Three summits over 3,000 m and two glaciers in Sölden, a quieter, higher area in Obergurgl. Four ski days and a spa day in the Ötztal.
Photo: Matti Blume, CC BY-SA 4.0
Sölden doesn't pretend to be a quiet mountain village. It is the largest municipality in Austria by area, 467 km², and with more than two million overnight stays a year it sits behind only Vienna and Salzburg for tourism in the country. The farms that became Sölden were first mentioned between 1288 and about 1370. The first ski lifts came in 1948, the Rettenbach glacier was opened up in 1975 and the Tiefenbach glacier in 1981, and since the 1993/94 season the Rettenbach glacier has hosted the opening giant slalom of the World Cup. In 2014 and 2015 the James Bond film Spectre was shot on the mountain, and the resort has not stopped talking about it since.
The village itself is a long road of hotels, shops and bars, and the draw is the mountain above it: three areas linked by gondolas, three summits over 3,000 m, glaciers that open in autumn. Thirteen km up the valley, in the same municipality, sits Obergurgl, a church village at 1,907 m that counts as the highest in Austria, with Hochgurgl at 2,150 m above it. Hitchcock shot a silent film there in the 1920s, the balloonist Auguste Piccard landed on its glacier in 1931, and today it is the quiet, polished, ski-in, ski-out cousin. Five days is the right length for both: enough for a village day, a summit day, a glacier day and a day above Obergurgl, with a spa day to rest the legs.
The plan runs Giggijoch, Gaislachkogl, the glacier and the Big 3, then Obergurgl-Hochgurgl, then a day off at the Aqua Dome. Four days of lifts are covered by one Ötztal Superskipass, and the plan moves from Sölden to Obergurgl on the third evening. Start on a Tuesday between 22 December and 16 March, so that Wednesday is the night of the Gaislachkogl night run and dinner, and Thursday is the toboggan night in Hochgurgl. Outside those dates the days work as written but the two evenings are plain: eat in the village and skip the night stops. Obergurgl also has night skiing on Mondays (14 December to 22 March), and Obergurgl-Hochgurgl opens on 19 November, so a November start should be Tuesday 17 November or later. More on the country is on the Austria page.
Every stop from the plan below, colored by day. Pick a day to see its route.
Pass and rental, the Giggijoch gondola for an easy first day on the wide runs, lunch at 2,285 m and the first après at the lift base.
The 3,048 m summit, the Bond exhibition and ice Q, long runs down the mountain, then the Wednesday night run and dinner.
The Gletscherexpress to the glacier, the World Cup slope, two more 3,000 m summits and a night toboggan run in Hochgurgl.
The Hohe Mut ridge, the Top Express between the two villages, the glass Top Mountain Star at 3,030 m and dinner in Obergurgl.
A rest day: the village church and a winter walk, the valley road down to Sölden and an afternoon in the thermal baths at Längenfeld.
Sölden is one of the biggest and highest ski areas in Tyrol: three areas (Giggijoch, Gaislachkogl and the glacier) between 1,350 and 3,340 m, three summits above 3,000 m that the resort calls the Big 3, and two glaciers that open for skiing in autumn. It suits intermediates and strong skiers best, because the big terrain is high, long and exposed. Beginners are looked after (more than half the km are easy and there are cheap beginner tickets), but the village is built around the party. Obergurgl-Hochgurgl, 13 km up the valley, is a separate and smaller area of 112 km between 1,800 and 3,030 m, quieter in the evenings, with hotels on the slopes. One pass covers both from three days. For a bigger Arlberg alternative, see 5 Days in St. Anton.
| Sölden, 1 day, adult, 5-18 Dec, 7-29 Jan, 27 Feb-18 Apr | 84.50 EUR |
|---|---|
| Sölden, 1 day, adult, 12 Nov-4 Dec | 81 EUR |
| Sölden, 1 day, adult, 19 Dec-6 Jan, 30 Jan-26 Feb | 86.50 EUR |
| Sölden, half day from 12:00, adult, main season | 72.50 EUR |
| Ötztal Superskipass, 4 days, adult, main season (this plan) | 322 EUR |
| Ötztal Superskipass, 4 days, adult, peak weeks | 329 EUR |
| Ötztal Superskipass, 4 days, adult, 12 Nov-4 Dec | 309 EUR |
| Ötztal Superskipass, 6 days, adult, main season | 469 EUR |
| Obergurgl-Hochgurgl, 1 day, adult, main season | 69.50 EUR |
| Obergurgl-Hochgurgl, 1 day, adult, peak weeks | 75.50 EUR |
| Wednesday night ticket at Gaislachkogl, with a ski pass | 20 EUR |
| Slope rescue card, 3 days, 1 person | 12 EUR |
Adult cash desk prices; tickets are cheaper online up to 5 days before the first ski day, and youth and child rates are lower. Passes of 1 or 2 days are valid only in the resort that sells them. From 3 days the Ötztal Superskipass is valid in all six Ötztal ski areas (90 lifts, 363 km), including Obergurgl-Hochgurgl, at the same price at either resort. From 6 days it includes the 007 ELEMENTS exhibition. Sölden is also a new member of the Epic Pass family, with 5 days included for 2026/27.
Source: Sölden facts, 2026/27 prices, the Ötztal Superskipass, autumn and winter dates are from Bergbahnen Sölden and Ötztal Tourismus, Obergurgl-Hochgurgl facts and prices from the Gurgl resort site. Sölden's own total is 147 km; it publishes no split by difficulty, so the 76/40/28 split is approximate and comes from the independent resort portal skiresort.info, which counts 144 km. Checked 2026-10-16
Today is the warm-up, on the side of Sölden with the ski-school areas, the snow park and the gentler runs. The trap is the pass: one- and two-day passes are valid only in Sölden, not in Obergurgl.
Sort the practical things before the lift opens. The Giggijoch gondola starts at the edge of the village, near the Freizeit Arena. Rental shops with depots at the lift stations are everywhere, and many will organize the pass and the ski school for you when you rent. The resort's ski area page shows which lifts are open.
Buy the pass for four consecutive days: the Ötztal Superskipass covers Sölden, the glacier and Obergurgl-Hochgurgl. The online price is lower if you book at least 5 days before the first ski day. The slope rescue card, 12 EUR for three days, covers rescue costs in Sölden and Gurgl.
The Giggijoch gondola climbs in about ten minutes past the hamlet of Hochsölden, a cluster of hotels at 2,090 m above the village, five of them four-star.
At the top station you are at Giggijoch, 2,285 m, with the first views of the Sölden panorama and across the valley to the Gaislachkogl you will visit tomorrow.
The resort describes Giggijoch as tens of varied slopes, the kids' areas of the ski schools, a fun slope, a fun cross and a snow park of about five hectares. In plain terms: this is the side of Sölden to start on, wide and not too steep, with the ski-school groups near the top station. The resort sells cheap beginner tickets for three small areas: the Innerwald T-bars (18.50 EUR a day), the Giggijoch gondola with its mini lift (39 EUR) and the Tiefenbach glacier mini lift (22 EUR with the road toll).
The honest note: Sölden's numbers are generous for beginners (just over half the km are easy), but the mountain is high and the gondolas are big, so a first-timer is happier with a ski school for a few days than with a day alone.
The Wirtshaus (inn) at Giggijoch, at 2,285 m, serves Austrian classics in an à la carte restaurant and on a sunny terrace, with homemade desserts and an alpine breakfast. It is table service, so it is slower than the self-service restaurants Giggitreff and Panorama, which are the quick option when you only want to refuel.
Order the Tiroler Gröstl, the pan of fried potatoes, meat and onion that the resort itself lists as the mountain hut dish of the valley, or a plate of dumplings, and finish with a Kaiserschmarrn. Sit on the terrace for the view before you take the long run home.
Sölden's après-ski starts where the ski run ends, at the valley station of the Giggijoch gondola. The Schirmbar is built for exactly that: you ski right off the piste into the crowd, with draft beer and hot Glühwein. A few steps away are the discotheque Fire & Ice, the bar Almrausch, which describes its corner of the village as the Bermuda triangle of Sölden, and the burger place Ham Ham for the late hunger.
It is loud, young and aimed at partying, which is why the village has the reputation it has. If you want quiet in the evening, stay in Obergurgl or Hochsölden.
For a proper dinner that isn't pizza and isn't the bar scene, the Wirtshaus of the Alpengasthof Grüner serves seasonal, regional food à la carte, and its own site promises a farmer's platter (Bauernschmaus). It sits on Außerwaldstraße, set back from the lift stations.
Order what the kitchen advertises: Graukas soup, spinach dumplings (Spinatknödel), Schlutzkrapfen, the filled pasta pockets, or the farmer's platter.
Today belongs to Sölden's own mountain, with the lifts leaving from the village centre. The trap is the evening: the night run and the Summit Dinner run only on Wednesdays from 23 December to 17 March, and the dinner needs a booking.
The Gaislachkogl cable car, in two sections, goes from the village centre to the summit at 3,048 m, a ride of around 30 minutes. It is the quickest way into the high terrain from the village, and you step out beside the Bond exhibition and the restaurant that appeared in the film.
The resort calls it an adventure mountain: slopes of all levels, a toboggan run, a fun slope and the restaurants. A Spectre SUV stands at the first bend of piste no. 1, which is the photo stop on the way down.
Gaislachkogl is the first of the Big 3, the three lift-accessible peaks in Sölden over 3,000 m. Next to the top station a suspension bridge leads to the roof terrace of the ice Q restaurant, which gives a 360 degree panorama over the Ötztal mountains, and the viewing platform here is also open to pedestrians in winter. The other two Big 3 summits, Tiefenbachkogl (3,250 m) and Schwarze Schneid (3,340 m), come on day three.
The ice Q building itself is a glass cube set into the rock, and you will recognize it from the film. The highest peak of the municipality is the Wildspitze, at 3,768 m the second highest mountain in Austria after the Grossglockner.
Inside the Gaislachkogl, over 3,000 m up, is a 1,300 m² exhibition, mostly underground, dedicated to James Bond. Sölden was one of the main locations of Spectre in 2015, and the exhibition shows how the mountain chase was filmed, with the crashed plane, gadgets and a hall of mirrors. The interior concept comes from the Bond art director Neal Callow.
Be honest with yourself about whether you care: if you aren't a Bond fan, the best parts are the architecture and the views. It takes on average 1.5 hours. It is open daily from 9 am to 4:30 pm, last entry 3:30 pm, and you pick a time slot for your first entry when you buy the ticket. The exhibition is not heated, so keep your jacket on.
At the Gaislachkogl middle station, the Falcon has two floors: a market restaurant with fresh dishes and vegetarian and vegan options and a big sun terrace, and an à la carte restaurant upstairs with a regionally and sustainably oriented kitchen and an international wine list. For lunch the market restaurant is the practical choice.
The grand alternative is ice Q at the summit, which the resort calls the highest restaurant in Austria with two toques from Gault&Millau (2024). Upstairs, a lounge and café serves strudel, cakes and homemade ice cream. Reserve ahead for the restaurant.
Spend the afternoon on the long runs back to Sölden. The resort says every piste is groomed daily by 23 machines, starting at about 4:30 pm in dry weather. The valley run is the way home, and the low end near 1,350 m is the first part to feel a warm spell.
Honest notes by level: the resort says the Gaislachkogl has slopes of every difficulty, and piste 1 from the summit is mapped as a red. Strong intermediates and experts are the target here. Beginners will have a better day on the Giggijoch side, because the descent from 3,048 m is long and the high part is exposed.
Every Wednesday from 23 December 2026 to 17 March 2027 the Gaislachkogl runs Wednesday Night Fever. The toboggan run, 7.3 km from the middle station at 2,170 m down to the valley at 1,366 m, is lit, and a 4 km night ski run winds down from the middle station. One night ticket covers both, and the gondola carries you up from 5:30 pm to 9 pm. The last toboggan start and last gondola down are at 9:30 pm.
The run is easy and suited to families, but 7 km takes some fitness. Rent a toboggan around the base station; ski boots are forbidden on the run.
The same Wednesday evenings have two dinners on the mountain. The Summit Dinner at ice Q, at 3,048 m, is a multi-course gourmet menu with wines, 195 EUR per person including the ride, with the uphill ride at 6 pm and the downhill at 10 pm. The kitchen is led by Klaus Holzer. Book well ahead.
The cheaper option is the Falcon, 95 EUR with the ascent, a welcome drink and a sharing menu from an open fire kitchen; the gondola goes up from 5:30 pm and the last descent is at 9:30 pm. Reservation is required. Either way, dress warmly for the gondola.
Today is the high-altitude day: the connecting gondola, the glacier, the two other Big 3 summits and a lunch with a view of the World Cup slope. In the evening you move up the valley to Obergurgl. The trap is the weather: at 3,000 m it is much colder than in the village, so check the lift status in the morning.
Once the winter area opens, a connecting gondola, the Gletscherexpress (the resort also calls it the Golden Gate to the glacier), takes you from the winter area to the foot of the Rettenbach glacier without taking off your skis. The glacier road, the highest road in the Eastern Alps, is closed to public traffic in winter.
In autumn, before the winter area opens, the free glacier ski bus runs from Sölden up the glacier road in about 30 minutes, and a glacier-only ticket is cheaper.
The Rettenbach glacier is where the World Cup season opens: giant slalom races have been held here since 1993/94, every year at the end of October, and the 2026 races are on 24 October (women) and 25 October (men). The course starts at 3,048 m and finishes at 2,680 m, 1,170 m long with a drop of 368 m, and the maximum gradient is 65%, the steepest stretch in the whole Sölden area.
The honest bit for everyone else: the red and black runs on Rettenbach are where national teams train, and the resort says the World Cup slope is only for skiers in excellent shape. Intermediates should enjoy the groomed reds beside it and watch from the terrace. Pistes 30, 31 and 33 end at the Rettenbach market restaurant.
The renovated Rettenbach market restaurant has a self-service restaurant downstairs and, upstairs, a table service restaurant called the Gletschertisch, with a showcase kitchen, traditional classics and lighter Mediterranean dishes, and a sun terrace with a view of the World Cup slope. If a race training is on, you sit and watch racers come down.
The self-service side is quicker and saves time for the afternoon.
Cross to the Tiefenbach glacier through the connecting ski run and the Schwarze Schneid ski tunnel at 3,240 m, which links both glaciers. The Tiefenbach side is the gentler one: blue and red slopes and flatter terrain, which the resort recommends for beginners and slightly advanced skiers. In the autumn, 28.8 of the 35.1 km open on the glacier are blue.
That makes Tiefenbach the one place on this day a beginner can enjoy, if they are happy at 3,000 m in the cold.
The top station of the Tiefenbach gondola, at 3,250 m, has the second Big 3 viewing platform: a 15 m high pyramid and a footbridge suspended on steel cables that reaches 20 m out over the glacier. In winter it can be reached only on skis or a snowboard, so it is not a stop for pedestrians.
At 3,340 m, Schwarze Schneid is the highest of the Big 3. From the top station of the Schwarze Schneid gondola it is about 90 m of altitude and a 15 minute walk to the natural platform, a circular larch-wood slab with a pyramid in the middle, from which the view reaches the Dolomites. In winter this platform too can be reached only on skis or a snowboard.
If you are tempted by the BIG3 Rally, the resort's challenge to ski all three peaks and 5,200 m of altitude in one day, over almost 50 km, be realistic. It is an endurance day for strong skiers, and this plan splits it over three.
Check out of the Sölden hotel in the morning and ask it to keep your bags until you are back from the glacier. Then take the valley bus, every half hour, 13 km up to Obergurgl, check in and eat there. Every Thursday from 17 December to 25 March, Hochgurgl runs night tobogganing and night skiing from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm, last ascent at 9 pm, and a free toboggan bus runs from Obergurgl and Sölden. The run is 3 km long with 25 turns, from the middle station of the Hochgurglbahn to the valley station in Pill.
A stop at the Downhill Grill restaurant makes it a sociable evening rather than a sport. Rent toboggans at Scheiber Sport.
This is the quiet and higher area. Everything here is linked by the Top Express gondola, so you can start in Obergurgl, cross to Hochgurgl for the afternoon and come back by lift and run. More than 90% of the accommodation is less than 250 m from the slopes, so you can be on skis in minutes from the door. The trap is the Hohe Mut cable car: an undated notice on the resort's Hohe Mut pages says section I is out of service until the end of the season. It names no season, so check the lift news before you plan the morning.
Obergurgl's ski area starts almost in the village, with the Hohe Mut cable car and the Roßkar gondola leaving from the edge of the houses. The Hohe Mut ridge reaches 2,670 m, with 21 mountains over 3,000 m in view. The resort offers a guided first-tracks morning on the blue no. 6 and the reds no. 12 and no. 1, followed by breakfast at the Hohe Mut Alm.
The honest verdict next to Sölden: smaller, calmer, and more than half easy, so a better place for improving intermediates and families than for a hardcore day.
The Hohe Mut Alm, at 2,670 m, has a large sun terrace with a view of the 21 three-thousanders, and serves hot meals from 11 am to 3:30 pm. Alpine dishes there are described as traditional recipes reinterpreted with regional ingredients. It is also the base of the nature park exhibition: 135 m² on glaciers, climate and high alpine research, with a 3,500 year old ibex horn and real glacier ice to touch.
Order a Kaiserschmarrn with plum compote, or a plate of Knödel.
The Top Express gondola connects Obergurgl with Hochgurgl, the second village at 2,150 m, which grew from the 1960s after the Timmelsjoch road opened and the first hotels went up on the high pastures. Both villages belong to the municipality of Sölden, though the ski areas are separate.
The resort calls Hochgurgl relaxed and family-friendly, with most hotels next to the slopes. Use the Top Express to move between the two without taking off your skis.
The glass-walled Top Mountain Star stands on a narrow ridge of the Wurmkogl at 3,030 m, the highest point of the ski area. From the terrace you look over the Ötztal Alps to the Dolomites, and the Gams-Steg walkway leaving from it is, according to the resort, a favorite place for marriage proposals.
The practical bit for skiers: blue runs lead down from the Top Mountain Star into the valley, so it is reachable for beginners as well. Stop for a drink, enjoy the view and ski down.
The Kirchenkar slope in Hochgurgl is the start of Gurgl's World Cup slalom: on 21 and 22 November 2026 the women race on Saturday and the men on Sunday. Below it is the Top Mountain Crosspoint, a building that combines a restaurant, a lift station and the Top Mountain Motorcycle Experience.
The Crosspoint kitchen says it cooks from regional, seasonal ingredients and pours wines from Italy and Austria; from 19 November the restaurant is open 9 am to 5:30 pm, hot meals 10:30 am to 4:30 pm. The museum shows more than 500 historic motorbikes, with a 4D cinema and a motorcycle simulator.
The ice rink in Obergurgl, 1,000 m² next to Hotel Enzian and opposite the old mountaineers' chapel of St. Bernhard, is floodlit in the evening and has ice curling. The resort describes the sports bar next to it as the place to end a sociable evening.
Obergurgl takes its food seriously. The Austria Stuben, in the Gourmet & Wine Hotel Austria, has four Gault&Millau toques and one Michelin star, and its sommelier Maximilian Steiner was named Austria's best sommelier in 2023, with a cellar of about 1,200 wines. Grünerhof and the Gourmetstube Hochfirst are also on the resort's list of award-winning kitchens.
That is a splurge, so book days ahead. For a simpler dinner, the village has around 20 four-star hotels, apartments and guesthouses, and its own restaurants and cafés; ask at the tourist office for tables on the day.
The fifth day is the one without skis, which is when the legs and the wallet recover. Check out of Obergurgl in the morning and ask the hotel to keep your bags, or travel with them by car, since the day moves down the valley. The trap is the end of the stay: many holiday lets change on Saturdays, so expect fuller buses and roads.
Gurgl has fewer than 400 inhabitants, and Obergurgl, at 1,907 m, is the highest parish in Austria. Its church of Saint John Nepomuk was consecrated in 1737 and enlarged in 1967 to plans by Clemens Holzmeister. Gurgl was first mentioned in 1250.
A monument from 1989 in the village (the tourist office can point to the spot) recalls Auguste Piccard, the Swiss physicist who landed on the Gurgler glacier in a balloon on 27 May 1931 after a record altitude flight and spent a night there before being brought down. Alfred Hitchcock shot the outdoor scenes of his second feature film, Der Bergadler (The Mountain Eagle in English), in the village; the silent film is lost.
Gurgl has signposted winter hiking trails starting from the village, and the resort's pitch is simple: walk in the snow, stop in a hut for a hot chocolate. Guided winter hikes are also offered. Pedestrians can ride the Hohe Mut cable car with a return ticket, for the view and the nature park exhibition at the top.
The valley road takes you down 13 km to Sölden. The parish church of the Visitation of Mary was first mentioned in 1288, rebuilt in 1521 in Gothic style and baroquified later, with ceiling frescoes by Joseph Anton Puellacher of Telfs in 1779. It is the quiet corner of a village that is not.
Sölden also has 49.5 km of cleared winter walking trails. The Adventure Mile along the stream from the Gaislachkogl gondola to the Freizeit Arena is the easy village walk.
Philipp is a restaurant and après-ski place on Unterwaldstraße. Its menu runs from soups, salads and baked potatoes to Tyrolean specialties, rump steak and pizza. Last winter it was open daily from 10 am to 10 pm and closed for the season on 19 April 2026; hours for 2026/27 are not published yet.
On a rest day, a bowl of soup or a baked potato is the right size of meal before the baths.
The Aqua Dome in Längenfeld, 15 km down the valley from Sölden, is one of the most modern thermal spas in Austria. It has 12 indoor and outdoor pools with about 2,200 m² of water, fed by thermal water from 1,865 m deep, a futuristic dome with floating bowls, and a sauna world with eleven saunas and steam baths.
Go in the afternoon, when the outdoor pools in the snow are the point: steaming water, cold air, a view of the Ötztal mountains. The tourist board lists it open daily 9 am to 11 pm, so a late start still works. The sauna area, fitness and SPA 3000 are charged separately.
Gusto is a pizzeria and restaurant on Dorfstraße in Sölden, open for the season from 22 October, over three floors and five themed rooms, with Italian dishes and traditional Tyrolean cooking on the same menu. It is a safe last dinner for a mixed group when someone wants pizza and someone else a Wiener Schnitzel or a Kaiserschmarrn.
What didn't fit: a valley pool, a toboggan, the end of the valley, Ötzi and the two big alternatives a drive away.
The capital of Tyrol is the likely arrival point for the trip, and worth an extra day if you fly in early or out late. The full plan is in 5 Days in Innsbruck.
Getting there: 86 km north, about 75 minutes by road; or bus to Ötztal station and train east
Ski Arlberg is the biggest linked ski area in Austria, aimed at strong intermediates and experts. Our plan for it is 5 Days in St. Anton.
Getting there: 89 km west, about 80 minutes by road; Ötztal station is on the same railway line
The village sports centre has a family adventure pool with a sauna area, tennis courts, a fitness studio and a sports hall. It is the nearby alternative to the Aqua Dome on a day when you don't want to travel.
Getting there: In the village, on the Adventure Mile, a short walk from the Giggijoch gondola
Official websiteA natural toboggan run rated red and suitable for families, from the Lenzenalm inn (open on Fridays and Sundays) at 1,895 m down to the upper car park. The tourist board lists 3.2 km and 433 m of drop to the valley at 1,462 m, of which just under 2 km lead to the upper car park. It is shorter than the lit Gaislachkogl run.
Getting there: 4 km from Sölden, about 5 minutes by road, in Zwieselstein
Official websiteVent lies at 1,895 m at the very end of the Venter Tal, and above it the Rofenhöfe, at 2,011 m, are Austria's highest permanently inhabited mountain farms. It is a world away from Sölden: farms, huts and mountaineers, not hotels. Check road and bus conditions in winter before you go.
Getting there: 17 km from Sölden, about 25 minutes by road into the Venter Tal
An open-air park that recreates Stone Age life, named for Ötzi, the Iceman found in the Ötztal Alps in 1991 and now shown in Bolzano. In 2026 it is open from 9 May to the end of October, so it is closed in ski season.
Getting there: 23 km from Sölden, about 25 minutes by road
Official websiteTyrolean mountain food is built for people who have skied all day: pans, dumplings, cheese and sweet pancakes. These are the dishes and drinks not to leave without trying.
Fried potatoes, meat and onion in one pan. The Sölden tourist board points to it as the dish of the mountain huts, and it is the sensible lunch when you have 500 m of descent still to ski.
Where to try it: Any table-service mountain hut. Wirtshaus Giggijoch at 2,285 m serves Austrian classics.
A torn-up, fluffy pancake dusted with sugar and served with plum compote or apple sauce. The huts of Sölden and Gurgl both put it on the menu, often as the main course in the afternoon. It is big, so share it.
Where to try it: A sunny hut terrace after lunch, for example the Hohe Mut Alm in Obergurgl at 2,670 m.
Dumplings in every Tyrolean variation: Speckknödel (with bacon), Spinatknödel (with spinach) and Kaspressknödel (pressed cheese dumplings), eaten alone, in broth or as a side. The Sölden huts advertise hand-rolled dumplings as a reason to stop.
Where to try it: Mountain huts and Wirtshäuser, ideally in a clear broth.
Soft egg noodles layered with melted cheese and fried onions. In Tyrol they are called Kasspatzln. A proper plate is rich enough to count as dinner.
Where to try it: A Wirtshaus or a hut with table service; ask for Kasspatzln if the menu is in dialect.
Thin pastry rolled around spiced apples and raisins, served warm. At ice Q the lounge upstairs lists strudel, cakes and homemade ice cream, and it is the easiest mountain coffee stop in Sölden.
Where to try it: The ice Q lounge on the Gaislachkogl, or any hut that bakes its own.
A thin veal cutlet, breaded and fried, which should overlap the edges of the plate. It is a Viennese dish, but it is on menus across Austria. In a ski village it is the safe choice for children.
Where to try it: A Wirtshaus; ask whether it is veal.
Filled pasta pockets, a Tyrolean specialty, usually with a spinach or cheese filling and melted butter. Less often found in tourist places, so it is worth ordering when you see it.
Where to try it: Traditional Wirtshäuser in the valley.
Tyrolean sour-milk cheese, served in thin slices with onion rings, vinegar and oil. It is an acquired taste, strong and sour, and a very local one.
Where to try it: Wirtshäuser and huts that serve Brettljause (a cold platter).
The après-ski bars at the Giggijoch base pour draft beer and hot Glühwein (mulled wine) from the end of the afternoon. The Schirmbar advertises both, with DJs, directly beside the piste.
Where to try it: The Schirmbar and the bars around the Giggijoch valley station in Sölden.
Obergurgl is where the serious wine lists are. The Austria Stuben has around 1,200 labels and the Crosspoint pours hand-picked Italian and Austrian wines. Austrian white wines are an easy match for the cheese dishes.
Where to try it: The restaurants of Obergurgl and the Top Mountain Crosspoint in Hochgurgl.
A big mountain breakfast with a view, on the slope. The Wirtshaus Giggijoch serves an alpine breakfast at 2,285 m, and the guided First Line morning in Gurgl ends with a regional breakfast at the Hohe Mut Alm.
Where to try it: Wirtshaus Giggijoch in Sölden or the Hohe Mut Alm in Obergurgl.
Where you sleep decides your evenings. Sölden is lively and close to the lifts; Obergurgl and Hochgurgl are quiet and ski-in, ski-out.
Best for: Skiers who want the big mountain, the après and the bars within walking distance
A ski village along one road, lively and loud, with the most beds and the most bars. The catch: the party is at the foot of the Giggijoch gondola, so a hotel there is noisy; look for a street back from the base.
Best for: Skiers who want quiet evenings, snow-sure slopes and a ski-in, ski-out hotel
A small church village at 1,907 m with around 20 four-star hotels and a ski area that starts at the doorstep. The catch: for a late night you have to go down to Sölden, and the ski area is smaller.
Best for: Families and skiers who want the hotel at the lift, higher than Obergurgl
A hotel village at 2,150 m, about 250 m above Obergurgl, with a relaxed, family-friendly feel, linked to Obergurgl by the Top Express gondola. The catch: it is a hotel village, not a town, so the evening happens in your hotel.
Best for: Skiers who want to be on the Giggijoch side from the first lift and hear nothing at night
A hamlet at 2,090 m above Sölden with five four-star hotels, connected to the valley by the Giggijoch gondola and a road. The catch: to go to the bars in the village you depend on the gondola, so check its last run.
In Map Drop the countries of Europe fall one at a time and you drop each into its place - Austria is one of the pieces.
The practical stuff that makes the first day in Sölden and Obergurgl easier.
Austria uses the euro. At the World Cup event area in Sölden you can pay only by card or mobile. Carry some cash anyway for small huts, taxis and tips, and check at each place.
Buy online if you can: tickets are cheaper up to 5 days before the first ski day. Passes of 1 or 2 days are valid only in the resort that sells them. Book the Summit Dinner, the 007 Elements time slot and any gourmet table well in advance.
A valley bus runs about every half hour between Ötztal station and the top of the valley, and Sölden has free ski buses. Your accommodation gives you a guest card automatically, and it makes public buses and ski buses free in winter. Timetables are on the Ötztal bus company's site.
The Ötztal is a dry inner-alpine valley, with about 830 mm of precipitation a year in Gurgl, but the top of the Sölden area is 3,340 m and it is cold. Bring goggles, a neck gaiter and sunscreen. The 007 Elements exhibition is not heated.
The slope rescue card, sold with the ski pass, costs 12 EUR for 3 days and covers rescue costs on the secured slopes of Sölden and Gurgl. It must be bought before an accident.
Ötztal station has direct trains from Zurich (six a day, about three hours), Vienna (six a day, about 4.5 hours) and a daily ICE from Dortmund. The ÖBB luggage service can send your bags ahead if you book from Austria or Germany. Hire skis locally.
German is spoken, in a Tyrolean dialect, and English works at hotels, lifts and bars. Grüß Gott (hello) and danke (thanks) go a long way. Sölden offers free Wi-Fi in the ski area up to the glacier.
Yes. Four ski days cover Giggijoch, Gaislachkogl, the glacier, the Big 3 and Obergurgl-Hochgurgl, and the fifth day is for the spa. A week gives you a second day on each mountain.
Partly. A little over half of the km are easy, there are cheap beginner tickets for three areas and the Tiefenbach glacier is gentle. But the area is high and big, and Obergurgl-Hochgurgl is calmer for a first week.
Sölden for the biggest area, the glacier, the Big 3 and the nightlife. Obergurgl-Hochgurgl for quiet evenings, ski-in, ski-out hotels and a smaller, calmer area. With the Ötztal Superskipass from three days you can ski both.
Yes, from three days. The Ötztal Superskipass is valid in six Ötztal ski areas, including both. One- and two-day passes are valid only in the resort that sells them.
On the Sölden glacier in autumn (an autumn season is listed from 15 October to 11 November 2026, snow permitting). The whole Sölden area is planned to open on 12 November 2026 and Obergurgl-Hochgurgl on 19 November 2026.
By road it is about 80 km and an hour. By public transport take a train west to Ötztal station, then the valley bus, which runs about every half hour. Shuttles and taxis can be booked from the airport.
A day pass in Sölden is 81 to 86.50 EUR in 2026/27 and a 4-day Ötztal Superskipass 309 to 329 EUR. Obergurgl-Hochgurgl day passes are 11 to 15 EUR cheaper, but its hotels are upmarket. Rental, mountain lunches and dinners come on top.
Yes, around the Giggijoch lift base: a bar you ski into, a discotheque and clubs, plus Friday DJ sessions on the mountain. Obergurgl and Hochsölden are quiet.
Find Sölden and Obergurgl on the map, learn the flag and check how much you really know about Austria.
A mining town whose racing mountain ends at the edge of the old town. Four mountains on one pass, a night run and a glacier day.
270 km of mostly blue and red pistes in one valley, with an après-ski scene that starts before the lifts close. Four ski days and a day off.
Bases: Saalbach, Hinterglemm, Leogang
The Harakiri, a sunny Ahorn and a glacier up the valley. Four ski days, one off, and the pass question answered.
Austria