Which Are The Best Value Ski Resorts in Europe?

16th December 2023

Last modified on December 20th, 2023

The Post Office Ski Resort Report is produced in partnership with Crystal Ski Holidays, the UK’s largest ski tour operator.

The report claims the cheapest prices are in Bardonecchia, Italy for adults and the emerging ski destination of Jahorina in Bosnia & Herzegovina for families.

It also finds that prices are down in over a quarter of adult resorts and more than half of the family resorts surveyed

The report looks at prices in 36 resorts and is released on the day that the first package flights start to the Alps.

The findings of the 17th annual Ski Resort Report come as consumer research conducted for Post Office supports travel industry reports of an increase  in demand for European ski holidays following heavy early snowfall in the Alps.

Snow in the Tirol. Image © PlanetSKI

The survey of 2,001 adults found that a significant number – 12%/246 respondents – are planning a ski holiday between December 2023 and April 2024.

• A third of these (34%) will be family skiers and the results show that over half of these families who have been skiing previously will increase their budget.

• 57% of family skiers said they intend to increase their budget this season compared with 36% who will stick to the one allowed for their last trip and only seven per cent who will cut back.

• Cost cutting plans by the 43%of families who do not plan to raise their budget include self-catering to reduce food and drink costs, eating out in cheaper restaurants and reducing the number of skiing days.

Over one-in-five plan to swap to a cheaper ski resort this season.

Cost conscious families will find prices lowest for a week’s ski pass, ski equipment, tuition, meals and drinks in Jahorina (£1,657) in Bosnia & Herzegovina, one of eight new ski resorts introduced for this season’s Family Ski Resort Report.

Using local prices provided by Crystal Ski Holidays and converted to sterling by Post Office Travel Money, Jahorina is cheapest for a family of four (two adults and two children aged 6 and 8) out of 32 ski resorts surveyed, narrowly beating Italy’s Passo Tonale (£1,678), where prices have fallen by 6.6%.

Three other new resorts – Norway’s Beitostollen (4th, £1,862) and Geilo (10th, £2,205) together with Kranjska Gora (9th, £2,205) – also feature in the best value top 10.

Geilo, Norway. Image © PlanetSKI

Bansko (£1,968) has fallen from the top spot to fifth place after registering a big increase in ski school prices.

Overall, the Bulgarian resort’s barometer costs over 27% more than last season.

Ski school for two adults and two children now costs £815 compared with £465 in Jahorina and £467 in Geilo.

“With the rising cost of living, offering value for money when it comes to ski holidays is more important than ever before,” said the Managing Director of Crystal Ski Holidays, Chris Logan.

“We’re continuing to see strong demand in destinations that offer great value to bargain-conscious Brits, with Italy remaining a firm favourite for our customers for the winter 2023-24 season – which is consistent with the top 10 best value resorts for adults as outlined in this report.

“We’ve also seen growth in budget-friendly destinations such as Bosnia and Herzegovina since it was introduced last season.

“We’re committed to providing as much choice as possible when it comes to ski resorts to make ski holidays as accessible as we can, which is why it’s really positive to see some of our new resorts that we’ve added into our programme in the top 10 such as Livigno in Italy and Baqueira-Beret in Spain.”

This winter Crystal Ski is launching a charter flight to Oslo in association with Norway-Home of skiing.

It gives access to Geilo that is mentioned in the report for its good value ski school.

PlanetSKI was on the inaugural flight on Sunday.

• Crystal Ski starts new charter flight to Olso

Crystal charter to Oslo. Image © PlanetSKI

“Many parents taking their children skiing will want them to attend ski school and the cost of this can add considerably to a ski holiday,” said the Head of Post Office Travel Money, Laura Plunkett.

“Before choosing a ski resort it will therefore make sense to check our barometer to compare tuition costs.

“Prices have rocketed in Bansko, adding significantly to the family budget, while resorts like Jahorina, Passo Tonale and Geilo are much cheaper.”

Five new ski resorts have been added for adult skiing and one of these, Le Corbier joins Bardonecchia (Italy) and Borovets (Bulgaria) to top the table in this season’s cost comparison of 36 European resorts.

At just over £611 for a week’s adult ski pass, equipment and ski school, together with lunch and drinks on the slopes, Le Corbier has taken third place in the survey – the first time that a French ski resort has featured in the top three destinations.

Bardonecchia (£532) has overtaken Borovets to take the top spot after prices rose just 1.4% year-on-year.

Borovets has fallen back to the runner-up position for the first time since 2019 because prices in the Bulgarian resort have risen 8.2% year-on-year to £554.

A second Bulgarian resort, Bansko (£642), which was rated best value in 2018, has fallen to sixth place in the top ten with a year-on-year price rise of 18.1%.

Two more of the new introductions, recommended by Crystal Ski Holidays as offering great value for British skiers, feature in the best value top 10.

Italy’s Livigno resort is in fourth place at £614, while Baqueira Beret, the first Spanish ski resort to be included in the report, is in eighth position with a barometer cost of £696.

Overall Italian resorts continue to represent the best value for UK skiers among the ‘big four’ ski destinations (Austria, France, Italy and Switzerland) with three more resorts featuring in the top 10:  Sauze (5th, £639, +2.7%), Sestriere (8th, £699, +8.1%) and La Thuile (9th, £710, +2.9%).

La Thuile, Aosta, Italy – photo © PlanetSKI

With prices only slightly higher than last season, the Finnish resort of Ruka completes the best value top ten (10th, £735, +0.8%) and offers a budget alternative to more traditional British favourites.

“Ski resort costs are likely to play an important part in destination choice this year as the rising cost of living in the UK puts pressure on the amount of money ski enthusiasts have available for their annual winter sports holiday,” said the Head of Post Office Travel Money, Laura Plunkett.

“That’s why it is so important for them to do their homework before booking and factor in all the costs of a ski holiday to the package price.

“The good news is that prices are lower in a number of popular resorts and, where they have risen, the increases are not as high as might have been expected, given inflation levels across Europe.

“Le Corbier, one of five new resorts surveyed for this ski season, looks great value for bargain hunters, while Italy’s Bardonecchia and Borovets in Bulgaria remain good choices for those on a strict budget.”

This year’s report found that prices for adult skiing have fallen in over a quarter (9) of the 31 resorts also surveyed last season – with the biggest drops of 5.5% in Les Arcs (18th, £812) and Wengen (35th, £1,260).

They have also fallen in Saas Fee (34th, £1,165, – 2.7 %) and Zermatt (36th, £1,335, -4.0%), although the three Swiss resorts remain the most expensive across Europe.

Zermatt, Switzerland. Image © PlanetSKI

Over half of family resorts – 13 of 24 previously surveyed – have shown price falls.

The biggest fall of 8.9% is in Ruka (£2,098), which has risen to seventh place in the family chart as a result.

12 more family resorts have registered price falls including Rauris (6th, £2,085, -4.9%), the only Austrian resort to feature in either of the top 10 tables.

Where there have been price rises, they are relatively moderate and only two ski resorts recommended for adult skiing have recorded rises of over 10%.

Along with Bansko, there has been a significant increase in Selva Val Gardena (21st, £843, +10.6%).

Similarly, just two family ski resorts have shown increases of over 10%.

Aside from Bansko (+27.2%), prices are up by 15.6% in Sestriere (14th, £2,353), which has dropped out of the Family Ski Resort Report top 10 as a result.

See here for the full report: Ski Resort Report brochure

The Italian Alps. Image © PlanetSKI

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The Post Office Travel Money Ski Resort Report, in partnership with Crystal Ski Holidays, was compiled using adult prices for one week (six active days) in 36 European resorts that are suitable for a range of skiing levels and 32 European resort suitable for families.

Costs are based on mid-season pricing and entry level skis and boots.

Ski school daily hours vary depending on the resort.

Lunch prices are based on two courses (main course and dessert) excluding drinks.

The items surveyed were:

• Ski lift pass for one week (6 days)
• Ski equipment for one week (6 days)
• Ski school tuition (5-6 days half-day lesson)
• Cup of coffee
• Bottle of Coca Cola
• Glass of house wine
• Bottle of beer
•  Six lunches on the slopes

About Crystal Ski Holidays

Part of the TUI Group, Crystal Ski Holidays is the UK’s leading ski package holiday provider taking customers to more than 120 resorts in 14 countries across Europe, North America and Japan flying from over 18 UK airports.

All packages include flights, transfers and accommodation, and are covered by ABTA and ATOL protection.