Which mountain resort in Sweden is the cheapest?

Which mountain resort in Sweden is the cheapest? The honest answer is that the price difference between two resorts is almost always less than the price difference between two weeks at the same resort. If you’d still like a ranking, the smaller resorts in Värmland and Dalarna – Branäs, Kläppen and Idre Fjäll – are at the cheaper end of the scale, Åre at the more expensive end, and Sälen somewhere in between. However, the cheapest mountain resort in Sweden is determined by four factors combined: ski passes, accommodation, travel and what you spend whilst there.

Below, we break down each item individually and use three examples to show how the destination that looks cheapest in the advert can turn out to be the most expensive in reality. Are you planning to Rent a cottage in Sälen for the winter week it is precisely the total cost per person that is the key figure – not the daily rate shown on a single line.

Quick answer: the cheapest mountain resort in Sweden depends on who you’re with

This is how the five most common options usually compare during the peak season, bearing in mind that each venue sets its own prices each season:

• Branäs: The lowest prices for lift passes and accommodation out of the five, but also the smallest ski area.
• Kläppen: cheaper than the Sälenfjällen ski pass, comparable in terms of accommodation, and a short journey for people from western Sweden.
• Idre Fjäll: Good-value accommodation options in flats near the slopes, but few really large houses.
• Sälen: A mid-range option for ski passes, the widest choice of accommodation – and Sweden’s widest selection of large holiday homes where the cost is shared.
• Vemdalen: comparable to Sälen on a ski pass, but a longer journey from the Mälardalen region.
• Åre: the highest standard for both ski passes and accommodation, plus the longest journey.

Always check the current prices directly with the relevant venue before you book – they change every season and sometimes from week to week.

Ski passes – price ranges by resort and season

The ski pass is the item that is easiest to compare and, at the same time, the one that has the least impact on the final bill. The difference between Sweden’s cheapest and most expensive six-day passes is usually a few hundred kronor per person – significant for a large group, but rarely a deciding factor. More important is how the prices are structured: all major resorts charge a hefty surcharge during Christmas, New Year, the winter half-term and Easter, whilst their lowest rates apply in December and during early spring. Children’s prices, family passes and early-booking discounts also vary more between resorts than adult prices do. If you’d like a concrete starting point, we’ve compiled how much the ski pass costs in Sälen in a separate review.

Housing is the largest item of expenditure, and the one that varies the most

Accommodation typically accounts for half to two-thirds of the cost of a week in the mountains, and here the variation within a single resort is considerably greater than between resorts. A simple cottage on the edge of the forest and a ski-in/ski-out house with a sauna can differ tenfold – at the very same address. This is also where the real savings lie: the cost per person drops rapidly when more people share the same roof. Eight people in one house almost always pay less per person than four people in two flats, and twelve people pay less than eight. Large holiday cottages where the cost is shared amongst several people is therefore the single most powerful price button you have, and it works regardless of which location you choose.

Journey time, fuel and road tolls: the hidden cost

The cost of travel is rarely included in price comparisons, but it’s always a factor in your budget. From Stockholm, it’s about 45 mil to Sälen, just over 50 to Idre and nearly 70 to Åre. The difference between the nearest and the furthest destination is equivalent to a full tank of petrol in each direction for a family car – and twice as much for a group travelling in two cars. If you add an overnight stay on the way there – which is often necessary for journeys of over seven hours with young children – the entire saving on lift passes is immediately eaten up. Also bear in mind that a longer journey effectively costs you half a day’s skiing at either end of the week.

Food, ski hire and ski school

Once you’re there, the prices across different locations even out. Food prices in mountain shops are consistently higher than in the cities, no matter where in the country you are, and there’s little difference between the various locations. The main factor, however, is whether you cook for yourselves or eat out: a family of four who have lunch on the slopes and dinner at a restaurant every day will easily spend more on food than on lift passes. In this respect, staying in a holiday cottage offers a clear advantage over hotels, as a fully equipped kitchen allows you to shop in the valley and cook at home. Ski hire and ski school prices are set at roughly the same level nationwide by the major operators – but always check the group size and number of hours, as that’s where the differences lie.

When the cheapest mountain resort becomes the most expensive – three examples to work through

Three common situations in which the ranking is turned on its head:

• The group of twelve. This budget resort doesn’t have any large houses, so the group books three flats. The price per person ends up being higher than for a large house at the ”more expensive” resort – and organising every dinner becomes a logistical nightmare.
• The long weekend. Four days at a resort seven hours away means two days travelling and two days skiing. The cost per day of skiing is twice as high as at a resort four hours away.
• The sports holiday week. This budget destination is cheap in December but follows the same peak prices as everywhere else in week 9. What’s more, if you book late, only the most expensive accommodation options will be left.

The conclusion is simple: always compare the total cost per person per day’s skiing, never the price per night. And book early – At what time of year is it cheapest to book? has a greater impact on the final total than the choice of location does.

Where the Sälen offers good value for money – and when another destination offers better value for money

Sälen is rarely the cheapest option on paper. Its strength lies in two things: the short journey from the Mälardalen region, which saves both fuel and holiday days, and the range of large private mountain chalets, which means the cost per person can be kept well below what an apartment booking in a cheaper destination would cost. If there are six of you or more, Sälen is often the best value-for-money option in the country, even though no single price is the lowest.

But if there are two of you on a long weekend, and price is the only thing that matters, you shouldn’t choose Sälen for financial reasons. In that case, Branäs or Kläppen are almost certainly cheaper, and Idre Fjäll offers great value for money if you’re happy staying in a flat. We’ve compared the differences compared with Idre Fjäll in detail for those of you who are torn between those two options.

Summary – how to work out the cheapest mountain resort in Sweden for you

List four categories: accommodation, lift passes, travel and food. Divide the total by the number of people and the number of skiing days. Work out the figures for two resorts, not five, and do so for the exact dates you can travel. Almost everyone who does this exercise discovers the same thing – that the cheapest mountain resort in Sweden isn’t a specific place, but rather a combination of the week number and the size of your group. If there are just a few of you and you’re on a tight budget: choose a smaller resort outside the peak holiday weeks. If there are lots of you: choose a house with enough room for everyone, and let travel time and skiing conditions determine the resort instead. Please do get in touch if you’d like help calculating the costs for a specific house – we’ll give you a straight answer, even if it means you should go somewhere else.