City + ski break = 2 holidays in one

No doubt some of you are watching the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi at the moment, so here's another piece about skiing. I've recently had a holiday in Salzburg, Austria where I have had a city + ski break. I enjoyed it so much that I thought I'd introduce the concept to a wider audience since I am surprised that more people don't do it! Here's how it works: you have to find a city which is very near a ski resort, so you can find a hotel in the city and still make it to the ski slopes within an hour or less. This allows you to enjoy all the mountains have to offer without actually having to find accommodation in the ski resort itself. There are so many advantages to this arrangement.

Firstly, ski resort accommodation is expensive. There is a premium to be located near the ski lifts - the closer to the ski lift, the more you pay. Hotels within walking distance from the ski lifts are usually very expensive - and if you have "ski in, ski out" facilities, that's when the price goes through the roof. Sometimes you can end up staying somewhere down the valley and still have to rely on buses and taxis to get to the ski lift anyway. This is because most hotels in the ski resorts do the bulk of their business during the winter ski season, compared to a hotel in the city which is open 12 months a year and you can always find good bargains for hotels in any big city.

That's me in Flachau, Austria in January 2014

Secondly, there's usually little to do in the evenings after you finish skiing. The lifts close at 4 pm so you usually stop skiing a little after that - so what do you do between then and bedtime? Well, many people make a big deal about the whole "après-ski" activities but I totally loathe it. For those of you not familiar with après-ski, let me explain what it is in a nutshell: you go to the pub and get stupidly drunk after skiing. It is a ludicrous concept: drinking on empty stomachs whilst wearing ski boots. Oh the number of accidents of drunk people tripping over their own skis during après-ski activities - as a teetotal person, I absolutely hate being in the company of drunk people.

Contrast that to being in a big city, there's so much more to do and see in the evenings: the theatre, the cinema, the ballet, the opera, shopping malls, spas - everything a big city has to offer. You will not find these activities in a ski resort halfway up the mountain. Evenings in the ski resort can actually be quite boring.

In Salzburg city centre by night

Thirdly, it is not just accommodation that is expensive in the ski resort - everything else is expensive. Take something as straight forward as buying a can of Coke in a shop - somebody had to drive that can of Coke halfway up the mountain. There are far fewer shops in the ski resort anyway and they are mostly catering for tourists rather than locals - so the shop owners do get away with higher prices. Restaurants cost substantially more than what you would pay in a city centre and you simply do not get as many choices.

Fourthly, if you want to experience a country's culture, the best thing to do really is to head on to a big city rather than a small town halfway up the mountain. Whilst some Alpine towns do have a long history, there are some resorts which are barely ten, twenty years old and everything is quite plastic and new there. If you are as interested as I am in culture, then why not get the best of both worlds by staying in a city instead of a ski resort?

Limpeh in Salzburg, Austria

Lastly, big cities will have their own airports and you can usually get from the airport to the city fairly quickly on public transport. Getting from airports to ski resorts could take anything from one to three, even four hours. Ouch. Do you fancy an eight hour round trip to the airport? Not me. No thanks!

I have reviewed 15 cities which have skiing facilities under one hour from the downtown area. I'm not interested in cities where you have to commute over an hour for the skiing - given that you have to go there and back within the same day, you don't want to spend more than 2 hours on the ski bus commuting to the ski area. That's too long. If I have missed out any city, please let me know! I want this list to be comprehensive and up to date.

In Flachau, Austria

So in order to have a city + ski break, you need a city that is fairly near a ski resort. I have compiled a list here and will write about those that I have done in more detail, but am happy to answer any questions you may have about any of these 15 cities. These cities are ranked according to the following ten factors and will be given a score out of 100:

• proximity of the ski facilities to the downtown area
• how long it takes to get from the downtown area to the ski area
• availability, cost and ease of public transport 
• the quality of the city break component
• the quality and size of the ski area 
• is there a language barrier for English speakers? 
• how hard is it to get to this city? 
• is this going to be an expensive holiday?
• how's the food? 
• will I be bored after 2 -3 days?

In Lech, Austria

1. Sapporo, Japan = 81

• proximity of the ski facilities to the downtown area = score 10 (approx 4 km) 
• how long it takes to get from the downtown area to the ski area = score 10 (less than 20 mins) 
• availability, cost and ease of public transport = score 9 (public bus) 
• the quality of the city break component = score 9
• the quality and size of the ski area = score 10 (plenty to choose from) 
• is there a language barrier for English speakers? = score 2
• how hard is it to get to this city? = score 5 
• is this going to be an expensive holiday? = score 6 
• how's the food? = score 10 
• will I be bored after 2 -3 days? = score 10

Now Sapporo wins this hands down despite scoring just 2 for the language barrier issue - Japan has some of the world's most modern ski facilities and you have a big choice of ski resorts within shouting distance of downtown Sapporo. In fact it is so convenient that some locals hit the ski slopes for 2 or 3 hours after work and before dinner. Sapporo is a fascinating city in any case and the food is stunningly good. Japan can be somewhat expensive but you get what you pay for. I say, if you are in East Asia during winter - book a ski break to Sapporo, just make sure you learn enough Japanese to get by, do your research before going - it is going to be amazing. 

2. Quebec City, Canada = 80

• proximity of the ski facilities to the downtown area, score = 10 (10 km) 
• how long it takes to get from the downtown area to the ski area, score = 10 (approx 15-20 mins) 
• availability, cost and ease of public transport, score = 7 (weekend shuttle not free for Le Relais, C$12 return trip from downtown - other resorts run some kind of shuttle as well) 
• the quality of the city break component, score = 9
• the quality and size of the ski area  score = 10 
• is there a language barrier for English speakers? score = 10
• how hard is it to get to this city? score = 5 
• is this going to be an expensive holiday? score = 6
• how's the food? score = 5
• will I be bored after 2 -3 days? score = 8

Quebec City is actually quite a gem when it comes to having the best of both worlds - there are 4 resorts within a day-trip distance of Quebec City (ranging from 10 km to 40 km away) and between them, there's more than enough to keep you occupied for quite a few days. The city itself is a charming, though smaller than Montreal and Toronto, there's probably enough there to keep you occupied for a few days with its quirky Quebecois charm. However, unless you're already in North America, it can be a pain to try to get there (via Toronto by plane, I imagine, for most people).

3. Innsbruck, Austria score = 78

• proximity of the ski facilities to the downtown area = score 10 (nearest 6 km)
• how long it takes to get from the downtown area to the ski area = score 10 (10-15 mins) 
• availability, cost and ease of public transport = score 10 (free shuttle bus) 
• the quality of the city break component = score 4 
• the quality and size of the ski area = score 10 
• is there a language barrier for English speakers? = score 9
• how hard is it to get to this city? score = 7
• is this going to be an expensive holiday? score = 5 
• how's the food? score = 5
• will I be bored after 2 -3 days? score = 8

Innsbruck's free ski bus service will blow your mind - it is so super well organized and it is completely free. The bus will pick you up from your hotel and drive you to this big car park, where you can then transfer to bigger buses going to the various ski resorts in the region, some of them rather near and others further away. Don't forget, Innsbruck hosted the winter Olympics twice in 1964 and 1976 - the facilities are amongst the best in the world. The ski passes are not cheap, nor is anything else, but the free ski bus service more than compensates for everything else, apart from the really bland food. Check out the photos from my 2012 trip to Innsbruck here. 

Limpeh at Nordkette, Innsbruck

4. Vancouver, Canada score = 76

• proximity of the ski facilities to the downtown area = score 10 (10 km) 
• how long it takes to get from the downtown area to the ski area = score 10 (20-30 mins) 
• availability, cost and ease of public transport = score 8 (bus) 
• the quality of the city break component = score 9
• the quality and size of the ski area = score 4 
• is there a language barrier for English speakers? = score 10
• how hard is it to get to this city? = score = 5
• is this going to be an expensive holiday? =  score 6
• how's the food? = score 7
• will I be bored after 2 -3 days? score = 7

The ski resort Grouse Mountain is about 10 km north of downtown Vancouver and easily accessible by public transport. Whilst it is not as big as the resorts in the Rockies like Banff or Whistler, it is big enough to give you a day or two of skiing and the scenery is stunning. So whilst you would not naturally think of Vancouver as a destination for a ski holidays, the fact that you're staying in downtown Vancouver more than makes up for the fact that Grouse Mountain is a rather small resort. Don't forget, Vancouver did host the 2010 Winter Olympics. 

5. Kiev, Ukraine score = 75

• proximity of the ski facilities to the downtown area, score = 10 (1.5 km only!) 
• how long it takes to get from the downtown area to the ski area, score = 10 (<10 mins) 
• availability, cost and ease of public transport , score = 10 (public metro/subway) 
• the quality of the city break component, score = 10 
• the quality and size of the ski area, score = 3
• is there a language barrier for English speakers?, score = 2
• how hard is it to get to this city? score = 4 
• is this going to be an expensive holiday? score = 10
• how's the food? score = 6
• will I be bored after 2 -3 days? score = 10 

Now this actually surprised me a bit but Kiev?! In Ukraine? Oh yes! Kiev is the only city that scored full marks of ten in six categories in this survey!  There are two small ski areas within the city centre: Protasiv Yar and Vishgora - they aren't big but are probably enough to amuse you for half a day or a whole day each. There are other bigger ski resorts in Ukraine as well. If you're looking to take it easy and enjoy just a bit of skiing as part of a city break, then Kiev is perfect and compared to some western European destinations, it is incredibly cheap and Kiev is a thoroughly fascinating city. It is a pain to get to though, as most of us will need a visa to visit Ukraine and there will be a big language barrier. However, please note that given the current political unrest happening in Ukraine, I have to advice you to carefully monitor the situation this winter before booking your holiday in Kiev, unfortunately.

6.  Seoul, South Korea = 74

• proximity of the ski facilities to the downtown area = score 4 (64 km) 
• how long it takes to get from the downtown area to the ski area = score 6 (40-50 mins) 
• availability, cost and ease of public transport = score 10 (free ski shuttle) 
• the quality of the city break component = score 10
• the quality and size of the ski area  = score 10 
• is there a language barrier for English speakers? = score 2
• how hard is it to get to this city? = score 7
• is this going to be an expensive holiday?= score 5
• how's the food?  = score 10 
• will I be bored after 2 -3 days? = score 10

Jisan Forest ski resort is only about 64 km from downtown Seoul and when traffic conditions are right, you can get there in just 40 minutes. Jisan Forest does lay on free shuttle bus services to encourage people to go but you may need to book in advance to secure your seat on this free shuttle. And besides, this is Seoul we're talking about! It's one of the most amazing cities in the world! You know me, I love all things Korean. 

7. Moscow, Russia score = 73

• proximity of the ski facilities to the downtown area, score = 10 (approx 6 km) 
• how long it takes to get from the downtown area to the ski area = 10 (approx 20 mins) 
• availability, cost and ease of public transport = 10 (using public metro) 
• the quality of the city break component, score = 10
• the quality and size of the ski area, score = 7
• is there a language barrier for English speakers? score = 2
• how hard is it to get to this city? score = 3 
• is this going to be an expensive holiday? score = 6 
• how's the food? score = 5 
• will I be bored after 2 -3 days? score = 10 

Moscow actually scores remarkably well in this exercise, scoring full marks in five catergories! There are three ski areas in Moscow: two which are within the city limits and accessible on the local Metro network (Vorobyori Gori and Kant Club) whilst a bigger ski resort Sorochany is about 60 km out of town. Moscow is a thoroughly fascinating city as well and there are a few problems though: firstly, it is a pain to get to Moscow from anywhere, it is not going to be cheap. Secondly, most travelers will need a visa for Moscow. Thirdly, there is a huge language barrier so unless you speak some Russian, you may find yourself quite frustrated. Check out my other post on St Petersburg here.

8. Ljubljana, Slovenia score = 72

• proximity of the ski facilities to the downtown area, score = 9 (20 km from downtown, 7 km from airport)
• how long it takes to get from the downtown area to the ski area, score = 9 (about 20-30 mins) 
• availability, cost and ease of public transport = you can use the public bus, score = 9 
• the quality of the city break component, score = 6 
• the quality and size of the ski area, score = 6 
• is there a language barrier for English speakers? score = 7 
• how hard is it to get to this city? score = 7 
• is this going to be an expensive holiday? score = 7
• how's the food? score = 7 
• will I be bored after 2 -3 days? score = 5 

Ljubljana actually scores quite well in this exercise despite not getting full marks in any of the categories. The resort of Kravavec is of a respectable size and within shouting distance of the city. It is accessible by public bus though it can be crowded on weekends. Slovenia is in the Euro-zone, so it is not as cheap as some other Eastern European destinations. Ljubljana is a rather charming city though it is rather small - I have actually done this a few years ago in 2010 and enjoyed this ski + city break as the locals were especially friendly and nice. 

Limpeh in Kravavec, Slovenia

9. Sarajevo, Bosnia = 71

• proximity of the ski facilities to the downtown area, score = 9 (15 - 20 km) 
• how long it takes to get from the downtown area to the ski area, score = 9 (20-30 mins)
• availability, cost and ease of public transport, score = 3 (public bus is infrequent, you'll need a taxi) 
• the quality of the city break component, score = 8
• the quality and size of the ski area, score = 9
• is there a language barrier for English speakers? score = 5
• how hard is it to get to this city? score = 3
• is this going to be an expensive holiday? score = 10 
• how's the food? score = 8 
• will I be bored after 2 -3 days? score = 7

Sarajevo held the 1984 Winter Olympics so you can be assured of some very decent mountains there. However, the fact that it is in Bosnia - one of the poorer non-EU countries in Europe means that it is not a particularly tourist friendly place to visit. Facilities will not be on par with what you can expect in France, Switzerland, Italy or Austria. There are three decent sized resorts within 15 to 20 km of downtown Sarajevo which ought it to make it quite convenient except for the rather poor public transport (very infrequent public buses) - you'll probably need to pay for a taxi to make life easier. It is also quite hard to get there - for example, there are no direct flights from London. But if you're willing to put up with the inconveniences, this could promise to be quite an exotic skiing holiday.

10. Sofia, Bulgaria score = 69

• proximity of the ski facilities to the downtown area, score = 9 (approx 15 km) 
• how long it takes to get from the downtown area to the ski area, score = 9 (30 to 40 minutes) 
• availability, cost and ease of public transport = 6 (by public bus) 
• the quality of the city break component, score = 8
• the quality and size of the ski area, score  = 5 
• is there a language barrier for English speakers? score = 4 
• how hard is it to get to this city? score = 5 
• is this going to be an expensive holiday? score = 8 
• how's the food? score = 8 
• will I be bored after 2 -3 days? score = 7

The ski resort of Vitosha is actually very respectable and it is just 15 km from downtown Sofia - however, transport is not straight forward as would have to change buses to get to the ski station and it can get crowded on weekends. You may be better off taking a taxi as it is not too expensive - however, do check with the locals as I have heard that Vitosha sometimes only operates on weekends as there are just not enough skiiers on weekdays to keep it open everyday. Sofia is a pretty interesting city so this is one city + ski break I intend to do hopefully in the near future. 

11. Salzburg, Austria score = 68

• proximity of the ski facilities to the downtown area = score 3 (about 70 km) 
• how long it takes to get from the downtown area to the ski area = score 5 (about 1 hour) 
• availability, cost and ease of public transport = score 10 (free shuttle) 
• the quality of the city break component = 8 
• the quality and size of the ski area = score 8 
• is there a language barrier for English speakers? = score 9
• how hard is it to get to this city?  = score 7
• is this going to be an expensive holiday? = score 6
• how's the food? = score 7
• will I be bored after 2 -3 days? = score 5

The rather large ski resort of Flachau runs a free shuttle bus service from downtown Salzburg (the pick up point is by entrance of the Mirabell Gardens) and it is an excellent service which takes just about an hour to get you to the ski slopes. Flachau may not be the nearest ski resort to Salzburg but it is the only ski resort that lays on a free ski bus. Check out my vlog videos below for more on Salzburg and Flachau from my trip there last month. 

12. Zagreb, Croatia = 67

• proximity of the ski facilities to the downtown area = score 9 (approx 11 km) 
• how long it takes to get from the downtown area to the ski area = score 6 (30-40 minutes) 
• availability, cost and ease of public transport = score 6 (tram then special bus) 
• the quality of the city break component = score 7
• the quality and size of the ski area = score 3
• is there a language barrier for English speakers? = score 5 
• how hard is it to get to this city? = score 6
• is this going to be an expensive holiday? = score 10 
• how's the food? = score 8
• will I be bored after 2 -3 days? = score 7

There is a small ski area just north of Zagreb called Sljeme - I did this Zagreb and Sljeme city + ski break in 2012 and you can see the blog post here. I actually really enjoyed the break, though the skiing was quite limited but other aspects of Croatia made up for it. Nobody would go to Zagreb specifically to ski - Sljeme very much catered for locals only - though the ski pass there was the cheapest I've ever encountered (about 7 euros only for a day pass - that is super cheap). Zagreb is charming enough and will keep you fascinated for a few days at least. 

Limpeh in Zagreb, Croatia.

13. Oslo, Norway score = 66

• proximity of the ski facilities to the downtown area, score = 10 (4 km)
• how long it takes to get from the downtown area to the ski area, score = 10 (approx 10-15 mins)
• availability, cost and ease of public transport, score = 8 
• the quality of the city break component, score = 9
• the quality and size of the ski area, score = 5 
• is there a language barrier for English speakers? score = 9
• how hard is it to get to this city? score = 7 
• is this going to be an expensive holiday? score = 0
• how's the food?  score = 3 
• will I be bored after 2 -3 days? score = 5 

The bigger Oslo Vinterpark  is only about 10 km north-west of downtown Oslo and the smaller Oslo Skisenter is just 4 km north-east of downtown Oslo. Both of these resorts are small compared to some of the resorts in the French or Swiss Alps, but if you are in Oslo during winter, you can easily access either of these ski resorts for a few hours of skiing. There is also the Varingskollen Alpine Centre, just about 25 km north of Oslo, also easily accessible by public transport. Everything is modern, efficient and tourist friendly - the only problem is that Norway is so expensive it is off the scale - I hope you're very rich as Norway is probably the most expensive country in the world to ski.

14. Beijing, China score = 62

• proximity of the ski facilities to the downtown area, score = 6 (approx 40 km) 
• how long it takes to get from the downtown area to the ski area = 7 (approx 30 to 45 mins) 
• availability, cost and ease of public transport = 2 (local bus is indirect) 
• the quality of the city break component  = 10 
• the quality and size of the ski area = 5
• is there a language barrier for English speakers? = 2
• how hard is it to get to this city? = 7 
• is this going to be an expensive holiday? = 8
• how's the food? = 10
• will I be bored after 2 -3 days? = 10

"Jundushan Ski Resort (军都山滑雪场) is one of the two ski resorts in Changping District with the other being Snow World Ski Resort, about 40km north of Beijing city center. Jundushan Ski Resort is located on the south slopes of Jundushan Mountain. Jundushan Ski Resort is targeted at both leisure skiing and skiing for business purposes. This ski resort receives many skiers of its own club memeber and middle class."

Taken from: http://www.tour-beijing.com/ski/ski_resorts.php#.UtXUXdJdU1k

The only thing that does put me off skiing in Beijing is getting to Jundushan. There are local buses that can take you there: "Take Bus 345 zhi (345支) at Deshengmen Bus Terminal, then get off at 东关环岛 and change for Bus 21 and get off at Jundushan Ski Resort." But good grief, getting from your hotel to the bus terminal then changing buses with your ski equipment is a pain to say the least and the bus driver may not be happy with you lugging big bags of heavy ski equipment - a private taxi all the way to Jundushan and back is going to be rather expensive from downtown Beijing (about US$95). Ouch. And you thought China was cheap? Think again, these private transfers are expensive!

15. Reykjavik, Iceland score = 60

• proximity of the ski facilities to the downtown area = score 9 (approx 12 km) 
• how long it takes to get from the downtown area to the ski area = score 9 (approx 20 mins) 
• availability, cost and ease of public transport = score 3 (infrequent public bus)
• the quality of the city break component = score 3 
• the quality and size of the ski area = score 6
• is there a language barrier for English speakers? = score 10 
• how hard is it to get to this city? = score 5 
• is this going to be an expensive holiday? = score 2
• how's the food?  = score 7 
• will I be bored after 2 -3 days? = score 6

Yes it is possible to ski in Reykjavik in the winter as there are two rather close ski resorts to downtown Reykjavik. However, the public bus is infrequent as most locals drive and they do not expect many tourists to go there. The days are also remarkably short during the Icelandic winter but the ski resorts are well lit, so you will find yourself doing some night skiing there. Reykjavik is rather out of the way though and as a city, it is really nothing to write home about (though the rest of Iceland is far more interesting). It can be frightfully expensive as well. For more info: http://www.skidasvaedi.is/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-291/350_read-1550/

Okay, that's my list of 15 city + ski breaks for you. If I have left out any cities, please let me know - but remember my criteria is that the ski resort must be UNDER 1 hour from the downtown area. I hope you found this list useful, happy skiing everyone! Thank you very much for reading, have a great winter and enjoy the winter Olympics.

PS. If you enjoyed this list, check out my comparison of city breaks destinations here.