Ellmau

Getting There

The Skiwelt ski area is the largest ski area in Austria with 284 km of pistes, mainly blue and red runs and a few black runs. It consists of 6 main villages: Sol, Ellmau, Scheffau, Brixen im Thale, Westendorf, and Hopfgarten. To travel to the area around Skiwelt, you have a few different options. Munich airport is about a 2 hour drive, Salzburg about 1 hour, and Innsbruck about 1 hour. Depending on the number of people you are traveling with, it may be beneficial to book a private transfer. Split between a small group, this option becomes quite affordable and is especially convenient to have door to door service, especially if traveling with ski or snowboard equipment

• From Munich, a private transfer for 6 people costs approximately 300 – 400 euros. Check out Osa bus for reservations
• From Salzburg to Ellmau, a private transfer for 6 people is about 200 – 300 euros. Check out City Transfers for reservations
• From Innsbruck to Ellmau, a private transfer for 6 people is also about 200 – 300 euros.

An alternative option if traveling to Innsbruck or Salzburg is take a train from the town center to a station near the town you are staying in and then book a cab from the station to your accommodations.

Getting Around

To travel within a village, there are buses available running within the area to the main ski base gondolas. Additionally, there are buses between the towns if you end up skiing down to the base of an area different than your accommodations or you opt to explore a new town.

Check bus schedules here. If staying within a given town, the main area should be quite walkable.

Accommodations

Ellmau – villaforyou has a variety of properties available to rent in town, many very nice and easily accessible to the mountain.

Traditional Austrian Dishes

Goulash – hearty beef and onion soup often served with potato or cheese dumplings

Schnitzel – thin cutlet covered in breading usually of veal, pork or chicken

Tiroler grostl – potatoes and beef, sometimes served with a fried egg too

Kasespatzle – cheese pasta

Currywurst – bratwurst

Frankfurter – hot dog

Codron bleu – meat wrapped around cheese

Mixed grill plate – mixture of meats

Almkaiserschmarrn – Apple pancake

Apple strudel – apple pastry dessert often served with vanilla sauce or cream

Purchase Insurance

It is a small additional cost to both the ski passes and rentals, but provides much needed security if something goes wrong. If you are participating in apres ski, definitely an increased likelihood of injuries, accidents, and loss or damage of ski equipment.

Ski Map

Check out the Ski Map to get an idea on how to navigate the mountain.

Cost Savings

If looking to keep expenses down, consider a few points when planning the holiday. Booking accommodations with a kitchen will help keep costs down as you will have the opportunity to cook meals at home rather than dining out. Compared to some other Alps destinations, Austria is more affordable than its Swiss or French neighbors.

Elevation

Skiwelt is a low altitude ski mountain, with max height at 1800m. This means it is not a prime destination for spring skiing and you are taking a risk by booking a trip in March. If there is heavy snowfall, it could easily be nice, but visiting in late March 2023 provided very minimal snow. The towns also get quiet at this time of year as it is considered the off season. Plan a holiday here in January or February for better snow conditions and livelier towns.

Signage

Better than Italy, worse than Switzerland and France, the maps on the mountain can be a bit confusing. Slopes are named by numbers that lead down to lifts. It can take some time to get used to both the naming convention and the routes.