- Ski regions in Austria
- Best ski resorts for families
- Trails for professionals
- TOP 5 best ski resorts in Austria
- Rest on the lakes
- TOP 3 best resorts in Austria for summer holidays
- Thermal resorts
By the size of the occupied territory, the Republic of Austria is not even included in the first hundred world powers. Lost in the heart of Europe, Austria is 70% occupied by the Eastern Alps, and winter sports are one of the most popular leisure activities for both locals and foreign tourists. In summer, the best resorts in Austria attract fans of hiking and those who want to improve their health on the thermal waters.
Ski regions in Austria
The republic is called "a mecca of ski tourism" quite rightly: there are dozens of resorts successfully in Austria, the slopes of which are ideal for athletes and amateurs of all levels.
The two most popular ski areas in Austria bring together many of the country's best ski resorts:
- In Tyrol, according to most, the best trails and slopes are concentrated. In the central part of the region are the tracks of the Olympic Innsbruck and the equally famous Glusenger and Ranger Kempfl. In the Zillertal valley you will find small cozy ski villages where you can relax from the hustle and bustle of the city, while in Seefeld, on the contrary, you can actively spend time after skiing. Tyrol looks very impressive in numbers: the length of tracks in its resorts is 3500 km, and five high-mountain glaciers located in the region provide winter sports fans with a unique opportunity to ski even in summer.
- The land of Salzburg offers an ideal tourist infrastructure that has been formed over decades. Great attention is paid to the preservation of ski traditions in the resorts of Kaprun, Zell am See and Saalbach-Hinterglemm. An equally important advantage of the Salzburg region is a huge number of natural national parks and reserves, where you can admire the magnificent alpine landscapes.
Whatever resort in Austria is not a fan of alpine skiing or snowboarding, he can be sure of the ideal quality of pistes and slopes, an established system of lifts, a variety of hotels and the opportunity to have a great time off the slope: Apres Ski in the best resorts in Austria is a sacred thing for leisure organizers and for guests.
Best ski resorts for families
Athletes and amateurs of all levels can have a great time in winter Austria. If little travelers in your family have barely learned to walk, there are resorts in the Alps where they will be put on skis and taught to get real pleasure from skiing:
- The European sports region in Salzburg includes several resorts and any of them is the ideal place for a family holiday. The infrastructure here is literally "sharpened" for a comfortable stay even for the youngest athletes. In the resorts of the European Sports Region of Salzburg, there are children's ski schools, winter playgrounds are open, the cost of ski passes for young athletes is much lower, and special dishes for kids are prepared in restaurants.
- The Zell am See resort on the shores of Lake Zeller See is also ideal for families. They start skiing here on Catholic Christmas, and the season lasts until mid-spring. There are several ski schools in the resort of Zell am See, whose instructors are ready to put a beginner on skis and give lessons to those who are already confident enough to conquer simple slopes. In Zell am See, there are kindergartens and schools in which young tourists of all ages have fun and learn the basics of skiing.
The best family resorts in Austria are also great for beginner snowboarders. All ski schools here have lessons for boarders.
Trails for professionals
If you rate your sports capabilities as a solid top five, choose the best resorts in Austria, where tracks of the highest degree of difficulty prevail. For example, in the Gasteinertal valley, out of 200 km of pistes, two-thirds are marked in black and red. The difference in altitude on the slopes of the local resorts of Bad Gastein and Dorfgastein is more than a kilometer, and the highest skiing point is located at more than 2,600 meters above sea level.
Fans of extreme sports will love skiing in the Saalbach - Hinterglemm area in the Glemmtal valley. The slopes of the mountain in this area form ledges, and the tracks are laid in the form of amphitheater stands. The difference in heights is more than a kilometer, the length of the "blue" and "red" slopes is almost 200 km. For the real pros, 15 km of black pistes are kept in perfect condition in this ski area. The Federation of Professional Snowboard evaluates excellent opportunities for practicing this sport as well.
Experienced skiers and snowboarders will appreciate the resorts in the Ziller Valley. In total, in this part of Austria, there are more than 90 km of only "black" tracks, not counting the 400 km of those marked in red. The most popular professional valley resorts are located in the Zillertal Arena and Mayrhofen-Hippach regions and on the slopes of the Hintertux Glacier.
TOP 5 best ski resorts in Austria
The ski center Akzamer-Lizum in Tyrol is considered a resort where slopes of the highest category of difficulty prevail. The local slopes were built for the Olympics, and therefore even professional skiers can get real pleasure on them. On the slopes of Akzamer-Litsum there is an opportunity to go down on virgin soil after a snowfall, and its two "black" tracks stretch for almost eight kilometers each. Despite the status of a resort for pros, Akzamer-Lizum is glad to meet both novice athletes and families with children. In the ski area there is a kindergarten for toddlers, snowboarding schools, toboggan runs and special slopes for beginner alpine skiing enthusiasts. The resort has many hotels of different price levels.
Everyone who prefers the ski resorts of Austria considers it their duty to ride in Kitzbühel. It is called one of the best, because the resort has a variety of opportunities for practicing all kinds of winter sports and recreation. Kitzbühel has almost 170 km of ski slopes of varying degrees of difficulty. Fifty ski lifts bring skiers to the starting points, and the variety of restaurants and hotels allows both a very wealthy public and those who are not ready to overpay for a night and food to feel comfortable in Kitzbühel. In their free time, guests of Kitzbühel can take excursions to local architectural sights and stroll through museums.
Ischgl is considered the most expensive Austrian resort. The local hotels are some of the best in the region, the tracks are well-groomed and look perfect at any time of the day or night, and the underground escalators connecting some of the hotels with lifts are not just a fashionable fad, but also a very convenient and functional device. The slopes of the resort are presented for every taste, and pros, beginners, and virgin soil lovers can easily find their slopes in Ischgl. The resort's snowboarder fun park is beyond praise, and shopaholics will love the opportunity to shop in the duty-free zone of Ischgl's Samnaun neighborhood in Switzerland.
A modern hotel fund and tens of kilometers of the most difficult trails for the advanced are not the only advantages of Obertauern. This resort in Austria is also on the list of the best thanks to its rich entertainment program for its guests. There are dozens of authentic dining options in and around the resort, nightclubs with state-of-the-art breakout options, a sports center for skittles and warming up in saunas, and spas that offer a variety of health and beauty programs.
Mayrhofen is called the best by representatives of absolutely all categories of tourists: couples, parents, young people, and experienced skiers. The resort and its surroundings are ideal conditions to spend your school holidays with health benefits. There are ski schools in Mayrhofen, where even those who first saw the snow and the slopes will be taught to stand on skis or a board. Kindergartens are another part of the resort's infrastructure, which attracts parents with babies to the Zillertal. Young athletes can not only be left under the supervision of educators, but also entrust them with the initial sports training of younger family members. And in the surrounding villages there are about 200 km of cross-country skiing trails, moreover, they are illuminated in the evenings.
Rest on the lakes
There are more than a thousand mountain lakes in the republic, and almost a hundred of them are quite large. On their shores you can have a great rest in the summer, and therefore the lake resorts in Austria are deservedly popular with both locals and guests.
One of the most famous regions is Carinthia, where the swimming season begins in early summer and lasts until the end of September. The largest body of water in Carinthia is Lake Wörthersee near the Italian border. A popular resort on its shores is called Klagenfurt. Here you will find all the infrastructure necessary for a comfortable stay and several interesting objects for excursions - the Minimundus miniature park and the 17th century Maria Loreto castle.
TOP 3 best resorts in Austria for summer holidays
Choosing Austria for your summer tour, you can be sure that your vacation will be eventful and unforgettable. The ratings of tour operators and the travelers themselves are invariably topped by the best resorts on the lakes and rivers of Austria:
- On the western shore of Lake Wörthersee, sheltered from the winds and bad weather by the spurs of the Alps overgrown with virgin forest, the resort of Velden is comfortably located, which the Austrians themselves consider the best for fans of active summer holidays. Velden and the surrounding area have dozens of kilometers of bike paths and hiking trails. On the shore of the lake, there are rental points for various equipment for practicing water sports. Tennis, volleyball and football courts are almost never empty, and in the evenings, guests of Velden spend time tasting local cuisine in restaurants or getting acquainted with the latest novelties of theatrical performances. The resort has a concert hall and a casino.
- Regulars consider the Bregenz resort to be a place where not only the body but also the soul rests. It is located on the shores of Lake Constance, and its main advantage is the absence of large and noisy companies and virgin nature. In Bregenz, it is customary to walk slowly, ride a boat, enjoy cycling and admire the panorama of Lake Constance from the height of the Pfänder mountain. You can get to its top from Bregenz by lift.
- A summer vacation with children on the Klopeinersee lake is an ideal way to get your dose of positive for all family members. The lake is one of the warmest in the country and Europe, and its waters warm up to + 28 ° C in summer. On the banks of the Klopeinersee, there are cozy beaches covered with grass, and along the coastline of the resort there are bays, where swimming is absolutely safe even for the youngest guests. Fishing is a popular activity at the lakeside resort.
While relaxing in the summer resorts of Austria, you can always count on a rich cultural program. On the shores of the lakes, there are many small towns, where museums with interesting and unusual expositions operate. Local travel agencies organize sightseeing walks, food and eco tours, boat cruises and hikes in alpine meadows.
Thermal resorts
Austrian spa resorts are recognized all over the world for their ideal ecology and modern scientific achievements in medicine, which are actively used by doctors in the preparation of wellness programs. Spa resorts are located near mineral springs, and their water is widely used in the implementation of a variety of medical courses:
- The musculoskeletal system is strengthened and treated with Thermal Romerbad Bad Kleinkirchheim in Carinthia.
- The high content of calcium, chlorine and sodium in the thermal waters allows the guests of the Bad Tatzmannsdorf spa to get rid of problems with blood vessels and heart.
- At the Rogner Hospital Bad Blumau in the Styrian region, the doctors' arsenal includes special exercises performed in the water. So thermal springs help to correct the figure and get rid of excess weight.
- You can enjoy swimming in a pool with mineral water and at the same time admire the views of snow-capped mountain peaks in one of the best health resorts in Austria in the Hohe Tauern National Park. The resort is called Alpentherme Gastein and a stay here can only be compared with a treatment in the Aqua Dome complex, from the pool of which you can see the panorama of the starry sky over the Ötztal valley.
The Rogner spa Bad Blumau, designed by the renowned architect Hundertwasser, is often called a work of art. One of the best resorts in Austria symbolizes human unity with nature, and in the treatment programs offered to guests of Rogner Bad Blumau, not only thermal waters are used, but also mud, Shia Tzu techniques, various oriental acupuncture techniques, acupuncture and more than 130 types of massage.
