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A skier on a mountainside above the clouds

The Alps & Pyrenees

Ski holidays

A week in the mountains costs less than most people assume and goes wrong in predictable ways. Almost all of them come down to two decisions: how high the resort is, and how much of the total you've actually been quoted.

2h flights · GVA / INN / TRNDec–Apr seasonSki school books earlyGuide price from £679pp

The short version

Altitude decides the snow, not the brochure

Low resorts are cheaper and prettier and they are also the ones that run short of snow in a warm January. As a rule of thumb, book a resort whose village sits above 1,800m, or one with reliable high-altitude skiing above it and a lift from the door. Tignes, Val Thorens, Obergurgl and Val d'Isère rarely have a problem. Charming villages at 900m sometimes do, and no amount of snow-making replaces a bad season.

The real cost

The headline price is about half of it

A ski week is quoted as flights and accommodation. Then come lift passes, equipment hire, ski school, lunches on the mountain and the transfer. For a family of four that can add £1,500 to £2,000 to a £2,400 holiday. It isn't a scam — it's how the industry prices — but you should see the full figure before you commit. We quote the lot up front, including the bits our competitors leave until you've paid the deposit.

Book these first

Ski school and equipment sell out before the hotels do

Children's ski school in half term fills months before the accommodation does, and once it's gone the week doesn't work. The same is true of childcare and of the better equipment ranges. If you're travelling in February half term, we want to be booking ski school in September. Equipment hire booked in advance is also typically 15–20% cheaper than walking into the shop on arrival.

Pick your country

Four countries, four different weeks

Flights are around two hours to Geneva, Innsbruck, Turin or Barcelona, then a coach or private transfer of one to three hours.

Highest & biggest

France

The largest linked areas in the world and the most snow-sure resorts. Purpose-built and functional rather than pretty, but you ski from the door.

Three Valleys: Courchevel, Méribel, Val Thorens. The biggest linked area on earth, and Val Thorens is Europe's highest resort.
Espace Killy: Val d'Isère and Tignes. Superb snow record and serious terrain, with a glacier above.
Paradiski: Les Arcs and La Plagne. Excellent for families, with good beginner areas high up.
Portes du Soleil: Morzine, Avoriaz and across to Switzerland. Lower, prettier, and better for a mixed group.

Best value & atmosphere

Austria

Prettier villages, better food, livelier après and lower prices than France. Lower altitude too, so check the resort height carefully.

St Anton: Serious skiing and the most famous après in the Alps. Not a beginner's resort.
Obergurgl & Sölden: High, snow-sure and family-friendly. Obergurgl's village sits at 1,930m.
Mayrhofen: Lively, well-priced and a short transfer from Innsbruck. Good for first-timers.
Kitzbühel: Beautiful medieval town, superb atmosphere — and only 800m, so snow can be marginal.

Food & sunshine

Italy

The best mountain lunches in the Alps, the most sun, and prices below France. Lift systems can be older but the value is real.

Sella Ronda: The Dolomites circuit — ski a full loop past those pink limestone peaks. Unforgettable scenery.
Cervinia: High, snow-sure, and linked over the top to Zermatt in Switzerland.
Livigno: Duty-free, high and cheap. A long transfer, and the prices make up for it.
Courmayeur: Under Mont Blanc, an hour from Turin. Short slopes, glorious lunches.

A person standing in snow near pine trees

Beginners & budget

Andorra & the value end

Where we send first-timers and families watching the total. English-speaking instruction is widespread and packages include more.

Grandvalira: Andorra's main area — bigger than most people expect, and good beginner terrain.
Pas de la Casa: High, lively and the cheapest bed in the Pyrenees. Not subtle.
Soldeu: The better Andorran family choice. Excellent ski school reputation.
Bulgaria — Bansko: The cheapest full package in Europe. Lift queues at peak, and the price answers for it.

Our speciality

How a week actually runs

Saturday to Saturday is the industry default and the reason transfer roads are jammed. A Sunday or midweek departure is often cheaper and always calmer.

Fly & transferSaturdayTwo-hour flight, then one to three hours by road. Fit boots that afternoon.
Transfer · 1–3h
Ski school & liftsSun–FriLessons in the morning, ski together after lunch. Take one day off mid-week.
Last morningSaturdayMost passes cover the final morning — ski until eleven, then transfer.

Ask us about a Sunday departure. Saturday is when every coach in the Alps moves at once, and shifting by a day can cut both the fare and two hours off the transfer.

When to go

January is cheapest, March is best

December is expensive and the snow is still building. January is cold, quiet and the best value of the season. February half term is the peak in every sense. March brings the best combination of good snow, longer days and sunshine, and April is cheap but only reliable high up.

DecBuilding

JanCheapest

FebPeak

MarBest

AprHigh only

MayGlacier

JunClosed

JulClosed

AugClosed

SepClosed

OctClosed

NovOpening

Mid-January and mid-March are the two windows we push hardest — good conditions, empty slopes and prices well below half term. If your dates are fixed to February, book by September.

Worth leaving the resort for

What we'd actually book

Ski school

Even as a returner, two mornings of lessons transforms a week. Book before you book the hotel in peak weeks.

Lunch on the mountain

Italy and Austria do this best. Budget €25–40 a head and treat it as part of the holiday, not an extra.

Snowboarding

Harder for the first two days and easier from day three. Under-eights are usually better starting on skis.

Cross-country

Vastly cheaper than downhill, no lift pass needed, and a good day off for anyone nursing tired legs.

A guide for a day

On a big linked area, one day with a local guide shows you more than the rest of the week. Worth every euro.

Sledging and tobogganing

Austria does floodlit toboggan runs with a restaurant at the top. The best non-ski evening in the Alps.

Non-skier options

Spas, snowshoeing, ice skating and cable cars for the view. Tell us and we'll pick a resort that supports it.

Après

St Anton and Val Thorens are legendary. If that isn't your week, we'll steer you somewhere quieter.

The practical bits

Things that catch people out

FlightsAround two hours to Geneva, Innsbruck, Turin, Grenoble or Barcelona, then a road transfer of one to three hours.

Lift passesNot usually included. £180–£320 per adult per week depending on the area, and cheaper booked ahead.

Equipment hire£90–£150 a week for skis, boots and poles. Book in advance for 15–20% off shop prices.

Ski school£150–£250 per child for a week of morning group lessons. Books out first in half term.

InsuranceMust specifically cover winter sports, and off-piste if you'll ski it. Standard travel policies do not.

EHIC/GHICUseful but not a substitute for insurance — mountain rescue and repatriation aren't covered.

Catered chaletBreakfast, afternoon tea and dinner with wine most nights. Usually better value than half board in a hotel.

Snow guaranteeSome operators offer one. Read what actually triggers it — the bar is usually very high.

Before you book

Five things worth knowing

Book above 1,800m. The single most reliable predictor of a good week. Pretty low villages are a gamble in a warm winter.

Get the total, not the headline. Lift passes, hire, ski school and lunches can add 60% to the advertised price. Ask any agent for the full figure before you pay a deposit.

Ski school books before hotels. In half term it's gone by autumn. If the children need lessons, that's the first thing to secure, not the last.

Check the insurance covers winter sports. Standard travel cover usually doesn't. Mountain rescue and repatriation are expensive and it's the one thing you can't sort afterwards.

Mid-January and mid-March. Good snow, quiet slopes, and hundreds less per person than February half term.

Next step

Tell us your group and we'll quote the total

Send your dates, ability levels and the ages of any children, and we'll come back with resort options and a full cost — passes, hire, school and transfers included, not added later.

Your money is protected. Trip Tides is a travel agent — we book your holiday with a travel company, and that company is named on your quote and confirmation. Your contract is with them. If your holiday is a package including flights, put together by an ATOL holder, you'll get an ATOL certificate naming that company. We confirm in writing what protection applies before you pay.

Ski packages

Altitude decides the snow. We'll tell you which resorts hold it in a warm winter.

Bansko, Bulgaria — 7 nights

Dec–Mar · 3h

The cheapest ski week in Europe, with a modern gondola.

from £549per person

Austria — 7 nights

Dec–Apr · 2h15

Reliable snow, short transfers and villages you'd visit in summer.

from £849per person

Iceland — 4 nights

Feb–Apr · 3h

Not a ski trip — northern lights and glaciers instead.

from £799per person

Lapland — 4 nights

Dec–Mar · 3h30

Huskies, reindeer and snow to the treeline.

from £1,049per person

Japan — 10 nights

Jan–Feb · 13h

The best powder on earth, and an onsen at the end of the day.

from £2,799per person

USA — 12 nights

Jan–Mar · 10h

Big-mountain skiing, and a city at each end.

from £2,399per person

Guide prices, per person, based on two sharing, including return flights, accommodation and transfers where stated. They indicate what a holiday of this type has typically cost and are not an offer or a quotation. Your price depends on dates, party, board basis, departure airport and availability, and is confirmed in writing before any payment is taken.

Packages that include a ski holiday

Ready-built itineraries with flights, transfers and internal hops booked as one package, ATOL protected. Every one can be reshaped around your dates.

10 Night Rome, Pompeii & the Amalfi Coast

10 nights · May–Jun, Sep–Oct · from £1,449pp

11 Night Athens, Paros & Santorini

11 nights · May–Jun, Sep · from £1,149pp

10 Night Marrakech, Atlas & Essaouira

10 nights · Mar–May, Sep–Nov · from £849pp

12 Night New York, Las Vegas & the Canyons

12 nights · Apr–May, Sep–Oct · from £2,399pp

11 Night Dubai & Maldives

11 nights · Nov–Apr · from £2,199pp

15 Night Barbados & St Lucia

15 nights · Dec–Apr · from £2,399pp

See all 39 multi-centre itineraries →

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