Europe’s cheapest ski resort revealed

Despite the sorry state of sterling, there are still bargains to be had if you choose wisely

The slopes of Bansko, Bulgaria (Nikolay Doychinov/AFP/Getty Images)

The Bulgarian ski resort of Bansko has once again been named Europe’s cheapest, closely followed by Slovenia’s Kranjska Gora, proving that to find a bargain break on the slopes, your best bet is to head east.

Ski holiday essentials such as equipment hire, lift passes and ski tuition for six days, plus a meal and drinks on the slopes, comes to just £270.77 in Bansko. At the other end of the scale is Zermatt, Switzerland, the most expensive of the 20 European resorts surveyed for the annual Post Office Travel Money Ski Resort Report, at £875.25.

Prices in Bansko, where the local currency is the Bulgarian lev, have risen just four per cent year-on-year, despite the weakened pound. In Kranjska Gora, inside the Eurozone, the total comes to £337.62 – almost 20 per cent more than last season.

The five cheapest resorts are rounded off by Sestriere (£354.98) and Livigno (£363.84), both in Italy, plus Ellmau in Austria (£403.08).

Europe’s three most expensive resorts are all in Switzerland, though the prices here pale in comparison to North America. Of the six resorts surveyed in the US and Canada, Breckenridge, Colorado was the priciest, with an eye-watering average spend of £1,134.29.

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