Vogel Ski Resort - "One of Europe's most affordable ski resorts" says Lonley Planet

With the arrival of cooler weather, we are delighted to see that Lonely Planet has recognised Vogel Ski Resort (just above Lake Bohinj in Slovenia) as one of the most affordable ski resorts in Europe with “unforgettable views of the Julian Alps”.

Vogel Ski Resort

Set in the Triglav National Park, Vogel Ski Resort offers 22 kilometres of blue and red runs and a snowboard park. The resort is low-key, making it ideal for beginners and families. You won’t feel overwhelmed here and can focus on learning to ski. That’s if you can keep your eyes off the amazing views, of course!

With affordable accommodation and where a high-season six-day lift pass costs €153, Vogel Ski Resort is a “bargain” says Lonely Planet. Be mindful that snow cannot be guaranteed – and as Vogel Ski Resort is in the national park, only natural snow is allowed. The resort is at an elevation of 1,535m and the season starts on 4/12/2021-24/04/2022.

Access to Vogel Ski Resort is by cable car from the hamlet of Ukanc at the west end of Lake Bohinj. The carpark is free in winter, or you can hop on one of the local buses to the cable car station. The cable car takes only 4 minutes to climb 1,000m to the foot of the slopes.

Good to Know

At the top cable car station, you can hire ski equipment through either Ski Finžgar or Alpin Sport. Ski lessons are easily available in English, which is widely spoken. Again, being a more affordable resort, your money goes that little bit further – individual lessons cost €35 per hour for 1 person rising to €58 per hour for 4 or more people.

Vogel Ski Resort is just under 1 hour’s drive from Ljubljana airport, so it is a quick resort to reach. Hire car is inexpensive and easy to arrange in advance from the airport.

Alternatives to Skiing

Sometimes it is nice to break up a ski holiday with other experiences. Walking around Lake Bohinj, or visiting one of the local waterfalls are both popular activities. Just 30 minutes down the road by car is beautiful Lake Bled – always a delight.

The capital city Ljubljana offers cafes, markets, museums and galleries. For an impressive day out, head to one of the amazing underground cave systems at Postojna or Škocjan. Finally, for those who would rather zone out in the sauna, head to the Aquapark in Bohinjska Bistrica (8km from Lake Bohinj). Adults can be pampered with massages and salt rooms, whilst children love the swimming pools with slides and a rock climbing wall over the water. Bliss for everyone!

Escape to Bohinj

If you are looking for a touch of comfort for your ski trip to Vogel, then come and stay at Escape to Bohinj Holiday House. Our holiday house sleeps 6 in 3 bedrooms and is in the village of Stara Fužina at the east end of Lake Bohinj. It is just 5-10 minutes in the car to get to the cable-car station at Ukanc for the ride up to Vogel. After a day out skiing, return to a warm and spacious holiday house and relax your tired muscles.

So come and Escape to Bohinj for some winter fun in the snow.

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We are just back from our first family skiing at Vogel Ski Centre. Our motivation to buy and renovate a house near Lake Bohinj was our love hiking, swimming and general ‘normal’ outdoor activities. We had never skied before, so the fact that the Vogel Ski Centre is so close was a potential bonus rather than a deciding factor. Having now just returned from our first ever family ski trip, that perspective has changed!

Vogel Ski Centre

It takes less than 10 minutes to drive from Stara Fužina to the car park (free in winter) at the cable car base station in Ukanc. You can buy a myriad of ski pass options, ranging from half a day to the whole season, with discounts for kids and families. The cable car runs as often as needed, so it rarely takes more than 10-15 minutes to get on board for the 4-minute, 1000m climb up to the top. There are amazing views over Lake Bohinj and the Julian Alps as you ascend.

Ski Hire & Lessons

Once on the mountain, we hired equipment from Ski Finžgar, with whom we had also arranged a couple of family ski lessons. Our instructor Luka was great – he was very patient with us! His English was perfect, and his explanations of what to do were very clear. As complete novices, actually doing what he asked of us was easier said than done – the kids learnt very quickly, we adults a little more slowly – but with quiet slopes and his watchful guidance, we had plenty of space & time to practise our snowploughs & turns, and by the end we were all doing parallel turns on the lovely pistes.

Vogel, as with many ski centres in Slovenia, caters brilliantly for family and beginner skiers, and the nursery and blue slopes are very easily accessible. For those who are more advanced, there are red routes and off-piste options.

There are plenty of cafés and places to eat, and we really enjoyed learning in such a beautiful environment. We took some time to look around, and loved watching the snowboarders doing their flips and jumps – certainly not for the faint hearted!

At the end of each day, we left our hired equipment in a locker and descended back down to Stara Fužina for a hearty supper and good night’s sleep.

So, after our three “taster” days skiing, everyone wants to come back and do more. We found it to be excellent value for money, with equipment hire, ski pass and two hours’ tuition working out at about €55 per person per day.

We have hiked at Vogel in the summer, so it was lovely to see the same area covered in snow. It turns out that chair-lifts aren’t just for walkers!