Donning your skis and hitting the slopes has always had an expensive reputation, usually associated with kinda crowd who don’t blink twice at the prices of lift passes and luxe lodgings in the Dolomites, the Pyrenees or the Alps. However, while parts of Europe (we’re looking at you, Switzerland) are particularly expensive, there are cheap pockets for 2025 and 2026 dotted about the place, too. By the way, all prices mentioned here reflect the 2026 ski season at the time of writing and may be subject to change.
What’s the cheapest place to ski in Europe?
We’ve done some digging and found the cheapest places to go skiing include central and eastern European destinations like Austria, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Slovenia. Oh, and – whisper it – there are a handful of reasonably priced spots in Italy, too. Read on to find out where.
Europe’s best budget ski resorts at a glance
- 💸 Best budget option: Jasná Nízke Tatry, Slovakia
- 👪 Best for families: Babin Do, Bjelašnica, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- ⛷️ Best for beginners: Borovets, Bulgaria
- 🍻 Best for après-ski and all-night dancing: Arinsal, Andorra
- 🍽️ Best restaurant offerings: Livigno, Italy
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India-Jayne Trainor is a British-Australian travel writer based in London. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines and check out our latest travel guides written by local experts.