Best Places to Stay in Ski Arlberg

The big questions about the Ski Arlberg region tend to circle around the curly topic of ‘where to stay’. Should it be lively St Anton, classy Lech, exclusive Zürs, Oberlech or St Christoph, well-placed Stuben, quiet Zug or a multitude of other locations on the fringes. In short, the answer is it doesn’t really matter and given its popularity (& possibly the limitations of your budget!) you may not have much of a choice anyway. Why it doesn’t really matter is simply because aside from Warth & Schröcken, you can get everywhere from anywhere quite conveniently by ski lift or bus. We say 'aside from Warth & Schröcken' because if you miss the final gondola heading across from Lech at the end of the day (and you don’t have skins!), returning to your accommodation in Warth or Schroecken is a massive, costly mission. Having witnessed the forlorn pleas of stranded skiers in Lech at 5.30pm wanting to return to Warth, only to be told the road is closed in winter and the lifts don’t open until morning, it is definitely something best avoided.

But if you are wondering what each village has to offer, here’s our short spin on each:

• St Anton - Large, lively, with its own train station and the region’s best mountain huts for wonderful food, drink and après ski fun. Can feel crowded at the start & end of the day. Accommodation options are huge, but most are priced at the upper end of expectations in Austria. Its relatively low elevation (1,300m) means it sometimes doesn’t have snow in town.
• Lech - Higher elevation & more snow-sure than St Anton, it is a large village with masses of high-quality 4 & 5-star accommodation and a more refined vibe. It retains many traditional elements. There are still cow barns in the centre of town, and the heady scent of bovines is a welcome reminder of the real reason for these places existence. Expect to pay more than St Anton, but you will sleep soundly.
• Zürs - A super, snow sure location in the alpine zone (the second highest village in the region at 1,716m), Zurs is where we would stay every time we visit if we could afford it (and there was availability!). Wonderfully connected to the rest of the ski area & the exit point for many a backcountry adventure. Uncrowded skiing early in the morning before the Lech & St Anton crowds arrive. Strangely quiet after dark as everyone settles into their dinner, but we don’t mind that. Still has the scent of dairy cows on the fringes.
• Stuben - Great accommodation in a fine location easily accessible from the train station at Langen am Arlberg. The village centre is petite but has all the basics covered. Doesn’t get a lot of sun in winter but is free of the masses of humanity found in Lech & St Anton.
• St Christoph - Splendidly situated in the alpine zone just below the Arlberg Pass, St Christoph is small, isolated in a storm, and with just a handful of ski-in ski-out hotels & pensions. As the highest village in Ski Arlberg (1,800m) it is absolutely snow-sure, with a weird mix of local novice terrain that is great for beginners (assuming the weather is favourable) and some hardcore expert terrain. The chairlift up gets one to the heart of St Anton’s best terrain ahead of the crowds, and the return trail to the village is an easy beginner run from Galzig. Well connected to St Anton & Zurs by bus after hours if you over-indulge in the après ski party at Arlberg Hospiz Alm.
• Warth - A very snowy village (deepest snowfall in the region) with some excellent accommodation that sits a little awkwardly on a mountainside below the imposing Karhorn peak. Feels too spread out to be truly convivial. A lively après ski peters-out to being very quiet after hours. Is not the easiest place to get to. Its location on the fringes of Ski Arlberg is both a blessing and a curse. Miss the last lift across from Lech at the end of the day and you are in deep trouble!
• Oberlech - Perhaps technically part of Lech, Oberlech has wonderful ski-in ski-out lodging overlooking Lech and the mountains toward the Valluga. Gets the early sun in winter, but all services are down in town.
• Stubenbach - Another satellite village a few minutes’ drive from Lech, Stubenbach is on the road to Warth (which is closed in winter), and so provides very quiet, more affordable lodgings. Free bus connections to Lech are excellent throughout the day & night.
• Zug - Delightful mountain valley location just a short free bus ride from Lech, this is the place to stay if seeking quiet lodgings in a traditional setting. A range of hotel & guesthouse options , all with half-board to make life easy. Wonderful winter walking & cross-country trails complement the downhill ski routes int to the village. Doesn’t get a lot of winter sun so is perfect for lovers of the cold …… mmmmm we love the cold!
• Schröcken - Small & isolated from the ski area but with a lovely traditional vibe. It is a haven for locals in the know but won’t truly be viable for international guests until a new gondola connects it to the ski area.
• Pettneu & St Jakob - Quieter satellite villages of St Anton, they provide a range more affordable accommodation than its larger neighbour and are reasonably well-connected to the ski area by free local bus, particularly to the Nasserein gondola.

If you want to ski here, but aren’t fussed about staying overnight, get a rental car and doss wherever you like toward Innsbruck or the side valleys. If the weather is not too feral, the drive is easy to St Anton, St Christoph, Alpe Rauz or Stuben to start your day, although parking is probably best at Alpe Rauz. If staying on the Vorarlberg side toward Bludenz, the drive is a synch to Stuben or Alpe Rauz. For day trippers, Alpe Rauz is the best starting point as it allows for lift connections in multiple directions toward St Anton, Zurs or Stuben.

We spent a little bit of time in our preferred Ski Arlberg village - Zürs. A recent (& welcome) addition to the village is ‘Karls Craft Bier & Snacks’. Providing two of our favourite things (craft beer & delicious snacks), it is the most economical place to eat & drink in Zurs if you want a quick lunch or in the evening if you aren’t indulging in the local hotels’ utterly divine half-board dinner extravaganzas. Tasty wholesome food & good brews that won’t require you to sell a kidney to pay for it (this is Austria after all, not Switzerland, and I like having both kidneys!). Live music is often playing in the evening as well and the crowd can be quite lively. How very un-Zürs! As a transport hub in the centre of the ski region, Zurs is a fabulous place to stay for an extended period, and Lech is just a short free bus ride down the hill if you need anything from a larger town.

Search & book a place to stay via the Ski Arlberg Accommodation Listings.

Lech-am-Arlberg Accommodation

The town of Lech am Arlberg offers a massive range of accommodations with a quintessentially Austrian ski resort village atmosphere. Development has been restrained along traditional lines. The centre of town bustles through the day with a steady stream of well-dressed guests & locals heading to the slopes, browsing the shops or enjoying the bars & restaurants.

With hundreds of options to choose from, the various Lech accommodations range from excellent pensions like the Pension Cafe Fritz, budget options like Lech Hostel, up to numerous grand 5-star hotels such as the Gasthof Post. Other Lech accommodation options include private chalets & apartments dotted throughout town. Accommodation in Lech is highly sought after & can book out quickly for high season dates. Note that the skiing can be awesome at either end of the season so leave your options open if you can. For an incredible 'small' hotel experience, try to get a room at the boutique Alpenland. Located in our favourite part of Lech just above town near the Flühen ski lifts, it is so quiet & still within a stroll of everything.

Above the main town, Oberlech provides the absolute best place to rest one’s head for the night. A range of superb chalets & hotels like the Hotel Sonnenburg are slopeside & offer the convenience of being ski-in /ski-out. Access is via a cable car or chairlift to the upper village. On sunny days these hotels do a roaring lunchtime trade in their wonderful restaurants, plus everyone congregates on the sun terraces to work on their tan.

The tiny village of Zug is connected by a new gondola & regular free bus to Lech providing a perfect place for relative solitude after the White Ring skiers have cruised through by early afternoon. After hours Zug feels positively remote, despite being just a 5min bus ride from the centre of Lech. The fringes of Lech toward Stubenbach are delightfully quiet throughout the day & still within easy walking distance, or free ski bus, to the centre of town.

For more detailed information & recommendations on the best accommodation in Lech-am-Arlberg and its nearby villages of Oberlech, Stubenbach & Zug, see our Where to Stay in Lech page.

Another refuge from the masses near Lech is arguably the Arlberg’s best overnight location, Zürs.

St Anton Accommodation

The town of Sankt-Anton-am-Arlberg & the surrounding villages have a massive range of accommodation to choose from. And unlike many ski resort villages, it has worked hard to avoid the development excesses so prevalent in some ski areas (i.e. many French Alps resorts). Excellent hotels, chalets, pensions & apartments for all tastes & budgets abound, many of which have ski-in convenience. St Anton has 2 main centres for direct ski lift access. The central village near the station being one & the Nasserein area the second. Both are within walking distance of each other.

The two villages of St Christoph & Stuben have traditionally been associated with St Anton. Both provide quieter options to the excitement at St Anton. St Christoph accommodation is in a sunny location with its own beginner area & chairlift access to the main ski slopes. The Stuben hotels & pensions are deep in shadow for much of the day in winter, but prices tend to be cheaper & access is awesome to near-deserted slopes above the village, particularly now with a new gondola installed in the heart of the village.

For detailed info & recommendations on the best accommodation, see our Where to Stay at St Anton page.

Search & book a place to stay via the St Anton Ski Accommodation Listings.

Warth Schröcken Accommodation

The villages of Warth & Schroecken are at opposite ends of the ski resort, separated by a road distance of 10km. Warth is the higher elevation village (1,494m) & has more accommodation with direct access to the lifts including via the Dorfbahn gondola direct from town. Schröcken is smaller & quieter with a long scenic valley trail leading all the way to the centre of the village.

In the village centre of Warth, the stylish new Berghotel Biberkopf (and its associated sibling hotel Kleiner Biber) has excellent lodgings, bars & facilities near the gondola base & main bus stop. For prime ski-in ski-out just above the Biberkopf, you cannot beat AlpenParks Hotel & Apartments. Also in the centre of the village, across the road from the gondola & bus stop is the reliable Hotel Walserberg.

Toward the Steffisalp chairlift edge of the village, several fantastic accommodations are available but note some can be affected by road noise. The original 4-star in the sector is the reliable, ski-in, ski-out Hotel Steffisalp. Across the road is another 4-star, the Hotel Walserstube. More recent additions here include the uncomplicated & affordable Basecamp Warth, plus the flashier Lech valley Lodge.

The village of Schröcken doesn’t have the direct lift access of Warth but has several ski pistes & routes that make their way down the village at 1,269m elevation. Free ski buses link the village to the ski lifts at Hochtannbergpass (1,679m). A new gondola is planned to finally lift-link the village to the ski area in coming seasons, but we wouldn't hold one's breath! Aside from various apartments, one of the better resort-style accommodations is the hotel rooms & apartments at Berghaus Schröcken. Some may not appreciate the required icy walk and bus journey to get to the lifts though.

Outside the confines of the villages, the ultimate on mountain stay is at Hochkrumbach between the Jaegeralp & Salober-Jet chairlift bases. The superb ski-in ski-out Hotel Adler provides wonderful alpine food & accommodation in contemporary surrounds.

See detailed information on the best accommodation on our Where to Stay in Warth Schröcken page.

Zürs Accommodation

Zurs is unashamedly a resort village. Largely a collection of around 20 ski-in hotels, it provides only basic services & a few shops, but Lech just a few minutes down the road, that is not a problem. Each hotel is worthy of a night's stay - there is not a bad bed in the village! Each also has its own (usually excellent) bar & restaurant, so one is spoilt for choice in that regard. Additionally, the village has a bakery, ski rentals & retail, a small, mixed business chemist/food market/knick-knack plus a few boutique clothing stores. If you scent the sweet tang of bovines in town, you are correct. There is a massive cow shed between Sporthotel Ezian & the main gondola base station. Gotta love that sort of alpine authenticity, even in a high-end resort village.

The Zürs hotels once had a greater variety of options for the budget conscious but sadly the range of plucky 3-star hotels has all but become extinct and been renovated into 4-stars. And there are plenty of over the top 5-stars too, with the most luxurious being Thurnhers Alpenhof, Sporthotel Lorünser & the Zürserhof hotels.

The best value hotel these days in Zurs is probably the excellent Hotel Enzian, ironically located next to the now vacant Hotel Flexen site. For the best combination of value, après ski fun, comfort, location, sun & proximity to the gondola & ski bus, stay at the highly rated Hotel Hirlanda or Hotel Alpenrose (these days called the Robinson Alpenrose!). As a fallback, Alberghaus is another winner.

See all the options and search & book a place to stay via the Zürs Ski Accommodation Listings.