The 30 best-value ski holidays for this winter

It’s harder than ever to save money on the slopes, so rather than going cheap, look for quality, quieter dates and alternative resorts

There’s plenty for British skiers to be excited about as winter approaches – the promise of powder days with friends, the unwrapping of new gear, the opportunity to take your children to the slopes for the first time. With snow on the highest Alpine slopes, and resorts already opening, there is a sense of promise in the air.
A survey carried out at the end of last season by the travel agency Iglu Ski found that value is of the utmost importance to British skiers, ranking second only behind, naturally, snow certainty. And despite naysayers persisting in their labelling of skiing as “an elitist hobby”,  the great-value ski holiday nevertheless remains well within reach – if you know what to look for.
But what constitutes a good-value ski holiday? After all, one person’s idea of slumming it is another’s big treat; some are happy with 50km of slopes, while others soon get bored if there fewer than 200km. For some skiers, snow quality is paramount, at the expense of Alpine atmosphere; and for others, it’s all about the après. The first step is to figure out what is most important to you when it comes to a holiday on the slopes.
Some of these will be non-negotiables, rather than preferences – if you have to travel in the school holidays, for example. In this case, look for less well-known resorts, such as Val-Cenis in France, Schladming in Austria or El Tarter in Andorra. If you’re set on a popular French resort, Peak Retreats and Erna Low have self-drive options to Les Trois Vallées and La Rosière.
And it’s not just your choice of destination that can impact the cost of a ski holiday. Save money by booking as much as possible in advance, including essential extras – equipment hire is always cheaper, and most resorts now offer at least a small saving on lift passes bought online in advance. Also check the small print on lift passes – for some resorts, children up to the age of eight can ski free of charge, and senior discounts can kick in from 60.
Overall, remember: the interesting thing about value is it’s not about keeping costs as low as possible; it’s about feeling like you’ve got your money’s worth. And we guarantee that at least one of these holidays will do just that this winter.
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One of the great things about ski holidays in Andorra is the amount of good-quality four-star hotels available at a decent price. For example, the newly renovated Ushuaia The Mountain Hotel in Arinsal offers the only ski-in/ski-out accommodation in the entire resort, and has seriously spacious bedrooms. The 63km of local slopes offer plenty of skiing, but you can choose to mix things up one day and hire snow bikes, or fly along the 340m-long zipline high above the forest.
Andorra Travel Service (0330 043 2134; andorratravelservice.com) offers Ushuaia The Mountain Hotel from £990, including lift pass and ski hire, departing March 9 2025. 
To find budget-friendly value at half term, you need to look beyond the big names. El Tarter is a laid-back mountain town, part of the substantial Grandvalira ski area in Andorra. It’s lively but not too unruly for families, and has a highly regarded ski school with English-speaking instructors. Top of the value credentials is a free lift pass for under 12s with each adult pass.
Neilson (0333 014 3351; neilson.co.uk) offers the Neilson Chalet Hotel Casale from £899, chalet board, departing February 9 2025. 
Crystal Ski launched its popular Slope Starter programme two seasons ago and – thanks to unprecedented demand – has increased capacity for this winter. Aimed at apprehensive beginners, the set weeks include everything you need to fall in love with the sport, including spending some of your holiday time with a group of like-minded people. The Austria departure has already sold out, but Soldeu in Andorra still has space and is £200 cheaper.
Crystal (020 3451 2821; crystals.co.uk) offers the Sport Hotel, from £995, including lift pass, ski hire and lessons, departing January 19 2025. 
For any solo travellers fed up with paying single supplements, this holiday to St Johann in Tirol is a refreshing change. The four-star Post is in prime position on the historic pedestrianised town square, and the 40km of local slopes are only a short, free bus ride away. Alternatively, venture further afield with free travel across the whole region, including to Kitzbühel and Westendorf, home to many more slopes.
Iglu (020 3131 8362; igluski.com) offers a single room at Hotel Post from £840, departing on January 11 2025. 
For pre-Christmas skiing, you need to aim high – but be aware the loftiest resorts often come at a premium price. Obergurgl in the Austrian Tirol sits at 1,900m, with slopes that reach over 3,000m and a choice of ski-in/ski-out hotels. Lift passes for three days or more cover the whole Ötztal region, with 363km of slopes, including neighbouring Sölden; save money by buying your lift pass at least five days before you arrive.
SNO (020 7770 6888; sno.co.uk) offers Hotel Sportiv by Vaya from £863, departing on December 14 2024.
A double whammy of value here from SkiLine in St Anton, providing not just a catered chalet for 10 with a spa area, but also return train travel directly to the resort. Yes it’s for an early week of the season, but the Arlberg region (which St Anton shares with Lech and Zürs) has a fantastic snow record.
SkiLine (020 8313 3999; skiline.co.uk) offers Chalet Kapall, from £1,054, chalet board, including train travel from London St Pancras to St Anton, departing December 14 2024. 
Contiki has been running group holidays for 18 to 35-year-olds since 1962 and has finely tuned the whole experience. This winter, join like-minded skiers and snowboarders on a trip to Hopfgarten im Brixental in the SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser region of the Austria Tirol. The bargain price doesn’t just include the chance to explore 270km of slopes; there’s also a day trip to Salzburg, a guided ski safari and an après-ski party.
Contiki (0808 281 1120; contiki.com) offers the Contiki Haus Schoneck from £486, B&B, including overnight coach travel from London, departing January 31 2025.
Despite being a key fixture on the World Cup circuit, Schladming manages to fly under the radar of the British market. It’s well worth considering, however; long, rolling red runs and cruising blues carve through the trees or across the glacier at 2,700m, and an attractive medieval town and plenty of night skiing make it a fun place to stay. Even better, thanks to travel via Salzburg, it remains good value even at peak weeks.
Heidi (0117 457 6000; heidi.com) offers a double room at the Hotel Schladmingerhof from £887, departing February 8, 2025.
Ask any seasoned skier for a cheap resort and they’ll likely say Bansko, in Bulgaria. It’s actually not as cheap as its neighbouring resort Borovets (says the latest Post Office Travel Money Ski Report), but it’s arguably better, with more kilometres of slopes and a higher standard of accommodation. Recent development means there are now plenty of four-star hotels, including the Lion, offering hearty meals and an unpretentious atmosphere.
SNO (020 7770 6888; sno.co.uk) offers Hotel Lion from £514, departing on February 8 2025.
The only long-haul option on our list (see panel belowfor advice on cutting costs in Japan and North America), this Crystal Ski holiday is a no-brainer if you’ve fallen in love with Canada’s skiing. The Banff Park Lodge is in the town centre and surrounded by spectacular Banff National Park, with skiing spread over three areas – Banff Sunshine, Lake Louise and Mt Norquay. Add value to your trip with a five-days-out-of-seven lift pass, and spend the spare days weaving your way through frozen waterfalls at Johnston Canyon, or soaking in the Banff Upper Hot Springs. 
Crystal (020 3451 2821; crystals.co.uk) offers the Banff Park Lodge, room only, from £1,067, departing February 3 2025.
Originally established by the French government to encourage young people to experience the outdoors lifestyle, you’ll find UCPA centres in prime positions in many top-class French resorts. Nowadays anyone can benefit from its ethos, which includes providing everything in-house to keep costs down. In Flaine this includes a full Grand Massif lift pass and lessons. Keep your travel costs reasonable by booking a return coach with FlixBus (from £88 return from Geneva) or Snow Express (from £179, direct from London).
Action Outdoors (020 3328 5443; action-outdoors.co.uk) offers UCPA Flaine from £889, full board, including lift pass, equipment hire and lessons, but not transfers or flights, departing January 11 2025. 
If a good-value ski holiday for you means challenging skiing from the first to the last lift, cushioned by the cosy comforts of a chalet, then this Mark Warner holiday at Chalet Hotel l’Ecrin in Tignes Val Claret is our top pick. You’ll have to book the cheapest week of the season to get it for less than £1,000, but the first week of January can be both snow-sure and blissfully quiet – heaven when you’re on top of the world on the Grande Mötte glacier.
Mark Warner (0845 322 5037; markwarner.co.uk) offers chalet board (breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner with house wine) from £999, departing January 5 2025. 
Val d’Isère has steadily become one of the most expensive ski resorts in the Alps, but book a stay in the connected hamlet of La Daille (spruced up last winter) and you can knock a zero off the price of accessing the world-class terrain. Save more cash by using the cosy picnic rooms at the top of the Solaise and La Daille gondolas, and lift passes for children under eight are free of charge. Sunweb deals include lift passes and equipment hire for extra value.
Sunweb (020 3170 8206; sunweb.co.uk) offers a one-bedroom apartment in Residence Les Balcons de Bellevarde from £1,053, including flights, lift pass, equipment hire but not transfers, departing March 22 2025. 
Serre Chevalier is a French resort that really deserves to be better known. Spread along the north-facing side of the valley are 250km of slopes linking four resorts; the tree line is high and the altitude is quite decent, making for reliable snow conditions and long runs. Everything from drinks to pool access is included at the all-inclusive Le Parc, but remember that the sauna costs extra.
Iglu (020 3131 8362; igluski.com) offers Sowell Hotel Le Parc & Spa from £732, departing on March 23 2025. 
If you’re stuck having to ski during the school holidays, you will know that good value can be hard to come by at the best of times, so this self-drive deal with Erna Low bucks that trend. La Rosière is a great choice for families, with lots of easy-going slopes, and Les Cimes Blanches apartments are four-star, close to the slopes in the Eucherts area and have a swimming pool. Family holiday gold.
Erna Low (020 3011 1222; ernalow.co.uk) offers a one-bedroom apartment for four people in Les Cimes Blanches from £941, including a return LeShuttle crossing, departing on February 15 2025. 
All Friendship Travel holidays provide a host, and private small-group ski lessons are included in the price. Whether you need tuition or not, these solo-focused trips are an excellent way to get to know both your fellow skiers and this extensive French resort, which has seen huge investment in recent years. This may be one of the pricier holidays in our list, but it offers a lot – especially if you are in search of some ski buddies.
Friendship Travel (028 9446 2211; friendshiptravel.com) offers a single room from £1,745 in Chalets Alexandre and Chartreuse from £1,745, including chalet board and five small-group lessons, departing March 1 2025.
Holidays to this fabled skiing destination can command a high price, but this trip to Chamonix is a great example of the huge vagaries that exist in costs throughout the ski season. The first week of January is nearly half the price of New Year’s week, and is made even better value thanks to accommodation at the Folie Douce, the first hotel from the legendary group of après-ski venues.
Love Holidays (01234 975975; loveholidays.com) offers La Folie Douce Hotels from £919, B&B, departing January 5 2025. 
Lesser-known Val Cenis has plenty of slopes, lots of modern apartments and a spectacular setting between the Vanoise National Park and the Italian border. Its lack of recognition among foreign visitors is a good thing for those in the know, as prices remain reasonable. The local food and 350km of slopes are just as good as any you will find in better-known resorts.
Peak Retreats (023 9283 9310; peakretreats.co.uk) offers a one-bedroom apartment in Les Balcons de Val Cenis Village from £475, based on four sharing, including lift pass and LeShuttle crossing, departing March 22 2025. 
New Year’s week vies for the title of the most expensive week of the season, alongside February half term, so finding value for the festivities can be tricky – especially in the largest connected ski area in the world, Les Trois Vallées. Make it work by booking with Heidi, which offers travel on any day of the week (not just premium-priced weekends) and stay in Brides-les-Bains, a 25-minute gondola ride into Méribel and the heart of the ski area.
Heidi (0117 457 6000; heidi.com) offers two double rooms at the Mercure Brides Les Bains Grand Hotel des Thermes from £990, room only, based on four adults, departing December 30 2024.
If you want doorstep skiing and spa facilities in Les Trois Vallées, the world’s largest ski area, in February half term, then Peak Retreats has an answer. The French Alps specialist offers smart ski-in/ski-out apartments in the Reberty area of Les Menuires, and the price includes a return LeShuttle crossing. Why so reasonable? Compared with its neighbours (Méribel or Courchevel), Les Menuires is rich in apartments for self-caterers.
Peak Retreats (023 9283 9310; peakretreats.co.uk) offers a two-bedroom apartment in Le Hameau de la Sapinière from £638, self catering, based on four sharing, including LeShuttle crossing, departing February 15 2025. 
As if getting the train to the heart of the French Alps and staying in one of Arc 1950’s smart apartments wasn’t good value enough, this holiday includes a whole extra day on the slopes, essentially free of charge. Leave London on the Eurostar on Saturday, ski for the week, and then also ski on the Saturday as a bonus, before a quick transfer down to Bourg St Maurice, dinner, bed and breakfast, and then the train home on Sunday morning.
SkiLine (020 8313 3999; skiline.co.uk) offers an apartment at Le Village Apartments in Arc 1950 from £849, self catering, including train travel from London St Pancras to Les Arcs, departing January 18 2025. 
Skiing in the Italian Dolomites is a must for anyone who loves dramatic scenery, welcoming mountain restaurants that don’t cost a fortune and pistes that rollick and roll from board plateaus to wooded valleys. This catered chalet deal from Inghams in Selva Val Gardena is a top pick – the price reflects that it is at the beginning of the season, but nearly all the runs here are covered with snowmaking, so skiing is guaranteed.
Inghams (01483 945922; inghams.co.uk) offers Chalet Soldanella from £978, including chalet board, departing December 14 2024. 
Proper five-star hotels don’t usually come cheap, but the Montana Lodge & Spa manages to provide all you would expect of a luxury hotel (seamless service, fantastic food and utmost comfort) at a reasonable price. And the fact it’s in La Thuile, Italy, with its quiet slopes linked to La Rosière, France, delicious mountain restaurants and views of Mont Blanc, rather than a typically chi-chi resort, makes it all the more attractive.
Ski Solutions (020 7471 7700; skisolutions.com) offers the Montana Lodge & Spa from £1,345, B&B, departing March 29 2025. 
Food is a big deal in the Italian Dolomites. Mixing both Italian and Austrian influences, menus in the many mountain huts are a mix of Italian classics (pasta and polenta made with the freshest ingredients) and heartier stews, schnitzels and sauerkraut. Eating well at lunchtime on the slopes is noticeably good value compared with some resorts in France and Switzerland, but for an incomparable feast, book the €81 (£68) four-course tasting menu at Alpinn in Kronplatz, the latest restaurant from the three-Michelin-starred chef Norbert Niederkofler.
Sunweb (020 3170 8206; sunweb.co.uk) offers a one-bedroom apartment in Astor Apartments from £1,178, self-catering, including flights and lift pass but not transfers, departing December 29 2024. 
If you want cheaper access to Zermatt in Switzerland, the smart choice is to book a holiday to Cervinia in Italy. Sharing both sides of the Matterhorn and 322km of slopes, the resorts couldn’t be more different. While Zermatt has some exquisite mountain restaurants, Cervinia’s are arguably better – and are certainly better value. Visiting later in the season is a safe bet at this high-altitude resort, and the three-star Hôtel Petit Palais offers ski-in/ski-out access.
I-Ski (020 3778 0123; i-ski.co.uk) offers the Hôtel Petit Palais from £933, departing March 23 2025. 
Norway has a reputation as an expensive place to visit – and while this package might stretch your budget, it offers a lot. The apartments are smart, large (no sleeping in alcoves) and right on the slopes, meaning families can easily return for a DIY lunch. The resort is snow-sure – the latitude north of Oslo makes sure of that – cosy picnic huts with grills are free to use across the slopes, and the ski school is full of fun, English-speaking instructors. Plus Trysil is just a 40-minute drive from the airport.
Ski Scandinavia (020 7199 6015; ski-scandinavia.co.uk) offers a two-bedroom apartment at SkiStar Lodge Trysil from £2,145, based on two adults and two children sharing, departing April 6 2025. 
This holiday with Ski Solutions to Voss, in the fjord region of the country, makes a great starting point for those keen to head north this winter. The Scandic Voss hotel is contemporary and stylish, and is next to the gondola that leads to 40km of slopes, plus off-piste terrain. The beginners’ area with a magic carpet is free to use, a six-day adult lift pass is under £200 and a traditional Scandi sauna session is £10.
Ski Solutions (020 7471 7700; skisolutions.com) offers the Scandic Voss hotel from £995, B&B, departing March 9 2025. 
Everything in Spain’s largest ski resort is that bit cheaper than the big-names of the Alps; lift passes, equipment hire and lessons are great value, and not at the expense of quality (the Spanish royal family have a chalet here). The 165km of high-altitude slopes mainly face north-west, and eating out – both on the mountain and in the resort – is reasonable. Plus, heliskiing is permitted, which is much cheaper than having to travel to North America. 
Ski Miquel (01457 821200; skimiquel.co.uk) offers the Hotel Montarto from £1,097, including five mornings of ski hosting, departing February 9 2025. 
Switzerland will always fall short of any list of budget-friendly destinations, but if a good-value ski holiday for you means spending time in the ever-popular Verbier (famed for its easily accessible freeride terrain and boisterous après scene), then maximise your money by keeping it short and sweet. Add in early-morning and late-night Geneva flights, with luggage, to this package, and you’ll get four-and-a-half days’ skiing for less than £800. 
Ski Weekends (023 8020 6971; skiweekends.com) offers the Hotel Montpelier for four nights from £605, B&B, including transfers, departing February 3 2025. 
On paper, the skiing in Saas-Fee can seem limited, but the pretty, car-free village is surrounded by 13 peaks towering over 4,000m, and many of its slopes sit above 2,500m. There’s some great off-piste to explore and a thigh-burning descent of 1,700m from top to bottom. This train package from Inghams allows you to be car-free all week, including riding the revamped funicular, the highest in the world, to the Mittelallalin peak and its revolving restaurant at 3,456m. 
Inghams (01483 945922; inghams.co.uk) offers a studio apartment at Allalin Apartments from £825, self-catering, including return train travel from London St Pancras to Saas-Fee, departing March 15 2025. 
Unless stated otherwise, all prices are per person, for seven nights, half board, including flights and transfer, based on two sharing.