Getting to your chalet in Austria

The Arlberg run

Innsbruck airport to St Anton: transfer, train and drive

Innsbruck airport to St Anton is about 100 km, and by road it takes a little over an hour when the roads are clear. The Ski Arlberg arrival page calls it just over an hour's drive, and one independent transfer company gives about an hour and a quarter, with up to an hour and a half in traffic or poor weather. A private or shared transfer is the simplest option for a group, because it collects you at arrivals and drops you at the door.

The train is a strong alternative, because St Anton am Arlberg station is in the village, a short walk from the cable car stations. An independent ski guide puts it about five minutes on foot from the Galzigbahn and the Rendlbahn. Take bus line F from the airport to Innsbruck main station, about 20 minutes, then a direct train west to St Anton. Ski Arlberg lists direct Railjet and EuroCity trains from Innsbruck and from Zürich, so there is no change on the way.

Which suits you depends on where the chalet stands. A house close to the station and the lifts makes the train easy. Chalet Marmotta Neve sits directly on the piste, so the last stretch is short in winter. Chalet Christiane lists the lift at 1,200 metres, and Chalet Alpinum lists it at 3 kilometres, so for those two a door-to-door transfer saves dragging bags across the village. Ask the owner how guests usually arrive, and whether a pick-up from the station is possible.

Driving yourself means the Inn valley motorway west from Innsbruck, which needs a vignette. If you continue through the Arlberg road tunnel towards Vorarlberg, that tunnel has its own section toll on top. If you drive, ask the owner about parking at the house before you arrive. Our page on chalets in St Anton shows which houses are closest to the lifts.

See:Ski apartments in AustriaAll destinations

Zillertal arrivals

Munich or Innsbruck airport to Mayrhofen and the Zillertal

Innsbruck is the closest airport to Mayrhofen, at about an hour by road according to a transfer company and an independent ski guide. Munich is further, at around two hours on a clear day by the same two sources, but it has far more flights from the UK and beyond. For a week in the chalets of the Zillertal, both work, and the choice usually comes down to flight times and how many of you are travelling.

The rail route is the Zillertal's strong point. The Zillertalbahn, the valley railway, runs from Jenbach on the main Inn valley line up to Mayrhofen, and both the railway itself and an independent ski guide give a half-hourly service. From Munich airport, the Kitzbühel tourist board describes the same first leg for trains into Tyrol: the S-Bahn into Munich, then a train towards Kufstein. From Innsbruck, Jenbach is on the main line east.

Bus stops decide whether the train works for your chalet. Chalet Almdorf Fügen lists a bus stop 5 metres from the door, which helps, but the lift is listed at 1,700 metres. Chalet Rocking Home in Aschau lists a bus stop 25 metres away and the lift at 3.6 kilometres, so a group of 20 there should plan the morning run to the lifts before booking anything else.

Gerlos and Königsleiten belong to the Zillertal Arena, and neither is on the valley railway, so the last stretch is by road. Chalet Pinzgauer Almhütte in Königsleiten lists the piste and the lift at 50 metres, so once you arrive the car can stay put for the week. See chalets in the Zillertal Arena for the houses on that side, and ask each owner about winter road access and parking.

See:Chalets in the ZillertalChalets in the Zillertal Arena

Rail from the UK

Austria ski holidays by train from the UK

You can reach the Austrian Alps by train from London, with one long day or a night on a sleeper. Eurostar runs from London St Pancras to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, and from there onward trains reach Austria. ÖBB's Nightjet sleeper runs overnight from Amsterdam to Austria, and Nightjet lists Innsbruck among its destinations from Amsterdam and Hamburg. That puts you in Innsbruck in the morning, ready for a regional train to the resort.

The route through Switzerland suits St Anton in particular. Eurostar to Paris connects with trains to Zürich, and the railjet from Zürich to Innsbruck runs through the Arlberg tunnel and stops at St Anton am Arlberg. Ski Arlberg lists St Anton among the stations with direct trains from Zürich, so from Zürich you arrive in the village without another change.

Rail makes most sense when the chalet is near a station or a bus stop. St Anton, Zell am See and Kitzbühel have stations close to the lifts. The Zillertal has its valley railway to Mayrhofen. Sölden, Ischgl and Saalbach need a bus for the last stretch from the valley station. The guide to the best ski resorts in Austria compares the ski areas themselves, so you can weigh the rail access against the skiing.

See:Best ski resorts in Austria for chalet holidaysAll guides

Motorway tolls

The Austrian vignette and section tolls

Every car up to 3.5 tonnes on an Austrian motorway or expressway needs a valid vignette, and the rule applies the moment you join the motorway. You can buy it as a digital vignette linked to your number plate, or for now as a sticker. From the 2027 vignette year onwards, the Austrian government says the vignette will only be sold in digital form. Durations run from one day and ten days to two months and a full year.

Mind the timing if you buy online. A digital annual or two-month vignette bought online as a consumer only becomes valid on the 18th day after purchase, because of the EU right of withdrawal for distance sales. The one-day and ten-day vignettes are valid straight away, even online, and any vignette bought at a sales point can be valid immediately. A ten-day vignette covers a single ski week.

A few Alpine routes charge a section toll on top of the vignette. They are the A9 Pyhrn motorway at the Gleinalm and Bosruck tunnels, the A10 Tauern motorway, the A11 Karawanken motorway, the A13 Brenner motorway and the S16 Arlberg expressway through the Arlberg tunnel. The digital section toll for these can also be bought online. Check your route: a drive to St Anton from the east does not need the tunnel, but a drive on into Vorarlberg does.

Arriving from Munich towards Kufstein, the A12 between the border and the Kufstein-Süd junction is exempt from the vignette. The Kitzbühel tourist board points out that beyond that junction, for example to the Wörgl Ost exit for the Brixental, the vignette applies again. Without one, drivers face a substitute toll and, if it goes unpaid, a penalty. The page on chalets in Kitzbühel and Kirchberg covers the houses at the end of that drive.

See:Chalets in KönigsleitenAll stays

Papers and pets

Entering Austria from the UK: passports, EU border checks and dogs

UK citizens can visit Austria without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, counting time in other Schengen countries. Your passport must have been issued less than 10 years before you arrive and must be valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave the Schengen area. Check the issue date as well as the expiry date, because older passports renewed early can fail the first test.

The EU Entry/Exit System has applied at Schengen borders since spring 2026 and replaces passport stamps. At your first entry you may be asked for fingerprints and a photo, and children under 12 are not fingerprinted. GOV.UK advises allowing extra time at the border. ETIAS, the planned EU travel authorisation, is not yet running, so there is nothing to apply for yet.

Driving your own car from the UK, carry your licence, insurance and vehicle documents, and show the UK identifier: a number plate with UK and the Union flag, or a UK sticker on the back. GB stickers are no longer valid. GOV.UK says you do not need a green card to drive in the EU.

A dog travelling from England, Scotland or Wales needs a microchip fitted before or with its rabies vaccination, a wait of at least 21 days after the first vaccination, and an animal health certificate from an official vet issued no more than 10 days before arrival in the EU. A pet passport is not accepted for residents of Great Britain. Almchalet Dorfblick confirms pets, and the page on dog-friendly chalets in Austria lists the others.

See:How we compareHiking holidays in Austria: where to stay and what to check