18:00
Latest Saturday shop closing
The general rule lets shops open until 18:00 on Saturdays, so a late arrival on a Saturday can mean no big food shop until Monday.
Source: Land Tirol, WKO OberösterreichThis guide takes the question apart piece by piece. It sets out what a catered week normally includes and what it leaves out, how a self-catered week really runs once you factor in Austrian shop hours, and which groups tend to be happier with each. It also shows where on this site a meal service is confirmed by two sources, and where it is not, so you know which listings to question before you commit.
One rule runs through all of it. Compare like with like. A catered stay bundles meals, drinks and housekeeping into one booking, while a self-catered stay leaves those to you. Write down what each option includes, add what the group would buy and cook itself, and only then decide. That habit settles more arguments than any amount of reading reviews.
Do not compare a catered price with a self-catered one without adding up what you would spend on food and drink yourselves.
At a glance
The essentials in numbers
- Catered usually covers
- Breakfast, afternoon tea or cake, an evening meal and housekeepingSource: WeSki, Ski Basics
- Usually not covered
- Lunch, which most guests eat on the mountainSource: WeSki, Ski Basics
- Host time off
- Hosts usually get time off during the week, so plan at least one meal outSource: WeSki, Maison Sport
- Dinner timing
- Catered dinner is normally served at a set time for the whole groupSource: WeSki, Skiworld
- Shop hours in Austria
- Monday to Friday 6:00 to 21:00, Saturday until 18:00 at the latestSource: Land Tirol, WKO Oberösterreich
- Sunday shopping
- Most shops are closed; resort villages can have limited exceptionsSource: Land Tirol, The Local Austria
72 hours
Weekly shop opening cap
Austrian shops may trade for at most 72 hours a week in total, which is why many close earlier than the legal window allows.
Source: Land Tirol, WKO Oberösterreich
301 km
Pistes in Ski Arlberg
Four of the five chalets on this site with meals confirmed by two sources sit in St Anton, in the Ski Arlberg area.
Source: Ski Arlberg, Skiresort.com
214 km
Pistes in Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis
The fifth confirmed catered chalet is in Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis, a linked ski area of three villages in Tyrol.
Source: Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis tourism, Skiresort.com
about 100 km
Innsbruck airport to St Anton
Innsbruck is the nearest airport to the St Anton catered chalets, with Zurich at roughly twice that distance.
Source: Ski Arlberg, InTheSnowChoose your route
Where to go next with your choice
Someone else cooks
If the group wants dinner on the table without a rota, start with the chalets where meals are confirmed by two sources.
ExploreA big group, one kitchen
Cooking for ten or more yourselves works best in a house with enough bathrooms and a table that seats everyone.
Explore
Sauna after the slopes
For self-catered stays where the wellness side matters as much as the kitchen, compare the chalets with a confirmed sauna or hot tub.
ExploreStill choosing the building
If the question is a whole chalet or a unit in a larger house, settle that first and the meals question gets easier.
ExploreThe definition
What a catered chalet is and what it normally includes
A catered chalet is a chalet where cooking and cleaning are part of the stay. The usual building blocks are breakfast, tea or cake when you come back from skiing, and an evening meal, with housekeeping during the week. Many catered stays serve wine with dinner. The details vary by provider, so treat the word catered as a heading, and the inclusions list on the booking page as the actual contract.
Lunch is the meal that is normally missing. Most catered arrangements assume you eat on the mountain, in a hut or a restaurant near the lifts, and some hosts offer a packed lunch on request. If your group likes a long lunch break back at base, that changes the sums, because the chalet kitchen may not be yours to use in the middle of the day.
Hosts also need time off. Most weekly catered stays give the host at least one evening or day without service, which means one night when the group eats out or fends for itself. The number of cooked evenings is therefore the single most useful figure to compare, and sources disagree on a standard, so read it per chalet rather than assuming a fixed pattern.
On this site, meals are shown as included only where two independent sources confirm it. That is the case at Chalet Christiane in St Anton, a house for 16 with eight bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a private sauna and a fireplace. Where meals are not confirmed, we do not assume either way, and you should ask the owner directly.
Your own kitchen
What a self-catered chalet gives you, and what it asks of you
Self-catered means the chalet comes with a kitchen and the meals are your job. You choose when to eat, what to eat and whether to eat in at all. For a group that likes to drift back from the slopes at different times, that freedom is the main attraction. For a group that wants to sit down together at seven without anyone peeling potatoes, it is the main drawback.
The kitchen matters more than the photos of the living room. Count the hobs and the oven space, look for a dishwasher, and check that the dining table seats the whole party. A house for twelve with a kitchen built for four makes every evening a queue. If the listing does not say, ask for a photo of the kitchen and the table before you book.
Housekeeping is the other unknown. Some self-catered stays include bed linen, towels and a clean at the end, others list them as extras or leave them out. None of that is visible in the word self-catered, so ask which of the three are included and whether there is a mid-week clean on a longer stay. A missing towel order is a small thing until twelve people need one.
Most of the large houses on this site are listed without a confirmed meal service. Chalet Bachgut Berg in Saalbach-Hinterglemm is a good example: eight bedrooms, eight bathrooms and 340 square metres for 16 guests, with the piste listed 50 metres away. Plan a stay like that as self-catered unless the owner tells you otherwise, and browse the wider ski chalets in Austria for more of the same kind.
The daily rhythm
How a catered day and a self-catered day differ on a ski week
The biggest difference is the clock. In a catered chalet, dinner is usually served at a set time for everyone, and breakfast runs to a window the host sets. That rhythm suits groups who want to ski the same hours and regroup in the evening. It suits less well a group with early risers, late après fans and a teenager who sleeps until ten.
A self-catered week moves the clock to you. Breakfast can be at six for the first lift or at ten for the slow starters, and dinner can wait until the last person is back from the sauna. The trade is effort. Someone shops, someone cooks and someone clears up, every day, and on a ski week those jobs land at the moments when legs are most tired.
Communal dining is part of what catered means. Everyone eats together, often around one long table, and the host serves. Many people book catered for exactly that, because it turns a group holiday into shared evenings without anyone running the kitchen. If your party includes people who prefer to eat alone or out, that same fixed dinner can feel like an obligation.
A useful test is to picture the third evening. At Chalet Alpinum in St Anton, meals, a hot tub and a private sauna are all confirmed, so that evening looks like sauna, dinner served, early night. In a self-catered house it looks like a supermarket run, a cooking rota and a later meal. Neither is wrong; one simply matches your group better than the other.
Shop hours
Self-catered stays in Austria: shop opening hours you need to plan around
Austrian shop hours shape a self-catered week more than most visitors expect. Under the national rules, shops may open from 6:00 to 21:00 on weekdays and from 6:00 to 18:00 on Saturdays, with a cap of 72 hours of trading per week. Because of that weekly cap, many shops close earlier than the legal window allows, so check the actual hours of the shop nearest your chalet.
Sundays are the real catch. Most shops are closed on Sundays, with exceptions for places such as stations, airports and petrol stations, and bakeries often open for part of the day. Tyrol allows limited Sunday opening for everyday goods in named resort villages during the season, and that list includes places such as St Anton, Sölden, Serfaus, Gerlos and Kitzbühel. Check your own village rather than assuming.
The practical consequence is the arrival shop. If your week starts on a Saturday and you reach the chalet in the evening, the shops may already be shut, and if you arrive on a Sunday the choice can be thin until Monday morning. Plan the first evening meal and breakfast before you travel, stop at a supermarket on the transfer route, or ask the owner whether a welcome shop can be arranged.
Location helps. Chalet Rocking Home in Aschau im Zillertal takes 16 to 20 guests and lists a bus stop 25 metres away, which makes a car-free shopping trip realistic. A house far up a side valley turns every forgotten item into a drive. Our guide to getting to your chalet in Austria covers the transfer routes where that first shop usually happens.
Groups of ten or more
Catered or self-catered for a large group chalet in Austria
For large groups, a catered stay removes the hardest logistical job of the week. Cooking for twenty in a domestic kitchen is a real undertaking, and it tends to fall on the same two or three people. A catered house takes that off the table. At Chalet Alber in St Anton, meals are confirmed for a house of 15 bedrooms and 14 bathrooms that sleeps 32 to 39.
The same logic applies in Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis, where Chalet Kelle has twelve bedrooms with twelve bathrooms, room for 26 to 35 guests, a private sauna and an included meal service. Houses on that scale are rare, and having the meals confirmed means the group can spend its energy on the skiing and the evenings rather than on menus and shopping lists.
Cooking for a big group yourselves is still very doable if the house is set up for it. Look at bathrooms first: Chalet Alte Mühle in Hopfgarten has nine bedrooms but six bathrooms for 20 to 25 guests, so mornings need a plan before meals do. Then look at the kitchen and the table. A cooking rota by room or by family keeps the load fair.
Mixed groups often land in the middle. A self-catered house with a chef booked for one or two evenings gives the group a couple of served dinners without booking a full catered week, and some owners can help find one. Ask about this when you book rather than once you are there. Our page on large chalets for groups lists the houses big enough for these plans.
Children and meals
Catered or self-catered with children: what families should weigh up
For families, the deciding factor is usually bedtime. A catered dinner at a fixed hour may be too late for small children, so ask whether the host serves an early children's supper and whether high chairs and travel cots are available. Some catered providers offer exactly that, others do not, and the answer is rarely in the headline description.
A self-catered stay gives families control over timing and food. Children who ski school in the morning and nap in the afternoon can eat at five, and a fussy eater gets the pasta they actually like. The effort is real, though, and on a short week the parent who cooks can end up with less holiday than everyone else. Share the jobs out before you leave.
Two families sharing a self-catered house works best with clear space. Almchalet Dorfblick in Mühlbach am Hochkönig is a whole chalet for twelve with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a fireplace, and pets are confirmed. That layout suits two families who eat together, but agree in advance who cooks which night and how the bathrooms work in the morning.
If the family includes grandparents or non-skiers, the house becomes a daytime base too, and a self-catered kitchen means lunch at home is simple. A catered chalet usually expects you out at lunchtime. Families who plan a mixed winter and summer pattern can also compare the summer chalet holidays in Austria, where long days outdoors change the meals question again.
Where meals are confirmed
Catered chalets in Austria on this site: St Anton and Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis
Catered chalets in Austria cluster in a few resorts, and on this site four of the five houses with meals confirmed by two sources are in St Anton am Arlberg. St Anton is part of Ski Arlberg, with around 300 km of pistes and 85 lifts, a village base at about 1,300 m and a top station at 2,811 m. Innsbruck is the nearest airport at about 100 km.
The St Anton houses differ mainly in size and in their bathroom ratios. Chalet Levett takes 22 to 24 guests in eleven bedrooms with seven bathrooms and a private sauna, so it suits a group that is relaxed about sharing. Chalet Christiane and Chalet Alpinum are smaller, with a bathroom for every bedroom, and Chalet Alber is the largest of the four.
The fifth confirmed catered house is Chalet Kelle in Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis, a ski area of 214 km and 38 lifts spread over three villages in Tyrol, running from about 1,200 m to 2,828 m. For a very large group that wants served meals outside the Arlberg, it is the one option on this site where meals are confirmed.
Outside those resorts we have not confirmed a meal service at any house. That does not mean none exists, only that we will not show it until two sources agree. Our St Anton chalets guide covers the village and the ski area in detail, and how we compare stays explains the two-source rule behind every amenity on the site.
Where self-catered wins
When a self-catered chalet in Austria is the better choice
A self-catered stay shines when the house itself is the attraction. A chalet with a private sauna, a hot tub and skis-on access turns the evening into something you organise around the building, and cooking at home fits that rhythm. Chalet Edelweissalm in Königsleiten is listed for ten to twelve guests with a private sauna, a hot tub, a fireplace and a washing machine all confirmed.
It also shines in resorts where eating out is easy and varied. If the village has plenty of restaurants within walking distance, a self-catered house lets you cook three nights and go out on the others. The ski area guides on this site, such as the one for chalets in the Zillertal Arena, describe how spread out each village is, which decides whether walking to dinner is realistic.
Groups with mixed diets often prefer to cook for themselves. Vegans, coeliacs and children with allergies can all be fed at a catered chalet if you flag it at booking, but a self-catered kitchen removes the need to explain and trust. For a group with several different requirements, buying and cooking your own food is often the calmer route.
Finally, a self-catered stay suits groups who ski at very different levels and hours. In Sölden, Chalet Willi has seven bedrooms and seven bathrooms for 16 guests over four floors, with the Gaislachkogelbahn listed 1,000 metres away. A house like that lets the early group leave at eight and the late group eat at nine without anyone waiting on a set dinner.
Diets and drinks
Dietary needs and drinks in a catered chalet
Flag every dietary requirement when you book, not when you arrive. Common needs such as vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free menus are usually manageable for a catered host given notice, and more unusual requirements are worth a conversation before you commit. A host cooking for sixteen plans the week's menus and shopping around the whole group, so late changes are harder to absorb.
Drinks are the other line to read carefully. Wine with dinner is common in catered stays, but the amount varies, and beer, soft drinks and spirits are often separate. If your group drinks more than a glass or two at dinner, ask exactly what is included so nobody is surprised at the end of the week. Self-catered groups simply buy their own, within the shop hours above.
Children's meals belong in the same conversation. Ask whether children eat the same menu, earlier or separately, and whether the host can adapt dishes for small appetites. In a self-catered house this sorts itself out, which is one reason families with toddlers often choose it even when a catered option is available nearby.
Where the house matters as much as the menu, look at the wellness side as well. Several catered houses in St Anton have a private sauna, and our page of chalets with a sauna or hot tub in Austria shows where those facilities are confirmed. A sauna before a served dinner is a big part of why groups choose catered in the first place.
Comparing fairly
How to compare a catered and a self-catered chalet like for like
Start with a simple table. For each option, write down the number of cooked dinners, which breakfasts are served, whether afternoon tea is included, what drinks come with dinner, and how often the house is cleaned. Then add what the self-catered group would have to buy and do itself. Comparing the headline offer of a catered stay with a bare self-catered rental tells you very little.
Next, count the evenings out. A catered week with one host evening off still leaves at least one dinner to find, and a self-catered week may include several nights in restaurants anyway. If your group plans to eat out three times, the self-catered kitchen does less work than it seems, and the catered package may include meals you would skip.
Then look at people, not meals. Ask who in the group would cook, whether they want to, and how the jobs would be shared. A group with one keen cook and eleven willing helpers is a different proposition from a group where nobody wants the job. That answer, more than anything on a booking page, tends to decide whether a self-catered week works.
Finally, check what each house is like as a building. Bedrooms, bathrooms and shared space affect a self-catered week far more than a catered one, because you spend more time in the kitchen and around the table. If you are still deciding between a whole house and a unit, our guide on whether to choose a chalet or an apartment in Austria covers that choice.
Before you book
Questions to ask the owner before booking a catered or self-catered chalet
For a catered chalet, ask five things in writing. How many evenings dinner is served, and which evening is the host's night off. Which breakfasts are cooked and which are laid out. Whether afternoon tea or cake is included. What drinks come with dinner. And how dietary requirements and children's meals are handled. The answers belong in the booking confirmation, and not only in an email thread.
For a self-catered chalet, the questions are about the house. How many people the kitchen and dining table are set up for. Whether bed linen, towels and a final clean are included. Where the nearest supermarket is and what its Sunday hours are. Whether a welcome shop or a chef for an evening can be arranged. And whether a washing machine is available, which matters on a long ski week.
Both types share some questions. Ask about the bed split per bedroom, the number of bathrooms, the distance to the lift or ski bus, and whether any sauna or hot tub is private or shared. Those answers decide how comfortable the week is regardless of who cooks. In Königsleiten, Chalet Pinzgauer Almhütte lists six bedrooms, six bathrooms and a lift 50 metres away, which answers most of them before you ask.
When the answers are in, the choice usually makes itself. If you want to browse every listing side by side, the full list of stays shows each house with its confirmed facts, and the chalets by destination page sorts them by resort so you can see where catered and self-catered options sit within the same valley.
Practical answers
Questions about catered vs self-catered chalets in austria
What catered means
What is a catered chalet?
A catered chalet is a ski chalet where meals and housekeeping are part of the stay. The usual package is breakfast, tea or cake in the afternoon and an evening meal, with the house cleaned during the week. Lunch is normally not included, and the host usually has some time off. The exact inclusions differ per chalet, so read the list on the booking page.
What is included in a catered chalet in Austria?
In a catered chalet in Austria you can usually expect breakfast, an afternoon snack such as cake, a served evening meal and housekeeping, with wine often served at dinner. Lunch is usually your own affair on the mountain. The number of cooked evenings and the drinks included vary from house to house, so ask for both in writing before booking.
What does a chalet host do in a catered chalet?
In a catered chalet the host runs the house for the group: preparing breakfast, setting out afternoon tea, cooking and serving dinner, and keeping the chalet clean for the group during the stay. They normally have at least one evening or day off during a week, when the group eats out or helps itself.
Do catered chalets have a night off?
Most catered chalets give the host time off during the week, so plan for at least one evening when dinner is not served and the group eats out or cooks for itself. Sources disagree on how many evenings are standard, which is why the number of cooked dinners per stay is the figure to check for each individual catered chalet.
Choosing between them
What is the difference between a catered and a self-catered chalet?
In a catered chalet a host cooks and cleans for you, with breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner usually included. In a self-catered chalet you get the kitchen and do the shopping, cooking and clearing up yourselves. Catered gives shared, served evenings at a set time; self-catered gives full control over when and what the group eats.
What is a self-catered chalet?
A self-catered chalet is a chalet rented with its own kitchen and no meal service, so the group buys and cooks its own food. Bed linen, towels and a final clean may or may not be included, depending on the owner. It suits groups who want flexible mealtimes, mixed diets or several evenings eating out in the village.
Are catered chalets only for large groups?
Catered chalets are not only for large groups, but on this site the Austrian chalets with meals confirmed by two sources are all large houses, from 15 guests at Chalet Alpinum to 39 at Chalet Alber in St Anton. Smaller groups looking for served meals may find a hotel with board options a closer match.
Is a catered or self-catered chalet better for families?
Both can work for families. A catered chalet removes cooking but serves dinner at a set time, so ask whether children can eat earlier. A self-catered chalet lets children eat when they need to and suits fussy eaters, but someone has to shop and cook every day. Families with toddlers often find self-catered easier.
What is part catered compared with self-catered?
Part catered usually means only some meals are served, often breakfast plus a set number of dinners, while self-catered means no meals at all. A practical middle route for a self-catered chalet is to book a chef for one or two evenings, which some owners can help with. Ask exactly which meals a part catered offer covers.
Practical questions
Are there catered chalets in Austria?
Yes. On this site, a meal service is confirmed by two sources at Chalet Alber, Chalet Alpinum, Chalet Christiane and Chalet Levett in St Anton am Arlberg, and at Chalet Kelle in Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis. Other houses may offer meals too, but we only show meals as included once two independent sources agree.
Can a catered chalet handle dietary requirements?
A catered chalet can usually handle common dietary requirements such as vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free food if you tell the provider when you book. Less common needs are worth discussing before you commit. Give the details per person, including children, because the host plans the shopping and menus for the whole week in advance.
Are shops open on Sundays near a self-catered chalet in Austria?
Most Austrian shops are closed on Sundays, and on Saturdays they may open until 18:00 at the latest. Tyrol allows limited Sunday opening for everyday goods in named resort villages during the season, including St Anton, Sölden and Gerlos. For a self-catered chalet, plan the first meals before you arrive and check the local supermarket hours.
Should you tip a chalet host in a catered chalet?
Tipping a catered chalet host is a personal choice, and we found no fixed rule or standard amount we could confirm. Check the booking terms to see whether any service element is included. If nothing is stated and the host looked after the group well, many guests leave something at the end of the week.
Sources used on this page (15)
Every figure on this page comes from an official source and at least one independent source. Where they disagreed, we left the number out.
- WeSki: What is a catered ski chalet independent
- Ski Basics: What's included in a catered ski chalet independent
- Maison Sport: What to expect on a catered ski chalet holiday independent
- Snowcarbon: Chalets, chalets, chalets independent
- Skiworld: Catered vs self-catered ski chalets independent
- Land Tirol: Öffnungszeiten (Öffnungszeitengesetz 2003 and Tiroler Öffnungszeitenverordnung 2008) official
- WKO Oberösterreich: Offenhalten im Handel official
- The Local Austria: Why everything in Austria is closed on Sundays independent
- Leo Trippi: Catered vs self-catered ski chalets independent
- Ski Arlberg: ski resort official
- Skiresort.com: Ski Arlberg independent
- Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis tourism: ski area official
- Skiresort.com: Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis independent
- Ski Arlberg: St. Anton getting here official
- InTheSnow: St Anton getting there independent
Put it into practice
Find stays in the places this guide covers
St Anton am Arlberg6 stays
Sölden12 staysSaalbach-Hinterglemm7 stays
Königsleiten8 staysZell am See3 staysZillertal11 stays
Zillertal Arena13 stays
Kitzbühel and Kirchberg8 staysSki amadé: Flachau, Wagrain and Großarl10 stays
Neukirchen and Bramberg3 stays
Brixen im Thale and the SkiWelt10 staysOr choose by type: ski chalets, large group chalets, chalets with a sauna or hot tub, ski apartments and small hotels.
Turn the guide into a shortlist
Browse the stays that pass our checks and save the ones you like.