience.

This time it's a hike in the mountains.

Well, kind of.

I want to check out the Via Ferrata from Mürren to Gimmelwald.

Not by myself, of course, but with mountain guide Kobi Nyffenegger.

Hello.

Hello.

Hello, I'm Kobi.

Kobi, I'm Axel.

Pleased to meet you.

So, the basic principle goes one carabiner like this and the other next to it.

Now you try it.

Is there anything I should never do?

What shouldn't happen under any circumstances is that you unclip both carabiners at the same time.

That's strictly prohibited.

You always have to take one carabiner at a time.

Okay, a simple rule.

I think I can manage that.

Good.

Oh!

No, now you're doomed.

Never do that again.

This is my only safety line.

Even with a carabiner hooked on, I have to avoid even the smallest slip on the Via Ferrata because of the risk of injury.

I start feeling a bit safer, but I think now it also starts to get serious.

The 600 meter drop down there.

I survived.

I feel the adrenaline is pumping.

But I did it!

And the view is just amazing.

Alright, Kobi, I made it.

But what happens if someone doesn't manage it?

In most cases, it helps to take some time and talk to them and let them know you're there for them.

So you have to be close by and speak calmly with them, maybe even work the Via Ferrata set for them.

Of course, you have to tell them to relax.

And if all of that doesn't really help, the next step is to get even closer and put your arm around them.

With that physical contact, they almost always calm down.

So far, it's always worked out.

So in the middle of a cliff, over a 600 meter drop, just relax.

That helps!

You don't have to be a pro climber to try out Switzerland's Via Ferrata.

But then again, the nearly two kilometer route between the villages of Mürren and Gimmelwald is definitely not for complete beginners.

And if my mountain guide, Kobi, hadn't been with me, I wouldn't have been able to use this zip line.

The Via Ferrata can be taken from June to October.

And just like always, the very best part comes last.

For me, the nearly 80 meter long hanging bridge is without a doubt the toughest challenge.

But, I didn't have a moment to spare to take in the view of the more than 4000 meter high Bernese Alps.

Okay, that's it for today.

It was great fun the whole trip, but I didn't expect this so-called Nepal Bridge, this hanging bridge to be one of the trickiest parts because it's so shaky and most of the time you only have one handle and it's, oh!

Thank goodness I don't have to hike all the way back down to the valley.

That's how I got to experience the very first paraglider flight of my life.

A thrilling conclusion to an exhilarating day.

Today, I want to show you one of Germany's westernmost regions, the Eifel.

Its impressive landscapes are the result of a fascinating past, and this is where you get the best view.

The top of the Eifels highest mountain.

In the past, the Eifel was a rather poor region.

Today, the low mountain range with its forests, lakes and extinct volcanic craters has become an attractive tourist region.

This unusual landscape is the result of powerful volcanic eruptions.

I'd like to find out more about the exciting volcanic history of the Eifel.

So I'm meeting up with an expert.

People around here called the Maars ‘the eyes of the Eifel.

How many of them are there?

Of the 350 volcanoes that we have in the region, 77 have been shown to be maar volcanoes.

Nowadays, not all of them are filled with water.

Most are dried out or are bog or moorland.

But the most recent ones, in particular, the ones that formed over the last 80,000 years, including Germany's most recent volcano, the Ulmener Maar, 12 of those 77 maars are crater lakes.

And by the way, the scientists agree that the volcanic area of the West Eifel cannot be described as extinct.

That was my next question.

Is it still seething under our feet?

It is still bubbling away under our feet.

There aren't any eruptions anymore, but you can tell that it is bubbling away because of the rising carbon dioxide.

At the heart of the Eiffel lies the small town of Wallenborn, home to a real geyser.

It's nicknamed ‘Brubbel and shoots cold water into the air every 30 minutes.

Water, wind, fire and earth.

Few regions in Germany have been at significantly shaped by the elements as the Eifel.

The resulting diversity of flora and fauna can be admired at Eifel National Park.

The motto here is: let nature be nature.

Without human interference, endangered species of animals and plants can spread freely.

If you really want to dive into nature, I highly recommend a guided tour with a ranger.

This is where the primeval forest of the future is set to develop.

What exactly does that mean?

Well, we will never get the primeval forest per se back.

There is hardly a square meter left in Central Europe.

But the primeval forest of the future will be something similar.

If we people stop interfering and the whole thing can develop over centuries.

We have to think in tree generations here.

Elsewhere, conifers killed by vermin are instantly removed.

But here in the National Park, theyre left to rot.

Seeds dropped on the dead wood by birds and other creatures create new life.

13,000 years ago, this peaceful lake was the site of the biggest volcanic eruption in Central Europe to date.

A thick layer of volcanic ash and pumice, buried meadows, valleys and forests.

Ansgar Hehenkamp is a fisher on Lake Lacher See.

14 years ago, he leased the lake from the neighboring Benedictine Maria Laach Abbey and decided to continue the monks centuries old fishing tradition.

In principle, it's a classic pelagic method.

The nets aren't attached to the lake bottom and the top line doesn't weigh anything.

Below there is a line with a lead weight that spans the whole thing.

It's a bit like a curtain.

The fish swim inside and the mesh determines the size of fish we catch.

The volcano under the lake is not yet extinct.

There are still visible discharges of carbon dioxide.

They're called ‘mofetta.

Not far from the lake lies Maria Laach Abbey.

The medieval monastery was founded a thousand years ago and is arguably the most famous building of the Eifel.

The basilica, with its six towers, is the centerpiece of the abbey.

It's one of the most beautiful and intact Romanesque monuments in Germany, following the tradition of the big cathedrals in the cities of Speyer, Mainz and Worms.

The Eifel really is an exceptional region.

The sheer variety one can find here is truly hard to match.

So thank you for discovering it with me today and I'll see you next time, somewhere in Germany.

Slovenia is famous for its gorgeous nature.

The verdant Bohinj Valley, which lies in the Triglav National Park, has been left untouched by mass tourism until now.

Nature photographer Luka Esenko comes here often to capture this pristine landscape.

Bohinj is a special place to me as a photographer.

I like to come here in different seasons, in winter, in fall, in summer because it's always different.

Different lights, different conditions.

Nature is different every time, and mornings are very different than evenings.

So as a photographer, I always find inspiration here.

This is the 78 meter high Savica waterfall, Slovenia's largest.

Luka Esenko enjoys taking photographs of the water crashing down the steep rocks.

Now we are at Savica waterfall, which is one of the most beautiful and most famous waterfalls in Slovenia.

It has a symbolic meaning for us Slovenians because it's part of a very famous poem.

And also it's very, very beautiful to photograph.

You can see its shape.

It goes into two parts, and then they merge together at the bottom, and this beautiful rock surrounding it makes it really, really fascinating.

From here, the water flows into Lake Bohinj which is up to 45m deep.

It is the country's largest glacial lake.

Luka Esenko loves visiting here in different seasons to capture the changing beauty of nature throughout the year.

He usually comes to the same spots to take his pictures.

In summer, crystal clear Lake Bohnij is a hit with watersports enthusiasts.

Luka, too, enjoys exploring the area by canoe.

One of the best things to do at lake Bohinj is rowing and I often do this for my own photography, because this allows me to get to hidden places or places I couldn't walk to, and I get different perspective on my subjects.

So I always like to do that.

And I also highly recommend to anybody, also non photographers.

Luka takes to the water all year round.

Triglav National Park is known not just for its stunning nature, but for its culinary highlights too.

We now arrive to Zajavornik pasture, which is a traditional cow shepherding place, and they produce cheese here in summer.

So as a photographer, I like to come here because I have this beautiful view with these traditional huts in the foreground and the mountains in the back.

And from here we can even see Mount Triglav, which is the highest peak of Slovenia.

Spending all this time out in the fresh air makes Luka hungry, so he visits one of the traditional mountain huts.

After a nice hike here in the mountains, it's time for some proper mountain food.

So here we have traditional ganci with crackling, we have sour milk, and we have some local cheese and meat.

And the best way to eat it is with a spoon.

You take ganci and some sour milk, and this is the most tasty.

And you can enjoy the mountain views.

What's better than that?

Bohinj Valley is Slovenia's hidden gem and a heaven for nature lovers.