Feeling the Heat? Book a White Christmas

If you're dreaming of a white one, summer's the time to secure the good stuff

It’s clearly way too early to mention the C word, but if you want to spend the festive season somewhere all snowy, I’m afraid it’s a case of the early bird catches the bargain chalet.

Early last summer we decided that we wanted a change of scene for Christmas and after some negotiations with the kids (during which they made it clear they would only fly somewhere in December if it was to some sort of sub-zero winter wonderland), we started a search that began with Googling “cheapest place that has snow at Christmas”.

Initially the results seemed misleading (are Finland and Denmark really cheap? Would Edinburgh or Berlin actually have snow?), but soon we landed upon some more financially viable and snow-likely destinations, with Slovenia emerging as a favourite.

Other than Lake Bled being insta-famous, I have to admit I knew very little about Slovenia. But some brief research revealed more about its stunning capital city of Ljubljana and its small but reasonable - and most importantly sometimes snowy - mountain and ski resorts.

We teamed up with friends to secure an idyllic-looking chalet, private but affordably-priced ski instructors and budget flights. Mission White Christmas was on.

If you’re tempted to do the same, here are the details…

Flights: London Gatwick to Ljubljana, £157 pp

Ljubljana: Self-catering apartment (sleeps 4) £100 per night

Triglav National Park: Chalet (sleeps 8) £340 per night

Ljubljana

There may not have been snow when we arrived in Ljubljana late on a Monday evening in December, but it really was a winter wonderland.

The city’s historic central plaza was filled with a stunning vast Christmas tree and its three bridges, streets, squares and riverside were packed with pretty festive lights and stalls selling mulled wine and hot chocolate. Tempting wine bars showcasing the best of Slovenia’s wine scene spilled out onto terraces with heaters and blankets to shield customers from the cold - and there was just a general air that they know how to winter really well.

In the day we explored the city’s striking architecture, shopped the central market for festive decorations, food and flowers and visited Ljubljana Castle, which sits imposingly above the old town and is accessed by a funicular (who doesn’t love a funicular?).

Triglav National Park

Just an hour’s drive from Ljubljana, Triglav National Park in the Julian Alps is home to a handful of small mountain results and the Vogel ski centre.

As the roads climbed towards our chalet in Pokljuka, a quiet forest area next to two small winter sports hotels, we were delighted to see there was indeed snow.

While skiing doesn’t seem to be the big scale business here like it is in the Alps (well certainly not in December, the very beginning of their season), for beginners and out-of-practice intermediates like us, it was perfect.

Our airbnb host helped to arrange private instructors who guided us with ski hire and lift passes and met us at the slopes each day. While we tried out the small slopes at Pokljuka and the popular runs at Soriska Planina, the central Vogel ski centre, accessed by cable car, was by far everyone’s favourite - and closest to ski resorts we’ve experienced elsewhere in Europe.

In the park itself, there aren’t many restaurants and some which didn’t open until after Christmas, so we were pleased we’d booked self-catering accommodation with a small kitchen as well as a great outdoor cooking set up.

You’ll find more detail on our accommodation and the skiing situation below.

Lake Bled

The area’s big attraction is Lake Bled - and boy does it warrants its international and insta fame.

The lake, its surrounding mountains and central island complete with small church are so picture perfect it all feels almost unreal. Like you can’t believe your eyes and it’s maybe just CGI somehow.

The town that sits on the lake, Bled, is a great place to grab a legendary local cream cake and in December there’s a special Christmas market hugging the lake, as well as a light show and ceremonial Sinking of the Bell on Christmas Day itself - an entertaining event that is a nice excuse to get out for some air between lunch and dinner and is translated into English (if still a little baffling).

But our favourite things to do at Lake Bled were walking the 6km path that circles the lake and jumping on one of the boats that take you to the island in the middle where you can climb the tower and ring the church bell. You can also row there yourself, if you are feeling adventurous.

Arguably as pretty, but less well known is Lake Bonij, just half an hour down the road.

Where to Stay & The Skiing Situation