EXCLUSIVE The best and worst value places to go skiing in Europe this winter – with Bulgaria losing its crown as the cheapest destination to ITALY
- The annual Post Office Travel Money ski report has ranked 36 resorts, from the cheapest to the priciest
- The study looked at the cost of ski essentials such as costs for ski school, lift passes, equipment and meals
- Borovets resort in Bulgaria has been knocked off the top spot by Italy’s Bardonecchia in the Piedmont region
- READ MORE: Britain’s top 100 breathtaking ‘off the beaten track’ locations have been revealed
For the first time in a decade, Bulgarian ski resorts Borovets and Bansko have lost their position as being the best value in Europe.
Their crown has been taken for the 2023/24 winter season by Italy’s Bardonecchia.
The resort has been rated best value for adult skiing in the Post Office Travel Money Ski Resort Report 2023, with Bankso slumping to sixth place in the chart.
The most expensive resort, the study reveals, is Zermatt in Switzerland.
The report, in partnership with Crystal Ski Holidays, was compiled by comparing the total cost across 36 resorts of a six-day ski pass and ski/boot hire for one person, plus ski school (five to six half days), and a range of drinks and lunch on the slopes.
Bardonecchia in Italy (above) is the best-value ski resort in Europe for British skiers according to a new survey of 36 resorts by Post Office Travel Money
The total for Bardonecchia is £532 per person, according to the report, which pushes Borovets into the runner-up spot for the first time since 2019.
Prices in the Bulgarian resort have risen 8.2 per cent year on year to £554, the study shows.
Bansko, rated best value in 2018, finds itself in sixth place thanks to a year-on-year price rise of 18.1 per cent, giving it a cost-per-person total of £642.
The cheapest French resort, according to the study, is Le Corbier, where a cost total of £611.32 cements third-place status. It’s the first time that a French ski resort has featured in the top three destinations.
Italy’s Livigno resort is in fourth place at £614, while Baqueira Beret, the first Spanish ski resort to be included in the Post Office Travel Money Ski Resort Report, is in seventh position (£696).
Bulgaria’s Borovets (above) was ranked the cheapest resort for four years in a row, but prices in the resort have risen 8.2 per cent year on year to £554, pushing it into the second-cheapest spot for 2023/24
The ranking in full shows the total cost across 36 ski resorts for one person
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 (fifth, £639), Sestriere (eighth, £699) and La Thuile (ninth, £710), the report reveals.
With prices only slightly higher than last season, the Finnish resort of Ruka completes the best-value top ten (10th, £735) for adult ski trips.
At the other end of the spectrum, Switzerland features as the most expensive country in Europe for skiing with the three resorts on the list each coming in at over £1,000 per person.
The study shows that Zermatt, the most expensive resort, costs £1,334.76, followed by Wengen (35th, £1,259) and Saas-Fee (34th, £1,164).
Laura Plunkett, Head of Post Office Travel Money, says: ‘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.
‘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.’
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 and Herzegovina, one of eight new ski resorts introduced for this season’s family ski resort report.
Jahorina is cheapest for a family of four (two adults and two children, aged six and eight) out of 32 ski resorts surveyed, narrowly beating Italy’s Passo Tonale (second, £1,678), where prices have fallen by 6.6 per cent.
This year’s report found that over half of family resorts – 13 of 24 previously surveyed – have shown price falls. The biggest fall – 8.9 per cent – is in Ruka (£2,098), Finland, which has risen to seventh place in the family chart as a result. Among the 12 other family resorts that have registered price falls year on year is Rauris (sixth, £2,085), the only Austrian resort to feature in both of the top 10 tables.
Post Office Travel Money’s report was compiled by comparing the total cost in each resort of a six-day ski pass and ski/boot hire for one person, plus ski school (five to six half days), and drinks and lunch on the slopes
The most expensive resort in the family ranking is Austria’s Kitzbühel, where the total cost for a family of four climbs to £3,260.53, the report reveals.
Laura adds: ‘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.’
The findings come as consumer research conducted for Post Office supports travel industry reports of a surge in demand for European ski holidays following heavy early snowfall in the Alps.
With third-place status, the cheapest French resort for one person is Le Corbier, France, the study reveals
The most expensive resort for one person, the study reveals, is Zermatt in Switzerland, pictured above
The survey of 2,001 adults found that a significant number – 12 per cent (246 respondents) – are planning a ski holiday between December 2023 and April 2024.
Chris Logan, Managing Director at Crystal Ski Holidays, commented: ‘With the rising cost of living, offering value for money when it comes to ski holidays is more important than ever before.
‘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.’
Visit www.postoffice.co.uk/travel-money.
When it comes to family ski breaks, Jahorina in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been named the best value for families. Prices shown are for a family of four (two adults and two children aged six and eight). Source: Post Office Travel Money
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