Austria · Arlberg, Ötztal & Vorarlberg · Travel guide
What a week in Sölden or Obergurgl really costs, why the valley is cheaper and quieter in summer, and how to get there from Zurich without a car.
Photo: Tobi &Chris / Pexels
Adjust the values to your trip: the calculator updates live (EUR, converted from CHF estimates).
Estimates for orientation, not booking prices. Getting there means train or car from Switzerland, return, per person. Hotels vary strongly by season: current prices are behind the links below.
Money & payment: You pay in euros (EUR). Cards work almost everywhere; mountain huts and sausage stands often want cash. Tipping is expected: 5 to 10 percent, by naming the rounded total when you pay. In ski resorts a visitor tax of EUR 2 to 4 per night is added to the hotel price. Getting there: By train (ÖBB Railjet), car or a flight to Vienna, 2 to 8 hours.
Nine options in three price ranges, each among the best-rated on Booking.com.
Budget
Family-run three-star house in Hochsölden at around 2,000 metres, right on the piste, with a ski bus down to the village. Simple, clean rooms with balcony, good breakfast, small sauna. For skiers who would rather sleep up on the mountain than in the bustle of Sölden and put the money into the ski pass.
Traditional Tyrolean house on the village street, walking distance to the Giggijochbahn and the après-ski. Plain rooms, half board available, good value for Sölden. It can be noisy at the front in the evening, so take a room at the back.
Alpine inn with hotel operation in Ausserwald, about 800 metres from the centre, in the same family for generations and with ski-in right outside the door. Solid rooms, Tyrolean cooking, sauna, the Ötztal Card is included in summer. For anyone who wants to stay affordably and quietly.
Mid-range
Four-star house right next to the Giggijochbahn, with pool, sauna and a well-known après-ski bar at the door. Ski-in/ski-out in the centre of Sölden, good half board. For skiers who want to be first at the lift in the morning.
Quiet four-star hotel with spa area, small pool and good cooking, a few steps away from the village street. Rooms with balcony and mountain views. For couples who want Sölden without the noise.
Four-star house in the centre of Obergurgl, piste and lift at the door, spa area with pool, multi-course half board. Family-run, many regulars. For families and anyone looking for peace and guaranteed snow.
Luxury
The five-star house of Sölden: large spa with indoor and outdoor pool, gourmet restaurant, one of the best wine cellars in Tyrol. Central, yet shielded from the bustle. For anyone who wants luxury instead of après-ski after the glacier.
Five-star hotel with modern alpine design, rooftop spa with views over the valley and award-winning cooking. Gaislachkoglbahn within walking distance. For design fans who like it less traditional than the Central.
Four-star superior hotel right at the thermal spa, with its own access and a spa area reserved for hotel guests. Large rooms with mountain views, good half board. For wellness travellers and families who want to use the thermal baths every day.
If you book through these links we earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
Two gondolas take you up to 3,048 metres, where the Ice Q and the James Bond museum 007 Elements inside the rock await. Return trip around CHF 45, museum CHF 25 extra, the lift is included with a ski pass. Two to three hours, in clear weather.
Thermal spa complex with three floating outdoor pools, sauna world and slides for children. Three hours CHF 45 to 55, day ticket CHF 60, sauna CHF 10 extra. Cheaper and emptier in the evening from 5 pm.
The highest waterfall in Tyrol, 159 metres, with a stepped trail and suspension bridge up to the top. Free, one hour of ascent from Niederthai or Umhausen, via ferrata alongside only with equipment. Floodlit two evenings a week in summer.
Open-air museum with reconstructed houses, workshops and animals from the time of the Iceman. Admission around CHF 10, free with the Ötztal Card, two hours with children. Easy to combine with the Stuibenfall.
Big 3, two glaciers, 144 kilometres of pistes from mid-November to May, day ticket around CHF 75, six-day pass CHF 370 to 400. Beginner group lessons from CHF 60 a day. Buying online in advance saves up to 10 per cent.
Pass road at 2,509 metres to South Tyrol, open from June to October, toll around CHF 20 per car. Five architectural stations tell the story of the pass. There and back with a stop in Moos in the Passeiertal is half a day.
Family mountain above Oetz with play area, easy hiking trails and the Bielefelder Hütte. Lift return around CHF 28, free with the Ötztal Card. Half a day for families with small children.
Water park with slides, blobbing and climbing tower at the mouth of the valley, plus rafting and canyoning on the Ötztaler Ache. Water park day ticket around CHF 40, rafting from CHF 60. For teenagers the best day of the summer.
From the mountaineering village of Vent by chairlift to the Stablein-Alm, then two hours to the Breslauer Hütte at 2,844 metres with views of the Wildspitze. Lift around CHF 18, hut with soup and cake, five hours in all.
If you book through these links we earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
The Ötztal cooks Tyrolean mountain food: dumplings, Gröstl, Schmarrn and plenty of butter, the way farmers needed it after a day on the alp. In Sölden you can add a gourmet restaurant at 3,000 metres and a density of pizzerias that follows the demand of the party crowd. The honest plates are found on the working alpine huts and in the inns of Längenfeld, Umhausen and Vent.
Fried potatoes with beef or bacon, onions and a fried egg straight from the pan, with coleslaw on the side. The skier's lunch par excellence, CHF 16 to 22 (about EUR 17 to 24) at the hut.
Tip:At the Gampe Thaya it comes with their own cheese and bacon; a table frees up after 1 pm.
Flattened dumplings of bread and grey cheese, fried in butter and served in beef broth. A portion with two dumplings costs CHF 10 to 14 and is filling enough for the afternoon.
Tip:Order it as a starter for two, then there is room for the Schmarrn.
Torn, caramelised pancake with raisins, icing sugar and stewed plums. Fresh from the pan in the huts, CHF 12 to 16, enough for two.
Tip:Ordering it without raisins is allowed; custard instead of stewed plums is frowned upon.
Half-moon pasta parcels of rye dough filled with spinach and quark, in brown butter with Parmesan. A plate costs CHF 14 to 18, often home-made.
Tip:You can tell home-made by the uneven edges, which is the good sign.
The Ice Q on the Gaislachkogl serves alpine gourmet cuisine with its own wine (Pino 3000) and views of 250 peaks. Lunch course from CHF 30, evening menu from CHF 120, plus the lift ride.
Tip:Reservation only; plan it for lunch with a ski pass and you do not pay extra for the gondola.
Low-fat, pungent Tyrolean sour-milk cheese, marinated with vinegar, oil and red onions, served with farmhouse bread. As a snack CHF 8 to 12, not for sensitive noses.
Tip:Have a glass of buttermilk or a Zirbenschnaps with it, not red wine.
Schnapps made from the purple cones of the Swiss stone pine, red, resinous, slightly sweet. A shot costs CHF 3 to 5, a bottle from the distillery CHF 20 to 30 as a souvenir.
Tip:Most farmers distil their own, so ask for the "house" one rather than the bottle from the shelf.
Through markets and eateries with a guide, tastings included.
If you book through these links we earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
At 65 kilometres the Ötztal is the longest side valley in Tyrol, running from Ötztal Bahnhof in the Inn valley up to the glaciers on the Italian border. It became famous in 1991, when two hikers found a mummy in the ice at the Tisenjoch at 3,210 metres: Ötzi, the Iceman, who died here around 5,300 years ago. The find showed that people were crossing these passes as early as the Neolithic. For centuries the villages in the valley lived from mountain farming, and even today the farmers of Vent drive their sheep over the glaciers into the Schnalstal in South Tyrol every June, a tradition that is now UNESCO cultural heritage. In the Middle Ages an entire mountainside collapsed near Köfels, one of the largest rockslides in the Alps, which still divides the valley into steps and gives the Stuibenfall its drop. Tourism came late: Obergurgl, at 1,930 metres the highest parish village in Austria, became famous overnight in 1931 when the Swiss physicist Auguste Piccard made an emergency landing on the Gurgler Ferner after his stratosphere flight. Until the 1960s Sölden was a mountain village with a few inns, then came the lifts, in 1975 the glacier road to the Rettenbachferner and with it year-round skiing. Since 1993 the World Cup giant slalom on the Rettenbach glacier has opened the alpine season. In 2015 James Bond filmed "Spectre" on the Gaislachkogl, after which the 007 Elements museum was built there. Today Sölden counts more than two million overnight stays a year and has a reputation as a party resort, while Obergurgl and Vent have stayed quiet.
From Zurich the ÖBB Railjet runs direct to Innsbruck every two hours, stopping in Landeck-Zams and at Ötztal Bahnhof. To Ötztal Bahnhof takes around 2 hours 45 minutes; with a Half Fare Card and a Supersaver ticket the single fare is CHF 25 to 45 (about EUR 27 to 48) if you book early, the standard fare is around CHF 70. From Ötztal Bahnhof the Postbus 8352 runs the full length of the valley: 30 minutes to Längenfeld, 50 minutes to Sölden, 80 minutes to Obergurgl, fare CHF 7 to 12. In winter there are extra ski buses on Saturdays, but the wait at the station can still be half an hour. By car you are in Sölden 2 hours 30 minutes after leaving Zurich, via the Arlberg tunnel or the Arlberg pass; you need the Austrian vignette (10 days CHF 12) and pay CHF 12 each way for the Arlberg tunnel, unless you take the pass. Once there you hardly need the car: the Ötztal ski bus is free with a ski pass, and in summer the bus is free with the Ötztal Card too. Parking in Sölden costs CHF 10 to 15 a day, and many hotels have a garage for a surcharge. Car sharing from Zurich or Basel often works out cheaper than the train in the end; on your own, the train is faster than you think.
Sölden is big, loud and built for every level: 144 kilometres of pistes, three 3,000-metre peaks with lifts (the Big 3), two glaciers, après-ski from 3 pm. The pistes on the Giggijoch are wide and sunny, on the Gaislachkogl steeper, and in autumn the glacier runs are often the only ones in the Alps that are genuinely open. In return you queue 20 minutes at the Giggijochbahn in the morning in high season, and from 5 pm the village street sounds like a beach party in Mallorca. Obergurgl-Hochgurgl, 15 kilometres further up the valley, sits between 1,800 and 3,080 metres, is snow-sure from mid-November to early May and is a place without nightlife: families, couples, older skiers, lots of Brits. 112 kilometres of pistes, never any queues, wide red runs, perfectly groomed. The hotels are almost all four- and five-star houses with half board, so the entry price is higher than in Sölden, but you get more for your money. Vent, further back still, is the village for ski touring and quiet, with 15 kilometres of pistes. Our advice: parties and glaciers to Sölden, families and connoisseurs to Obergurgl, and if you want both, stay in Sölden and take the ski bus to Obergurgl for a day, since the ski pass is valid throughout the valley.
A double room in a guesthouse in Sölden costs CHF 100 to 140 (about EUR 107 to 150) in January, a three-star hotel with breakfast CHF 150 to 200, four stars with half board CHF 220 to 320 for two. Over Christmas, New Year and in the February holidays (Zurich, Basel, Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria often coincide) prices rise by 30 to 50 per cent and many houses require a minimum stay of seven nights, Saturday to Saturday. On top comes the local tax of around CHF 3 per person per night. The price trap in Sölden is location: hotels in the Innerwald district or out towards Zwieselstein are cheaper, but then you depend on the ski bus, which stops running after 6 pm. In Obergurgl almost all houses are ski-in/ski-out, half board is standard and sensible because there are only a few restaurants. Längenfeld in the lower valley is the alternative for summer and the thermal spa: quiet inns and guesthouses from CHF 90, with the Aqua Dome within walking distance. Booking: for February, by October of the previous year; for January and March two months is enough; summer you can book at short notice. Many family hotels are not on Booking.com but only on the valley's tourism site, where you will often still find rooms when the platforms are empty.
A day ticket for Sölden costs around CHF 75 (about EUR 80) in high season, the six-day pass CHF 370 to 400, children up to 15 half price. Buying online in advance saves 5 to 10 per cent, and from three days the pass is valid throughout the valley including Obergurgl and Hochötz. Lunch on the piste costs CHF 18 to 25 for Gröstl or spaghetti, a beer CHF 6; to save money, eat in the self-service restaurants on the Giggijoch rather than at the Ice Q. The glacier road to the Rettenbachferner carries a toll in summer (around CHF 25 per car), but is worth it as the highest tarmac road in Austria. The Timmelsjoch to South Tyrol costs CHF 20 for cars. In summer the Ötztal Card is the big money saver: for CHF 100 (3 days) to CHF 180 (10 days) it covers all mountain lifts, buses, access to the Stuibenfall, the Ötzi village, swimming pools and one entry to the Aqua Dome. From two lifts a day it has paid for itself. Many hotels include it free from three nights, so ask before you book. Without the card the Aqua Dome costs CHF 45 to 55 for three hours, sauna CHF 10 extra; after 5 pm there is an evening rate that is worth having.
The Ötztal has three seasons with very different prices. Winter runs in Sölden from mid-November to early May, in Obergurgl much the same. The most expensive weeks are Christmas to 6 January and mid-February to early March; the cheapest, with plenty of snow, are mid-January and March after the holidays, when the days get long and the pistes soften. The glaciers open in September and October for race teams and early starters; the World Cup at the end of October is a party, but hotels are then full and expensive. November is between seasons: glaciers open, hotels half empty, prices low, but many places closed. Summer from June to September is the underrated time: hotels cost 30 to 40 per cent less than in winter, the Ötztal Card makes the lifts free, and the valley belongs to hikers, bikers and families. High summer in Sölden means a pleasant 20 to 25 degrees, often with thunderstorms in the afternoon, so start tours early. The shoulder periods from mid-April to the end of May and mid-October to the end of November are dead: many lifts and hotels closed, only Längenfeld with its spa keeps going. For guaranteed snow without a glacier, Obergurgl is the best address in Tyrol, even in poor winters.
The Stuibenfall near Umhausen is, at 159 metres, the highest waterfall in Tyrol. The trail with its suspension bridge and 700 steps takes you to the top in an hour, free, and in summer it is floodlit on Tuesday and Thursday evenings; there is also a via ferrata (grade B/C) right next to the water, equipment required. Next to it lies the Ötzi village, an open-air museum with reconstructed Stone Age houses and demonstrations, CHF 10 (about EUR 11), two hours with children. Hochötz above Oetz is the valley's family ski area, in summer with the Widiversum play area and the Bielefelder Hütte, thirty minutes from the Ötztaler Höhe and never crowded. The Piburger See near Oetz is the warmest swimming lake in Tyrol at 22 degrees in July, and a walk around the lake takes 45 minutes. Vent, right at the back at 1,900 metres, is the gateway to the Wildspitze (3,768 metres, the highest mountain in Tyrol) and to the tours to the Ötzi find site via the Similaunhütte, a two-day trip for the sure-footed. The drive over the Timmelsjoch (2,509 metres) to South Tyrol is one of the most beautiful pass roads in the Alps, open from June to October, with five architectural stations on the history of the pass. Area 47 at the mouth of the valley is an outdoor park with water slides, rafting and canyoning, expensive (day ticket around CHF 40), but for teenagers the best day of the week.
Take the Railjet from Zurich to Ötztal Bahnhof in 2 hours 45 minutes (CHF 25 to 45 each way with a Half Fare Card and a Supersaver ticket, about EUR 27 to 48), then the Postbus for 50 minutes to Sölden or 80 minutes to Obergurgl. By car it is 2.5 hours from Zurich, vignette CHF 12 for ten days plus Arlberg tunnel CHF 12. Once there, the ski bus is free with a ski pass, and in summer the bus is free with the Ötztal Card. You only need a car if you want to drive the Timmelsjoch or the glacier road yourself.
For two people, reckon on CHF 1,400 to 2,000 (about EUR 1,498 to 2,140) for seven nights in a three-star hotel with breakfast, CHF 750 for two six-day passes, CHF 500 to 700 for food on the piste and in the evening. That is around CHF 1,500 per person excluding travel. In Zermatt or St. Moritz you would pay 30 to 50 per cent more for the same standard, in Laax or Arosa around 20 per cent more. Ski passes and mountain hut meals are cheaper in Sölden; hotels in high season not by much.
Sölden if you want lots of piste kilometres, glaciers, après-ski and a choice of restaurants, and queuing does not bother you. Obergurgl if you are after peace, guaranteed snow, short walks from hotel to piste and a village without nightlife, for example with children or as a couple. On price, Sölden starts lower because it has guesthouses; Obergurgl is almost entirely four- and five-star with half board. From three days the ski pass is valid in both areas.
Yes, and more than most people expect. Hotels are 30 to 40 per cent cheaper than in winter, the Ötztal Card makes lifts, buses, pools and museums free, and you have the Stuibenfall, the Ötzi village, the Piburger See, the Timmelsjoch, the Aqua Dome and hikes up to 3,000 metres. Sölden is quiet in summer, almost too quiet; Längenfeld and Oetz are the livelier places then. Best time: late June to mid-September.
Three hours cost around CHF 45 to 55 (about EUR 48 to 59), the day pass CHF 60, the sauna world CHF 10 extra and it is textile-free. The three floating outdoor pools with mountain views are what you come for, especially when it is snowing in the evening. It is worth it for a bad-weather day or as a rest day from skiing. Weekends and holidays are packed, so go after 5 pm on the evening rate. One entry is included with the Ötztal Card.
Yes, on the Rettenbach and Tiefenbach glaciers in Sölden from mid-September, depending on snow. Around 20 to 30 kilometres of pistes are open then, a day ticket costs around CHF 65 (about EUR 70), and national teams train on the slopes. The World Cup opener takes place on the last weekend in October, when Sölden is full and hotels are expensive. Mid-October during the week is the best combination of empty glacier pistes, autumn light and low hotel prices.
What a ski week in Austria's largest ski area really costs, why the train beats the car here, and where on the Arlberg you can be happy without après-ski.
What a week in the Silvretta Arena really costs, why you can ski from Ischgl into Switzerland and shop duty-free there, and where in the Paznaun the quiet lives.
What the most expensive ski resort in Austria really costs, why it is often worth its money all the same, and how Warth, Schröcken and summer on the Lech get you away far cheaper.
What a festival evening on the lake stage really costs, why Bregenz is worth a trip even without the opera, and how you can be sitting over cheese in the Bregenzerwald 1.5 hours after leaving Zurich.
