skiing near vienna
One of the most frequent questions posed by visitors to Ski-Austria is how to get skiing from Vienna.
Most of the site's coverage is naturally concentrated on the western side of Austria, as that is where the largest and best-known resorts are located.
Of course there are smaller resorts all over the country, some even closer to Vienna than the ones that have been chosen for this page.
But skiing with a single ski lift on a crowded ski slope is probably not what the normal skier wants to experience if they are making the effort to get out from the capital city and onto the piste.
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ski resorts near vienna
You aren't going to find a cable car sweeping up to a wealth of challenging slopes like you may do further to the west in Salzburg or the Tyrol.
However, here are six resorts that generally have decent snow conditions, are not too far from Austria's capital and have enough ski runs to keep an intermediate skier happy for a day...
Semmering
Semmering
is not the most extensive or highest ski resort, but it is arguably the
best-known of the six winter destinations picked for this page. Around an hour's drive
from Vienna, Semmering is located to the south-west on the border between Styria
and Lower Austria. The Zauberberg Semmering area boasts 1 gondola, one chairlift and a draglift and a
vertical drop of 336m, while the nearby Stuhleck area at Spital am Semmering has four chairlifts, six draglifts and a vertical of just under 1000m.
Altitude: 1000m
Distance from Vienna: 100km
Websites: www.stuhleck.at | semmering.com
Mönichkirchen - Mariensee
Another
small ski resort an hour's drive to the southwest of Vienna near the border between Lower
Austria and Styria, the Mönichkirchen - Mariensee Skischaukel is close
to the A2 motorway and offers three 4-seater chairlifts and a draglift, with
a vertical drop of around 2000
feet
(580m).
Altitude: 880m
Distance from Vienna: 98km
Website: www.schischaukel.net
Mönichkirchen Webcam
Sankt Corona am Wechsel
St
Corona is the third of the resorts close to Vienna on the Lower Austria border
with Styria and only around an hour away from the city. At a similar altitude
to its nearby rivals above and again easily reached by the motorway, the St
Corona
am Wechsel ski area offers two chairlifts and a draglift with a total altitude
difference of just under 2000 feet (570m).
Altitude: 850m
Distance from Vienna: 98km
Website: www.familienarena.at
Annaberg
Situated
in the Mostviertel, the Annaberg ski area is a family resort near the Ötscher mountain. With three chairlifts and six draglifts it is one of
the bigger ski resorts near Vienna, but it is another 45 minutes' drive further
away than the three already mentioned above and further to the west. It has
a drop of just under 1800 feet (535m).
Altitude: 805m
Distance from Vienna: 116km
Website: www.annaberg.info
Annaberg Webcam
Ötscher
Moving
further away from Vienna to the west, the Ötscher ski area above the village
of Lackenhof approaches the vertical drop and facilities of the smaller resorts
in Austria's traditional skiing regions. Three chairlifts and six draglifts
serve the runs which rise over 3500 feet (1080m). The area is just over two
hours' drive from the city.
Altitude: 810m
Distance from Vienna: 156km
Website: www.oetscher.at
Ötscher Webcam
Hochkar
The Hochkar ski area is
the largest of the six chosen on this page. It is located just over two hours' drive to the
west and south of the city near the border between Styria and Lower Austria
and near the village of Göstling an der Ybbs. It has a relatively
small vertical drop of under 1400 feet (416m) but a high initial starting point.
Altitude: 1390m
Distance from Vienna: 161km
Website: www.hochkar.com
Hochkar Live Image
More information about staying in Vienna itself can be found on our sister Vienna Direct site.