Bulgaria 'cheapest for family skiing'

Bulgaria is best for Britons looking for affordable ski trips, according to a TripAdvisor survey.

But Austria is to be avoided for those on a budget, with the resort of St Anton proving the priciest of 42 European ski centres surveyed.

TripAdvisor looked at resort costs for a family of four having a week-long trip, including hotel, ski passes, ski hire, ski lessons, evening meals and drinks.

Bansko in Bulgaria was the best-value resort, with the whole package costing £1,631. This compared with St Anton, where the cost was as high as £5,026.

After Bansko, the next best-value spot was the Sierra Nevada in Spain (where costs totalled £1,930), followed by Sochi in Russia (£2,205), Berchtesgarden in Germany (£2,476) and Ordino Arcalis in Andorra (£2,504).

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Four of the 10 most expensive resorts were in Switzerland, with the country's St Moritz the second most pricey centre at £4,811. Next was Val d'Isere in France (£4,606) followed by Zermatt in Switzerland (£4,572) and Val Thorens in France (£4,565).

TripAdvisor spokesman James Kay said: "Skiing can be an expensive holiday, especially for a family of four, but our survey shows that by carefully choosing the resort, costs can be dramatically reduced.

"This year, Eastern European destinations and Andorra are where families will find the best value for money."

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