Ski Areas Austria

Ski Areas Austria

Austria, with a landscape dominated by the Alps, offers numerous possibilities to enjoy winter sports. Especially the federal states Tyrol, Vorarlberg, and Salzburg offer at least one ski region in nearly every alpine valley.

The largest ski areas in Austria reach over several peaks and provide up to over 100 lift systems and 280 kilometres of connected piste, some of them in famous regions in the Ziller Valley, the ski area Wilder Kaiser, and Arlberg, the cradle of Alpine skiing. Additionally, the Tux Glacier attracts visitors as Austria only year-round ski area and several glaciers (e.g. Sölden, Stubai Glacier) invite guests for a bit of summer skiing.

Numerous Austrian ski regions are regular scenes of world cup competitions. Amongst those is the classic men’s downhill competition down the “Streif” in Kitzbühel, and Innsbruck, capital of Tyrol, was two-time host of the winter Olympics (1964 and 1976).

For Austria, alpine skiing is a major driving force of tourism, the country’s most important economic sector.

Après ski Austria

The concept of Après-Ski originally comes from Austria. There are traditional ski huts, snow bars and and party venues in all ski areas. The Après-Ski hot-spots include Ischgl, St. Anton am Arlberg, Saalbach-Hinterglemm and Sölden. Schirmbar, Almrausch, Kuhstall, Mooserwirt, Krazy Kangaruh and Hinterhag are real hits and are well-know even beyond Austria's borders. The places here stay alive well after midnight, and provide a great atmosphere with Jagertee and mulled wine.

As far as sporting Après-Ski activities in Austria are concerned, hardly any desire is left unfulfilled. The adventurous type can have a go at ice climbing, paragliding or snowrafting, whilst those looking for something calmer and more romantic ought to try out snowshoe hiking or a horse-drawn sleigh ride. Almost every ski area has a large swimming pool, often with a sauna and spa area.

Austria is renowned for its varied choice of traditional dishes and drinks. The most well-known dishes include Wiener Schnitzel, Tafelspitz (boiled fillet of beef), Kärntner Kasnudeln (cheese pasta) and various types of dumplings. the most popular sweets include Mozartkugeln (praline-filled chocolates), Sachertorte, Salzburger Nockerln (soufflé) and several types of strudel.

Excursions Austria

Austria is a multi-faceted holiday destination: mountains and lakes, metropolises and quaint villages, culture and fine dining, spa and activities - you will find all that and more here. The wonderful cities - Vienna, Innsbruck, Salzburg, Linz, and Graz - attract many tourists. There are numerous unique sights, which make your holiday particularly special. According to a statistic from Austria's Tourism Association, the Basilika Mariazell is by far the most visited sight in the country - it is a world famous pilgrimage site, which is visited by more than one million pilgrims and tourists each year.

The Hohensalzburg Castle, the landmark of Salzburg, is also very popular and it is located on top of the Festungsberg, above the town. From the corner tower, visitors have a 360° view of the city.

In Graz, tourists are intrigued by the Schlossberg, a massive dolomite rock formation in the midst of the historic centre.

A unique drive can be experienced on the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, which is the most famous Alpine road. It leads into the heart of the High Tauern National Park, to the Grossglockner. The route is 48 km long and starts in the centre of Bruck.

Glamour in Wattens - in 1895, Daniel Swarovski founded his identically-named company here. Nowadays, it is an internationally leading manufacturer of precisely polished crystal. Multimedia artist André Heller has designed 14 subterranean wonder worlds for the Swarovski Crystal Worlds. In Hallein, Hallstatt, and Altaussee the visitors of the Salt Mines are also exploring below ground. They venture into the mountains through mysterious adits; in Hallein - it is the oldest exhibition mine in the world, in Altaussee - it is the biggest active salt mine in Austria.

A spectacular view can be enjoyed after a ride in the Pfänder panoramic gondola. The popular scenic mountain offers a fascinating all-round view of Lake Constance and 240 Alpine peaks in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

The Alpenzoo Innsbruck is also worth a visit. It is the zoo with the highest elevation in all of Europe (750 m) and it is the home of about 2,000 Alpine animals from 150 different species. No other zoo exhibits such a complete collection of wildlife.

Furthermore, one of the most visited museums of the country is the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of the most popular "sons of the country", which is located in Salzburg.