Powder Paradise: Skiing in Tirol, Austria

If you are curious about the best places to ski in Europe, then look at Austria ski resorts. Skiing in Tirol Austria offers all the beautiful views of the other best ski resorts in Europe, but for a much lower price.

The Tirol region of Austria is popular due to the famous Alps that run through the region. If you want to go on a 14 day, or two-week, ski vacation, then Austria and its vast resorts are a must-visit destination. Read below to learn more about where to visit and how to have the best ski trip in the Tirol region.

Quick Trip Overview

• Location: Tirol, Austria
• Closest Airport: Innsbruck Airport, Salzburg Airport, Munich Airport, Vienna Airport
• Time: 14 Days
• Estimated Cost: $4,000

Itinerary for a Skiing in Tirol Austria:

• Day 1-3: Innsbruck, Austria
• Day 3-5: Sölden, Austria
• Day 5-8: Alpbach, Austria
• Day 8-10: Söll, Austria
• Day 10-12: Kitzbühel, Austria
• Day 12-14: Salzburg, Austria

Mode of Transportation around Tirol Austria

There are two ways to get between all these locations: train / bus or by car.

Car has the advantage of you can depart whenever you want, however you will be driving the hour or two between the ski resorts. Additionally, during some bad weather days, there will be delayed traffic on the routes. Or even on nice days as locals try to get to the resorts to enjoy the snow.

Train and bus will have the advantage of just sitting back for the hour or two ride. It’s far cheaper than renting a car for a two-week period. However, in inclement weather trains and buses will be vastly delayed – sometimes the roads are better than the rails!

Ultimately for two weeks, you will be looking at spending around $400 for a vehicle that can carry ski equipment and handle the potential poor weather conditions. That is not to include gasoline which can be expensive in Europe. For the trains, you are looking at roughly $150 for the entire trip. Ultimately, the trains are cheaper but can be a bit of a hassle to get to.

It will depend on what you find the most important for your trip: ease of travel or saving money.

For this guide, I will be focusing on the train and bus routes as that was the mode of transportation that I opted for.

Skiing in Tirol When the Season Starts

The start of ski season in Austria is typically in December, but that is going to be a soft start as the resorts start accumulating snow.

The best time to start heading to the ski resorts in Austria is going to be around January to February. There will be a solid base at that point, and a nice winter white coat over most of the landscape.

Ski seasons typically each in about early April as the weather starts warming up – just check the resorts as each of them have different dates.

Day 1-3: Innsbruck, Austria

Takeaway: Get those famous Instagram photos here.

There is no better place to start skiing in Tirol Austria region than in one of the most famous Austrian cities: Innsbruck. This city is famous for the scenic mountain backdrops, and the colorful buildings that make up old town, and the multiple ski resorts that can be reached from the city center.

Take a stroll along the river, and enjoy the views of the colorful houses on the other side.

However, the best bonus on Innsbruck is the fact that there are bus stations for 9 different ski resorts that surround Innsbruck! If you want to learn more about all the different ski destinations from Innsbruck then read more about Innsbruck in my post below.

Train Station: Innsbruck HBF

Transportation in and out: Innsbruck is a main station, and you will find it easy to find a train to the city. To start the trip, you can either fly into Innsbruck Airport, but given that it is not as large of an airport it is more beneficial to fly into Munich and to train from Munich to Innsbruck.

Other Activities to do in Innsbruck:

• Ride to the top of Innsbruck with this cable car reservation
• Take a classic city tour of Innsbruck here

Where to Stay in Innsbruck:

• Hotel Maximilian: this is where I stayed, the hotel is a short walk to the famous river views of Innsbruck and from the downtown center (5 minutes max). The rooms were amazing and the breakfast buffet was incredible.
• Stage 12: also centrally located but at a better price point than Hotel Maximilian.
• Hotel Central: just like the name states this is another decent priced hotel located in the city center.

Munich to Innsbruck: 1 hour and 44 minute train ride, costing €30

Read more about Innsbruck here.

Day 3-5: Sölden, Austria

Takeaway: Ski where James Bond was!

This resort area has become recently popular due to the James Bond movie: Spectre. The resort hosts the famous “007 Run” as it has become affectionately called. There is no surprise that the resort was used for filming as James Bond moving as the mountain views are specular! Take route 30 to enjoy the same views that are seen in the movie.

A visit to this resort will be a bit out of the way though compared to the trip, as you will travel west from Innsbruck in order to visit here, before heading back east for the rest of the resorts. So, if you want to spend more time at the other resorts then this may be the one to drop as you will be traveling for two hours collectively out and three hours to Alpbach!

Hotels in Solden:

• Hotel Edelweiss
• Hotel Garnia Maria Theresia
• Hotel Garni Ehrenreich

Train Station: Ötztal Bahnhof

Innsbruck to Ötztal Bahnhof: Unfortunately, there is not a train station in the center of Sölden. Therefore, the closet station to Sölden is the Ötztal Bahnhof which is at the entrance of the Ötz valley. A train here will cost €10 and take approximately one hour.

Ötztal Bahnhof to Sölden: You will need to take the Bus 4194 towards Obergurgl Zentrum. Which will take approximately another hour to reach Sölden.

Day 5-8: Alpbach, Austria

Takeaway: Enjoy some family relaxation time in a more traditional Austrian style.

Alpbach has become known as a family resort area. You will not find fancy hotels here, just classic Bavarian-style lodges. These will give you the classic ski resort fill, and most come with half board so you do not have to worry about where to eat. There is not much of a nightlife here, but it is an affordable location to relax and embrace Austrian ski culture.

The ski resort has some of the steeper slopes that you will find in Austria.

This is one of the smaller resorts on this list and the easiest to navigate when you are actually in the town as it’s all centrally located. This is a great place to relax due to the ease of getting from lodging to the mountains. If you are interested in keeping the trip simple, I would suggest staying in Alpbach for the ultimate relaxation for skiing in Tirol Austria.

Hotels in Alpbach:

• Natur & Spa Resort “Der Alpbacherhof” Superior  – this is where I stayed and the pool with the large windows looking over the valley was one of the best views I had during the entire trip.
• Haus Sonnwend: centrally located and at a great price.
• Haus Schönblick

Train Station: Brixlegg

Sölden to Alpbach: You will need to take the bus back to the Ötztal Bahnhof  and from there take the train to Brixlegg. You will have to change trains once, and the total ride will take approximately an hour and a half and cost €16.

Brixlegg Train Station to Alpbach: There are frequent buses from the Brixlegg train station to Bolgerhof in Alpbach. Look for the 4074 bus and take it to Bolgerhof. It will be free as anyone going to a hotel for ski does not have to pay.

Read more about Alpbach here.

Day 8-10: Söll, Austria

Takeaway: Enjoy night skiing and party the night away!

Just a hop and skip away from Alpbach. Despite the close proximity of these resorts, the culture is vastly different! This has more of a tourist feel with more activities for after hitting the slopes.

If you want to try a bunch of different restaurants, and enjoy a lot of après-ski then you will love Söll. If you like to party then this is a must-visit location during a ski trip to the Tirol region. There is quite the night culture here! This is even more so true given that Söll has the longest night ski route.

Nightlife something that you seek? Then there is a popular bar called the Jam Jar that has live music almost every night – you will find a lot of frequent visitors to Soll there.

There is talk that the Alpbach area and Söll resort area will eventually merge so that there will be easier transportation between the two. As previously stated, if wanting to keep your skiing in Tirol Austria simple then this is another great second option due to the proximity between Alpbach and Söll.

Hotels in Söll

• Hotel Alpenpanorama
• Hotel Feichter
• Hotel Gänsleit

Train Station: Worgl HBF

Alpbach to Söll: Söll again does not have a station directly in town, so the station you will be looking for is Worgl HBF. From Brixlegg it will take only 13 minutes and cost €4.

Worgl HBF to Söll: From the Worgl HBF, you can catch a bus into town – look for the Bus 4060 towards Ellmau Dorf/Bauhof. The bus from Worgl HBF to Soll Dorf (town center mostly) will cost €3 and take approximately 30 minutes.

Read more about Söll here.

Day 10-12: Kitzbühel, Austria

Takeaway: Enjoy relaxation and spa treatment at this large ski resort area.

Kitzbühel is popular due to the famous downhill race: Hahnenkamm World Cup Races.

These races bring in quite the crowd in the late January time frame, so if you are interested in seeing some ski races then make sure to check the calendar and plan your trip accordingly to include the races when skiing in Tirol Austria.

Otherwise, the Kitzbühel region is vast and has many gondolas between the various mountain ranges. You can spend a long time at this resort alone!

Kitzbühel is also a great location to splurge at as there are some very nice hotels in this area. If you want some spa and relaxation during your ski trip to the Tirol region then Kitzbühel is where you will find it. You can opt for more resort style hotels, or stick to the Bavarian style ski lodges. Check out my post below to learn more about the hotel with a panoramic pool! With an added bonus of five different saunas to enjoy after a long day of skiing.

Hotels in Kitzbuhel:

• Austria Trend Hotel Schloß Lebenberg 4 Stern Superior – another hotel with an incredible pool view over the valley. Added bonus of beautiful views from the sauna as well.
• Hotel Gamshof – a more centrally located hotel option
• Hotel Goldener Greif – another great centrally located hotel option

Train Station: Kitzbühel Station

Söll to Kitzbühel: You will have to take the bus back to the Worgl HBF. Unlike most of the other ski resort areas, Kitzbühel has a train station in the center of town. The train ride from Worgl to Kitzbühel will take 30 minutes and cost €7. A lot of hotels in Kitzbühel will pick up guests from the train station.

Read more about Kitzbühel here.

Day 12-14: Salzburg, Austria

Takeaway: Take in the history and beautiful city views.

End your skiing in Tirol Austria trip in one of the popular cities of Austria: Salzburg. Explore the old town and hike along the to the Fortress of Salzburg. There is a lot of history to be explored in Salzburg, and beautiful viewpoints of the city.

A must-visit location is the Fortress of Salzburg and the park that is alongside it. You will find beautiful views of the city of Salzburg from here. End at M32 and enjoy something to eat while watching the sunset over Salzburg.

There are so many places to eat at Salzburg, so it is a great ending location. Make sure you save time to visit the Stiegl brewery – you probably noticed it throughout your ski trip during the apres ski or at the ski resort restaurants. Stiegl is a local beer from Salzburg, so drop by the brewery for beer and some food.

This is an ideal location to end the ski trip as there is great access to major airports from Salzburg. Grab a train to Munich from here that will take approximately two hours and cost €30. Or take a train to Vienna, Austria.

Things to do in Salzburg:

• Take a half-day trip to the famous city of Hallstatt
• Take the popular Sound of Music tour
• Purchase Entrance to the Salzburg Fortress

Hotels in Salzburg:

• K6 Rooms by Der Salzburger Hof – comfy rooms located near the train station
• Hotel Wolf Dietrich – located more central in the city
• Hotel Amadeus

Train Station: Salzburg, Station

Kitzbühel to Salzburg: A two hour and thirty-minute train ride that will cost €45.  You will have to transfer at Worgl.

Read more about what to do at Salzburg here.

Staying Longer in Salzburg

If you have the ability to stay longer in a destination then I recommend staying longer in Salzburg.

The city of Salzburg is a great hub to travel to a variety of popular locations across Austria. Additionally, it’s a great place to wind down after the long ski trip.

From Salzburg you can visit: Halstatt, Zell am See, Bertchesgarten, and many more. The added bonus is that all of these locations are just day trips from Salzburg!

Read more about day trips from Salzburg here.

Phone Apps to Help with your Skiing in Tirol Austria

These are some phone apps that you will absolutely need in order to make your way around by public transportation:

• GoEuro: This one you can purchase tickets on, but most of the time you will need to print them. It’s useful for looking up train prices and times.
• ÖBB Scotty: Really the app that you will live by. This will show all the bus and train times, and update to show delays. This will be your tool for planning your trip to the next city.

Cost

• Train cost: €115 – not including the train ticket out of Salzburg
• Hotel Cost: On average €90-€175 a night at locations. Kitzbühel is the most expensive, and Söll has some of the cheapest options. For a 14 day trip you are looking at spending between €1,260-€2,500 on hotels.
• Ski Passes: ~€50 a day. Between €450 to €500 for 9 to 10 days of skiing.
• Food: A lot of lodges include half-board in the room cost, so you will not have to pay for breakfast or dinner. Otherwise, expect to pay €20 for lunch on the slopes. Anticipate paying approximately €500 for food on the entire trip.

Read more about these destinations here:

• Two days in Innsbruck
• Ski Trip to Alpbach
• Ski Trip to Söll
• Ski Trip to Kitzbühel
• Two Days in Salzburg
• Day Trips from Salzburg, Austria