St Anton
Traditional Austrian resort with legendary skiing (both on & off-piste), apres ski and nightlife
St Anton resort guide - a general overview
This St Anton ski resort guide gives an overview of the ski area, the restaurants (both on and off the mountain), the après ski scene and the many nightlife options available to those that choose to take their ski holiday in this fabulous Arlberg ski resort.
Whichever way you look at it, St Anton is one of the world's best resorts. The town is somewhat squeezed into the valley floor and therefore spreads along the foot of the mountains. However, there are several high-speed modern lifts which provide easy and quick access to the slopes above. Its vast ski area (both on and off piste) makes it ideal for expert and competent skiers who will delight in exploring the Arlberg ski domain (which includes St Christoph, Lech, Zurs, Stuben and Warth).
For keen skiers and boarders, with endless energy looking to push the boundaries, St Anton's mountain ranges (and après ski bars) are perfect. St Anton, competing with Val d'Isere, is reaching for the title of 'ski resort with the most under classified slopes', so will constantly keep you on your toes especially as the next red you ski down could turn into a super steep black by any other resort's standards.
For the powder hounds there are countless opportunities for going off piste. The world famous bowls below the Valluga Mountain are unbeatable after a heavy snowfall. Also ideal for those easing into the off-piste scene, the nearby Rendl area provides some easier areas beyond the furthest lift and the rolling powder bowls of Rossfall. Beginners in St Anton are best to start on the Nasserein nursery slopes which are located at village level. Although there are a couple more gentle pistes to progress to on Gampen and Rendl, there are very few runs for beginners and less adventurous intermediate skiers.
The Arlberg Wellness centre offers swimming, skating, fitness and pampering facilities for those looking for off-slope diversions or to cure their après hangovers.
Resort stats
305km
1,305m - 2,650m
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
- Innsbruck
- 1hr 15mins
- Friedrichshafen
- 1hr 30mins
- Zurich
- 2hrs 30mins
59 ski chalets in St Anton View All
St Anton, Austria
Chalet Albona
Average Price
£1,392 ppSt Anton, Austria
Chalet Valluga
Average Price
£1,642 ppSt Anton, Austria
Chalet Artemis
Average Price
£3,011 pp Offer13 hotels in St Anton, Austria View All
St Anton, Austria
Hotel Alte Post
St Anton, Austria
Hotel Post
St Anton, Austria
Hotel Schwarzer Adler
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Extensive, varied slopes for experts and the adventurous intermediate skiers.
- The resort is picturesque. The chalets in St Anton give real Alpine charm.
- Some of the best apres ski in Europe.
- A good selection of atmospheric and inexpensive mountain restaurants.
- Short transfers from Innsbruck airport.
Cons
- There are very few confidence boosting easy pistes for timid intermediate skiers.
- Blue runs are like French 'Reds' and Red runs are like French 'Blacks'.
- Main lower slopes get a lot of sun, affecting the snow conditions on the runs home.
Restaurants
St Anton Resort Restaurants
The most popular (and most expensive) restaurant with raving reviews is hands down The Museum, located at the bottom of the home run, just above the Galzig bubble. A unique setting of Museum by day and lavish restaurant by night, this restaurant offers a high class menu combines fine dining with traditional Austrian tastes. For the film fanatics among you, the Museum was also the setting of everyone's favourite ski movie, Chalet Girl. Hazienda is a cosy, underground restaurant part of the M3 hotel located right in the centre of St Anton. This lively restaurant is an ideal for just a couple of drinks or a relaxed dining option. Its wide and relatively inexpensive menu choice with super fresh and organic ingredients proves very popular. With its fun and friendly atmosphere and live music into the night this restaurant is hard not to love. If you're craving Italian cuisine, look no further than Pomodoro's pizzeria. With its reputation for the best pizzas in resort, this restaurant is busy from the moment it opens, so be sure to get in early. The pizzeria also does takeaway if you are looking to grab a snack after a long, hearty après. To experience traditional Austrian cuisine, Rodel-Stall is a must to visit. This restaurant decorated as an Austrian barn complete with cow bells and large circular fireplace provides an entire menu of amazing Tyrolean dishes to try. However a requirement is that at least one person has to try their famous Schweinshaxe dish of roast pork knuckle (actually enough to feed two or more). The restaurant also partners up with Rodelalm restaurant just above the Nasserein bubble to enjoy this same delicious menu on the slopes . The Hospiz Alm is a firm favourite among visitors to St Anton. Situated in St Christoph, the restaurant serves a great Austrian menu for lunch and re-opens its doors for dinner. Don't forget to check out the famous wine cellar and make sure you take the slide down to the toilets! Recent reviews commented that the ribs are perfect to share for a lunchtime treat. The waiters and waitresses are all dressed in traditional Austrian clothing; expect lots of lederhosen and dirndls!
St Anton Mountain Restaurants
There are loads of restaurant options along the slopes but The Verwallstube at Galzig is in a class of its own. Fine dining with excellent waiter service, this restaurants top class menu has outstanding panoramic views to match. However make sure you book in advance to avoid disappointment. The Rodelalm partnered with the Rodelstall in Nasserein, is a great restaurant in perfect position to finish the day with. Not actually marked on the piste map, this restaurant is located beside the black run 25. It has a lovely atmosphere ideal to enjoy afternoon drinks or to dine on hearty Tyrolean dishes. The 'half-chicken' and schweinshaxe (roast ham hock) are both popular dishes and tend to sell out as the day goes on.The Hospiz Alm also serves up a great selection of traditional Austrian cuisine, from fried garlic spatzle to platters of ribs and wings, you will not be disappointed with the food or the service (the staff are all dressed in traditional Austrian outfits). St Anton's après bars are equally as good for food as they are for their partying. Mooserwirt is world famous, serving up a selection of Austrian dishes in huge portions. The hilariously miss-translated menu even offers a 100 EUR fried Ostrich egg, for those feeling adventurous. Other places such as Griabli, Heustadl and Krazy Kanguruh are also great. If you're a super keen skier and don't want to waste precious skiing time on dining out, the Ulmer Hütte near the top of the Arlenmahder chair has a fantastic queuing system for grabbing quick snacks on the go . Over at Rendl you can also enjoy a spacious self service restaurant which has great cook to order options and a lovely sun terrace overlooking the action in the terrain park.
St Anton Apres Ski
St Anton's bar scene is a must to experience. The action kicks off from around 3pm and pushes on through to the early hours. Après-ski commences in a collection of bars on the slopes immediately above St Anton, the most popular being the Mooserwirt, (selling more beer than any other bar in Austria). For a more civilised après ski drink Griabli, Heustadl and the Sennhutte are great places to enjoy live music and a more chilled environment. Off the slopes, bars in town are alive by 4pm with Base Camp attracting a mixed group of tourists and ski instructors. For those that cannot get enough, clubs such as Piccadilly and Bar Cuba will see you through to the early hours of the morning.
St Anton Nightlife
The après ski in St Anton seems to more often than not roll into the early hours of the morning, and with St Anton's flat village streets, it's not too difficult to stumble back to your ski chalet. Many of the après bars stay open till late filled with people still sporting their ski boots. St Anton's night life is carried through to the early houses in Bar Cuba a popular club with a predominately English crowd. The Piccadilly bar features live music with a fantastic atmosphere and partnered up with neighbouring Post Keller to offer the perfect end to any night out in town. The Kandahar nightclub across the main high street is definitely the place for you for partying and dancing into the night.