Want real snow in winter? My three tips are skiing at Stuhleck near Semmering, Stockholm at Christmas and snowy Brașov in Transylvania. You can get to Stuhleck by bus from Bratislava, and Stockholm’s Christmas market is in Gamla Stan, the old town. From Brașov, a local bus will also take you up to the Poiana Brașov ski resort. In my view, Stockholm has a wonderful Nordic atmosphere in winter.
Looking for winter holiday tips? When I checked the weather forecast for Bratislava for the next few days, I spotted 16°C somewhere in there. Ahem. It got me thinking. Lately the big trend has been winter holidays somewhere warm, but somehow the warmth has followed us home. Before long, we’ll be going on winter holidays to wherever it’s cold and snowy.
Winter holiday ideas for snow and skiing
While you’ve got tulips on the Christmas table and the barbecue set up in the garden, have a look at these three tips for a winter holiday in the snow. Rumour has it snow still exists, and I know where to find it. Here’s what’s in this article:
- Skiing at Stuhleck (Semmering), by bus from Bratislava
- Stockholm at Christmas and its brilliant Nordic atmosphere
- Brașov in Romania and Transylvania under snow
Where to go for a winter holiday in the snow
Skiing at Stuhleck near Semmering, Austria
For the second winter running, I went on a ski trip by bus to Stuhleck in Austria, near Semmering. I’m not a big fan of winter sports. This year, though, I decided I’d like to learn something new, and I’m slowly rethinking where I stand. They say you only start to age when you stop learning new things. I couldn’t agree more. I dragged my brother along, hired a snowboard for €35 a day and spent the whole day learning to snowboard.
If you’re after a really pleasant day’s skiing just two hours from Bratislava, Semmering-Stuhleck is the one I’d recommend. I’ve written a separate guide to the full-day bus trip to Stuhleck-Semmering. Altogether the slopes here add up to more than 20 km, and they vary in difficulty.
The first time I ever stood on a snowboard was that very morning, the morning I decided to learn. By the afternoon I was already riding intermediate slopes. I took the odd proper tumble and planted my face in the snow, but learning to snowboard is pretty easy. All that’s left is to work on my technique. That’s why Semmering-Stuhleck makes my list of winter holiday tips.
Stockholm in winter and the Christmas market in Gamla Stan
Stockholm is one of my favourite cities in Europe, along with Lisbon, Bucharest and Barcelona. It has a lovely, tidy Nordic atmosphere. What I like most is that the whole city is spread across 14 islands and it’s really bike-friendly. I’ve been to Sweden several times, but only twice to Stockholm. That was back when Ryanair flew from Bratislava to Nyköping, of all places.
If I had to choose between Stockholm in winter and in summer, summer would win hands down. Still, the winter city has a charming Christmas atmosphere. If you can visit Stockholm just before Christmas, head for the Christmas market in the old town, Gamla Stan. Its stalls in Stortorget square are usually open from late November to 23 December. You’ll find more tips in my article on what to see in Stockholm and which sights to visit.
Brașov in winter: a trip to Transylvania
Let’s stay on the slopes a little longer. Romania’s Brașov, in the heart of Transylvania, is about more than excellent food, horse-drawn carts, low prices and Dracula. I couldn’t resist mentioning him, even though by now every Romanian is practically allergic to the legendary character. Above Brașov sits Poiana Brașov, one of the most popular ski resorts in Romania.
After its modernisation in 2010, the ski area grew from the original 50 hectares to 80. The total length of the pistes went up from 13.8 km to 23.9 km. Most of the slopes now have snow cannons. In 2013 the resort hosted skating and alpine skiing at the European Youth Olympic Winter Festival. Poiana Brașov lies at about 1,020 m above sea level, and regular buses go up there too. RAT Brașov, the city’s transport company, runs lines 20 and 100 along the 12 km between Brașov and Poiana Brașov. A ticket costs next to nothing.
The resort also runs minibuses that take visitors from the hotels right to the foot of the slopes. From there you can go hiking or ride a cable car to the peaks of Cristianu Mare or Postăvaru.
A Slovak travel blogger who has been getting Slovaks out of their office chairs since 2013. Author of the book Influencer and founder of the Bez Mapy blog. "Bez Mapy" is Slovak for "without a map".
