Where to Stay When Skiing Kitzbühel
Kitzbühel ski resort has multiple village bases interconnected to the greater KitzSki region including at Kitzbühel itself, neighbouring Kirchberg, higher up at Jochberg & over in the Pinzgau valley high up at Pass Thurn (our favoured location!) and in down at Hollersbach & Mittersill.
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The question then of where to stay revolves around what sort of experience one wants from the region. Our quick appraisal of each village is below:
• Kitzbühel: For the best in ski tradition, vibrance, après ski & train access, Kitzbuhel is the place to stay. Expect to pay a premium for the privilege, however there are budget options too. Some may say the attitude in Kitzbuhel is a little too high-end, gentrified & 'stiff' these days ..... and they may be right!
• Kirchberg in Tirol: Superb access by train, quieter than Kitzbuhel, well connected to the ski lifts & Kitzbuhel town centre by free local bus, region’s best novice ski area, and better price & availability of accommodation.
• Jochberg: Small, quieter hamlet with very good lift access, but a little neither here nor there in the greater scheme of things. Higher elevation than Kitzbuhel so can have more snow. Has the biggest 5-star hotel in the region, plus some smaller fabulous ones too.
• Pass Thurn: Highest altitude ‘base’ with guaranteed snow, least crowds, but still with fun après ski, and superb access to the skiing via the Resterhöhe chair & Panorama Gondola. For real skiers seeking powder, it is the place to stay, but very much does NOT have the ‘Kitzbühel vibe’.
• Hollersbach-im-Pinzgau: Small traditional village vibe with some excellent lodgings, and without the true ‘Kitzbühel vibe’. Very convenient for the Panorama gondola up to the ski action.
• Mittersill: Wonderful traditional village with a modern edge, excellent services & shops, but again without the true ‘Kitzbühel vibe’. Superb transport connections by train, bus & road. You can stay in a castle above town too!
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Best Kitzbühel Accommodation
For those desperate to be in the thick of the action, the town of Kitzbühel is the place to stay. Kitzbuhel is the largest town in the ski resort plus has far & away the most vibrant atmosphere & greatest diversity of accommodation. Sadly, that also means it is the hardest to find accommodation! High above the town, at the top of the Hahnenkamm gondola & ski run, Hocheckhuette provides a perfect perch on the mountain for early sliding.
Down in the valley on the edge of town at the base of the Hahnenkamm gondola are the Rasmushof - Hotel Kitzbühel & the luxury Hotel Kaiserhof Kitzbühel.
In the beautiful 'old town' centre of Kitzbuhel, there are loads of wonderful hotels including exemplars like the traditional Hotel Goldener Greif & the modern Schwarzer Adler Kitzbühel, plus other stand-outs like Hotel Zur Tenne & Hotel Reisch, traditional guesthouses like Pension Haus Koller & bargain hostels including SnowBunnys Back Packers Hostel.
On the fringes of town, the modern resort-style Kitzhof Mountain Design Resort will tick alot of boxes for some people. Overlooking the valley, lovers of exceptional pool & spa locations will be drawn to the high-falutin Lebenberg Schlosshotel-Kitzbühel. On the lower mountainside of Kitzbüheler Horn, the Châteaux Hotel Tennerhof is another classic 5-star for anyone seeking some old-world charm.
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Best Kirchberg Accommodation
To the west is Kirchberg in Tirol, which whilst quieter than Kitzbuhel, still has a wide range of well-situated hotels, chalets, apartments & guesthouses. It could be argued that Kirchberg has better access to the main ski area than Kitzbühel does via either of its two nearby gondolas. Some long return trails extending past the gondola valley stations do make their way back into the outskirts of town as well, so more accommodation is more 'ski-in' than at first appears.
For the ultimate ski-in ski-out on the Kirchberg side of the upper mountain, at the top of the Maierl gondola the Gasthof Ochsalm is the place to stay. A little lower down the fabulous self-contained apartments of Maierl Alm are located next to the gondola line and still have true ski-in ski-out convenience.
Other Kirchberg hotels that are technically ‘ski-in’ include the Hotel Sonne & Hotel Kirchberger Hof. Both are skiable across an open field, plus are on an elevated ‘steppe’ above the busy road that runs through the centre of town.
In the centre of town are Austrian classics like the Hotel Alexander, plus a host of others.
Further up the valley toward Aschau, the Lifthotel is well situated between the Maierlbahn gondola & Gaisberg chairlift. Yet further up the valley, superb places to stay with direct (& very quiet) lift & piste access are the Gasthof Skirast & exceptional Ferienhof Haindlbauer Farm Stay. We do love a good farm stay!
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Best Jochberg Accommodation
On the road south of Kitzbuhel, small hamlets including Jochberg have lodgings ranging from numerous apartments & chalets up to the huge 5-star Kempinski Hotel. Jochberg has two ski lifts for access to the wider resort, with one of them across the road from the quiet Pension Ederhof - the polar-opposite of the Kempinski! If you want to have guaranteed snow on the ground around your accommodation, then you will be best to head further up the road to Paß Thurn.
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Pinzgau Valley Accommodation
A full range of chalet, apartment & hotel options are on the quieter Salzburgerland side of the KitzSki resort in the Pinzgau valley. The Pinzgau valley is connected to the broader KitzSki & Kitzbuhel-Kirchberg slopes by the incredible 3S-Bahn that traverses high above the Saukasertal. If the 3S does not run (for whatever reason - extreme crosswinds if anything), then there is still a gamut of wonderful lifts & terrain for those staying on the ‘quiet side’ of KitzSki to exploit. But here is the thing, did you come to Kitzbuhel for quiet stellar skiing, or did you come for a bit of raucous entertainment and nightlife as well? If the later, the Pinzgau side of the mountain is not for you. Bu for anyone wanting more affordable, quiet accommodations and less crowded slopes, this is the place for you. Accommodation options are in two locations near Pass Thurn, plus in and around=d the pleasant villages of Mittersill & Hollersbach-im-Pinzgau.
Best Pass Thurn Accommodation
At just below 1,300m elevation, on the road between Mittersill & Kitzbühel is Pass Thurn (locally written as Paß Thurn). At two ski lift bases near the pass, several lodging options exist with very quick access to the ski lifts. At Pass Thurn itself, across from the Resterhöhe chairlift is the very good 4-star Hotel Pass Thurn. Further along the road and a little lower (1,230m) on sunny south-facing slopes at the Panorama gondola mid-station, the locality of Breitmoos has a few super places to stay. An affordable option is the Berghotel Breitmoos.
Above them all at around 1,750m altitude, Berggasthaus & Lodge Resterhöhe has the ultimate accommodation on the mountain above Pass Thurn at KitzSki for first tracks. Other alpine lodges exist further along the ridge
Best Hollersbach-im-Pinzgau Accommodation
The village of Hollersbach-im-Pinzgau is close to the gondola ski lift base that connects skiers to Pass Thurn, making it a convenient valley lodging option. The village and surrounds are well-connected to the gondola base by local ski bus, plus there is a huge car park at the facility as well.
Hotel Kaltenhauser is the best hotel in Hollersbach im Pinzgau, close to the gondola to KitzSki, & with superb rooms, food, facilities & service. In the centre of town Herz3 Hotel has modern rooms & a great bar/restaurant, whilst the Garni Rösslhof has superb rooms & apartments to go with the usual high-standard Austrian guesthouse hospitality.
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Best Mittersill Accommodation
Further away from the gondola valley station, Mittersill is a larger village with excellent shops & services. Whilst connected by local ski bus to the gondola base a few km away near Hollersbach, Mittersill and its environs are also close to the road junction leading up to Pass Thurn, which is the preferred starting point for skiing on a powder day. For lovers of train travel, Mittersill also has a railway station for the Pinzgau line from Zell am See, enabling train connections throughout Austria. The town has a few hotels, but many more holiday rental apartments, perfect for an affordable self-catered stay.
The most atmospheric (& the best) hotel in Mittersill overlooks the town & valley from its castle walls. Hotel Schloss Mittersill is one of those stays that you can only get in Europe, offering superb rooms & equally fabulous cuisine & service in a beautiful building that will get your imagination running wild.
In town itself, the family run Hotel Wieser is a traditional 3-star with affordable rooms. For the best value, Gästehaus Huber has comfortable, very affordable rooms in the centre of Mittersill.
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