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Compared to the designer-swathed slopes and luxury boutique-lined streets of more widely known Alpine destinations like Gstaad and St. Moritz, Austria’s mountain towns are refreshingly low-key. “There are very luxurious places here,” says Alice Liechtenstein, an Italian-born design curator who relocated to the east Austrian hills two decades ago, taking up residence in her husband’s ancestral castle, “but it’s not ritzy glitzy.” Instead, Austrian resorts center on serious skiing and deeply traditional culture — which, for Austrians, are practically one and the same. “Skiing is our version of football or baseball,” says New York-based sommelier, restaurateur and winemaker Aldo Sohm, who grew up outside of Innsbruck. “It’s who we are.”
Stretching from the border with Liechtenstein (the country) in the east to the Vienna basin in the west, Austria’s Alpine region covers over 20,000 square miles. Depending on which peaks they’re targeting, visitors often fly into Zurich or Munich and then rent a car or take a train into the mountains (Munich to Salzburg is about a two-hour train trip). Sohm prefers to connect through Frankfurt to the Innsbruck airport, which is “small but very efficient,” he says. For a ski vacation here, there’s not much need for a car, notes Liechtenstein. “You walk out of your hotel and you’re at the lifts,” she says.
From November through March, winter sports are the main draw. Many vacationers also come to soak in the area’s natural springs, which are clustered in historic spa towns like Bad Aussee. “Checking into a hotel with thermal baths, soaking and eating and going for walks is the Austrian ideal of a perfect weekend,” says Liechtenstein. There are also several notable places to see art and design and explore local crafts like glassmaking and woodworking. And once the snow melts, the region is “basically paradise” for hikers and bikers, says Sohm.
With so many opportunities to build up an appetite, it makes sense that food here tends toward the hearty. (“You can at least find fish now,” says Liechtenstein. “That wasn’t the case 20 years ago.”) There are several ambitious restaurants and a local custom of notably lavish hotel breakfasts, but for Sohm as well as for the stylist Robert Rabensteiner, who grew up in an Austrian family in the South Tyrol region of Italy and considers knoedel — bread dumplings — far and away his favorite dish, it’s “homey food” that appeals. “I like a restaurant that looks the same as it has forever, where it’s like stepping into another time,” Rabensteiner says.
Perhaps the most popular places to fill up — at least during snow season — are the “huts” at the top of the slopes, where après-ski crowds wash down dumplings and kaiserschmarrn (caramelized, chopped-up pancakes served with rum-soaked raisins and sugar) with copious amounts of alcohol. “There’s this very Austrian thing about having one too many drinks on the mountain and then skiing down,” says Liechtenstein. “Coming from Italy, where after a ski day we go home and shower and put on makeup and high heels — even if it’s snowing — I thought it was insane that everyone was dancing and flirting in their ski boots. But now I get it. You can take the last lift up, dance, have drinks and then ski down again: You just ski a little slower.”
The Insiders
Alice Liechtenstein is an Italian-born, Austria-based design curator who founded Schloss Hollenegg for Design, a residency program and exhibition space for emerging designers.
Robert Rabensteiner is a fashion consultant who hails from the Austria-adjacent South Tyrol region of Italy and now splits his time between Milan and the Dolomites.
Aldo Sohm is a sommelier, winemaker and author and the proprietor of Aldo Sohm Wine Bar in Manhattan. Based in Brooklyn, he was born and raised near Innsbruck, Austria.
Bettina Steindl is the curator and C.E.O. of CampusVäre, a contemporary art and design center in Vorarlberg, Austria. She grew up in her family’s hotel, Der Unterwirt — now run by her two sisters — in the Alpine village of Ebbs.
Sleep
“The Wiesergut, in Saalbach Hinterglemm, is a family-run place, so it’s down to earth but also very luxurious, with the most delicious food. At breakfast, they come around with trolleys of different kinds of cereal, porridge and muesli. They have a cheese tray with a different jam every day and then eggs, ham, bacon, salami — you name it. Almost everything is grown locally, some of it on their own farm. (Rooms from about $400 a night)
“In Lech, we love to stay at the Rote Wand hotel. There’s quirky décor in the rooms, with a lot of really fun visual details. They also have a very good restaurant. (Rooms from about $450 a night)
“G’sund & Natur Hotel Die Wasnerin in Bad Aussee is an adults-only hotel where you can relax, do your yoga and admire the amazing views. It’s not really a ski town, but there’s a lot of cross-country skiing nearby.” (Rooms from about $185 a night) — Alice Liechtenstein
“Burg Vital is up by the slopes in Oberlech — you can almost ski right to your bed. It has an incredible restaurant and an award-winning wine list that’s deep but not crazy expensive.” (Rooms from about $790 a night) — Aldo Sohm
“Those of us who live and grew up in the Alps adore nature and feel that it’s very important to live in harmony with it. If a place is too loud and crazy, the connection to nature is lost. Hotel Alpenstern, in the Damüls Mellau ski area, is beautiful and serene, designed by a local architect and built mainly from local ash. The restaurant is my favorite place to eat in the area, with a big, sunny terrace and traditional Austrian food that has a modern touch. (Rooms from about $440 a night)
“Biohotel Schwanen, near the ski area in Bregenzerwald, is run by a local family whose son spent 10 years working in the States, for Daniel Boulud in New York and at Benu in San Francisco. He’s made this hotel into a really great place. The restaurant is all organic, with an excellent wine cellar.” (Rooms from about $160 a night) — Bettina Steindl
“The Kristiania Lech hotel is a mix of old and new, with bright colors, cool furniture and design pieces in the rooms and old-fashioned Austrian service. (Rooms from about $625 a night)
“Schloss Münichau, in Kitzbühel, is a 15th-century castle full of antique furniture and historical décor. You can stay the night and live like Austrian royalty.” (Rooms from about $130 a night) — Robert Rabensteiner
Eat and Drink
“Dahoam, in the Saalbach ski area, has a tasting menu, which is not something I normally go for, but the food is so absolutely delicious that I unexpectedly managed to finish every course. You can trace everything you eat back to a local producer, and there’s a spectacular view of the mountains.
“Der Wolf, in Lech, is what we call a Skihütte: a casual place at the top of the mountain for lunch [the menu includes burgers, steaks and Thai curry] and après ski. This one is very different from most: The interiors are all done in pale wood and it’s filled with light.” — A.L.
“Hus Nr. 8 is in Oberlech — the area up at the top of the mountain in Lech — and it’s right in the middle of the slopes. It smells amazing from the moment you walk in. After a meal [of fondue or blood sausage, for example], you can ski all the way down.
“Hallewirt, in Kitzbühel, offers traditional food with a twist. With your knödel, you might get a special sausage, or the spaetzle might be served with a less typical sauce. It’s next to a small church, which is quite nice to visit afterward.” — R.R.
“Das Schindler, in Innsbruck, is a small place with a bit of a scene. The food is more international than at most places. Chinese dumplings and ravioli are on the menu along with the usual schnitzel and steaks but it’s casual, like almost everything in Innsbruck.
“At the Weisses Rössl, in the center of Innsbruck, the schnitzel is particularly excellent, served the conventional way, with potato salad and a lemon and lingonberry jam.
“Zum Wilden Mann, a little bit outside Innsbruck, has an old Tyrolean stube [a wood-clad room with a tiled stove] with dark, cedar-lined walls. Often Austrian food can be a little heavy, but that isn’t the case here.
“Up at 10,000 feet in Sölden, attached to the James Bond museum 007 Elements, the Ice Q is at the top of the mountain and very sleek and modern. The view is something else: You’re literally above the clouds.” — A.S.
“Bad Aussee is a spa town where people come to relax, bathe in the mineral spring and hike around the beautiful lakes, but it’s also known for its traditional stores — I like Ausseer Handdrucke and Susanne Spatt — that sell dirndls and lederhosen. You can also buy silks and floral-print cottons by the meter. In Austria, we use them only for dirndls, but outside of the country you could get away with making pillows or other pieces for the home.” — A.L.
“Riedel was founded in the 18th century but the current CEO, Max Riedel, is in his 40s and is the one who came up with the famous O series of stemless wineglasses. You can visit their factory and museum in Kufstein to see the glasses being handblown and also buy one-of-a-kind pieces made there.” — B.S.
Take Home
“Werkraum Bregenzerwald is a huge handcrafts atelier where you can see exhibits, meet the craftspeople and buy some of their work. I especially like the wooden homewares, like the beautiful slotted breadboards made from local maple.” — B.S.
“Rochelt, in Fritzens, is the top maker of eau de vie [brandy]. You have to make an appointment to visit the distillery. They’re most famous for their apricot variety, but I love the quince because it’s more typically Tyrolean.” — A.S.
Explore
“Saalbach Hinterglemm is my favorite ski area, with slopes for all levels and lots of après-ski fun. The vibe is young and sporty. In Italy, I was used to taking the lift up, skiing down, taking another lift up, skiing down again. Here, you can take the lift up and then ski for kilometers and kilometers until you’re begging for a break. There’s also a lot of off-piste skiing.” — A.L.
“The town of Bad Gastein is a great place. Walk through the village to the waterfall, which splashes right past the houses. The town is also interesting in terms of architecture. Gerhard Gastenauer designed the Congress Center, a striking example of 1970s Brutalism, topped by four geodesic domes. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to go inside until it is restored.
“The Damüls Mellau ski area, in Vorarlberg, typically has fantastic snow conditions. There are some easier areas for beginners, but in general the people who ski there are excellent skiers.” — B.S.
“Swarovski Crystal Worlds, in Wattens, about 10 miles east of Innsbruck, is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Austria now. The exhibitions are very sparkly, over-the-top and fun.” — A.S.
“In warmer months, when I’m with my wife, who isn’t an experienced hiker, we go to the village of Axamer Lizum, take the Hoadlbahn cable car up to the Hoadl plateau and hike around there, where the views of the valley are beautiful. If I’m on my own, I do the sunrise hike to Serles, which is more advanced. You have to leave Innsbruck at 3 a.m. to catch the sunrise in the summer and it’s very steep and challenging but worth it. Afterward, you can take off your boots and cool off at the Kneipp, a river recreation area set up by the town.
“The James Bond museum, 007 Elements, is super fascinating. It’s on the summit of the Gaislachkogl Mountain in Sölden, where they filmed “Spectre” a decade ago, and the exhibits show you a lot of the secret behind-the-scenes stuff.” — A.S.
These interviews have been edited and condensed.
