LONDON, U.K. – 4 November 2014: Bansko in Bulgaria offers the best value ski break for British families this season, according to an annual TripAdvisor cost comparison study conducted by independent research firm, Ipsos.

Bansko, located in southwestern Bulgaria at the foot of the Pirin Mountains offers travellers a choice of almost 100 hotels, including Bulgaria’s second best-rated according to the 2014 TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards for Hotels, the Kempinski Hotel Grand Arena,  400 holiday rentals, 70 restaurants and over 20 attractions.

A week on the slopes, including hotel, ski passes, ski hire, ski lessons and evening meals and drinks for a family of four will set you back £1,631 in Bansko, a third of the price of a comparable break in the most expensive destination, Austria’s St. Anton, which costs £5,026.

The results were taken from TripAdvisor’s TripIndex Ski 2014, an annual report that compares the cost of a ski break in 42 key ski destinations in Europe. This year, the study takes into account the cost of one week’s hotel accommodation, ski lessons, ski passes, basic ski hire for a week and a week’s evening meals and drinks for a family of four this ski season (15 December 2014 – 15 April 2015).

Affordable vs. Blow the budget

While Bansko is the best value destination, this year, Andorra is the most affordable country, laying claim to four destinations in the top 10 best value list. Switzerland emerges as the costliest country, home to four of the ten most expensive resorts. Supporting this year’s results, one TripAdvisor traveller, in the TripAdvisor Travel forums, commented that “the price of food and drinks in Bansko is not expensive at all and the standard really surprised us”.

When it comes to hotel prices across the popular ski destinations, St. Anton, Austria has the most expensive average rate for a week’s stay, coming in at £3,424. For the price of a week in a hotel in St. Anton, a family of four can have almost five weeks in a Sierra Nevada hotel in Spain (£725 a week).

Those looking for great value for children should head to Oberstdorf in Germany – it has the cheapest weekly lift passes for children - costing £114. For adults, the best value destination for a weekly lift pass is Courchevel, France, coming in at £144. Bansko offers the best value ski hire for kids – the average cost of a week’s basic package for skis, boots and poles will set a family back just £63, while at £95, Ordino Arcalis, Andorra is cheapest for the adults ski hire.

Work hard, play hard on the slopes

For families who want some pointers before taking to the slopes on their own, a half a day ski lesson may be in order. The best value ski lesson for the whole family can be found in Formigal, Spain, with a lesson for two adults and two children coming out at £40 in total. By contrast, the most expensive ski lessons for adults and children are in Flims Laax Falera, Switzerland where a lesson for two adults and two children is £322 in total - nearly eight times more than in Formigal.

Bansko is also revealed as the cheapest place to grab a bite to eat and an après-ski drink, with dinner for four over seven days costing £101, compared with £639 in Saas Fee, Switzerland. A daily beer for two over the course of a week comes in at £18 in Bankso while soft drinks for the kids will set you back £14. At the other end of the scale, it’s Saas Fee again where you’ll find the most expensive drinks as beers for a week net out at £66 and soft drinks £50.

“Skiing can be an expensive holiday, especially for a family of four, but the TripAdvisor TripIndex Ski 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,” commented James Kay, TripAdvisor spokesperson.

“For those planning a trip to any of these destinations this ski season, visit the TripAdvisor destination pages (for example TripAdvisor Bansko) and the TripAdvisor Travel Forums for a wealth of information to help plan your trip from where to stay, where to eat and what to do in line with anyone’s budget.”

According to TripAdvisor Flight Search, a flight from London to Sofia (2.5 hours drive to Bansko), in February 2015 (mid-way through the ski season), it would cost a family of four £102 per person. Check TripAdvisor Flight Searchfor prices on flights for all other destinations listed in the TripIndex Ski study.

TripIndex Best Value European Ski Destinations (all costs are for a family of four for a week):

TripIndex Most Expensive European Ski Destination (all costs are for a family of four for a week):

Child and adult prices broken out are available upon request. Prices have been rounded to the nearest pound.