Lech resort guide - a general overview
Lech is a fair sized, prestigious and picturesque Alpine village with a largely intermediate piste network. For experts the off-piste is the main attraction and for beginners there are lots of good, easy slopes to cruise. The lift system in Lech really has improved in the last couple of years, with the old, slow lifts being replaced with lovely heated chairlifts - you are sure not to be left out in the cold in Lech. The brand new Auenfeldjet cable-car links Lech with its neighbouring village, Warth, which adds a reasonable 66km of additional piste to the ski area, and also opens up access to some great North facing off-piste terrain.
Lech bathes in a very reasonable amount of sun, though this doesn't limit the skiing. Hotels are the main accommodation type available and there are some truly excellent luxury hotels in Lech to choose from. The are also some chalets in Lech and chalet hotels which are worth considering if you want to keep the cost of your holiday down.
Linked to St Anton and Zurs it is Austria's answer to glitz and glamour and an excellent choice for families. For a romantic celebration why not enjoy a horse-drawn sleigh ride down into the Zug valley. The Hotel Rote Wand in Zug has a great restaurant and in late March/April the outside terrace there is a real sun trap.
With over 50 restaurants dotted around resort there most certainly is enough variety to tingle the taste buds of any gastronomic connoisseur. Head to the Fux Jazz bar after dinner for some carefully selected wines or digestif while enjoying the live music which plays late into the night.
Photos courtesy of Lech Zürs Tourismus and the following photographers: Josef Mallaun, Christoph Schoech, Lisa Fail, Maria Muxel, Hanno Mackowitz, Peter Mathis and Mercedes cars.
Resort stats
305km
1,450m - 2,450m
Level of skiing
- Beginners
- Intermediates
- Experts
- Snow sure
- Off-piste
- Ski area
Qualities
- Charm factor
- Non-skiers
- Nightlife
- Resort layout
- Fine dining
- Short transfer
- Resort value
Airports
- Friedrichshafen
- 1hr 30mins
- Innsbruck
- 2hrs
- Zurich
- 2hrs 30mins
26 ski chalets in Lech View All
Lech, Austria
Apartment Ada
Average Price
Sold OutLech, Austria
Chalet Arula Two
Average Price
£7,547 ppLech, Austria
Chalet Arula One And Two
Average Price
£8,772 ppPros and Cons
Pros
- Sunny and uncrowded slopes with an excellent snow record
- Traditional alpine atmosphere
- Smart family run hotels. Lech offers plenty of personal service
- Mountain restaurants and a lively apres ski scene
- Easy access by bus to the more challenging slopes of St Anton
Cons
- Limited challenging terrain for the advanced skier
- Blue runs back to the village are rather steep for the nervous novice
- A hotel dominated resort with few independent bars or restaurants
- Generally expensive
- A lot of the slopes are above the tree line so not great for bad weather skiing
Restaurants
Lech Resort Restaurants
There are plenty of restaurants to choose from in resort but the majority of them are in hotels. Lech has some great local dishes and for traditional Austrian food you should head to the Madlochblick or the Post. There is a good fondue restaurant called Hus No. 8, but you usually need to book to eat here.
Lech Mountain Restaurants
There are not many mountain restaurants to choose from in Lech but the ones that do exist are improving in quality all the time. Most take a picnic with them or eat lunch back in the resort in their hotel. Lech does have some good on-slope dining though and one of the restaurants to try would be Rud-Alpe, which is on the lower slopes just above Lech, or perhaps try some of the excellent on slope restaurants in Oberlech which have sunny terraces and often host live bands in March.
Lech Apres Ski
The outdoor bar at the Hotel Krone is popular and is located by the river, and the Hotel Tannbergerhof is also somewhere to go for an apres ski drink and there are often afternoon disco's. The toboggan run from Oberlech to Lech is a definite must!
Lech Nightlife
There isn't a lot happening in Lech with regards nightlife. However, there are a few hotel discos including the Kristberg, Arlberg and the Krone. The Fux bar often has live music and the Archiv has a good cocktail list, attracting the slightly younger crowd. For something a little different, Zug would make a good place to visit in the evenings. From here horse-drawn sleigh rides are on offer, first stopping at a local fondue restaurant and then on to a nightclub back in Lech! Hotels are the only other option for those looking to burn the midnight oil. Dress smart and make sure your wallet is well stocked and hit the smartest hotel bars in town.