For a week away skiing with the family Bulgaria is where Britons will find the best value while Austria's St Anton will hit the budget hardest.

Bulgaria's Bansko topped a poll of 42 European ski centres that factored in average hotel, ski pass, ski hire, ski lesson, evening meals and drinks for over the course of seven days for a family of four.

In Bansko, southwestern Bulgaria, the whole package costs £1,631 compared while for a similar break in St Anton the cost was more than three times as high at £5,026, according to a new survey by Tripadvisor.

Bansko in Bulgaria is the best value ski resort for a family of four according to a TripAdvisor study

Bansko came out on top in a comparison factoring in travel, hotel, ski passes and lessons, meals and drinks

After Bansko, the next best-value spot on average in the period from December 15 to April 15 next year was Spain's Sierra Nevada, where costs totalled £1,930, followed by host of the Winter Olympic Games Sochi in Russia (£2,205),

Next on the list is Berchtesgarden in Germany (£2,476) and Ordino Arcalis in Andorra (£2,504).

Four of the 10 most expensive resorts were in Switzerland, with the country's St Moritz the second most pricey centre at £4,811. Next was Val d'Isere in France (£4,606) followed by Zermatt in Switzerland (£4,572) and Val Thorens in France (£4,565).

Sochi in Russia hit the world stage with the 2014 Winter Olympics and is now Europe's third best value resort

The Sierra Nevada mountain range in Spain comes in second for cheap family ski and boarding breaks

Andorra comes in as the most affordable country, with four of its destinations in the top 10 for best family.

St Anton's place on the list is decided most significantly by its high price for hotels, St. Anton, Austria has the most expensive average rate for a week’s stay, coming in at £3,424.

For the price of a week in a hotel in St. Anton, a family of four can have almost five weeks in a Sierra Nevada hotel in Spain (£725 a week).

BEST VALUE EUROPEAN SKI RESORTS FOR A FAMILY OF FOUR (TRIPINDEX Destination Hotel Ski Hire Ski Pass Lesson Dinner Beer Soft Drink Total 1 Bansko, Bulgaria œ£748 œ£163 œ£442 £œ143 £œ102 œ£19 œ£14 œ£1,631 2 Sierra Nevada, Spain œ£726 œ£181 œ£604 œ£100 œ£269 œ£26 œ£25 œ£1,930 3 Sochi, Russia £œ1,195 £œ283 œ£429 œ£100 œ£145 œ£31 œ£22 œ£2,205 4 Berchtesgaden, Germany œ£1,435 œ£240 œ£385 œ£118 œ£226 œ£41 œ£32 œ£2,476 5 Ordino Arcalis, Andorra œ£1,421 œ£182 œ£505 œ£72 œ£280 œ£22 œ£22 œ£2,504 6 Arinsal, Andorra œ£1,404 œ£214 œ£505 œ£72 œ£289 œ£25 œ£23 œ£2,532 7 Formigal, Spain œ£1,300 œ£207 œ£551 œ£41 œ£398 œ£25 œ£24 œ£2,547 8 Serre Chevalier, France œ£1,210 œ£193 œ£688 œ£106 œ£313 œ£38 œ£33 œ£2,580 9 Soldeu, Andorra œ£1,409 œ£197 œ£612 œ£83 œ£311 œ£29 œ£30 œ£2,672 10 Pas de la Casa, Andorra œ£1,594 œ£185 œ£612 NA £œ232 œ£30 œ£27 œ£2,680

Austria's St Anton came out the most expensive out of the 42 European ski centres surveyed

TripAdvisor spokesman James Kay said: 'Skiing can be an expensive holiday, especially for a family of four, but our survey shows that by carefully choosing the resort, costs can be dramatically reduced.

'This year, Eastern European destinations and Andorra are where families will find the best value for money.'

St Anton's place on the top of the most expensive list comes almost entirely because of its high hotel prices, with an average stay setting a family back £3,425. For that price a family could enjoy almost five weeks in Sierra Nevada which at £726-a-week is the cheapest accommodation in the best value top 10.

MOST EXPENSIVE EUROPEAN SKI RESORTS FOR FAMILY OF FOUR Destination Hotel Ski Hire Ski Pass Lesson Dinner Beer Soft Drink Total 1 St. Anton, Austria £œ3,425 œ£308 œ£628 œ£239 œ£334 œ£49 œ£42 œ£5,026 2 St. Moritz, Switzerland œ£2,826 œ£341 œ£644 œ£255 œ£640 œ£61 œ£45 œ£4,811 3 Val D'Isere, France œ£2,832 œ£299 œ£750 œ£189 œ£449 œ£42 œ£44 œ£4,606 4 Zermatt, Switzerland œ£2,626 œ£353 œ£755 œ£223 œ£500 œ£66 œ£49 œ£4,572 5 Val Thorens, France œ£3,006 œ£211 œ£659 œ£127 œ£472 œ£50 œ£39 œ£4,565 6 Flims Laax Falera, Switzerland £œ2,239 œ£297 œ£918 œ£322 œ£626 œ£54 œ£43 œ£4,500 7 Ischgl, Austria œ£2,883 œ£326 œ£636 œ£208 œ£294 œ£38 œ£40 œ£4,427 8 Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy œ£2,949 œ£219 œ£643 œ£164 œ£320 œ£39 œ£35 œ£4,367 9 Verbier, Switzerland œ£2,271 œ£395 œ£706 œ£278 œ£487 œ£46 œ£43 œ£4,226 10 Tignes, France œ£2,624 œ£211 œ£750 œ£101 œ£280 œ£41 œ£33 œ£4,040

Prices for ski holidays can be sky high but shopping around can pay dividends, says TripAdvisor's James Kay

A week in St Anton could cost skiing families as much as £5,026, three times Bansko's total of £1,631

Bansko is also a big winner for beer lovers, with a local beer a day for two adults costing £19 - the next cheapest can be found in Andorra’s Ordino Arcalis for £22.

The Bulgarian resort also has the cheapest dining (a basic meal a day for the four-member family for the purposes of the survey) with £102 compared to £642 in St Moritz.

For the cheapest ski lessons head to Formigal, Spain, where a lesson for two adults and two children comes in at £40, significantly better value than anywhere else with the closest competition found in Andorra’s Ordino Arcalis and Arinsal.