Chalets in Tyrol

The big picture

Tyrol's ski areas at a glance

Tyrol's ski areas fall into three broad types. There are the glacier areas, where the lifts climb past 3,000 m; the large linked circuits such as Ski Arlberg, the Silvretta Arena and the SkiWelt; and smaller valley areas where a chalet week is more about the house than the lift map. Each figure here comes from an official page, checked against an independent resort database.

Five glacier ski areas sit in Tyrol: Hintertux, Kaunertal, Pitztal, Sölden and Stubai, according to the Tyrolean tourist board and an independent database. Pitztal reaches highest, at 3,440 m. Hintertux is the one where skiing runs through almost the whole year; the others open from autumn until late spring. For a winter chalet week, a glacier is mainly a reserve in a thin snow year.

Height varies a lot between the big names. KitzSki runs from 800 to 2,000 m and the SkiWelt from 620 to 1,869 m, while Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis starts at 1,200 m, Ski Arlberg at about 1,300 m and Sölden at 1,350 m. That difference shows at the start and end of the season, and in how much each area leans on snowmaking. Our comparison of Austria's top ski resorts weighs them with the Salzburgerland areas.

See:All destinations

High ground

Sölden, the Ötztal and Tyrol's glacier valleys

Sölden is the high-altitude choice among the big names. Its ski area joins three parts, Giggijoch, Gaislachkogl and the glacier, with 31 lifts between 1,350 and 3,340 m, according to the Sölden tourist board and an independent database. Piste totals differ slightly between those sources, so we do not quote one. Sölden's own destination page, linked at the top, has the detail on terrain, transfers and the village.

Sölden has the most stays in our Tyrol selection, thirteen in all, and several are large. Chalet Alpenheim Simone and Chalet Willi both sleep sixteen with a bathroom for every bedroom, six and seven respectively, and A Casa Rubin Chalet lists eight bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, for 18 to 20, plus two kitchens and a private sauna. Smaller groups can look at the two eight-guest chalets of A Casa Brilliant.

The other glacier valleys have quieter bases. In the Pitztal, whose glacier reaches 3,440 m, Das Chaletdorf in St Leonhard has two-bedroom chalets with a private infrared sauna and a fireplace, reached by stairs and hillside paths, as the owner describes them. In the Stubai valley, whose glacier tops out at 3,210 m, Gletscher Chalet in Neustift im Stubaital has six chalet and loft categories for two to twelve, with breakfast included, as listed.

Elsewhere in this part of Tyrol, All-Suite Resort Ötztal in Oetz lists apartments about 100 m from the Acherkogelbahn with a shared bath house and pools, and AlpinLodges Kühtai in Kühtai lists ski-in/ski-out lodges with a private sauna in the largest, Adlerhorst. In Obergurgl, Chalet Obergurgl Luxury Apartments pairs a bathroom for every bedroom with a shared indoor pool.

See:Chalet Alpenheim Simone

One valley, four areas

Zillertal chalets: Mayrhofen, Fügen and the Zillertal Arena

The Zillertal has four ski areas on one pass, the Zillertal Superskipass: Mayrhofen's MOUNTOPOLIS, the Zillertal Arena, Hochzillertal-Hochfügen-Spieljoch and the Hintertux Glacier, according to Zillertal tourism and the Fügen-Kaltenbach tourist office. Mayrhofen alone has 142 km of pistes and 61 lifts, and the Zillertal Arena has 150 km and 52 lifts, reaching across into Salzburg state. The Zillertal Arena page covers Zell am Ziller and Gerlos.

In Mayrhofen, EMMA's Chalet is 340 m² over three storeys for six to nine, with the Penkenbahn listed 60 m away; pets, a private sauna and a fireplace are confirmed by two sources. Apart Central has Chalet Royal for up to sixteen across eight bedrooms with its own spa, while Chalet Residenz Zillertal Mühlermoos and Brugger ChaletDorf are three- and four-bedroom chalets with private wellness, as their owners list it.

Around Fügen the stays lean towards groups and serviced chalets. HochLeger lists three chalets with daily cleaning and breakfast included, Naturlodge Tirol a six-bedroom timber lodge with a firm no-parties rule, and Chalet Almdorf Fügen five bedrooms for up to ten with a bus stop listed 5 metres away. In Aschau, Chalet Rocking Home takes 16 to 20 across eight bedrooms, with the lift listed 3.6 km away. The Zillertal chalet guide goes village by village.

See:HochLeger

Quieter corners

The Achensee, East Tyrol and other quieter Tyrolean bases

Not every Tyrolean stay sits in a big-name resort. At the Achensee, Meerberg in Pertisau has two apartment types for up to four, one with a private hot pot and one with a sauna, and Purest in Achenkirch has six suites led by a 120 m² penthouse with a Finnish sauna and a terrace whirlpool, as listed.

East Tyrol is the separate southern part of the state. Kals am Großglockner lies there, in the Großglockner Resort Kals-Matrei, according to the resort and an independent encyclopedia. Gradonna Mountain Resort Chalets & Hotel has a Deluxe chalet listed directly on the piste, with a private Finnish and infrared spa and roughly 250 m² for two to six, plus a washing machine and ski storage, as the owner lists them.

A few interesting houses sit in villages that do not yet have their own page. Boutique Hotel und Chalets Bergwiesenglück in See im Paznaun pairs a private sauna and outdoor bath with breakfast or half board, and Apartment Fluchthorn in Ischgl is listed for up to five. The full list of stays shows every property with its confirmed and listed facts.

See:Purest

Getting there

Getting to a chalet in Tyrol: airports, transfers and driving

Innsbruck is the obvious airport for most of Tyrol, but the best choice depends on the valley. On official figures, Sölden is 83 km and about 1 hour 15 minutes from Innsbruck, St Anton and Ischgl each about 100 km, and the SkiWelt about 80 km, with independent transfer operators close behind. For the SkiWelt, Salzburg is a real alternative at about 80 km too.

Zurich works for the Arlberg: Ski Arlberg lists it 200 km from St Anton, with a direct train connection. Munich serves the whole state but is further from most resorts, with official road distances to St Anton and Sölden well over 200 km. Pick the airport after the valley, not before.

Self-drive groups should sort two things before the border. Austria's motorway network requires a vignette, and ASFINAG, the road operator, sells it online in digital form; the Arlberg is one of the stretches with an extra section toll on top. When snow, slush or ice is on the road in winter, the law asks for winter tyres with a minimum 4 mm tread. How to reach a chalet in Austria by air, rail and road goes resort by resort.

See:Getting to your chalet in Austria

Choosing

How to choose between Tyrol's ski areas and chalets

Pick the ski area first, then the house. Strong skiers who want high, steep terrain tend to start with the Arlberg, Sölden or Ischgl. Mixed groups who want mileage on red and blue runs often do well in the SkiWelt, the Zillertal or Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis. Anyone nervous about snow at the start or end of the season should favour the higher bases or a valley with a glacier.

Then filter by your group. Count beds and bathrooms, decide if you want meals provided or a kitchen of your own, and set a maximum walk to the lift. Distances on this site come from the listings and are labelled as listed; a missing distance is a question for the owner before you pay a deposit. If the format is still open, read choosing a chalet or an apartment.

Finally, look across the border. Salzburgerland has its own big areas, and the Zillertal Arena crosses into it. The Salzburgerland chalets page and the Königsleiten chalet page are the next step if Tyrol's resorts do not fit, and how we compare and label stays sets out the rules behind every fact here.

See:Chalets in Salzburgerland