Where to go Easter 2016

A snowHead

The only weeks I can really go skiing this year are 13th-20th February (which I've discovered is feb half term) and 26th March onwards. February half term is lol insane (how anyone can afford to go this week is beyond me) and I've heard Easter week isn't too expensive. Is it usually much more for Easter week than the week after?

Anyway looking for a resort. I like Austria as there is good apres, pretty villages, the hotels have good food and good spa complexes. Any suggestions? I don't want to go somewhere with no snow. Was thinking of Ischgl cause heard it's fun and high, but took a browse on crystal and the cheapest was 1k a week.

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I don't have a driving license. I do wonder who pays the insane prices. For example the cheapest hotel available for the whole of Austria for February half term at Crystal is £898 for a 2 star in Niederau which is 2/3rd tier. I doubt the other TO are much different. If you go DIY the flights on their own are minimum 500 each for the low cost carriers, if not more! Now I understand supply and demand but surely you reach a point and people simply will not pay. 900 quid for a week to stay in some basic hotel is so obviously a rip off that it is hard to believe anyone would pay this. Furthermore those who can afford it would surely expect much more than budget when paying these prices.

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The French schools don't break up until the w/e of 2nd/3rd April so there's a whole week after Easter of quiet slopes and cheap accommodation (in France, at least). I've just booked up a week in Chamonix for a family of four, accommodation on AirBnB and driving over, which should come in less than £2.5k all in (lift passes, food, everything). If you can't drive, you should be able to get a train or flights fairly reasonably - Mid-Feb probably the best time for cheaper flights on scheduled airlines at that time now though.

As above - If you want Austria/Tirol etc though, probably best to wait for a last-minute deal from a TO.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@madlondoner, agree with others who say wait for a late deal... although that shouldn't preclude you looking now and regularly up until then. The reason for saying this is that we got a very good deal last year for a week at Easter in Hinterglemm with Neilson, we booked it at the same time as we booked our Christmas holiday (end of Nov).

I think it was such a good deal as they wanted to complete their allocation for that property for that week and not think about it any more (although there could be other reasons). We were fairly confident that conditions would still be good - and they were - plus the area has great après.

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I went to Saalbach last xmas and there was no snow. Sad

Did end up in Baeurs bar on xmas day; fantastic place!

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

@madlondoner, I was in Soll last Xmas - there wasn't a lot of snow their either!

After all it is free

@hammerite, @madlondoner, there were lots of places with very poor snow last Christmas, right across the Alps.

I think people are completely potty to pay those prices for half term, too. And then ski on crowded slopes and wait in lift queues. There are much cheaper ways of doing it, even if you HAVE to go then, if you plan well in advance and avoid the most popular resorts in France and Austria.

The range of accommodation available for Easter, in France at any rate, is huge, from apartments to hotels, and all at low season prices. And resorts are far less busy than at new year and half term. Snow can be poor in some lower areas, and some resorts will close in March, whatever the snow. But there's no argument for booking accommodation in advance when there's so much available, so you can wait to see where the snow conditions are good. But for flights from UK in school holidays, including Easter, you need to book as soon as they are released for sale. A family of four going from Gatwick to Geneva from 26 March to 2 April 2016 will now pay around £2K. Shocked

@madlondoner, Although last season, taken as a whole, wasn't bad for snow, it was apparently the worst for pre-Christmas snow conditions in living memory, and that picture was pretty general over much of the Alps. However Saalbach's heavy investment in snow-making paid off, to the extent that there was some limited skiing on artificial snow, and parties were being ferried in from surrounding resorts that had even less, or no snow at all. Easter is now regarded as more reliable for snow than Christmas, and this year Easter is of course unusually early. Even in the 2013/14 season, which was particularly poor for snow precipitation, with long, uninterrupted periods of clear, sunny weather and snow depths in our corner of the Alps lower than anyone could remember for decades, there was adequate snow until the end of the season, with snow falls during the first half of April and fresh powder at Easter, which was the third week of April.

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@madlondoner, mid week flights are much cheaper than at a weekend - return for little more than £100 is easily achievable. Booking.com or Expedia will find you a cheap hotel. Job done.

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mid week hotels in good locations can be quite difficult in France. But if you have a car and can commute to ski, that's different. We had to book Sat/Sat flights for the folk coming out at Easter because one part of the family is staying in a very nice apartment being lent to us (for nothing - they won't take any money) by French neighbours and other parts in a gite 30m from both my apartment and the piste, which is all Sat/Sat. We booked reasonable flights - but half an hour after easyJet released them, just after midnight.

For Easter trips driving is the best bet, really, for four people travelling together - low risk of serious snow disruption.

snow reports

You know it makes sense.

I looked yesterday. Flights from Stansted to Turin on Ryanair were £168 return each, on Sunday 27th March to the following Sunday. Much of Italy has Sunday as transfer day.

Cervinia may be?
You'll be pretty much guaranted snow, though the apres is nothing special.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

A snowHead

Stansted to Salzburg on Ryanair is showing £163 return if you DIY and fly Sunday 27/3 - Sunday 3/4 rather than Sat-Sat. It's the tail end of the Austrian season, so accommodation should not be a problem.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Just a quick question - how accessible would the Tirol be from Memmingen Airport at Easter 2016 (end of March)? Seems ok but are there any closed sections during the winter/spring months?

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Do you mean you can go the week comencing 26th March or any time after that?

If it has to be that week I'd wait and look for a late deal with a TO. IMO the hiked Easter flight prices that week make TO cheaper than DIY unless you book the flights very early.
If anytime after, then there's always the EosB.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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Where to go Easter 2016

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