alpbach ski resort
Alpbach is renowned as one of the prettiest villages in Austria in the summer months with its traditional wooden clad buildings and flower-filled balconies. It's become one of the best-kept secrets on the market in the winter, with some good beginner and intermediate skiing.
The village has always had its fans, with a core of British visitors from the military forming the Alpbach Visitors' Ski Club in the 50s. The skiing is surprisingly extensive for what appears to be a small area and it is relatively easy to get to from the main transport connections in the area.
Elevation: 1000 metres
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Last updated: 12.09.22
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Location: 6236 Alpbach - Tyrol - Austria
Visit the Alpbach Tourist Office website
The village of Alpbach has more than the connection through the ski club with the UK, however. The Alpbach church of St Oswald is named after a former Northumbrian king who was revered by the monks from Scotland and Ireland who travelled to this area in the Dark Ages.
Like many villages on this side of the Inn valley, the settlement didn't just exist because of farming. Mining was also important in the area with gold, silver and copper being extracted from deposits in the region. These days Alpbach is also well-known as the host of the European Forum think tank and discussions.
Alpbach has a good range of accommodation for a relatively small village with
some luxurious upmarket hotels and other family-run pensions and guesthouses.
More information about accommodation in the village
The link between Alpbach and Auffach, one of the Wildschönau ski areas in the next valley to the east, has brought fresh impetus to the skiing in the area. The combined area - being marketed as the Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau ('Ski Juwel' means 'Ski Jewel') - makes both resorts even more attractive and adds much more scope and variety for intermediate level skiers.
More
information about the Alpbach ski area
Alpbach can be easily reached from the motorway which runs between Innsbruck,
Salzburg and Munich, with access via the town of Brixlegg down in the
valley. The nearest airport is in Innsbruck, but it is pretty accessible from Munich and Salzburg as well.
More travel information
What Alpbach is good for...
- pretty village with wood-clad chalet-style houses
- underestimated scope for skiing, especially for intermediate skiers
- traditional type of Tyrolean ski holiday
What Alpbach is not so good for...
- access to lifts is not in the village
- public transport to village is not particularly convenient
