If there's anything more daunting about a ski holiday than unprepared, black mogul slopes at the top of a mountain where you can't take the lift back down, it's the prospect of having to pay the hefty sum of money that it now takes to even go on a ski holiday. In many of the most popular European ski resorts, a week's lift pass in high season can cost up to 300 euros (2200kr. !!!) - and sometimes even more. You don't need a PhD in applied mathematics to figure out that when you add that price to the dizzying expenses associated with hotel, transport, and food, a cozy ski holiday can suddenly push the retirement age by several years.
Fortunately, it doesn't have to be that way! At secondskis.com, we've taken a slalom tour down the European continent and found the best, cheap ski resorts of decent size, so you have the opportunity to go on awesome ski holidays in high season with a lift pass in hand that hasn't cost an arm and a leg.
Remember to check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' travel advisories before you press the button and book your ski holiday. You can find information about the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' general travel advisories and travel to specific destinations here.
Ready to find the best of the cheapest ski holiday destinations in Europe? Here are our top picks!
Borovets in Bulgaria: The perfect travel destination for party-loving skiers
Borovets has been a sought-after ski destination since the late 19th century. The ski resort, which consists of over 58km of slopes, is primarily made up of blue and red runs that crisscross at the foot of Mount Musala, which at 2560 meters is Bulgaria's highest.
Borovets is - for better or worse - a favorite ski resort for students and other party-loving young people who race down the resort's well-prepared slopes during the day and hit the après-ski bars at night. Borovets, where there's supposed to be a good party, is known for its underground nightclubs, cheap beer, and a special drink, rakia, which is a type of brandy that the local ski bums can consume in quantities that make you think it's water. It's not!
Accommodation in Borovets usually involves simple hotel furnishings and basic ski lodges, but that's understandable when accommodation prices are often under 300 euros (2200kr.) for two people for a whole week. Combine that with a lift pass priced at around 1100kr. in high season, and it quickly becomes clear that you can go on a ski holiday in Borovets for little money.
How to get to Borovets:
Book a flight, train, or bus to the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia, and take a local shuttle bus from Sofia to Borovets in 90 minutes.
Vogel in Slovenia: Beautiful landscapes and great prices
At the foot of the mythical Triglav mountain peak in western Slovenia, where early Slavic peoples believed a three-headed god resided, lies the Vogel ski resort. With 22 kilometers of blue and red slopes, the resort is not among the world's largest, but it is beautiful - and cheap!
One of the main reasons we recommend a ski holiday in Vogel to anyone looking for a good deal is that all bus transport in the area is free if your accommodation is listed on the local bus schedule. We can recommend visiting Lake Bohinj (40 minutes from the slopes) and Lake Bled (1 hour from the slopes), which only become more beautiful when covered in snow.
In Vogel, you pay 75 euros (550kr.) for accommodation for two people close to the ski lift, and a lift pass in high season costs no more than 153 euros (1100kr.) for six days on the slopes.
How to get to Vogel:
Vogel is no more than an hour and a half from Ljubljana Airport, but there is also a good opportunity to save a lot of money on transport if you instead travel to Bohinjska Bistrica by train.
Sauze d’Oulx in Italy: Most slopes for your money
The Via Lattea ski area, which can be directly translated to "Milky Way" in English, is packed with red slopes that make up about two-thirds of the ski resort's prepared runs. Therefore, Via Lattea, which actually lies on the border between the French and Italian Alps, is the perfect place to go on a ski holiday if you're a new or intermediate skier looking for new challenges. The area is easily accessible from the Italian Sauze d’Oulx, and with its 440 kilometers of slopes, the area should satisfy even the most adventurous skier.
Although the place is a popular destination for winter sports enthusiasts from around the world, Sauze d’Oulx, with its old, beautiful buildings and special Italian Alpine culture, has retained its charm. Sauze d’Oulx may be more expensive than some of the other ski resorts on this list, but we guarantee that you also get a lot for your money here.
You can save a lot of money on your ski holiday to Sauze d’Oulx if you cook for yourself, and you won't have to pay more than 600 euros (4400kr.) for a week in an apartment near a ski lift in the Italian Alps. At the same time, for only 208 euros (1550kr.), you get access to all the lifts on the Italian side of Via Lattea, and we dare say that it will be difficult to find a comparable area with so much prepared slope for so little money.
How to get to Sauze d’Oulx:
If you fly to Turin, you can be transferred from the airport to your ski resort in an hour and a half for about 40 euros (300kr.). However, you can save about half if you take the bus from Turin to Porta Nuova and hop on a train to Oulx station.
Jasná Nízke Tatry in Slovakia: Try night skiing
Slovakia's largest ski area offers high mountain peaks and low prices. Jasná is a 49-kilometer-long spider web of ski slopes located on the 2024-meter-high Chopok mountain. The area is equipped with 20 fast ski lifts, good off-piste potential, and the possibility for night skiing (and après-ski, of course).
Jasná is also a town characterized by Slovak highland culture, which includes delicious food prepared as the shepherds in the area did in the old days - and the price is not to be sneezed at! If you order the national dish bryndzové halusky, you get a huge plate of dumplings filled with cheese and bacon at a price that leaves you with enough money for a couple of local Zlatý Bazant beers for 10 euros.
Accommodation in Jasná doesn't cost an arm and a leg either: It's usually possible to find double rooms in the area for 100 euros (750kr.) per night, and you don't have to pay more than 136 euros (1000kr.) for a lift pass valid for six days.
How to get to Jasná:
A lift from the airport in Poprad, which is less than an hour from the ski resort, costs about 30 euros (220kr.) per person, but you can also take a taxi, train, and bus from the airport to Jasná and make the journey for less than 10 euros (75kr.).
Białka Tatrzańska in Poland: The best choice for beginners
Poland's largest winter sports area, Białka Tatrzańska, is a perfect combination of ski terrain suitable for beginners, hospitable local culture, and fantastic views of the Carpathians. The slopes between Kotelnica, Bania, and Kaniówka form an excellent network of beginner-friendly ski slopes that together stretch 18 kilometers. It may not sound like much, but the local lift pass also covers the adjacent areas where more experienced skiers can tackle more challenging terrain.
You can get a room in Białka Tatrzańska with breakfast included for 40 euros (300kr.) per night, and an additional 4 euros (30 kr.) can buy you a warm bowl of soup or some Polish pierogi (dumplings). It should also be mentioned that vodka prices in the area don't have the potential to blow the budget. The locals often give them away for free! For 112 euros (850kr.), you get a lift pass that also gives access to the adjacent ski resorts.
How to get to Białka Tatrzańska:
Easy and cheap: Hop on a public bus from the train station in Kraków for under 8 euros (60kr.).
Sudelfeld-Bayrischzell in Germany: The obvious choice for experienced skiers
The slopes in the Sudelfeld-Bayrischzell area are literally carpet-bombed with fine snow from snow cannons that run around the clock throughout the ski season, and the place is therefore designed to give skiers ample opportunity to challenge and explore a sea of red slopes and countless off-piste routes. Compared to the enormous ski resorts you can find in Austria, which borders Germany just south of Bayrischzell, Sudelfeld-Bayrischzell, with its 31 kilometers of slopes, is a modest ski resort. Fortunately, the prices are also just that: Modest!
A week's stay in a cozy guesthouse costs no more than 550 euros (4100kr.), which is a bargain compared to the sky-high prices you might otherwise have to pay in the nearby ski areas. If you're interested in saving even more, you can alternatively choose to stay in a hostel and share a dormitory with others for a price of 25 euros (200kr.) per night. A lift pass in high season costs 222 euros (1650kr.) for six days of access to the lifts in the area.
How to get to Sudelfeld-Bayrischzell:
There are frequent trains between Sudelfeld-Bayrischzell and the main train station in Munich. Hop on one of them, and you'll be in Bayrischzell in an hour and a half for under 22 euros (160 kr.).
Remember: No ski holiday without skis!
... and there are also good savings to be made here. You won't get far down the slope without skis, whether you've paid a fortune for a jet-set ski resort in the French Alps or chosen one of the more budget-friendly ski holiday options we've suggested above. If you're looking to save where there's really money to be made, you can advantageously invest in a pair of used skis. Price-wise, used skis are far below new ones, but used skis also often outperform rented skis when it comes to price. You can read much more about this in our blog post, where we examine the price difference between new, rented, and used skis and compare them to the price of a Rolex watch.
Are you unsure where to start? Read our good advice for buying used skis, or go directly to our large selection of used skis right here!
