Austria winter sports travel guide
Austria gives good winter. Up in the Alps, the air is fresh, the sun feels warm and the mountains wear a thick coat of snow. Vacations here celebrate mountain culture and cooking, but most of all, they get you out there. A tempting smorgasbord of winter activities exists, which seek to make the most of the natural environment in its pristine state, rather than changing it. So forget ski slopes and try snowshoeing, cross country skiing, winter hikes, ice climbing and tobogganing.
Winter means a white out in Austria, but it also means so much more than downhill skiing. So get out there, get active and get seriously off piste.![]()
Small group trips that include tuition and guides are the way to get the most from the mountains, learn a new skill and stay safe, and each day the leader will choose routes and activities according to conditions and forecasts. You don’t need to be an experienced winter sports person, either; just someone with a love of big peaks and big fun in the crisp outdoors.
Keep reading our Austria winter vacations guide for more.
IS AN AUSTRIA WINTER HOLIDAY FOR YOU?
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Our Austria winter Vacations
Austria learn to ski or splitboard vacation
Take your skiing/snowboarding to the next level!
From
€1490
8 days
ex flights
Austria snow shoeing vacation
Guided snowshoe walking and winter activities in the Alps
From
€1190 to €1490
7 days
ex flights
Snowboard and yoga vacation in Austria
Snowboard and Yoga in a remote location in the Austrian Alps
From
€1190 to €1490
7 days
ex flights
Learn to ski and yoga vacation in Austria
Ski and Snowboard in the Alps alongside daily yoga classes
From
€1290 to €1590
7 days
ex flights
Austrian winter walking vacation
Winter activities from a stunning Alpine retreat.
From
€1190 to €1490
7 days
ex flights
Christmas markets vacation, Central Europe
Indulge the senses by exploring the best of the festive market scene
From
US $2365 to US $3010
8 days
ex flights
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AUSTRIA WINTER HOLIDAYS MAP & HIGHLIGHTS
The Tyrol, in western Austria, delivers textbook Alpine scenes, with soaring snowy mountains, pine forests dusted in white, gleaming lakes and picturesque villages nestling in valleys. Here, cosy chalets offer the promise of Schnapps by the fire and some Oom Pah Pah to warm you after a day on snowshoes or cross country skis. Traditional towns and villages such as Achenkirch and Seefeld offer a taste of authentic mountain life, free of manufactured ski resorts, and although they’re off the beaten track, they’re easy to reach: you can land in Innsbruck and be up in the mountains in an hour.
Achensee
1. Achensee
The largest lake in the Tyrol, Achensee is surrounded by the Karwendel and Rofan mountains, in the heart of the Alps. There are over 200km of cross country skiing tracks, or loipes, in and around the Achen Valley, or explore around Pertisau on the western lakeshore, which borders the forested valleys and white pastures of Karwendel Alpine Park Nature Reserve, the largest in Austria.
Hone Tauern National Park
2. Hone Tauern National Park
The biggest national park in Austria and the European Alps, Hohe Tauern is also home to Grossglockner, Austria’s highest peak. Soaring up to 3,798m, it’s a mountain drenched in local legend, surrounded by more than 300 other peaks over 3,000m, plus glaciers, rivers and waterfalls, lakes and wildlife. Hike through it on snowshoes, looking out for bearded vultures, Alpine ibex and chamois.
Innsbruck
3. Innsbruck
Many winter vacations to Austria feature free time in the capital of the region, Innsbruck. Don’t miss its late medieval old town, impressive Habsburg palace and baroque cathedral, and pop into the Tyrolean Folk Museum, too. Then just drink in the mix of urban and outdoors, with the peaks of the Nordkette range so close it’s possible to go from city center to 2,000m altitude in 20 minutes.
Kals
4. Kals
Kals is still very much a farming community, surrounded by unspoilt beauty. It’s also one of the most snow-sure regions of the Alps, so if you’re keen to ski and snowboard, you can usually do it here on the real thing, not on manufactured snow. There are several restored water mills, dating from the 1700s, in the valley, and great views of the big peak, Grossglockner.
Seefeld
5. Seefeld
Seefeld is one of the top regions for winter sports and has hosted the Winter Olympics twice. It has more than 256km of immaculately prepared cross country skiing trails that suit all abilities and, as it sits at an altitude of 1,200m, gets plenty of snow all winter. Come for some winter walking, too, on paths and forest tracks, many of which don’t require snowshoes.
Winter activities
6. Winter activities
Snow doesn’t stop play in the Austrian Alps, it starts it, and there are plenty of ways to enjoy the wintery outdoors. Learn to cross country ski or take it to the next level with a week of skate skiing. Strap on snowshoes and walk to a dramatic spot for a panoramic picnic, try some winter hiking, hit the pistes or channel your inner child with tobogganing and igloo building.
More about Austria winter
The best time to go on a winter vacation in Austria is, unsurprisingly, winter.
