Cheapest places to go skiing in 2026/27
The cheapest place to go skiing in Europe is Bardonecchia in Italy, according to the latest Post Office Travel Money Ski Resort Report, where a week's lift pass, ski hire, lessons and lunches on the slopes came to £601 per adult. Bulgaria's Borovets and Norway's Geilo came second and third, and Passo Tonale in Italy was the best value for families.
A note on dates: the figures here come from the Post Office Ski Resort Report 2026, compiled with Crystal Ski Holidays for the 2025/26 season at December 2025 exchange rates. The 2026/27 edition hadn't been published when we updated this post in October 2026, so use these as a guide and check current prices before you book.
Quick picks
- Cheapest for adults: Bardonecchia, Italy (£601.02 for the week)
- Cheapest for families: Passo Tonale, Italy (£1,796.78 for a family of four)
- Best value outside Italy: Borovets, Bulgaria (£668.06)
- Cheapest way to learn the basics: a beginner course at a UK dry slope in Cardiff, Aldershot or Norfolk before you fly
How the prices are worked out
The report prices the same basket in every resort: a six-day lift pass, six days of ski and boot hire, five or six half-day ski school lessons, and six lunches, coffees, soft drinks, glasses of wine and beers on the slopes. Prices are mid-season for one adult. Flights and accommodation aren't included, so add those on top.
1. Bardonecchia, Italy: £601.02
Bardonecchia, in the Piedmont Alps, tops the table for the second year running, even with costs up 10.5% on the year before. Its six-day lift pass, at £173.77, is the cheapest in the top ten, and the report notes it has risen just 12.4% since 2017. Ski school comes to £155.86 and hire to £85.99.
2. Borovets, Bulgaria: £668.06
Borovets is the best value outside Italy, though prices rose 18.6% in a year, and Bulgarian resorts saw the biggest increases in the survey. Food is cheap here: six lunches on the slopes cost £80.40, the lowest in the top ten.
3. Geilo, Norway: £704.27
Geilo in southern Norway enters the top ten in third place and had the smallest price rise of any resort surveyed, at 0.1%. Ski school is the cheapest in the top ten at £118.00, but drinks are not: six glasses of wine cost £58.74.
4. Bansko, Bulgaria: £706.34
Bansko, the top pick in the previous version of this post, slips to fourth after a 23.3% rise. Its lift pass has gone up more than any other resort's over ten years, from £111.25 in 2016 to £282.83, a rise of 154%. Even so, a week here costs about half as much as in Wengen, the most expensive resort surveyed.
5 to 10. Sauze, Sestriere, Le Corbier and more
Two more Italian resorts follow: Sauze (£731.80) and Sestriere (£742.56). Le Corbier in the French Alps (£784.40) is the only French resort in the top ten, which makes it the one to look at if you'd like to ski in France on a budget. Cervinia, Kronplatz and La Thuile, all in Italy, complete the top ten at £817 to £836.
Cheapest ski resorts for families
For two adults and two children aged six and eight, Passo Tonale in Italy is the best value for the second year running. Children up to eight get a free lift pass when they ski with a paying adult, which keeps the total more than 9% below second-placed Bardonecchia.
- Passo Tonale, Italy: £1,796.78
- Bardonecchia, Italy: £1,984.02
- Bansko, Bulgaria: £2,093.22
- Kranjska Gora, Slovenia: £2,116.95
- Beitostølen, Norway: £2,178.84
Kranjska Gora dropped from second to fourth after ski school for a family rose by two-thirds, a reminder that tuition is often the biggest variable for families. Andorra's Soldeu was the only family resort to get cheaper, down 3.7% to £2,602.07.
What about Romania, Slovakia and Vogel?
Earlier versions of this post also covered Poiana Brașov in Romania, Jasná in Slovakia and Vogel in Slovenia. They aren't part of the Post Office survey, so we don't have like-for-like current prices for them. We've taken the old figures out rather than guess, so check lift pass and hire prices on each resort's own website before you book.
Where skiing costs the most
Swiss and Austrian resorts are still the priciest. Wengen in Switzerland is the most expensive of the 32 resorts at £1,372.32, more than double Bardonecchia. Val d'Isère (£1,313.14) and Saas Fee (£1,265.48) aren't far behind, and the best-value Austrian resort, Söll, is 18th at £965.32.
Tips for budget skiing
- Book early: the best deals on flights, accommodation and lift passes tend to go first. Our guide on when to book your ski trip explains the timing.
- Travel off-peak: avoid the school holidays for lower prices and quieter slopes.
- Look at packages: a deal that bundles flights and accommodation, and sometimes lift passes or hire, can cost less than booking each part separately.
- Stay nearby: rooms in a neighbouring town or village can be cheaper than staying in the resort itself.
- Budget for lunches and drinks: they add more than £300 a week in some resorts, so check the report's food and drink figures for yours.
- Learn the basics at home: see the next section.
Practise at a UK dry slope first
Ski school is one of the biggest costs in the report, from £118.00 for the week in Geilo to £381.12 in Wengen. You'll still want lessons on holiday, but if you can already stop, turn and ride a lift, you'll get more out of them from day one and spend more of the week on the mountain.
Beginner courses you can book on eola include the Level 1 first timer lesson at Cardiff Ski & Snowboard Centre, the One Day Beginner Ski Course at Alpine Snowsports Aldershot for ages 16 and up, the 4-week ski beginners course at Norfolk Snowsports Club, Learn to ski in a day at Torquay Alpine Ski Club and the Ski Beginners Course at The Hill, Ski Rossendale.
Photo: Torquay Alpine Ski Club
Our guide to learning to ski before your ski holiday covers each slope in more detail, and there's more on the Cardiff Ski & Snowboard Centre and Alpine Snowsports Aldershot spotlight pages.
Photo: Cardiff Ski & Snowboard Centre
Cheap ski holiday FAQs
What is the cheapest ski resort in Europe?
In the Post Office Ski Resort Report 2026, Bardonecchia in Italy was the cheapest of 32 resorts, at £601.02 for a week's lift pass, hire, ski school, lunches and drinks for one adult. Borovets in Bulgaria was second at £668.06.
Is Bulgaria still cheap for skiing?
Yes, though less so than it was. Borovets and Bansko are second and fourth in the 2026 report, but both had some of the biggest price rises, up 18.6% and 23.3% on the year before.
What is the cheapest ski resort for families?
Passo Tonale in Italy, at £1,796.78 for two adults and two children aged six and eight, helped by free lift passes for children up to eight skiing with a paying adult.
More ski planning: read how to prepare for your ski trip and dry slope skiing vs snow skiing.
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