East Midlands Airport launches budget skiing breaks this winter

While East Midlands Airport (EMA) has plenty of filghts to destinations around the Alps, some cheaper alternative skiing destinations are also available this winter. The airport said Bulgaria offered smaller ski areas great for beginners and intermediate skiers, at a fraction of the cost of other European destinations.

Balkan Holidays have packages flying from the Castle Donington airport starting from £359 per person for a self-catering week in January 2025. The resort of Borovets is one and a half hours from Sofia Airport, and the resorts of Pamporovo and Bansko around an hour further away.

Bansko, the largest resort, has recently been named one of Lonely Planet’s top 10 cities to travel to in 2025, and as well as providing 75km of varied pistes - reached by 16 lifts - it boasts a lively après ski scene, too.

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Weekly Saturday flights are available from January 18, 2025 to early March, with deals including £2,260 for a family of four for a week self-catering to Bansko, with six days of ski lessons, lift passes and ski hire. More details are available on the Balkans Holidays website.

The Czech Republic has a number of small resorts among the Giant Mountains, which can be reached via Prague by train, followed by bus or taxi. The largest resort Špindlerův offers 28km of pistes with 17 lifts, with other ski areas nearby which can be easily reached by ski bus.

Return flights from EMA to Prague with Ryanair are available from as little as £43 in January.

Poland also has a number of ski resorts, with the main one, Zakopane, covering five small ski areas included under one lift pass. About 2.5 hours by road or rail from Krakow Airport, Zokopane offers skiing best suited to beginners and low intermediates.

A free ski bus connects to other ski areas with steeper slopes and longer runs. Krakow Airport is served by Ryanair, with return flights in January as low as £94.

There’s skiing available in Slovenia, too, with Kranjska Gora another resort suited to beginners and families with young children looking to ski on a budget. It is a two-and-a-half-hour road trip from Salzburg with 20km of pistes. Flying to Salzburg costs from £220 per person in February with TUI.

Another option from East Midlands Airport is skiing in Spain’s Sierra Nevada mountains, reached via Malaga airport and a two-hour transfer by road. It is the third highest mountain range in Europe with a ski season often through to April. It offers 100kms of pistes suitable for all abilities, served by 21 ski lifts including some recent additions to keep queuing to a minimum.

Return flights to Malaga in December are available from around £74 with Jet2 or £62 with Ryanair. East Midlands Airport also offers flights to the Austrian, French and Swiss Alp, via airports in Salzburg, Chambery and Geneva.