Taking a trip to the slopes can be the highlight of the winter. It can certainly keep away the winter blues and is a wonderful family trip away. Where do you get last minute ski deals and find the best cheap ski holidays? We have rounded up the best places to find last minute ski holidays along with cheap ski resorts. We will show you how to book those all inclusive ski holidays and ski package holidays but also ways to book the elements yourself to bag a bargain.
*AD / This post contains affiliate links and I may also have been compensated or gifted in this post. To read more please see my Disclosure Policy.
Look at all inclusive companies for last minute deals
There are a number of companies offering all inclusive ski holidays. Getting a last minute deal can see prices significantly reduced. Some of our favourites are:
- Crystal Ski do reasonably priced ski holidays they usually do not include food (although some do) which keeps the cost down and they offer some last minute deals which you can find here
- Ski World have some great offers on some really lovely looking accommodation with flights included, check out their cheap ski holidays here
- Inghams have some very well priced holidays, particularly if you can go out of school holiday time. The prices drop the closer to departure date you get. Find their last minute deals here
- Esprit are higher end ski trips (often all inclusive including food) and their last minute ski deals here
- Iglu Ski have a range of holidays at different mid level prices, check out their last minute deals here
- Neilson are well worth checking out their last minute ski deals which you can find here
- Sno have some last minute deals which are worth checking here
Finding cheap ski holidays by doing it yourself
If you can get a last minute deal, particularly out of school holiday times then going for one of the all inclusive companies listed above that will organise everything from flights to transfers can be the most cost effective.
If you’re a family looking for cheap skiing with kids then it’s often the case that organising it yourself can be the best way to enjoy cheap ski holidays.
Here are our top tips.
- Book your flight in advance – as soon as you know the school holidays then look at booking flights. We book ours in the summer for the winter season. Look at flights to the main hubs, Geneva will get you close to hundreds of ski resorts across France and other countries. We booked to Salzburg and bagged flights for five for £350 including a bag each way.
- Book cheap ski resorts to make your budget go further – There are hundreds of lesser known ski resorts across Europe where you can find great skiing and ski schools for families. These will often offer much cheaper prices than the larger, better know resorts so look at resorts in Bulgaria and Slovenia in particular for great deals. See our guide to best ski resorts in Europe here.
- If you don’t book in advance choose strategically – Airports like Geneva and Salzburg are obvious ski resort hubs but there are plenty of others that mean you can get to the resorts easily. Milan is one example where you will often find cheap flights to and you can easily get from there to Chamonix, Les Houche and Sauze d’Oulx amongst many others. From Ljubljana you can get easily to some of the Austrian resorts as well as the Slovenian ones and the same with Venice. So it’s well worth looking around at some of the cheap airlines and where they fly to and the cost of those flights – I use Skyscanner to compare airports on the dates I’m available.
- Consider Scandinavia – You can also get flights to Scandinavia, often at great prices. Look into Helsinki, Oslo, Stockholm and some of the Lapland regional airports such as Rovaniemi, Kittilä Airport and Ivalo.
- Think about the transfers – If you are booking flights yourself then don’t forget the transfer which can often come at a hefty price tag. There are ways to minimise this. Once you have booked your flights then look for ski resorts which have an easy link with public transport. Resorts that have regular buses from the airport are great, better still are those on the train line. On a recent trip to Austria we picked a resort – Saalbach-Hinterglemm – that was well connected, we caught the airport bus into Salzburg centre and from there caught the train to Zell am See before getting another public bus up to Saalbach-Hinterglemm, saving us hundreds of Euros. So look for resorts that have that easy (and cheap) connection.
- Go self catering – Forget the fancy chalets and all inclusive hotels, the bargains are to be had by going self catering. Look at airbnb for some real bargains and shop at local supermarkets for cheap meals to help keeping costs down.
- Look at your costs – Prices of ski passes can really bump up the cost of a ski trip so look for special deals such as cheaper skiing at the weekends and some resorts even offer free lift passes for kids so if you’re on a family trip this can really help save hundreds.
We hope our guide has helped you find the best ways to bag that ski holiday bargain. Check out our ski guide for all the information on the best resorts, packing lists, top tips and more.
A packing list for ski trips                    Â
Tips for first time skiers with kids                    Â
Like this post? Pin it here for later:
