Writer: Lina Sjölund Gröndahl
St. Anton am Arlberg is located in Tyrol, Austria. It is one of the largest and most famous ski systems in the Alps. In total, there are around 300 km of slopes and 85 lifts spread across three different systems. The ski area offers everything from lovely, long slopes suitable for beginners to advanced runs. The highest skiing altitude is 2,811 metres above sea level.
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St. Anton – one of the largest ski systems in the Alps
The large St Anton – Galzig lift system offers the best and most challenging skiing with the longest slopes. We stayed right near Galzigbahn and did most of our skiing in that area. Black slope number 52 is a real challenge. The famous Kandahar race was held here as early as 1928.
There are many good reasons to go skiing in St Anton am Arlberg. The ski resort is one of the most classic and renowned in the Alps and is part of one of Europe's largest ski areas. Here you can enjoy long days on the slopes without repeating the same route twice, and the area has something for all levels of ability.
It also has guaranteed snow and usually gets plenty of it. In fact, it often gets more than many other resorts at similar altitudes – and the high slopes (up to almost 2,800 metres) mean that the snow lasts a long time and the skiing is good almost all season.
If you also enjoy more challenging skiing, St Anton is perfect, as it has a wider ski system, many long blue and red runs, black runs and extensive off-piste skiing with the possibility of deep powder snow when the weather permits.
The village of St Anton itself has a wonderful Tyrolean atmosphere with restaurants, cafés and shops. It is also pedestrianised, making it easy and pleasant to walk around after skiing. St Anton is often seen as the cradle of skiing – it has a long history in alpine skiing and has contributed greatly to alpine culture. One tip is to spend a day with a ski guide to see the best of St Anton's slopes. We went with a really lovely girl from Ski School Arlberg Classic.
Mount Valluga – with stunning views
On a sunny, beautiful white winter day in March, we started the day by travelling from the village of St Anton up to Valluga! The Valluga mountain is 2,811 metres high and is a must for all skiers. It's quite a distance and takes a while to get there, but it's really worth it for the fantastic view.
From here, you can go off-piste, but only with a certified off-piste guide, or simply enjoy the stunning views. On a really beautiful blue-sky day, you can see five countries: Austria, Liechtenstein, Italy, Switzerland and Germany.
We contented ourselves with standing for a while and watching the skiers who were going off-piste. It was impressive to see how they made their way down. And then there was the view – wow. I could stand here all day in the glorious sunshine and just look.
Stay at Hotel Grieshof
When we were in St. Anton in March, we stayed at the cosy Hotel Grieshof. It is located a stone's throw from the lift system. It is not ski-in ski-out, but a short walk from Galzigbahn, which takes you up to the ski slopes. From the balcony of the room, you can look up at the ski slopes. So it was a lovely view both in the morning and watching the sunset from the balcony.
Hotel Grieshof is particularly well suited if you want to stay centrally in the village, close to the lifts, restaurants and shops. The hotel is beautiful, with a traditional Alpine style and modern amenities such as a spa, swimming pool and ski storage. It is suitable for both families with children and couples.
We stayed in a double room with a sofa bed and a balcony overlooking the ski slopes.
Hotel Grieshof offers a pleasant wellness and relaxation area with a heated pool, jacuzzi, comfortable beds and various types of saunas. Our favourite was the infrared sauna. We sat there every day after a full day on the slopes.
Half board
We had booked half board, which included a breakfast buffet, a substantial afternoon buffet from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., and then a 5-course dinner. However, drinks had to be purchased separately.
Every afternoon when we returned from the ski slopes, a lovely afternoon buffet was laid out. Everything from soup with bread to various sweet desserts was served here.
On our first evening at Hotel Grieshof, a Saturday evening, there was a welcome dinner. It seems that Saturdays were the main arrival day at the hotel. We were treated to a pleasant welcome dinner with a welcome drink in the foyer.
On the other evenings, a five-course menu was served, consisting of soup as the first course. This was followed by a salad buffet. Then there was another starter. To finish, you could always choose between two different desserts. As a chocolate lover, I usually preferred that.
This type of dinner is very common at various Alpine hotels, and you are really hungry after a full day of skiing. We always go to the restaurant when it opens around 6 or 6:30 p.m. Then you are usually very tired after a 5-course dinner and fall asleep soundly.
To wake up rested and hungry again, but ready for a hearty breakfast buffet. It was very fresh and there was a little bit of everything, and they were quick to replenish it as soon as it ran out. I love eating yoghurt with berries, nuts and lots of fresh fruit for breakfast. Good coffee and preferably an omelette or scrambled eggs, and then you're ready for a full day of skiing.
Find here
Hotel Grieshof
In Gries 20
St. Anton am Arlberg
Restaurants
Sennhütte
If you want to enjoy a pleasant Austrian lunch on a lovely outdoor terrace, don't miss Sennhütte. It is a pleasant restaurant that also offers a genuine Austrian après-ski experience with live bands. First, you arrive and enjoy a delightful Austrian lunch, and after savouring a few beers or glasses of wine on their sunny terrace, you are ready for après-ski.
Arlberg Thaja
Arlberg Thaja is a charming mountain hut/restaurant and après-ski spot high up in the St. Christoph am Arlberg ski area. It is located directly on piste no. 64 above St. Christoph, so you can often reach it directly from the slopes. It has a large sun terrace where you can sit and enjoy the view of the mountains.
The menu focuses on regional Tyrolean cuisine, often prepared with local ingredients such as meat, cheese and butter from nearby producers. There are classic dishes such as goulash, schnitzel, soups, dumplings and Kaiserschmarrn (a sweet pancake dish), as well as various salads. They also serve delicious drinks and wines from Austria.
Après-ski in popular St Anton am Arlberg
Après-ski or After Ski in St Anton is one of the most famous and best Après-ski in Austria. People go to St Anton not only for the fantastic skiing, but also for the entertainment after a wonderful day on the slopes.
In addition to having a huge selection of incredible ski slopes, St Anton also offers fantastic après-ski. It is said that the best Après-ski venues is located in the middle of the slope. So when you take the Galzigbahn up from St Anton and ski down the blue slope 50, there are several nice Après-ski venues.
St Anton mainly attracts a very young clientele, which is particularly noticeable in the après-ski scene here. There are five really popular après-ski venues located close to each other in the middle of the slopes, and of course I had to visit them all to check out the scene when I was in St Anton a couple of weeks ago.
1. Arl One
Arl One is at the top of all these après-ski venues. The party on the slopes starts around 3 p.m. When the sun is shining brightest, your legs may be a little tired, and it's the perfect time to enjoy a good drink and soak up the spring sunshine.
At Arlone, there are outdoor DJs, smoke machines and entertainment in the form of attractive dancers. If you're lucky, you can listen to DJ Ötzi live. There was a real party atmosphere here on the first of March, a sunny Saturday during the spring break. There wasn't a single seat available, so if you want to sit down, you should arrive well in advance. As it is extremely popular to be at Après-ski in St. Anton.
2. Mooserwirt
Mooserwirt is it Après-ski venue It is closest to St Anton, but still a bit up the hill. You could probably walk up the hill if you don't want to ski down from the top, of course. Here, too, it's already packed and lively around 3 p.m. You have to be able to tolerate loud music, and it's easy to dance to the music streaming from the speakers, whether you're gliding by on skis or sitting down.
3. Krazy Kangaroo
The most talked about, popular and legendary après-ski spot in St Anton is Krazy Kanguruh. It is located more or less where slopes 29 and 50 intersect. In other words, you can take either of these ski slopes down to find it. It is said that many Swedes hang out here. There are also local guides and quite a few ski bums. If you take the Galzigbahn up in the afternoon, you can check out the scene before heading down for a little après-ski round.
4. Taps
Taps is located right next to Krazy Kanguruh. As you can see in the picture, they are right next door to each other and it is easy to walk from one place to the other. It is said that the clientele is slightly more upmarket at Taps than at the other après-ski venues. But I didn't really notice that. All four après-ski venues are very popular and packed every day. At least, on all the days we were in St Anton, it was packed to the rafters, to say the least. So if you love partying, or skiing and après-ski, then St Anton is the place to go!
5. Sennhütte
Here you can enjoy authentic Austrian après-ski with live bands. First, come here for a delicious Austrian lunch, then enjoy a few beers or glasses of wine on the sunny outdoor terrace before slipping inside to listen to live bands from 3 p.m. onwards. Great fun for anyone who likes to sing along with live bands.
Journey to
We flew to Zurich with SAS. From there, you can take the Arlberg Express direct bus to St Anton or travel by train.
It is easy and convenient to buy train tickets online at Austria and they are valid for 24 hours. This means that it doesn't matter if your flight is slightly delayed, as you can simply take another train.
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Ditte says:
Thank you for the lovely report on St. Anton! I have been here quite a lot, mostly during the 1980s and 1990s. I alternated between here and other places in Austria. During the 1990s, I went to France and Italy, but later returned mainly to France. It is not as charming as Austria, but the skiing is fantastic. My daughters were very fond of France and, at their request, we travelled there when they were between 12 and 20 years old. But in recent years, I have mostly skied in France with ”ski in-ski out” facilities. And with high altitudes and plenty of snow.
Now I have my memories, and my back prevents me from skiing. But my interest in skiing has been passed on to my daughters and grandchildren. That's fine.
Thank you once again for your detailed post.
Keep up the good work
25 December 2025 - 14:46
Mikael says:
That's where you should really go skiing, thank you for a great report. 🙂
Have a wonderful rest of the Christmas season.
25 December 2025 - 20:42