Chalets in the Zillertal Arena

The ski area

The Zillertal Arena at a glance: one pass, four bases, two states

Start with the scale. The Zillertal tourist board gives the Arena 52 lifts and 150 km of pistes, and an independent ski database agrees on both. Its lift network crosses the state line between Tyrol and the Salzburg province, which explains the mix of addresses you will see in listings. At 2,500 m, the Übergangsjoch marks the top of the Arena and joins the Zell am Ziller and Gerlos sectors.

A single lift pass covers it. The Zillertal Superskipass is valid across the Arena and the valley's other large ski areas, more than 500 km of pistes in all, and it includes the Zillertal ski buses. For a week spent in one village that matters less than it sounds, but it lets a group split for a day, with stronger skiers heading elsewhere while the rest stay local.

Where you sleep decides how each ski day begins. A base in Zell am Ziller starts every morning with a gondola ride from the valley, Gerlos sits in the middle with its own village lifts, and Königsleiten puts you on snow at the edge of the village. The ski chalets in Austria overview compares the Arena with the country's other big chalet areas.

See:Ski chalets in Austria

By ability

Zillertal Arena terrain for beginners, intermediates and experts

The Arena is an intermediate's ski area first. Two independent ski databases put most of the pistes in the red category, roughly a third in blue and only a small share in black, so confident intermediates have the most to explore. If your group spans several levels, pick a base where a blue run reaches the village and let the stronger skiers roam further.

Beginners are well served. Both databases score the area highly for first-timers and families, there are ski schools and children's ski schools across the bases, and children's areas such as the Funty slope at Zell am Ziller give small skiers somewhere gentle of their own. Stay near a nursery slope in your first week, so the first lesson of each day is a few minutes away on foot.

Experts will find the black runs limited in number, so treat the Arena as big cruising terrain and add guided off-piste, a ski tour or a day on another part of the Superskipass. Freestylers have several parks, including the Gerlos snowpark and the Kreuzwiese action park at Zell am Ziller. For steeper terrain elsewhere, compare the top Austrian ski resorts for chalet holidays.

See:Best ski resorts in Austria for chalet holidays

Gerlos

Apartments in Gerlos, at the centre of the Zillertal Arena

Gerlos is where our selection switches from chalets to apartments. Apartments Johanna are listed for five to twelve guests, Apartments Lena for two to six and Sruh Prime Apartment for anything from two to sixteen. Each range reflects different units or configurations, so read it as a menu of options rather than a single figure for one home.

Little else is confirmed for these three yet: bedroom and bathroom counts, lift distances and amenities are all still open. That makes the questions simple. Ask how many apartments your group would get, how the beds are split, how far the nearest lift or ski bus stop is, and whether there is somewhere to store skis and dry boots overnight.

An apartment in Gerlos makes sense for a group that wants a village around it more than a whole house. If two families book neighbouring units, each keeps its own front door and can still share dinner. Our guide to choosing a chalet or an apartment sets out the trade-offs in plain terms for groups of different sizes.

See:Ski apartments in Austria

Travel

Getting to the Zillertal Arena by road, rail and air

Innsbruck is the closest airport to the Arena, with Salzburg and Munich further out, and the tourist offices put the drive from the three airports at between 90 minutes and two and a half hours. The Zell am Ziller end is the quickest to reach from the Inn valley motorway; the Gerlos and Salzburg-side bases add the climb up the Gerlos valley.

By road, leave the A12 Inntal motorway at the Zillertal exit (you need a vignette for the motorway) and carry on up the valley road as far as Zell am Ziller. For Gerlos and Königsleiten, continue on the B165 up the Gerlos valley and over the pass. The Gerlos Alpine Road has a toll section, but while the lifts are running, anyone holding an Arena ski pass goes through the toll lane without charge.

By rail, head for Jenbach, a stop on the Innsbruck to Salzburg main line, where the narrow-gauge Zillertalbahn runs up the valley to Zell am Ziller and Mayrhofen. From Zell am Ziller, buses continue to Gerlos and Königsleiten, and line 4094 links Mayrhofen, Zell, Gerlos and Königsleiten. Superskipass holders ride the valley's ski buses as part of their pass.

From the Salzburg side, Pinzgau Local Railway trains currently terminate at Mittersill after leaving Zell am See, and buses replace the stretch towards Krimml while it is rebuilt. Our guide to reaching your chalet in Austria compares airport transfers, hire cars and trains for groups travelling together, so you can weigh one hire car against a shared transfer.

See:Getting to your chalet in Austria

Families

The Zillertal Arena with children

Families get good marks for the Arena from independent guides, and the set-up helps: children's ski schools, children's areas such as the Funty slope at Zell am Ziller, and a visitor nursery in winter. The FUNty mascot turns up across the area, down to a photo point at the top of the Dorfbahn Königsleiten.

For a family week, the base matters more than the size of the area. A chalet within a few hundred metres of a lift saves the daily struggle with boots and bags, which is why the Königsleiten chalets are the natural starting point, while a Gerlos apartment puts you in a village with its own lifts and the snowpark close by.

Check three things before booking with children: the real walking route to the lift with skis and boots, whether the sauna or hot tub is lockable, and how the beds are arranged. If two families are sharing, the large chalets for groups page lets you filter by bedrooms and bathrooms across Austria.

See:Chalet or apartment in Austria: what changes for your group

Choosing

Choosing between Zillertal Arena villages and stays

Choose the base before the house. If a short walk to the lift matters most, start with Königsleiten. If you want a village with bars and the snowpark, look at Gerlos. If you arrive by train or want a town on the valley floor, Zell am Ziller is the simple choice. Then compare stays within that base only.

Read capacity carefully. In this area it is often a range: a Gerlos apartment listed for two to sixteen and a chalet for ten to twelve are both honest listings, but neither tells you how many beds are in each room. We show bedroom and bathroom counts only where two sources agree, and say so when they conflict; how we compare has the detail.

Finally, set the Arena against the alternatives. The chalets in Tyrol and chalets in Salzburgerland pages cover the two states this area straddles, and all stays lets you sort the whole site by group size, bedrooms and confirmed features. If the Arena still fits best, return to the stays above and shortlist two or three to question.

See:How we compareAll stays