Do you dream of going skiing in Lech, Austria, this winter? This post is everything you need to know about visiting Lech in the winter and going skiing. I’ll give you tips on how to get there, where to stay, what to do, where to eat, and where to ski on your next trip!
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All About Lech, Austria
Lech, Austria, was founded in the 14th century by some immigrants from Switzerland. Lech is located 30 minutes up the valley and into the mountains from the town of St. Anton and is part of the Vorarlberg region and the Arlberg ski area.
It’s a beautiful town of 1,500 people, and some say it’s one of the most beautiful towns in Austria in the summer. In winter, 400-500,000 nights of hotel rooms are booked. That means lots and lots of tourists exploring and going skiing in Lech!
Today, Lech in the winter is like the “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.” It was even one of Princess Di’s favorite places to have skied during her life. The river Lech runs right through it; it’s a beautiful and tiny place – absolutely spectacular!
There are gorgeous hotels, gorgeous restaurants, cool apres ski spots – not a huge party life like Ischl, but it has got a sexy and sophisticated vibe to it. So, if you’re looking for the princely lifestyle, then you might want to go skiing in Lech, Austria!
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How to Get to Lech
Lech, Austria, is about a 30-minute drive, bus ride, taxi, or car from the town of St. Anton, which is where you’ll find the train station and major bus lines. A taxi up to Lech is about 60 Euros, while taking the Postbus, which is the local bus, is around 5.50 Euros.
You could also rent a car (which I don’t recommend in winter unless you’re familiar with driving in snow) or hire a private driver, which is a great option. That’s pretty much the only way to get to Lech.
There are also no airports in St. Anton, so if you’re flying in, you’ll be flying into Innsbruck. It’s about a 1.5-hour drive from Innsbruck to Lech, Austria. To go directly from the airport to Lech by taxi will cost you about 200 Euros. You can also fly into Munich, around 2.5 to 3 hours away, or Zurich, Switzerland, about 2 hours away. Daily Drop Pro is a great tool to help you find the best flight deals and figure out where to fly in to!
I flew into Munich on American Airlines for free! I paid my taxes, but I flew for free, basically. How did I do it? I used my American Airlines credit card and used the miles and rewards I’d earned with it. Find out more about this card here!
How to Get Around in Lech
Lech is such a small town of only around 1,500 people and basically a few restaurants, hotels, and apres ski location. So, it’s relatively easy to walk from one end of the town to the other in about 15 minutes. You can also take a local ski bus, which takes you around Lech, as well as the other towns of Oberlech, Zug, and Zürs, or the Postbus that will take you back to St. Anton and St. Christoph.
Or you can take taxis, which are relatively available at all times, but they’re quite expensive. It just depends on the style of travel that you want to do!
Hotels in Lech, Austria
There are a couple of five-star hotels in Lech: the Hotel Arlberg, right next to the lifts, and the Krone. I stayed at the Hotel Plattenhof, a four-and-a-half-star or four-superior hotel. It was a wonderful stay; everybody that works there was so kind and generous! They had a delicious breakfast every morning.
I did half-board, which means that dinner was provided to me in the evenings, typically a first and second course, salad buffet, and dessert. All I had to pay extra for was the alcohol I drank. The Hotel Plattenhof is a wonderful hotel (I think it’s one of the best hotels in Lech!), and if you decide to book with them, make sure to tell them that I sent you!
Other Accommodation Options
If hotels aren’t your thing or you’re looking for a homestay experience, search for short-term rentals on VRBO. You can find a place with a full kitchen and room for your whole group to stay in the same home.
I also recommend TrustedHousesitters, a membership site that connects travelers with people who need someone to watch their house and pets. You’d be surprised what kind of places you can stay at a fraction of the cost of a hotel! Use my discount code, ABUNDANT25, for 25% off new annual memberships.
Where to Eat in Lech, Austria
So, where do you eat when you’re in Lech, Austria? There are excellent restaurants in the town of Lech and on the mountain, as well. You know, eating in Europe on the mountain is not getting gross hamburgers and hot dogs at the resort-owned properties. The restaurants here are usually individually owned, and they’re beautiful and delicious!
You’ve got to try the kaiserschmarrn and the apple strudel, which are desserts, and the Tiroler gröstl, which is potatoes and pork and eggs. And, of course, you have to try a schnitzel, a classic! Food in Austria is heavy and meaty; it’s mountain food, and it is absolutely delicious! So, get out, walk around to find some delicious food, and try the local delicacies.
Ready to go skiing? Not sure what to pack or how much? Well, this guide is your complete list of everything you will need to have the perfect ski trip! Click below to download your free guide.
Best Restaurants in Lech
There are some incredible restaurants in Lech; truly! One that I really enjoyed was the Schneggarei, which is at the bottom of the mountain. The Rote Wand is also a delicious restaurant that’s one of the individually-owned places I mentioned above.
You can also go up into Oberlech, the little town just above Lech. You have to take the gondola for about three minutes, and there are some beautiful restaurants in the hotels there, as well. There’s not a ton of just “regular” restaurants, so it’s best to know where you want to go before getting on the gondola.
Where to Apres Ski in Lech
In addition to dinner restaurants, there are a couple of places I recommend to go apres ski in Lech. One is the Krone bar, where you can get lots of champagne. right at the bottom of the lifts. You can also go back to the Schneggarei, which I mentioned for dinner.
It’s not as loud and rambunctious as Ischl is, and it’s not as crazy as The Londoner in Kitzbühel. It’s a more sophisticated, elegant apres ski, but it is still tons and tons of fun. There is nothing like skiing in Austria and doing apres ski! It’s just the best.
Skiing in Lech
Skiing in Lech is incredible because this particular ski area has over 300 kilometers of piste (ski runs) and more than 200 kilometers of off-piste skiing. There are some beginner slopes, but it’s known more for intermediate skiing, plus advanced and off-piste skiing.
If you’re looking for a spectacular experience or one of the largest ski resorts or ski areas in the world, then skiing in Lech is the perfect thing to do. You could ski all day long, every day, and not ski the same run twice unless you’re headed home!
As far as the cost of skiing here is concerned, it’s about 67 Euros a day for a ski pass or around 400 Euros for a week’s ski pass. If you want to get a season pass for the Arlberg region, it costs around 950 Euros for the entire season. This includes Lech, St. Christoph, Zug, Zurs, Warth, and all the towns surrounding 400-300 kilometers of on-piste and 200 kilometers of off-piste.
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Ski Guides & Lessons
Something I recommend on Sunday mornings is getting a ski guide or taking a lesson. If you’re just arriving in Lech and want to see the mountain, go to the ski school. It’s around 76 Euros I believe, and you can get a ski guide for the entire day. They take groups of people around the mountain, showing you all the different sites and ski lifts, as well as different restaurants and places to eat and apres ski on the mountain. So, that’s well worth it!
For ski lessons, a three-day group is about 375 Euros, and a one-day private lesson is around 450 Euros. If you’re an expert skier, I recommend getting a ski guide over a lesson. There are three levels of ski instructors, and then there’s the guide or trainer level. Get one of those guys to take you off-piste and show you all the amazing off-piste available in the area. It’s well worth 450 Euros for somebody to take you where you need to go.
Ski Rentals
If you’re skiing in Lech, you likely need to rent skis. I usually bring my own boots (if you have boots, bring them) and then rent skis. The quality of ski rentals in Austria is phenomenal! Skis are about 31 Euros a day. You might need to rent a helmet or boots; it depends on what you bring with you.
If you’re going to do that, there are a couple of places I suggest in Lech. One is Strolz, which is a very famous name in the area. You can also go to Intersport, which is a chain across all of Europe. They have good-quality skis to rent, as well.
What to Pack for Skiing in Lech
When skiing in Lech, the best thing to do is to pack warm clothes, dry clothes, and moisture-wicking clothes. It is cold, and you are in the mountains. Make sure your clothing protects you from the wind, too. As far as ski clothes, make sure to get high-quality ski clothes, even if you have to borrow them. If you’re interested, you can download my free ski packing guide here.
As far as the style is concerned, Lech is sophisticated. I typically wore nice Uggs or nice winter boots, nice leggings, and a vest with a shirt underneath. I topped that off with a nice wrap, cap, and jacket. Remember, you’re in the mountains; it’s not super fancy, but if you want to put on some nice earrings, it’s always welcome. There are also Michelin-quality restaurants, and while people don’t dress up completely, you can generally find people in Europe dressed a little more sophisticated.
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Other Things to Know About Lech, Austria
What time of year should you go?
If you’re going skiing in Lech, I recommend going after Thanksgiving time, late November through April. I was there in January, and they did need a little bit more snow this year, which was sad.
If the weather and the snow are good, I suggest going in January rather than February. February has many holidays for the Dutch, Germans, etc., and the Arlberg region is very, very busy. So, just take note of any holidays when planning your trip.
How long should you stay?
I recommend staying for at least a week. There is so much to do in the area; so much to see, ski, and eat. You hardly even scratch the surface of everything there is to do in the area in one week.
What is their currency and language?
Since it is part of the EU, its currency is the Euro. They speak German, but they speak Austrian German, which is the dialect that I used when I spoke German, having lived in Kitzbühel.
If you’d like to learn a bit of the language before you go, sign up for Babbel or Rosetta Stone. They’ll help you with the foundation, and then you can learn more about the regional dialect from locals.
How much do things cost in Lech?
You can spend 120 euros or so a night for a pension (lodging) or around 70 euros. It’s typically 200 to 300 Euros a night to stay in a four-star or four-star Superior hotel where you get access to half-board like I did. A cup of coffee is about three Euros, lunch on the mountain (a bowl of soup) is around 8 to 11 Euros, and a glass of wine for apres ski is about six Euros.
I had a delicious Austrian Grüner Veltliner, which was six Euros. If I had been in the U.S., I would have spent over a hundred dollars, whereas in Lech, I only spent about 35 Euros. What a difference! Yes, you can spend a lot of money on things to eat and drink, but you can also get by and not spend a ton.
Is there shopping in Lech?
There are a few high-end shops, but in general, there’s not a ton of shopping to be done in Lech. There are a couple of beautiful stores, like Strolz. The Arlberg Hotel, which is a five-star hotel, has a couple of small shops, as well.
It’s more boutique shopping than it is tchotchke or trinket or souvenir shopping. If you want to do that, you might need to go to St. Anton.
Is it safe in Lech?
I’m always asked if it’s safe to be traveling places as a solo female traveler. Yes, Austria is extremely safe up there in the mountains. Lech itself is extremely safe. It’s relatively easy to meet people if you’re traveling on your own as there are plenty of bar tops at different restaurants, and apres ski is very open and welcoming.
Are You Ready to Go Skiing in Lech, Austria?
So, if you’re considering going skiing in Austria and you’re not sure where to go, check out my other videos on this. Or reach out to me for a consultation about going skiing in Austria or anywhere in the world. You can click this link to book a time with me.
Have you been skiing in Lech or other places in Austria before? Tell me all about it in the comments below! I love hearing about other people’s adventures and getting new tips for my next trip.
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