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EXPLAINED: How to plan a budget skiing holiday in Germany

One of the best things about being in Germany is enjoying winter sports when the weather gets cold - but it's not always easy to do it on a shoestring. We've got some tips on how to get out into the mountains without breaking the bank.

Holidaymakers ski down a piste in Lichtensten, Baden-Württemberg.
Holidaymakers ski down a piste in Lichtensten, Baden-Württemberg. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Thomas Warnack

This season has been disappointing for many winter sports fans, with many ski resorts having to close due to a lack of snow. Nevertheless, for those holding out hope of a quick jaunt to the slopes, we’ve got some tips on how to plan a budget getaway in Germany. 

Pick an affordable ski resort 

They may not be as famous or glamorous as somewhere like Garmisch-Patenkirchen, but there are plenty of budget-friendly ski resorts around Germany to choose from. 

Here are a few areas you might want to look if want to save a bit of money and still enjoy the great outdoors. 

Saxony

From rental prices to eating out, things tend to be more affordable in Saxony – and skiing holidays are no exception. One of the most famous resorts is Kurort Oberwiesenthal, which is nestled on the border of the Czech Republic around 60km away from Chemnitz. Here, you’ll find a picturesque resort town at the base of Fichtelberg, a two-peaked mountain with plenty of slopes for beginner and intermediate skiers. 

At €39 for a single day, the lift passes are cheaper than the Alpine resorts, and you can get discounts if you book multiple days. Booking for a full week, for example, costs €220. Additionally, restaurants and overnight accommodation tend to be good-value in this region. 

Harz Mountains

For people living in northern Germany, the Harz Mountains are an excellent nearby option for a short and affordable break – provided there’s enough snow. 

The most famous skiing area is Wurmberg, which offers the largest skiing area in Germany north of the alps. Lift passes will set you back €42 a day in peak season, but there are plenty of discounts available for groups and concessions, as well as deals for multi-day bookings. 

Western Germany 

Western Germany has its fair share of skiing destinations, and many of them are a great alternative to the pricier alpine resorts in the south. 

Based in North Rhine-Westphalia just a stone’s throw from Düsseldorf, Winterberg is one of the bigger resorts, and you can get great deals on multi-day ski passes. In fact, seven days on the slopes will set you back just €195, which works out at around €27 a day. People with cars can also find good deals on accommodation a little further away from the ski lifts. 

Snowmen on Feldberg ski resort

Snowmen sit in the sun on Felberg, Baden-Württemberg’s biggest ski resort area. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Philipp von Ditfurth

Bavaria

Bavaria is known for its high-end resorts, but you can still find affordable skiing if you expand your search beyond the Alps. 

One example is Ochsenkopf, the second-highest mountain in the Fichtel mountain range, which is located in northern Bavaria near the Czech Border. Amazingly, lift passes here cost just €23 a day, and a season ticket is also a steal at €240. 

READ ALSO: 7 amazing places to ski in Germany this winter

Baden-Württemberg 

For those in the know, the Black Forest is a great option for stunning scenery and affordable skiing: in fact, the German motorists’ association ADAC found that resorts here are 50 percent cheaper than Alpine resorts on average. With 43 lifts and 68km of slopes, the Feldberg mountain hosts the largest resort in the are.

Here, afternoon ski passes cost just €27 and a full week of skiing will set you back €229. 

Consider going out of peak-season 

Just like the summer holidays, the winter season also has ‘peak’ and ‘off-peak’ times where prices are either inflated or much, much lower. 

When it comes to your skiing holiday, you’ll find that pretty much everything is cheaper if you go at a slightly less popular time of year. Hoteliers and Airbnb hosts will be charging less for accommodation, lift passes will be cheaper and you may also pay less for things like skiing lessons and ski rental. 

As a general rule, December through February will be ‘peak’ season, though it can vary from resort to resort. Meanwhile, going in November, March or even April can be a great way to avoid the crowds and get more value for money. The one downside of off-peak skiing can be the snow conditions: the months bookending the ski season are less reliable when it comes to the weather, so be sure to check the forecasts before making your decision. 

Some resorts also drop their prices slightly during quieter weeks in January, so it’s worth doing a bit of additional research if you’d prefer to go in the usual peak times. 

Opt for self-catering or budget accommodation

If you’re anything like me, the words “skiing holiday” probably conjure up scenes of luxurious mountain lodges with fur throws and crackling fireplaces, just like a scene from the video to Wham’s Last Christmas. But if you’re on a shoe-string budget this year, accommodation may be the place you can save the most money.

As a rule, you can usually save a fair amount by booking self-catering accommodation – especially if you’re in a big group. Having kitchen facilities means food costs can stay low as you don’t have to eat out every evening, and also allows you to socialise without needing to splurge on drinks at fancy Après Ski venues.

Hotel in Kurort Oberwiesenthal

A worker sets the table at a hotel in Oberwiesenthal, Saxony. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild | Sebastian Willnow

Another good option is to look at local B&Bs and guest houses, which can sometimes be as cheap as €25 a night. Looking at Google Maps or on local directories listed on resort websites is a good way to find the best price: here, you’ll often find more old-fashioned local businesses with old-school prices to match.

READ ALSO: Five ways to make the most of Germany this winter

Look for package deals and discounts 

There are so many things that you need to shell out on when planning a skiing holiday, so it’s a good idea to look for any crossover deals where you can. 

Does your ski school include ski rental in the price? Can you buy lift passes at a discount if you book with a certain hotel? Are there family or group booking discounts at the resort you’ve chosen?

Winter sports are a huge part of the economy for pretty much every ski resort, so local businesses often work together to encourage holidaymakers to visit a specific ski school or rental shop that’s partnered with their business. 

Rent ski equipment rather than buying it 

This may seem like an obvious one, but renting your skis, ski poles and ski boots generally works out much cheaper than buying your own set. This is especially true for those fair-weather skiers who only wants to hit the slopes once or twice a year at most. 

If you end up loving it and wanting to go more often, you can invest in equipment later. Otherwise, it’s best find a good rental deal at the ski resort you’re going to.

Buy clothes second-hand or in the sales 

Since most people tend to buy their ski clothes at the start of the cold season or before Christmas, January and February can be some of the cheapest times to get kitted out. Sports shops usually have big discounts on their winter sports gear in their January sales, so make sure you look for your salopettes and ski jacket at the right time of year. 

Another great option is to browse some online marketplaces like Facebook Marketplace or Ebay Kleinanzeigen and see what you can pick up there. Buying second-hand is almost always cheaper than buying brand-new, and passionate skiers (or those who tried it and hated it) may well sell-on good quality clothing that is still in great condition. 

Fichtelberg Saxony ski resort

Skiers ride the cable car up to the peak of Fichtelberg in Saxony. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild | Sebastian Willnow

For those who have a bit of time on their hands, a quick trawl through local charity shops and second-hand outfitters like Humana or Oxfam could also be worth your while. If you live near a ski resort or near the mountains, you’ll stand an even better chance of finding some top-notch hand-me-downs. 

If you’re just getting started, you’ll need a ski jacket, salopettes, helmet and goggles as an absolute minimum. Then you can simply layer up beneath and accessorise with a warm hat, socks and gloves. 

READ ALSO: The Local’s guide to skiing in Germany

Watch out for hidden costs

Detailed planning is the best way to keep costs low when booking a skiing holiday.

Make sure you factor things like skiing lessons, rental and lift passes into your budget, and be aware of any extras you may be charged for at a hotel or holiday apartment, like equipment storage, breakfast or use of the sauna.  

With these tips under your belt, there are plenty of options for an affordable winter sports break in Germany on a budget, wherever you happen to live and whether you’re a ‘Profi’ or a first-timer. 

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TRAVEL NEWS

‘Germany lacks a sensible airline policy’: Is budget air travel on the decline?

Budget airlines complain that an upcoming tax hike is one of many accumulating costs that are pushing ticket prices up. The Local takes a look at trends in German aviation and asks, are the days of cheap flights coming to an end?

'Germany lacks a sensible airline policy': Is budget air travel on the decline?

April is a big month for budget airline anniversaries in the Bundesrepublik: Ryanair first landed at Frankfurt’s Hahn Airport 25 years ago in April 1999, and EasyJet is also celebrating its 20th anniversary in Berlin.

Both airlines have expanded greatly since stepping into the German market. Ryanair, which had served around 5 million passengers in 1999, now has 184 million guests annually and has grown into Europe’s largest flight provider. In the same time, EasyJet ramped up its service in Berlin, bringing more than 84 million passengers to and from the capital city.

All of which is to say that the beginning of the 21st century was a good time to be in the budget airline business, at least up until the beginning of the Covid pandemic.

But more recently the industry has contracted in Germany while it continues to grow elsewhere in Europe. 

According to the latest flight schedule analysis by the German aviation industry association (BDL), direct airlines are expanding their flight schedules in Europe at a level that hasn’t been seen since the Covid pandemic.

In the next six months, Ryanair will offer 17 percent more seats on the continent than in the same period of the pre-pandemic year 2019. In Germany, on the other hand, which is weakening overall, they only have 78 percent of the previous supply – a decline of 22 percent.

For its part, EasyJet had reduced its presence at the Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) from 18 to 11 aircraft for the 2023 winter flight schedule. However, the company points out that they are expanding their capacity at BER this summer.

EasyJet told The Local: “We have increased our capacity at BER with 200,000 seats for summer 2024…[including] five new routes this summer to Antalya, Izmir, Birmingham, Toulouse and Salerno.”

READ ALSO: What intercontinental flights can I get from smaller German airports?

Budget airlines are looking for bluer skies

Both Ryanair and EasyJet suggest that fees and operating costs at German airports have gotten too high.

“Berlin is among the most expensive airports we operate from,” EasyJet told The Local, adding, “Airport costs represent about 20 percent of EasyJet’s operating costs and are the second largest cost after fuel.”

The company suggests that these costs make up a large proportion of passenger ticket prices for short haul trips, and therefore high airport fees are limiting its ability to stimulate demand.

Representatives from Ryanair have made statements along similar lines. “The German aviation market is broken, and the government lacks a sensible airline policy,” Ryanair marketing chief Dara Brady said at a recent anniversary ceremony, according to the German Press Agency (DPA).

In particular, both airlines are not happy about a passenger tax hike which is coming into effect on May 1st. The German aviation tax (Luftverkehrsabgabe) will increase by about 20 percent, and will add a cost of at least €15.53 to one-way European flights, which will be reflected in higher ticket prices for customers.

READ ALSO: Everything that changes in Germany in May 2024

EasyJet told The Local that it is “disappointed with the increase of the passenger tax”, and that the “cost increase will result in higher fares for consumers and damage Germany’s connectivity”.

In addition to passenger taxes, there are also handling costs, take-off and landing fees, as well as fees for security checks on the ground and air traffic control. These costs vary between airports, and directly impact airlines’ plans to expand or curtail operations in a given location.

For example, when Frankfurt Main Airport offered temporary discounts on take-off and landing fees in 2017, Ryanair moved a large part of its Hahn fleet temporarily to the Main.

As operating costs have steadily creeped up in Germany, budget airlines have looked increasingly to other countries for their expansion plans. 

But that doesn’t mean budget airlines can afford to ignore Germany completely. EasyJet maintains that Berlin and Germany are still “a key market for the company”, and last autumn Ryanair suggested that it is aiming to increase its German market share.

Passengers stand near the Ryanair check-in counters. Photo: OSCAR DEL POZO/AFP.

In particular Ryanair aims to expand at Frankfurt’s Hahn, in Weeze on the Lower Rhine, in Memmingen, Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden and Nuremberg.

What should a passenger flight cost?

Despite mounting costs and taxes that airlines complain about, the fact remains that plane tickets are commonly cheaper than equivalent train tickets despite the much higher energy use involved.

That plane tickets can be offered at such low prices is largely explained by the fact that the aviation industry is among the most undertaxed and overly subsidised sectors of the economy.

Airlines aren’t charged VAT or a kerosene tax when they fly between many European destinations today. When the same journey is made by train, rail companies are charged both.

In this sense, Germany’s passenger tax hike on May 1st can be seen as a very small step toward levelling the playing field so that ground transportation options become more competitive.

“In a climate crisis, giving tax exemptions to a super polluting sector is incompatible with the challenges of today,” Jo Dardenne, the aviation director at the clean transport campaign group Transport and Environment, told Euronews following an announcement that France would hike its taxes on flights last year.

Compared to the amount of money pumped into fossil fuel subsidies that airlines rely on, Germany’s passenger tax hike is small change.

According to reporting by Investigate Europe, Germany spends the most to support cheap fossil fuels out of all European member states, with German taxpayers doling out €12.5 billion annually in support for the aviation sector, as of 2020.

READ ALSO: Germany to grant big industry firms subsidies to clean up their act

Still, commercial airline passengers in Germany will certainly not to be happy to see the price of flights rising. Customers can expect to pay between €15.53 and €70.83 more for flights scheduled after May 1st.

With reporting by DPA

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