Europe's best value ski resorts
Thursday, 1 December 2011
Pulling on a pair of warming snow boots, strapping on a set of skis and heading down the piste is one of the most popular forms of winter holiday. For many years, skiing was always thought of as an expensive activity, but nowadays that is no longer the case. High quality ski apparel, such as that produced by companies like The North Face, is now great value. Furthermore, you can now opt to ski inexpensively at a range of top resorts across Europe: five offering the best value are listed below.
Bohinj - Slovenia (Time to visit: December to April)
An hour from Ljubljana airport and set in the Triglav National Park is Bohinj Lake, and the town that skirts its southern shores. This is the perfect destination for those seeking a more relaxing skiing holiday. Slovenia isn't an expensive ski destination and its slopes are perhaps rudimentary for the expert skier, but for those seeking a cheap introduction to the sport in magnificent surroundings, Bohinj is ideal. Costs for one week range from £400 to £450 per person for half board accommodation.
Sierra Nevada - Spain (Time to visit: December to April)
If a ski resort on the fringes of the Mediterranean coastline, offering views over to Morocco sounds far-fetched then you have never been to the resorts around the Sierra Nevada range in southern Spain. The resorts offer a great mix of skiing and with budget flights into Granada and Malaga airports from all over the UK, all you need to pack is your gear (including some appropriate Hi-Tec footwear), hire a car and set off for cheap skiing under crisp, blue skies. Costs vary from around £375 per person, half board for a week.
Brides les Bains - France (Time to visit: November to May)
The Three Valleys offers some of the best and most exclusive skiing in all of France: the famous ski resort of Meribel is close by and linked to it via gondola is the town of Brides les Bains. Although not centrally based, Brides les Bains is much cheaper than resorts in the famous valley and offers a great way to experience some of the best runs in France, at a great value price; around £400 per person, for a week in a self-catering apartment.
Livigno - Italy (Time to visit: December to April)
Located in the Valtellina Valley, the three small villages of San Antonio, San Rocco and Santa Maria have merged to form the Livigno ski resort. Dotted along the valley, the resort has great access to mountains via lifts and bus services from the villages. Livigno is a remote resort with a great range of skiing, and that seclusion means that it is relatively inexpensive compared to other resorts in Italy and Switzerland. Costs start at around £500 per person, self-catering for a week.
La Plagne - France (Time to visit: December to April)
Ten villages linked by roads, lifts and piste make up La Plagne resort and it is one of the most extensive ski resorts in Europe, offering vast terrain to explore. Beginner and intermediate skiers are ideally suited to the wide variety of slopes. The vast area means that the ski runs are relatively quiet in terms of numbers. Expert skiers will also be glad to know that the famous slopes of Courchevel are close by if you hire a car. Costs start at £400 per person for a week, full board.
Finding the best value skiing holidays is very similar to finding the cheapest ski apparel, you just need to know where to look to find the best deals. The five resorts listed above, are a great place to start whether you are a novice skier or an expert. By eating sensibly in the resort, using budget flights to fly in and out of the destination country and pricing up your attire online, you can easily experience some of the best skiing Europe has to offer, on a budget.
Subscribe to read full newspaper »
Send to a friend
Please complete the following form to inform a friend about this page.
