Last Updated on August 11, 2026
This past New Years, we decided to meet up with our good friends, Sapo and Dennis, for another ski trip. We have previously done ski trips with them for New Years in Bichlbach, Austria and Le Corbier, in the French Alps. This year, since we are now living in Barcelona, we opted for the French Pyrenees because they are easy driving distance from Barcelona (approximately 2 hours). Read below for how you too can plan a ski trip in the French Pyrenees next winter season.
Read More: How to Plan a Ski Trip to Le Corbier | French Alps
How to Plan a Ski Trip in the French Pyrenees – Where to Stay
When looking for an Airbnb, I used the filter ‘ski-in/ski-out’ to see only available properties close to the slopes. We ended up finding a small loft style apartment next to the slopes in the town of Sant-Pierre-dels-Forcats. While the apartment was small, the cost was so little (514 EUR TOTAL for 3 nights over New Year’s Eve!! for the 6 of us!!) and the location could not be beat. We could actually walk to the chair lift in 5 minutes. You can find the link to the apartment here. Just beware that you need to bring your own sheets and towels (this seems to be quite normal in France, at least for mountain cabins).
How much does it cost to do a ski holiday in the French Pyrenees?
So originally we had planned on going to Andorra for our ski holiday. However, looking at prices of hotels and Airbnbs, the cost was minimum 3x more expensive in Andorra. And that was for the cheapest hotel we could find. France is a bargain by comparison. We paid 171 EUR per night for 6 people. That’s 28 EUR per person per night. And with mountain views and minutes from the slopes.
We paid 180 EUR total for our ski rental for 2 days for myself, JC and Isabella. That’s 30 EUR per person per day (of course kids are cheaper than adults). I got Isabella private 1 hour ski lessons for 50 EUR each lesson. She didn’t need to pay additionally to use the ski lift during her lesson. Our ski lift pass for the 2 days (JC and I shared) cost 78.50 EUR. That’s less than 40 EUR a day.
All in all, it is very reasonable pricing to ski in the French Pyrenees! That’s 615 EUR total for 3 nights in an Airbnb, 2 days of ski rentals, 2 hours private lessons and 2 day lift passes for 2 adults and 1 child. Not bad!
Unfortunately the rental car from Barcelona was very expensive (622 EUR total for 3 days including full insurance). However, I think this was also because we rented a 7-seater SUV. I think that if you are renting a standard 5 seater sedan, probably you can find better prices.
How to Plan a Ski Trip in the French Pyrenees – Where to Ski
Five minutes walking from our Airbnb was the ski lift for the Cambre d’Aze ski resort. I bought our ski lift passes directly at the resort. I also arranged for Isabella to take her ski lessons at the esf ski school located at the base of the mountain. Beware that there are two ski schools for esf at Cambre d’Aze – one in Saint Pierre and one in Eine. I accidentally booked lessons at the Eine location to begin with and had to change to the Sant Pierre location. They offer ski school as well as private lessons.
Isabella got on her first chair lift ever with her ski instructor! I was really impressed with the instruction, as the year prior Isabella had been terrified and we had to stop her lesson short. And the prices are very reasonable at 50EUR for a one hour private lesson. Highly recommend!
As for the skiing at Cambre d’Aze, we really enjoyed ourselves! There were plenty of greens and blues for JC and Sapo, and Dennis and I did all the reds. The only issue with the blacks was that they are all moguls! HUGE moguls! We went down one and immediately regretted it and then saw that all the blacks were moguls, for whatever reason. Overall, there were plenty of slopes to occupy us for 2 days. If you have more time and are skiing more days, it might make sense to check out other mountains in the area, such as Formiguères and Porté-Puymorens.
Where to eat nearby Sant-Pierre-dels-Forcats
In Sant Pierre, there is literally one restaurant, which was next to our Airbnb. It was pretty good, and they even have a small kids play area, which was excellent with the girls. We ordered raclette one night, and the girls ate pizza. If you want to eat somewhere a bit nicer, you need to travel to another town. Our Airbnb host recommended this restaurant, which we made a reservation for New Year’s Eve. It was excellent, although a bit expensive (about 45EUR per person).
And that’s how we spent 3 days in the French Pyrenees for New Year’s! I would definitely recommend if you are looking for a budget friendly ski destination that is close driving distance from Barcelona.
