Essentail Travel Ski Guides

click here for a ski insurance quotation

Travel to Formigal with trvel insurance form Essential Travel

Located in the centre of the Pyrenees Mountains, near the French border and to the east of Pamplona, Formigal is a great ski destination for intermediate and advanced skiers and snowboarders, and shares the same valley as nearby Panticosa. Formigal not only boasts a fabulous location amid fantastic scenery, but there is much history here as well.

A purpose-built resort town with a laid-back atmosphere, Formigal has good facilities and is one of the more reasonably priced ski destinations. There is a small range of shops, as well as essential services and some interesting historical villages nearby.

Formigal ski resort has 57kms of marked runs, about 60 per cent of which are aimed at those at an advanced level; experts can ski off-piste. One gondola, five chairlifts and 16 draglifts provide access to all slopes and have an hourly uplift capacity for 21,000 people.

Thousands of beds are offered in the resort itself and the village of Formigal, including self-catering apartments and four-star hotels. Hotel Formigal is considered to be one of the best establishments here, with excellent facilities. There are restaurants on and off the pistes and a range of bars and discos. Childcare is available for children from five months to five years.

For alternative skiing, head for the neighbouring resort of Candanchu, to the east. There is an excellent range of slopes here and experts are particularly well catered for. Away from the slopes and to the southwest, Jaca is steeped in history and has some fantastic sights, including the 16th century Ciutadella fortress.

The ski season at Formigal ski resort runs from December to May, with low season rates offered up to the Christmas holidays. The easiest way to get to Formigal is to fly to Pamplona or Zaragoza and hire a car, or take a bus; alternatively, trains go part of the way from Zaragoza.

Skiing in Formigal

Located at the heart of the Spanish Pyrenees, in the province of Aragon, Formigal is a lively ski resort, offering 57kms of mainly intermediate and advanced terrain. Prices are reasonable and the surroundings are rich in beautiful scenery and history.

Forty-one downhill slopes run over 57kms of fantastic terrain at Formigal ski resort and are divided into four easy runs, 13 intermediates and 24 advanced, while experts can ski off-piste. There are 22 ski lifts with a capacity for 21,000 skiers and snowboarders per hour and, in addition, there is a slalom course and a half-pipe for boarders.

Formigal is a purpose-built resort village and offers a good range of accommodation, including self-catering apartments in and around the resort, and four-star hotels in the village itself. Childcare facilities are on hand for babies and children from the age of five months to five years.

The December to early May ski season has its best snow conditions from early February to mid-March, and cheapest rates pre-Christmas holidays. The most practical way to get to Formigal ski resort is to fly to either Pamplona or Zaragoza and take a bus to the resort. Trains go from Zaragoza as far as Sabinanigo, from where buses go to Formigal.

Apres-ski in Formigal

Formigal is fairly limited when it comes to other, non-skiing activities; however, there is heli-skiing and ice-skating. For alternatives, the nearby resorts of Candanchu, Panticosa and Cerler offer additional activities and facilities, such as snowshoeing, fitness centres and swimming pools. Formigal comes alive at night, where good quality, cheap food and drink are available at several bars and restaurants on and off the pistes.

Transportation to Formigal

Formigal ski resort is near the French border in the province of Aragon, 490kms northwest of Barcelona and 160kms north of Zaragoza and is only directly accessible by road. Options for getting here include: flying to Pamplona or Zaragoza and taking public transport, which is the most convenient; self-drive; and rail/bus travel.

If you’re coming from the UK by car, the usual route is to drive from Calais, or take the ferry as far as Bilbao or Santander and drive from there. From Calais, the quickest route goes via Paris, Orleans, Tours, Bordeaux, Castets and Jaca. From Jaca, follow the E-7 to Cartirana, from where the A-136 heads north to Formigal (1,230kms; 14 hours). From Santander and Bilbao, the route goes via Vitoria, Pamplona and Jaca (320kms; four to five hours).

If you’re travelling by train, the closest you can get to Formigal is Sabinanigo (38kms south), from where buses carry on to the resort. Trains to Sabinanigo from Zaragoza take between 2 hours, 30 minutes and 3 hours. Zaragoza is served by Barcelona and Madrid and, if coming from Paris, trains run from gare de Lyon and Austerlitz, via Barcelona.

Pamplona and Zaragoza are equidistant from Formigal and receive flights from Barcelona and Madrid, which in turn receive flights the world over, including from budget airlines (Barcelona). Both have buses to Formigal from their respective cities; while from Zaragoza, a train goes as far as Sabinanigo station, from where buses go on to the resort.

back to ski guides