Christmas and snow are a magical combination. Snowfall adds to the festive excitement, and heading off to a winter resort in the Austrian mountains makes it extra special too. Many Austrian resorts not only offer great Christmas skiing but also wonderful Advent markets during the festive period. With twinkling fairy lights, Christmas trees, mulled wine, and traditional music, these established, romantic, and festive market stalls make your ski trip even more amazing.
Add to this the down-to-earth, honest welcome of the local people—their attitude to life helps you feel truly relaxed on your holiday and fully connected to the beautiful, natural world all around. It’s a way of being known as ‘Lebensgefühl’ to the Austrians, and you’ll find it present in every part of your holiday, taking it to a different, deeper level of contentment.
SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser-Brixental
Skiing in the SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser-Brixental © SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser-Brixental Marketing GmbH Dietmar Denger
The SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser-Brixental takes some saying (so it’s just The SkiWelt—meaning “Ski world” to its friends), but then it takes some skiing with an incredible 275 km of slopes, making it indeed one of the biggest areas in the ski world. Over more than 30 years of working together, the SkiWelt has invested more than half a billion euros into creating not only one of the largest but also one of the most successful ski destinations in the world. And it’s all only an hour’s drive from Salzburg, Innsbruck, or Munich.
But it’s not just about size; the SkiWelt is also one of Austria’s most modern and environmentally friendly ski resorts. It’s also about having a great holiday, however much or little you choose to ski, and with a welcoming ski hut offering a warm welcome and fabulous food on average every 3.5 km (just over two miles) of slopes, you might be tempted to stop quite often.
For festive fun, the SkiWelt is home to Ellmi’s Zauberhafter Bergadvent, also known as Europe’s highest Christmas land, up at 1,555 m. It’s open from 4.30 – 10.00 pm on the weekends of 6-7th, 13-14th and 20-21st December, 2024.
Innsbruck
Mountain Christmas Innsbruck 2024 © Daniel Zangerl
You’ll feel wonderful visiting the beautiful capital of the Tirol region, the city of Innsbruck. Ringed by alpine peaks, many of them home to ski areas, you’ll enjoy a very different kind of ski holiday.
With your affordable Ski Plus City pass, you’ll have immediate access to no less than 12 separate ski centres surrounding the city, with fast and easy public transport to them included in your pass. Altogether, the pass covers almost 300 km of slopes at centres ranging from smaller family-friendly resorts to freeride Meccas, hosts of multiple Olympic downhill races, and snowsure glacier slopes over 3,000 m high. It’s an incredible range and depth of on-snow experiences.
There’s a whole choice of Christmas markets here, with more than half-a-dozen to choose from. One of the biggest is in the Old Town, where the colourful Christmas market stalls are nestled between attractive medieval buildings and the Golden Roof. A viewing platform offers wonderful views over the roofs of the stalls. Austrian Turmbläser (brass bands) play traditional Christmas music from the Golden Roof and give the market a truly special feel. For something different, the Christmas market on Maria Theresien Street is surrounded by a sparkling sea of modern Christmas lights.
Altenmarkt-Zauchensee
Bergsee Advent © Christian Schartner
If you love a wonderful Austrian ski resort, buried deep in snow, perfect for a Christmas card picture, but you also want a little extra—perhaps the chance to hike up a small hill past a herd of hairy Scottish Highland cows, then eat some strudel at the top before tobogganing back down—then the beautiful SalzburgerLand destination of Altenmarkt-Zauchensee is the place for you!
With its wonderful, unspoilt, natural environment, great attractions, events, fabulous food, and 63 km of downhill ski slopes for all abilities, as well as fantastic freeriding opportunities in the deep powder, Altenmarkt-Zauchensee is your perfect ski holiday destination.
Altenmarkt-Zauchensee maintains a full calendar of events throughout the ski season. The ski season begins in late November, and the Advent period is truly magical here with the Vienna Boys’ Choir, the Advent Market, incense walks, and the Bergsee Advent. You can combine your ski holiday with the maximum possible Christmas cheer!
Kitzbühel
Snow Covered Kitzbuehel © Kitzbuehel Tourism Markus Mitterer
One of the most famous ski resorts in the world, Kitzbühel has it all—stunning scenery, incredible ski slopes, and a vibrant resort town that oozes skiing history and character while also being chock-full of enticing restaurants, hotels, shops, and cafes.
Voted Austria’s Best Ski Resort for the twelfth time in 2024, Kitzbühel is a place where luxury and elegance meet excitement and adventure, with a history dating back at least 750 years. There’s something for everyone, with fabulous facilities for families as well as deep powder for the most experienced skiers.
Kitzbühel is one of the world’s great ski destinations for a reason. The 233 km of slopes are perfectly maintained and served by 58 ultra-modern lifts, most of them fast, comfortable chairlifts and gondolas.
Kitzbühel is a very special place to be in the run-up to Christmas. Its picturesque walled town centre with its cobbled streets becomes even more magical with twinkling lights and festive decorations added too. Kitzbühel’s Advent runs from November 20th to Boxing Day (December 26th), when there are Christmas stalls, festive delicacies to try, and all the magic of Christmases past, present, and future!
St. Johann in Tirol
St. Johanner Christmas Market © Michael Werlberger
When it comes to a winter fairytale destination, it doesn’t get more magical than the region of St. Johann in Tirol, Oberndorf, Kirchdorf, and Erpfendorf. The perfect destination for a wonderful family holiday, the region has its own intimate ski area, perfect for stress-free skiing.
Neighbouring villages St. Johann in Tirol and Oberndorf have 40 km of slopes that are absolutely perfect for both families who can enjoy the wide, sunny, gentle slopes together. If you need more, regional passes cover 171 km and 2,750 km in the wider area. More slopes than you could ski in a whole season!
The Christmas market in the village square provides a pure Advent ambience. Running from 29th November – 24th December 2024, every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the festive lighting immerses the town in anticipation at this most contemplative time of the year. In the Christmas cabins, home-made treats and an ever-changing array of lovingly made handcrafts are available. When it comes to food, visitors to the Christmas market are indulged by the food establishments with delicious festive snacks prepared fresh every market day.
austria.info/en/winter
Main Image © SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser-Brixental Marketing GmbH Dietmar Denger
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