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- Written by: Snow Magazine Staff
Sponsored by Sunweb
Skiing isn’t cheap at the best of times, and once you add in the extras that come with the kids, it can quickly start to feel unmanageable. Multiple liftpasses, lessons, clothes that need to be changed every few winters—it all adds up. And that’s before you factor in the ruinous cost of flying in the school holidays, when all the airlines jack up their prices.
"There are ways to take the whole family skiing without remortgaging your house"
If you’re smart, however, there are ways to take the whole family skiing without remortgaging your house. One of the most important things that can save you money is your choice of resort. Smaller resorts are often cheaper, but still have everything families need—and they’re easier to navigate to boot. Here, our experts have picked seven budget resorts that are brilliant for families, where a week’s ski holiday won’t break the bank.
Andalo, Italy
Set on a sunny plateau overlooking the craggy limestone towers of the Brenta Dolomites in one direction, and Lake Garda in the other, Andalo offers some of the most stunning views of any ski resort in Italy. It’s also one of the most family-friendly resorts in this famously family-friendly country. The layout of the mountain itself might have been designed with families in mind. All the pistes funnel down to one of three mid-mountain beginner areas, each of which is equipped with playgrounds, and cafés offering the ever-essential hot chocolates for when little fingers get too cold.
With just 50km of piste, the ski area isn’t massive, but the lifts are new and modern, and outside of the peak Italian holiday weeks of Christmas, New Year and Epiphany (January 6th), queues are very rare. Kids under seven ski for free if accompanied by an adult, and there are discounted “junior” rates for anyone under 18. If you visit after March 8th (when most Italians are already dreaming of the beach) it counts as low season, so a full-price adult liftpass is just €302 (£260). Small wonder than Andalo regularly features on our list of the best ski resorts in Italy.
Check out our full ski resort review of Andalo for more information.
Borovets, Bulgaria
Heading to Eastern Europe is a great way to keep the costs of skiing down, and Borovets is one of the best places to go if you’ve got kids in tow. Bulgaria’s oldest ski resort sits just beneath the highest peak in the Balkans, the 2,925m-high Musala. There are 58km of pistes in total, so more than enough to keep all but the most expert kids occupied for a week, and extensive snowmaking helps maintain reliable conditions on piste through the season. Best of all, are the prices: an adult liftpass for five days (the longest they offer) is just €220 (£188) and there are discounts for juniors under the age of 22, children, and over 65s—useful if you’re thinking of taking the grandparents.
Borovets itself has a good selection of accommodation and restaurants, and Bulgarian food will suit any kid who likes sausages, grilled meat, and fried potatoes (so any kid, basically!) In fact, Bulgarian culture as a whole is well worth exploring. If the kids can handle churches, a visit to the Rila Monastery, one of the oldest and most beautiful in the Balkans, if not Europe, is well worth it.
Read our full ski resort review of Borovets for more information.
Kranjska Gora, Slovenia
Kranjska Gora is one of those resorts that might almost have been designed for family ski holidays. The terrain is particularly well suited to beginners and younger skiers, with gentle slopes close to the village, and the charming town itself offers the kind of "winter wonderland" vibe that kids love. The compact layout is another major advantage: ski schools, lifts, equipment hire, restaurants and accommodation are all within easy reach, and the village is very pedestrian-friendly, so you don't need to worry about getting the whole gang on and off busses or renting a car.
There’s also plenty to do away from the slopes, including sledging, winter walks, cross-country skiing and ice skating. Like many of the best ski resorts in Eastern Europe, the prices here are a fraction of what you’d pay further west. The 2026-27 rates hadn’t been published at the time of going to press, but last season’s 6-day adult liftpass was priced at just €233 (£199), while a kid’s pass (for under 14s) was €146 (£125). Add in easy access from Ljubljana airport (well served by regular EasyJet flights) and this is a great option.
Read our full Kranjska Gora ski resort review for more information.
Pal-Arinsal, Andorra
Andorra is famous for offering budget-friendly skiing, but its biggest ski resort, Grandvalira, is perhaps best known as a place for party-loving groups of young adults, rather than families. Yet many of the things that make Grandvalira good value also apply to Pal-Arinsal, and it’s a whole lot more family-friendly. As the name suggests, the resort combines two sectors, with a good spread of gentle terrain across the 63km of pistes. The liftpasses are pretty reasonably priced, with a 6-day adult pass costing €315 (£270), a junior pass for 12-17 year olds, €282 (£241) and a child pass, for ages 6-11 €243 (£208).
All of these passes also include the nearby Ordino Arcalis sector, linked by a free ski bus. The main attraction of Andorra, however, are the off-hill prices. Whether you’re shopping at supermarkets or eating out in restaurants, you’ll notice that everything, including food and, particularly, booze, is cheaper than ski resorts in Andorra's Pyrenean neighbours, France or Spain This is because as an independent non-EU member, Andorra is pretty much duty free for many items. Spend a week here instead of the Alps and you’ll notice the impact on your wallet.
Read our full ski resort review of Pal-Arinsal here for more info.
PontediLegno-Tonale
Better known as Passo Tonale, this resort combines two interconnected villages which straddle the border between the provinces of Lombardia and Trentino. Ponte di Legno, at 1,260m above sea-level, is the older and prettier of the two. But the best skiing is up in Passo Tonale, where the lifts rise to 3,000m and you can ski on a glacier. The hotels there sit at 1,800m, meaning there are lots of options for family-friendly ski-in, ski-out accommodation, and the resort has terrain to suit all ability levels—from easy blues and reds on the sunny, south facing slopes, to epic, off-piste descents on the north facing slopes beneath the Presena glacier.
The liftpasses are reasonably priced, especially given there’s 100km of pistes to choose from: a six day adult pass during peak season will cost you €345, falling to as low as €160 in early or late season weeks. And because of the altitude, the resort is incredibly snow sure. This winter they’ve opened up a brand new kids’ facility the Fantaski, which just adds to the plethora of non-skiing and après activities on offer. Top tip if your kids like animals: check out the Scuola Sled Dog Italiana, Italy’s oldest sled dog school, where experienced “mushers” will teach them how to drive a husky team all on their own.
Read our full ski resort review of Passo Tonale for more details.
Rauris, Austria
For families who want an Austrian ski holiday without the price tag of the country’s biggest-name resorts, Rauris is an excellent choice. Tucked into the Hohe Tauern mountains, this traditional village has a friendly, low-key atmosphere and a compact ski area that is particularly well suited to children and mixed-ability families. The Hochalmbahnen ski area offers 32.5km of pistes, so it’s not massive, but there’s plenty of gentle terrain for beginners alongside longer runs for more confident skiers.
Everything is relatively compact, so if you drop the kids off at sk school in the morning, you don’t have to worry too much about how you’ll link up with them later. The lift passes are relatively well-priced, and of course if you book through Sunweb (see boxout below) the cost is included in the price of your holiday. A six-day adult lift pass in the 2026/27 low season costs from €289 (£242) while children pay €134 (£112). This being Austria, however, the food, drink and accommodation tend to be cheaper than they are in France or Switzerland. And the vibe of the resort is lovely and relaxed.
Read our full resort review of Rauris for more info.
Val Cenis, France
French resorts aren’t often the best starting point if you’re looking for a wallet-friendly week’s skiing, but there are exceptions. Val Cenis, in the Haute Maurienne valley, boasts a sizeable 125km of pistes and a village that has everything most families need. Ski schools, rental shops, restaurants and bars all within easy walking distance, but the resort is big enough to have a municipal swimming pool, as well as tour operators offering things like husky dog rides.
As the crow flies, Val Cenis is just a few dozen kilometres from the high-end, high-profile resorts of the Three Valleys. Yet the liftpasses here are among the most reasonably-priced in the Alps. A full adult skipass for six days can cost as little as €129.50 (£110)—almost €300 cheaper than an adult pass for the Three Valleys area.
Perhaps Val Cenis’ biggest advantage for British families, though, is how straightforward it is to reach by train—an increasingly appealing option for those looking to reduce their carbon footprint. The resort is just a 20 minute transfer (or a 40 minute bus ride) above Modane, which is one of the stops on the main TGV line between Lyon and Turin, making this one of the easiest ski resorts to reach by train anywhere in the Alps.
Save More by Booking with Sunweb
As well as choosing the right resort, booking with the right holiday provider can make a huge difference to costs. Sunweb is Europe’s largest ski tour operator, carrying around 380,000 Europeans (including 40,000 Brits) to the slopes each winter. This makes it uniquely positioned to negotiate deals on its packages.
These always include liftpasses along with accommodation, but can also be expanded to include travel, ski hire, lessons and other extras too. They offer trips to more than 220 destinations, including Val Cenis, Pal Arinsal, Rauris and Passo Tonale (PontediLegno-Tonale) and a price-match guarantee if you can find your package cheaper elsewhere.
