Writer: Lina Sjölund Gröndahl
A winter holiday in the Alps has so much to offer. In fact, if you travel to Vorarlberg in Austria, you can do so much more than ski. A holiday with extra of everything. Good food, drinks, nice hotel, skiing, tobogganing and meeting alpacas. The meeting with alpacas was also love at first sight.
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1. skiing in Silvretta / Montafon
The Silvretta Montafon has 140 kilometres of pistes, 35 runs and lifts, and an area that reaches up to 2,430 metres above sea level. We went to the top with the Panoramabahn to 2,375 metres above sea level, the day we skied there. Sadly, the weather prevented the beautiful panoramic view, which I have seen in both pictures and films. Silvretta Montafon is one of the most sporty ski areas in Vorarlberg and also hosts some ski competitions during the winter season.
We stayed in Shruns and the Hochjoch I and II cable car took us up to 1,857 metres above sea level and then we travelled around most of the ski system and slopes. Unfortunately we were unlucky with the weather on the winter day we were there, but I can imagine what it would have been like with clear blue skies and sparkling snow.
- Prices: One-day lift passes in Silvretta Montafon cost around 60 Euro for one day in 2025/2026 (dynamic pricing).
- Seasonal: The season in Silvretta Montafon extends from late November to early April.
- Ski hire: We rented skis at Intersport in Schruns.
2. Stay at Aktiv & Spa Hotel Alpenrose in Vorarlberg
Hotel Alpenrose is a family owned and cosy Alphotell located in Montafon in the eastern part of Austria. When we were in Austria for the sports holidays, we spent our first two nights here. We stayed in a big nice family room with two bedrooms, living room and a nice balcony with a view to the beautiful mountains.
We had half board when we stayed at Alpenrose and this included a 6 course dinner in the evenings. The six course dinner consisted of a nice salad buffet with butter and bread, starter, soup, main course, dessert and finally a nice cheese buffet. Fantastically good.
Find hereAKTIV & SPA HOTEL Alpenrose, Family Mäser, Silvrettastraße 45, Schruns im Montafon
3. Enjoy the spa after a day on the slopes
Alpenrose offers a large and pleasant relaxing spa and relaxation area. The spa area has two pools, one larger and one jacuzzi.
There is a relaxation area both by the pool and also a quieter one with beds where you can lie and enjoy with a lovely view of the nearby nature and the beautiful alpine peaks. If you want to have a massage or some other treatment, there was a selection of treatments that you could book.
4. Hiking with alpacas - a loving animal
When we were in Vorarlberg in the Alps, we hiked with alpacas at Montafon Alpacas a morning. After all, there are so many other fun things to do in the Alps than skiing. It's also fun to do something else. This excursion can be booked three times a week with Daniela, who runs Monafon Alpakas.
There is a very nice lady called Daniela, who runs this alpaca farm in Gaschurn in Vorarlberg. She was incredibly competent and loving with the alpacas.
Find hereAlpaca Hikes Montafon, Daniela Tiefenthaler, Montafonerstr. 137, A-6793 Gaschurn, Montafon / Vorarlberg
5. skiing in Sonnenkopf
Of course you want to ski in sunny Sonnenkopf if you are in Vorarlberg. Joking aside, we were really lucky with the weather when we visited Sun head. The word Sonne means sun in German and it is said to be a sunny ski resort!
This child-friendly ski resort is located on the famous Arlberg mountain massif. Sonnenkopf boasts an ideal altitude of up to 2,300 metres.
The high altitude of the ski resort ensures a good supply of snow, making Sonnenkopf one of the few ski areas with reliable natural snow conditions. Even into late spring, there is a high chance of natural snow thanks to its topographical location. We were really grateful for that! The snow and skiing was really amazing here.
Sonnenkopf has "only" 30 kilometres of slopes! But absolutely perfect slopes for a family or the beginner, as well as the intermediate skier.
- Ski hire: We rented skis at Intersport just below the Sonnenkopf cable car.
- Lift pass prices: A full-day lift pass costs 58 Euro for adults and 34 Euro for children (2025/2026 ski season). So it's still quite affordable compared to other alpine resorts.
6. Tobogganing in Sonnenkopf
We hired toboggans at the same place we hired the skis. Then we took the cable car up to the top where the toboggan run started.
The toboggan run started at 1840 metres above sea level and descended to the middle station at 1580 metres above sea level. The entire track descends at peripheral speed and is a full 1800 metres long.
It was a really fun experience, but you had to be a bit careful because it goes at a furious pace. You might not think it goes that fast. So in other words, it was a great adventure for the whole family!
Find hereDanöfen 125a, 6754 Klösterle am Arlberg, Austria
7. stay at Hotel Alpine Lodge in Klösterle
We stayed at the Hotel Alpine Lodge in Klösterle. A small family-run hotel that had apartments, but also served breakfast. Just outside the door was the bus to Sonnenkopf, where we went skiing.
The hotel also had a small relaxation area, where you could lie in cosy beds, look out over the Alps and have a sauna.
8. Go on a guided light walk in Klösterle
We went on a short guided light walk with Anna from the local tourist office. She guided us around the village.
- Nice restaurants in Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg has very many good and nice restaurants. We ate mostly Austrian specialities, as it is always fun to eat local food when you are in another country.
9. Have lunch at Gasthaus Löwen Tschagguns
Gasthaus Löwen is a local restaurant located in Tschagguns in the valley. Here you immediately get an Austrian feeling when you walk in the door. The waiters serve the food in fine Austrian clothes and the food served is also typically Austrian. We enjoy specialities from the region.
10. Have dinner at Sankt Josefsheim - nice restaurant in Schruns
Our second evening in Austria, we ate at St Joseph's Home in Schruns. Vorarlberg.
It is a more trendy and modern restaurant with an Austrian touch. A salad with chicken fillet is recommended for starters. Then classic ribs with barbecue sauce, split potatoes and corn on the cob or a really authentic Austrian Schnitzel with fries for the main course. Don't miss their delicious Pannacotta with mango sorbet and berries.
Find hereSt Josefsheim, Silvrettaplatz , Schruns
11. Have dinner at Der Klostertalerhof Klösterle
The Klostertalerhof is like an Austrian inn with Austrian food, but with a more exclusive touch. It is a nice restaurant located in the hotel, which has the same name in the cosy little Alpine village of Klösterle. Here, an Austrian classic with Austrian sausages or their hamburger plate is recommended. Perfect after a full day of skiing.
For dessert, we had sorbet ice cream served with cotton candy, which looked both cool and trendy.
Find hereThe Klostertalerhof, house number 82c, Klösterle am Arlberg,
12. Wirtschaft Traube - A nice Michelin restaurant in Klösterle
Economy Grape is a small family-run restaurant in Klösterle in Vorarlberg, Austria. Tanja and Tobias Schöpf both own and run this cute little restaurant.
Wirtschaft Traube has only 26 seats. We book a table at half past seven on a weekday evening at the end of February and are all alone in the restaurant. But in less than an hour, the restaurant is completely full. We are probably the only ones who were hungry and hungry when the restaurant opened.
They have 5 changing dishes. Then their menu changes often. Their cuisine is creative and intuitive. They work with what nature provides and the producers have in store for them. 5 dishes that serve as a menu, but can also be ordered individually. So if you want, you can eat a 5 course menu, or order all the dishes separately. We ate two dishes from the menu each and thought it was just right for dinner.
When it comes to wine and beverage accompaniments, they rely on wines from selected vineyards. They also change regularly and they combine suitable wines with what comes out of the kitchen. There are also Vorarlberg's fine spirits, homemade kombucha, lemonades, teas and cocktails made primarily with ingredients they grow themselves or take from nature.
And then their homemade bread with different kinds of homemade spiced butter, with spices they have grown themselves. I had a catfish with horseradish and asparagus and caviar.
Find here: Wirtschaft Traube, Klösterle 45, Klösterle am Arlberg
Travel to Vorarlberg
We flew to Zurich. Then we took the train from Zurich to Schruns, with one change. It is easy and convenient to buy train tickets online and they are valid for 24 hours, so it doesn't matter if the flight is a bit delayed, you can take another train.
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Amanda (Swedish Passport) says:
Oh, this looked like an absolutely amazing destination that I never even heard of before! So thank you please for the great tips 🙂
04 October 2025 - 16:58