Winter holiday with snow!

[Aliceinwonder1]

Hi.
Wondering if anyone can help point me in the direction for where to go this December which has snow however on a budget. There would be 4 of us, 2 kids aged 8 and 10. Last year we did Lapland and loved it however it was very expensive. The kids would love to go see proper snow again and I'd love to make it happen but am quite stuck as to where to look bar the obvious (and very expensive) places.
Are there any hidden gems out there which would be good for kids and gives us the ability to play in the snow? We're not skiers and not sure we would be however sledging or tobogganing would be fun.

Bulgaria is supposed to be cheap for a snow holiday, I'm not sure how early they get snow though. If you're looking to book guaranteed snow this late and for the school Christmas holidays then i'm not sure anywhere is going to be cheap really. Personally I'd wait for the Feb half term when there are going to be lots more options but book now rather than waiting till the last minute. There are some amazing toboggan runs in Europe that I'm sure the kids would love, just google to see what appeals.

December is not reliable in most of Europe unless you go to Scandinavia.

Germany, the Alps - all have issues that the snow comes later and later. You may get lucky like it was last week but after 1-2 days, all is gone again.

Could you look for February half term? Or is it more a "I want snow at Christmas" thing?

Would definitely consider Feb half term too- any recommendations of where to look?

I'm not sure I'd look at Feb if you are on a budget. Half term is extortionate as it is one of the better weeks to book skiing.

I think in your shoes I might book a few days in one of the less known ski resorts. For example if you went to Oetz (which currently has snow at Hochoetz - see https://www.bergfex.com/oetz-hochoetz/webcams/c1586/)
you could get the gondola up the mountain for a play in the snow, plus depending on where you stay there might be a pool for the children to play in, and also there are walks in the area, a toboggan run and all the schnitzel you can eat. There might not be much snow in the valley (where the village/ hotels are) but you would have mountain views and access to the snow. You'd have to get yourself to Innsbruck though, and flights may be getting booked up by now.

Snow and budget and school holidays really don't go together unfortunately. What is your budget?

We did bansko one year and I would never ever go back. Lovinio (sp?) can be affordable.

Hi Aliceinwonder1,
Can you please share more information about Lapland, I have been looking for ages now not sure where to start so many places to stay, I'm not sure if the all near Santa village.
Thank you very much in advance.

Anywhere that doesn’t have skiing or Santa will be cheaper! Various Scandinavian options I’d have thought - look at Tromso. Or Tallinn?

Of course, we did a package through Inghams and I couldn't fault them. We stayed in Yllas and went for half board as felt it was one less thing to think about! Happy to answer any questions if you'd like to message me

Thank you- not looking to do Santa again and just don't think skiing is for us which is why I was wondering if there would be a more budget option just for the snow 😂

Oh really. I was just hoping there might be lesser known places Which might be good for snow.

We went to Budapest at the start of December once and it snowed. It looked beautiful but i don’t think it’s guaranteed snow

It's snowing in Finland. Fly to Helsinki and take a train if you want to go to a resort, Ryan air is cheap usually but we fly Finn Air for convenience

For half term consider Germany, as it's not a traditional holiday destination flights are likely to be cheaper than the French, Swiss etc resorts but they have skiing too. I cross country ski/snow shoe so find it's better

Look at the Austrian Tyrol, ideally above 1000m and not a big ski resort. Seefeld or Zell am See are picturesque and have activities other than downhill skiing available. Both short airport transfers too.

Thank you so much Aliceinwonder1, this really helps I will start planning for next year.

Andalusia, Spanish Pyrenees, Spain Nevada desert

Alpbach is another possibility.

Mongolia? lovely in the -30 to -40 degrees C as well 😃