Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

SKI

Eight amazing ski resorts in Spain

From the Pyrenees to the Sierra Nevada, The Local looks at some of the best places in Spain to hit the slopes and enjoy the après-ski, as well as all the opening and closing dates of this seaon.

Published: 13 January 2020 15:44 CET
Updated: 11 December 2022 07:42 CET
Spain's main ski slopes are located in Andalusia, Castilla y León, Aragón and Catalonia.
Spain's main ski slopes are located in Andalusia, Castilla y León, Aragón and Catalonia. Photo: AFP

The first snow of the year has arrived in Spain, which means that ski season has begun. If you’ve put summer way behind you and have already dug out your winter gear, here’s where you should go and when.

1. Benasque


Photo: yimix / Flickr Creative Commons

Nestled within the Posets-Maladetas nature reserve in the Spanish Pyrenees, Benasque is perfect for those who prefer skiing of the cross country variety. There are routes to suit all abilities from experienced to beginners, that wind through scenic oak, birch and beech forests. Benasque partially opened on December 6th. 

2. La Molina

Photo: Kibo M / Flickr Creative Commons

Less than two hours by car from the beaches Barcelona, this is a busy, bustling resort with a lot of history. The home of Spain’s first ski-lift and ski-school, it also hosted the 2011 Snowboarding World Championships. It offers 61km of pistes divided into 54 runs, a park for beginners and the biggest half-pipe in the Pyrenees. The opening date is still pending for this year, but it will be operational until April 10th 2023. 
 

3. Masella


Photo: Josep M / Flickr Creative Commons

Close to the French and Andorran borders on the northern slope of Tosa d’Alp overlooking the Cerdanya Valley, Masella is located only 90 minutes away from Barcelona. The resort has 65 pistes of all levels, spread over 75km. Like La Molina, the official opening date is yet to be announced, but it will stay open until April 10th, 2023. 

4. Baqueira-Beret 


Photo: Inigo Zubia / Flickr Creative Commons

Spain’s biggest and most visited ski resort, with 153km of pistes, is found less than four hours from both Barcelona and Zaragoza, in the Aran and Àneu Valleys of the Pyrenees. Skiers flock here because of the resort’s good snow record and to enjoy more than 50 local, rural villages of stone and wood houses, many of which feature beautiful Romanesque churches. This year its season runs from November 26th to April 10th, 2023. 

5. Navacerrada


Photo: Pablo Yunyas / Flickr Creative Commons

Located 52km (32 miles) outside Madrid, Navacerrada is the closest ski resort to the capital, making it perfect for a day trip. It is divided into two areas, the upper area with intermediate/difficult pistes and the lower area with intermediate pistes. The resort also boasts a slalom stadium and ski jump. The ski resort is not yet open this year, but dates will be announced shortly. 

6. Formigal 

Photo: es.topsportholidays.com / Flickr Creative Commons.

A resort in the Aragónese Pyrenees, Formigal offers 137km of pistes over 90 runs. Its north- and west-facing slopes give it a good snow record and its location within driving distance of a number of cities in the northwest of Spain and southeast of France drives its popularity. Formigal also has snow gardens and facilities for younger skiers, and hosted the 2008 Alpine Junior World Ski Championships. The ski season at Formigal started on December 2nd and will run until April 9th 2023. 

7. Sierra Nevada


Photo: Álvaro Salas Ordóñez / Flickr Creative Commons.

The most southerly ski resort in Europe, the Sierra Nevada ski station is located outside Granada, on the northern slopes of Veleta, the third-highest peak in peninsular Spain. It is the highest ski resort in Spain; the season can last from late November until early May. The resort has over 100km of alpine ski runs. Just a short drive from the Mediterranean coast makes it one of the few places in the world where you can ski in the morning and swim in the afternoon! The resort has one of the longest ski seasons in Spain this year, opening on December 3rd and running until May 1st 2023. 

8. Valgrande-Pajares 

If you fancy discovering a lesser-known part of Spain, then Asturias has a resort with 25km of pistes within an hour’s drive of both Oviedo and León. Ideally suited for beginners. This station is not yet open and dates are still to be announced. 

READ ALSO:  A weekend in Spain’s Formigal: Guide for skiers and snowboarders

For members

TRAVEL NEWS

What will Europe’s EES passport checks mean for dual nationals?

The EU's Entry & Exit System (EES) of enhanced passport checks will usher in big changes for travellers - here we answer readers' questions on the position for dual nationals.

Published: 22 April 2024 17:10 CEST
What will Europe's EES passport checks mean for dual nationals?

The EU is preparing, after many delays, to introduce the EES system for travel in and out of Europe.

You can find a full explanation of how it works HERE, but in essence it is an enhanced passport check – registering biometric details such as fingerprints and facial scans and introducing an automatic calculation of how long you have stayed within the EU/Schengen zone in order to detect ‘over-stayers’.

And it’s already causing stress for travellers. We asked readers of The Local to share their questions here – and one of the biggest worries was how the system will work for dual nationals ie people who have a passport for both an EU country and a non-EU country.

EES: Your questions answered

EU passports 

One of the main purposes of EES is to detect ‘over-stayers’ – people who have either stayed in the EU longer than their visa allows or non-EU nationals who have over-stayed their allowance of 90 days in every 180.

As this does not apply to EU nationals, people travelling on an EU passport are not required to do EES pre-registration and will continue to travel in the same way once EES is introduced – going to the ‘EU passports queue’ at airports, ports and stations and having their passports scanned as normal.

Non-EU 

Non-EU travellers will, once EES is up and running, be required to complete EES pre-registration.

This means that the first time they cross an EU/Schengen zone external border they will have to go to a special zone of the airport/port/terminal and supply extra passport information including fingerprints and a facial scan.

This only needs to be done once and then lasts for three years.

Non-EU residents of the EU/Schengen zone

This does not apply to non-EU citizens who are permanent residents of an EU country or who have a long-stay visa for an EU/Schengen zone country – click HERE for full details.

Schengen zone passports/Irish passports 

EES applies within the Schengen zone, so people with Swiss, Norwegian and Icelandic passports are treated in the same way as citizens of EU countries.

Ireland and Cyprus are in the EU but not the Schengen zone – these countries will not be using the EES system at their borders, but their citizens are still EU citizens so can continue to use EU passport gates at airports and will be treated the same as all other EU citizens (ie they don’t have to do EES pre-registration).

OK, so what if you have both an EU and a non-EU passport?

They key thing to remember about EES is that it doesn’t actually change any of the rules on immigration – it’s just a way of better enforcing the rules that are already in place. 

Therefore the rules for dual nationals remain as they are – for most people which passport to travel on is a matter of personal choice, although Americans should be aware that if you have a US passport and you are entering the USA, you must use your American passport. 

But it’s also important to remember that the passports of dual nationals are not ‘linked’ – therefore if you present an American passport at the Italian border, you will be treated exactly the same as every other American, there is no way for the border guard to know that you are also Italian.

Likewise if you are a UK-Germany dual national and you travel back to the UK on your German passport, you can expect to be treated the same as every other German at the border, and might be asked for proof of where you are staying in UK, how long you intend to stay etc – the system has no way of knowing that you are also British. 

Therefore whether you have to complete EES pre-registration or not is entirely a matter of which passport you are travelling on – if you use your EU passport you won’t have to do it, if you use your non-EU passport you will.

It’s also possible to use two passports for the same trip – so let’s say you’re travelling from Spain to Canada – you enter Canada on your Canadian passport, and show your Canadian passport again when you leave. However, once you re-enter Spain you show your Spanish passport in order to benefit from the unlimited length of stay.

If you’re travelling between France and the UK via the Eurostar, Channel Tunnel or cross-Channel ferry, you need to remember that the Le Touquet agreement means that French passport checks take place in the UK and vice versa. You can still use both passports, but you just need to keep your wits about you and remember to hand the French one to the French border guards and the British one to British guards.

In terms of avoiding immigration formalities using two passports is the most efficient way for dual nationals to travel, but some people prefer to stick to one passport for simplicity, or don’t want to keep both passports together in case of theft.

Basically it’s a personal choice, but you just need to remember that you will be treated according to the passport that you show – which includes completing EES pre-registration if you’re showing a non-EU passport.

It’s also worth remembering that if the changes do cause border delays (and there are fears that they might especially at the UK-France border), then these will affect all travellers – regardless of their passport. 

SHOW COMMENTS