However, snow hounds on a budget, shouldn’t despair. Europe still has many great destinations where you can speed down snow-covered mountains at lower prices. We’ve gathered our top five spots for budget skiing in Europe, located in five different countries. We’re here to help you plan your next European ski trip, the cheapo way!

Top 5 destinations for budget skiing in Europe

1. Bansko, Bulgaria

Located about 100 miles from Sofia’s airport, Bansko has the longest ski season in Bulgaria, with snow-covered slopes from mid-December to mid-May. The town is nestled at the foot of the scenic Pirin Mountains and features a quaint old town square with stone buildings mixed in with modern lodges and restaurants that have popped up in recent years.

The ski runs are located in two main areas: Chalin Valog (3,600 – 5,250 feet) and Shilgarnika (5,577 – 8,202 feet). Although it does offer one black ski run, this ski resort is more suitable for beginner or intermediate skiers. Snowboarders can try out new tricks at the Balkans’ first snow park, complete with a half-pipe for ripping up the flakes.

Hotels: Rates start as low as $30 for a double room in Bansko. Search for accommodations in Bansko.

2. Kranjska Gora, Slovenia

Slovenia’s best-known ski resort is located a mere four miles from the border of both Italy and Austria, but you can blaze down the slopes here for far less cash. Kranjska Gora, a narrow valley situated between the Julian Alps and the Karavanke, offers nearly 20 miles of ski slopes serviced by 16 ski lifts, as well as breathtaking alpine views.

This family-friendly ski resort has several slopes ranging from around 2,600 to 5,325 feet. Although most of the trails are geared towards the beginner or intermediate skier, the Podkoren trail is more demanding. In fact, some of the world’s best skiers compete on this run every year for the acclaimed Vitranc Cup in men’s slalom and giant slalom races.

Hotels in Kranjska Gora: Rates for four-star hotels start under $70 per night. Search over 250 hotels in Kranjska Gora.

Riding the lift up the trails of Livigno, Italy with the village in the background. Photo: Peter

3. Livigno, Italy

Because of its remote location high up in the mountains of northern Italy, Livigno ski resort is known to locals as “Piccollo Tibet” (Little Tibet). Located near the Swiss border, Livigno makes an excellent alternative for skiers on a budget. Not only are the prices far less than their Swiss neighbors, this area, known as the Spol Valley, also enjoys a duty-free status. This means you can hit the slopes, then shop ‘til you drop, before partaking in a little lively après ski party time. Most suited to intermediate skiers, Livigno does have a handful of black runs as well as a snow park.

Hotels: The village of Livigno is comprised of three original villages that have merged to create a resort town that runs about 2.5 miles long. When choosing accommodation, make sure you have easy access to the ski lift and amenities. Although the village does offer a free ski bus service, the service doesn’t run regularly and stops fairly early in the evening. Search over 500 hotels in Livigno.

Skiing down into the valley at Brauneck Bergbahn. Photo: Sebastian W.

4. Brauneck Bergbahn, Germany

Located just over an hour south of Munich, the ski area on Brauneck Mountain has a lot to offer skiers of all ages and abilities. A family-friendly ski resort, Brauneck has everything from children’s areas with ski schools to cross-country ski trails and World Cup ski runs.

The town of Lenggries has a storybook charm. You’ll find plenty of guesthouses off country roads that serve up local Bavarian cuisine and beer at a nice price. If you want to add some sightseeing to your ski vacation, great sights and cities such as Munich, Salzburg, Oberammergau, Germany’s Romantic Road, and Neuschwanstein are all an easy drive an hour or less away.

Hotels: Find rooms for $100 and up in Lenggries.

Skiers getting ready to hit the slopes of Zakopane. Photo: MoFA

5. Zakopane, Poland

Zakopane is a ski resort nestled in the Tatra mountains, about two hours south of Krakow. An airport transfer bus from both Krakow and Katowice is possible, with prices ranging from $90 for 1 to 3 people. Most lifts in the area offer a pay-as-you-go rate. For beginners, this means lower prices than the more common day pass at other resorts, and more advanced skiers hankering to hit the slopes hard will still pay less than they would at pricier resorts in Western Europe.

Zakopane also boasts plenty of cheap eats and bargain drinks, so be sure and chow down on some pierogi washed down with a Polish Zywiec beer after your day of snowy fun. Check out our guide to Zakopane, Poland’s premier mountain resort.

Hotels in Zakopane: Rooms can be found for $50 and under per night. Search over 1,000 hotels in Zakopane.

Do you have a favorite ski slope that won’t break the bank? Let us know in the comments!

The post 5 Affordable Ski Villages in Europe: The best budget-friendly slopes appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Other place names, such as Auschwitz, have become commemorated in Europe’s topography of terror. Yet others have slipped quietly into everyday language. Brits chat coolly of Dunkirk-spirit and across Europe we talk of the color magenta — not realizing perhaps that it derives from the small town of Magenta in Lombardy.

Places that make a mark

Nothing of great interest ever happened in Saint-Tropez, and yet this modestly sized beach community in Provence became a lodestone for an immodestly-clad generation.

At the other end of the cultural spectrum, Zakopane is a mere dot on the map of southern Poland. Yet this small town has been extraordinarily influential in shaping Polish and wider European thinking across a range of fields.

A classic wooden villa in Zakopane. Photo: Margoz

From poets to philosophers

Zakopane captured Europe’s attention in the late-19th century. It became the mountain resort of choice for poets, philosophers and politicians from across the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Tucked away on the north side of the Tatra Mountains, Zakopane was remote from the K&K hubs in Vienna and Budapest. It developed into a spot where the liberal intelligentsia could take stock and relax.

It was here that 140 years ago the Tatra Society was founded — an organization that dramatically influenced Europe-wide thinking on conservation and environmental politics. And it was in Zakopane that in 1899 Stefan Zeromski wrote Ludzie bezdomni (The Homeless), a novel underpinned by a strong moral agenda that became a rallying point for social change. No surprise perhaps that Lenin was a Zakopane regular. He lived for a spell just down the valley in Bialy Dunajec.

Zakopane came to embody the ideals of a newly emerging Polish nation and it was a place where folk dared to think the unthinkable. For a few brief weeks in late 1918, Zakopane was even an independent republic (with writer Stefan Zeromski as its president).

Mountain heritage

Ninety-five years after that heady spell of independence, Zakopane is one of the brightest stars in Polish tourism. It may not have the World Heritage status of nearby Kraków or historic Zamosc, but it remains the premier mountain resort in Poland.

Travelers flock to Zakopane for skiing, summer hiking in the mountains and for history. An extraordinary feast of wooden architecture reminds visitors that the traditional Zakopane style still thrives. And those less inclined to outdoor pursuits can explore the intellectual, artistic and architectural history of the Tatra region in Zakopane’s fine range of museums.

Getting to Zakopane

Zakopane makes a perfect diversion from Kraków. We have experimented with both the train and bus connections from Kraków. The bus is much the faster and more frequent option, but the train is by far the better choice for travelers inclined to wander. It meanders through the Beskid Hills, along the way passing through the World Heritage site at Kalwaria Zebrzydowska — an extraordinary early 17th-century religious theme park. As you move south, look out for superb views of the approaching Tatra Mountains. And if, like us, you travel to Zakopane in deep mid-winter, expect to be greeted by mountains of snow.

The bus journey from Kraków to Zakopane typically takes about 2hrs 30mins, while the train takes at least an hour longer. One-way fares on both train and bus are about €5.

For onward travel beyond Zakopane, there is a useful year-round bus service to Poprad in Slovakia. This service is operated by STRAMA and even in winter still runs twice daily, but more frequently in summer. The one-way fare is less than €6.

But don’t rush on too quickly. As generations of Poles have found, Zakopane has that knack of getting under your skin. A dose of Zakopane spirit (which may or may not include vodka), and perhaps you’ll want to stay for ever.

The post Zakopane: A visit to Poland’s premier mountain resort appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.