Gudauri or Erciyes? Two Ski Resorts Beyond the Alps

More and more skiers look beyond the Alps for good snow at a lower price. Two names come up often: Gudauri in Georgia and Erciyes in Turkey. They are similar in altitude, but very different in how you reach them and what surrounds them. This guide compares them honestly.

In short

Gudauri is a resort village high in the Caucasus. Its strengths are freeride terrain, open slopes and a pure mountain feel. The downside is the mountain road from Tbilisi, which can close during heavy snow.
Erciyes sits on the slopes of a dormant volcano 25 km from the city of Kayseri. Its strengths are the nearby city and airport, wide beginner areas and Cappadocia close by. The downside is that most travellers fly via Istanbul.

Getting there

Gudauri. Fly to Tbilisi, then drive about 120 km along the Georgian Military Road, a few hours by car. The road crosses a mountain pass and is closed temporarily during heavy snowfall or high avalanche danger, so plan your arrival and departure days with some slack.

Erciyes. Most visitors fly to Istanbul and take a short domestic flight to Kayseri (ASR). The airport is minutes from the city centre, and the slopes are about 25 km from the city on a good road. Our packages include free transfers from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the slopes every day. Our guide on how to get to Erciyes has the details.

Entry rules depend on your passport. Check your government's travel advice for both countries before you book.

Altitude and snow

Gudauri's lifts reach around 3,300 metres, and the village itself sits at roughly 2,150 metres. The resort is known for generous snowfall and open slopes popular with freeriders.

On Erciyes the highest lifts reach about 3,400 metres. The most reliable snow is from January to March, and in 2025/26 skiing lasted until mid-May. More than 150 snow cannons keep part of the pistes running on artificial snow in a lean early season. Both resorts usually ski from December to April. See how much snow you need to ski for what the opening date depends on.

The pistes

Both resorts lie on treeless high slopes with plenty of room for wide runs. Erciyes has around 112 km of marked pistes, 41 runs and 19 lifts, four gates on different sides of the mountain, wide nursery areas with magic carpets and a floodlit run for night skiing; see our Erciyes ski resort guide. Gudauri is especially valued for its off-piste terrain, which, as anywhere, calls for avalanche knowledge and a guide.

After skiing

This is where they differ most. Gudauri is a village of hotels and restaurants surrounded by mountains, with Tbilisi a few hours away.

Erciyes is 25 km from Kayseri, a city of Seljuk monuments, a covered bazaar and famous food such as mantı and pastırma; see Kayseri after the slopes. Cappadocia, with its balloons and underground cities, is about an hour away. Non-skiers in your group have plenty to do too: see things to do on Erciyes if you don't ski.

Price

A fair comparison uses the same basket: accommodation, lift pass, rental, clothing, meals and transfers. All-inclusive Erciyes packages for 2026/27 run from $356 per person for 2 nights (Experienced) to $622 for 4 nights on the First Steps beginner package, at early-booking prices. That includes a five-star hotel, an unlimited lift pass, equipment, helmet and goggles, ski jacket, trousers and gloves, three meals a day and transfers, plus a lesson on the beginner packages. Flights are extra.

Which one?

Gudauri, if: you're a confident skier who wants freeride terrain and a mountain-village atmosphere, and a flight to Tbilisi suits you better than a connection.

Erciyes, if: it's your first ski trip or you travel with children, you want wide nursery slopes and instructors, you'd like a city in the evenings or a few days in Cappadocia, and some of your group don't ski.

Our comparison of ski resorts in Turkey covers the other Turkish options. First-timers should look at the 4-night First Steps package; experienced skiers at the 4-night Experienced package.