Kitzbühel vs St. Anton: Which Austrian Ski Base?

From our visits

Every photo on this page is our own, shot on the ground in these places.

The practical footing

Common questions

Kitzbühel or St. Anton: which should you choose?

Choose St. Anton if the skiing is the point: it's higher, more snow-sure, plugged into Austria's largest linked ski area, and built for a full week on the snow. Choose Kitzbühel if you want a place you'd enjoy even in bad weather, with a medieval town centre, better shopping and dining, and something for anyone in the group who doesn't ski. The shorthand we'd use is that St. Anton is a ski resort with a village, and Kitzbühel is a town with a ski area.

Which has better skiing?

St. Anton, for most skiers, and it isn't especially close. It sits in the Arlberg, Austria's largest linked ski area, sharing a pass with Lech, Zürs and Warth-Schröcken, and its reputation rests on genuinely demanding terrain and some of the best lift-served off-piste in the Alps. Kitzbühel's ski area is large and beautifully varied, and it suits intermediates very well, but it's lower and gentler, and strong skiers tend to run out of challenge sooner.

Which is more snow-sure?

St. Anton, clearly, and altitude is the whole reason. The village sits well above Kitzbühel and its lifts climb toward 2,800 m, which keeps the upper mountain in good condition through the season. Kitzbühel's valley floor is near 800 m, so it depends heavily on snowmaking outside midwinter and the lower runs can suffer in a warm spell. If your dates are early December or late March, that difference matters more than anything else on this page.

Is Kitzbühel worth visiting if you don't ski?

Yes, and that's genuinely its edge. It's one of the prettiest towns in the Austrian Alps, a medieval centre of painted houses closed to traffic, with proper shops, cafes and restaurants, and it works as a destination in its own right. In summer it turns into a hiking and golfing base with the lifts still running. Very few serious ski resorts can be recommended to someone who has no intention of putting on skis, and this is one of them.

What is the Hahnenkamm, and can you ski it?

The Hahnenkamm is Kitzbühel's home mountain, and the Streif that drops off it is the most famous downhill course in ski racing, run each January in front of enormous crowds. You can ski the line outside race preparation periods, and it is humbling: the pitch at the start is far steeper in person than television suggests. For most visitors the better plan is to ride up, look down the Mausefalle, and then take the sane way home.

Which has better après-ski?

St. Anton, and it's internationally known for it. The après here starts on the mountain in the afternoon at the slopeside bars above the village and carries on down into town, and it's a genuine part of why people book the place. Kitzbühel's evenings are more restaurant and bar than dancing in ski boots, which suits a different kind of trip. Pick St. Anton for the party, Kitzbühel for the dinner.

How many nights should you spend in each?

St. Anton is a seven-night resort, and the standard Saturday-to-Saturday week is the right shape, since the Arlberg is far too big to know in a few days. Kitzbühel works well on two or three nights, whether as part of a wider Tyrol trip or as a shorter ski break with town days built in. If you're combining Austria's classics, a ski week in St. Anton with a couple of nights in Kitzbühel or Salzburg at either end is a sound plan.