Ski Austria Great Value Christmas and New Year Tours

What tours do we offer? All our tours are land only packages. You have to make your own way to Austria. We offer transfers that meet Ryan Air flights in nearby Klagenfurt or from the Villach train station.. These transfers are included in our fully inclusive packages. Christmas: 5 day tour 22-26 December. It includes 4 nights accommodation, half board, PP parties, Xmas dinner.. Plus transfer on 22/12 and 26/12, ski pass, ski hire and "without borders" day tour to Italy/Slovenia. New Year tours: 5 day budget tour 29 December - 2 January. It includes 4 nights accommodation, half board, PP parties, New Years Eve special party. Also transfer on 29/12 and 2/1, ski pass, ski hire and "without borders" day tour to Italy/Slovenia. 12 Day Combo: 22 Dec-2Jan. Combines the Xmas and New Year inclusive tours. close

What is included? Mountain accommodation, half board, Ski guiding, Xmas dinner party (xmas and combo tour), New Years Eve party (New Year and combotour), airport transfer from Klagenfurt or Villach train station, ski hire, Verditz ski pass, plus excursions to Italy/Slovenia for "without borders" skiing. close

What's the accommodation like? The Blue Mountain Hotel is a friendly traditional lodge, with modern facilities, great bar and restaurant run by a young energetic English-speaking team - Tugg, from Manchester and Michelle from Melbourne. Being a 6km drive up along the ski run from the valley it has a intimate, private, exclusive feel, even though it is just below the 2nd top chairlift. An ideal setting to celebrate the festive season! It also has a modern sauna, ski room, wireless internet, games room with free pool table and outdoor terrace. Accommodation: Choose from our loft style 6-bedded share rooms, some of these rooms have private facilites, others use shared facilities. Or we also have premium double, triple and family rooms are also available for an additional charge. All these rooms come with private facilities, tv and most with balcony. For further infomation on the Blue Mountain Hotel see Our hotel's website close

What is not included? All tours do not include: Ski clothing, Ski lessons, Any other excursions, Extra activities such as paragliding, Drinks at the bar, Travel insurance. close

What about ski lessions? Verditz has it's own ski school that organises group and private lessons. Prices for 2009/10 have not been confirmed. As an indication, budget on 100 to 110 euros for a 5 day ski course, 75-80 euros for a 3 day course. close

More info on Verditz and the area? OUR RESORT: Verditz is quaint, almost "private resort" tucked away in southern Austrian Carinthia district. It has a couple of long runs, dotted by private lodges and our mountain hotel, high up at 1300 metres, right on the actual ski run. It serviced by single and double chairlifts. It is uncrowded, which is a real bonus especially over the busy festive period. Often described as a hidden secret by those in the know, it is ideal for beginners. It is also blessed to be at the centre of some of Europe's best skiing with many of Carinthia's big ski resorts a short drive away. Ideal for those with wheels who want to explore the close-by mega resorts. And you can also ski "without borders" just down the road in both Italy and Slovenia! The closest town is Afritz, in the valley 6km below our mountain lodge, at the base of the ski run. For more info: , Carinthia Alps info, For further infomation on the Blue Mountain Hotel see Our hotel's website close

Where is it best to get flights to Austria? In the PP office we use Opodo to book all our own flights, they always seem to be the best deal around. Select your dates and destination and see what deals come up. The closest airport to Verditz is Klagenfurt, just 40km away. Or try Salzburg, which is 200km. Other suggestions: Graz - 2 hours, Lake Bled (Slovenia) - 45 minutes, Ljubljana (Slovenia) - 1 ½ hours, Trieste (Italy) - 2 hours, Venice (Italy) - 3 hours, Vienna - 3 ½ hours. LOW COST AIRLINES: Opodo does not cover the budget airlines such as Easyjet or Ryan Air. Go directly to their websites to book their flights. close

How do I get to Verditz? By Plane: Several airlines operate scheduled flights to Klagenfurt, Salzburg, Ljubljana, Trieste, and Venice from London, Manchester, Vienna, Frankfurt, Cologne/Bonn, Zurich, and elsewhere. Airport transfers can be arranged for an extra fee.

By Car: From Klagenfurt take the A2 towards Villach. Change to the A10 in the direction of Villach and Salzburg and exit the motorway for Villach-Ossiacher See. Turn right off the exit road (following the signs for Ossiacher See) until you get to the roundabout with Lidl and Hofer on your right hand side. Then take the A98 in the direction of Gerlitzen, Verditz, and Radenthein and/or Spittal to the Verditz Bergbahnen. In Afritz (about 15 minutes drive) turn left at the Verditz signpost. We are a further 10 minute drive up the mountain, between lift stations 2 and 3.

From Salzburg take the A10 towards Villach and exit the motorway for Villach-Ossiacher See. Turn left off the exit road (following the signs for Ossaicher See) until you get to the roundabout with Lidl and Hofer on your right hand side. From there, follow the directions as given above as coming from Klagenfurt.

By Public Transport: Trains arrive at Villach Hauptbahnhof (main train station) from Klagenfurt, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Vienna, Ljubljana, Venice, Munich, and elsewhere. The main bus station is just opposite the train station. Take Bus number 5150 to the Verditz Bergbahnen (about 20 minutes drive). You can then take the chairlift up to lift station 3 (you'll pass by the hotel on your way up) and walk 150 metres or so back down to the hotel. Alternatively, transfers can be arranged (at extra cost) from Villach Hauptbahnhof or the Verditz Bergbahnen. close

What are the alternative airports to Klagenfurt and how do we get from there to Verditz? While Klagenfurt is the closest international airport to our resort with direct flights from London, there are a number of alternatives as listed below. We have included public transport information from each. You may also consider hiring a car which can be done from all these airport and usually (especially if there is a group of you travelling) works out to be very economical.

Ljubljana - 1.5 hrs by car. Easyjet fly from STN. Buses leave from the airport for the city centre every hour on the hour Mon - Fri; every 2 hours Sat, Sun, hols. Last departure from airport is 20.00. Taxis from the airport to the city centre cost approx 35,00 EUR which could be an option for a small group. From the city centre trains leave for Villach several times a day but with less frequency in the afternoon and evening. Not difficult but connections may make it more time consuming than it looks. Private transfers available fom Ljubljana airport, price TBC.

Graz - 2 hours by car. Ryanair flies daily from STN. A shuttle bus
(1,70 EUR) from the airport to Graz city centre leaves quite frequently. However, not all buses go as far as the Hauptbahnhof, in which case pax need to get off at "Griesplatz". From there it is a 1.8km walk or a 5 minute taxi ride to the Hauptbahnhof. Trains from Graz to Villach leave every hour or thereabouts but pax need to change at Klagenfurt. Even with the interchange, the journey is still only about 3 hours depending on the length of the wait in Klagenfurt.

Trieste - 2 hours by car. Ryanair fly from STN and Birmingham (BHX). The easiest thing to do if flying in to Trieste is to get Bus n° 51 from the airport to Udine train station (still in Italy). Pax should check if they need to buy their bus tickets from a machine (usually located at the bus stop) before they board the bus. They might be able to buy tix from the driver, but usually this costs more. Buses to Udine leave every half hour from the airport and take anywhere from 45 minutes to nearly 2 hours depending on the type of service (direct or stopping all stations). Trains from Udine to Villach depart at 10.28 and 16:14 and journey time to Villach is about 1.5 hours. Private transfers available from Udine, price TBC.

Salzburg - 2.5 hours by car. Ryanair fly from STN and Dublin. Also standard carriers ie. BA, BMI, etc, fly out of loads of other UK airports including London and Manchester. This is the one with the easiest public transport connections: Direct bus from airport to main train station approx 4,50 EUR then trains every 2 hours from Salzburg to Villach approx 27,00 EUR- journey time approx. 3 hours but nice scenery. Private transfers approx 250,00 EUR per vehicle, one way.

Venice - 3 hours by car. Easy but only if pax fly into Marco Polo (Easyjet from LGW) and not Treviso (Ryanair). Jet2.com also fly into Marco Polo from Leeds Bradford. From Marco Polo there are frequent connections provided by the ATVO Fly Bus (2,50 EUR incl. luggage) and the ACTV bus linea N° 15 to Venice-Mestre railway station. Again, pax should check if they need to buy their bus tickets from a machine before they board the bus. From Mestre trains run twice daily to Villach just before 9am and just before 3pm. There's also a departure at 00:36 which arrives at Villach at 03:41 - probably not an option but it is available. All departures are approx 30.00 EUR - journey time approx. 3 hours.

Munich:Getting here from Munich airport is really easy (probably the easiest of the lot, really) but a bit time consuming. You need to take the S-Bahn (S1) from the Flughafen to the Hauptbahnhof in central Munich (approx. 45 mins). Trains go from there to Villach approx every 2 hours during the day. Many of them are direct but a couple in the morning and evening require changing at Salzburg. Even with the change it doesn't add much to the approx. 4 hour & 20 mins journey. close

What is the best way to get around Carinthia and its resorts Public transport does run from the base of Verditz to various resorts, but can be time consuming and a hassle. Local transfers can be organised by management of Blue Mountain Hotel in the resort. CAR HIRE: if there is a group of your you may considering a hire car from Klagenfurt airport. It can work out cheaper than using our transfer service and is ideal if you plan on skiing some of the other local ski resorts. Local companies hire cars from as little as 18 to 28euros a day. close