A Guide to Obergurgl – The most gorgeous ski resort
If there is one thing about me, I am the most uncoordinated person to exist. I am also the world’s biggest baby and won’t even ride a bike downhill out of fear I will go too fast. So, when my partner’s family invited me on a ski trip, I was apprehensive, to say the least. All of my family were a bit nervous I was going to come back with broken bones and a hatred for skiing.
I am pleased to confirm, however…. I broke no bones, and whilst I did not enjoy the skiing side of a ski holiday, I truly fell in love with the rest.
As a non-skier, I never understood what a ski holiday entailed or how on earth you plan one. So, I am going to break it all down for you.
Contents: Arriving In Obergurgl
Arriving in Obergurgl
For this ski trip, we went to Obergurgl in Austria. We flew into Innsbruck, about an hour and a half away from London Gatwick. Let me tell you, the view landing at this airport is absolutely breathtaking. I had never seen a mountain range before, and I was spoilt with this being my first. It is absolutely breathtaking. Once we made it through customs and got our bags, it was time to go to Obergurgl. We had pre-booked a taxi, and it was a super quick transfer time of about an hour and a half (I know some ski destinations can be quite far from the nearest airport, but Obergurgl definitely isn’t one). The views on this transfer were insane, with luscious green hills and mountains, but when we got higher up, it turned into gorgeous snow.
Where to stay
We decided to stay in Hochfirst, a ski-in ski-out hotel, for our trip. I have a more detailed review here, which I recommend checking out.
However, some other hotels to take a look at are:
Edelweiss and Gurgl – A ski-in, ski-out hotel, close to the gondolas and a bunch of intermediate runs. They have their own equipment shop, making renting gear super easy and convenient and a locker room to stash all your skiing equipment. There’s also a pool and a spa which is perfect for winding down after skiing.
Hotel Jenewein – More of a mid-range option right next to the gondolas. The rooms look modern, spacious, and comfortable, and there is a restaurant at the hotel.
Like all ski resorts, hotels in this region are quite expensive; however, they seem quite a bit cheaper than some other resorts I have looked at.
Just a note about hotels in this region, you do need to enquire about rooms instead of being able to just book it. Some hotels also have minimum stays over the winter period as it is so popular due to the skiing. However, our hotel let us stay for four days in early April as it is quieter around this time. They also book up far in advance, so contact the hotel as soon as possible.
How to get around
To get from Innsbruck to Obergurgl, we had a taxi included with our trip. A taxi or private shuttle is the easiest way to get to Obergurgl; however, this can be quite expensive. I struggled to find a super convenient bus from the airport to Obergurgl. The only ones I could find had quite a few stopovers, but it might be worth checking with the hotel you want to stay at as they might offer an affordable shuttle. My partner said he would drive between Innsbruck airport and Obergurgl as it was short and mostly on main roads; however, the conditions were very mild when we went.
Once you are in Obergurgl, transportation will be easy. Everything was so close to each other that we walked everywhere (obviously, we did use the gondola if we wanted to go up the mountain). There are also so many shuttle services. Where we got our ski equipment from offered a shuttle service to help take the equipment back to your hotel after you collected it. Many hotels have a shuttle service that can take you wherever you want to go in Obergurgl. There is also a public shuttle service, which is pretty constant and can take you all over Obergurgl, specifically to different ski lifts. This isn’t necessary if you are popping out for lunch but is super convenient when you have all your ski stuff on. If you want to take any day trips to other ski resorts, there is also a ski bus that will take to resorts such as Solden.
Skiing
Obergurgl is one of Austria’s highest and most reliable ski resorts for snow. The season usually runs from mid-November to late April. We went at the beginning of April. Our instructor advised us that the conditions weren’t the best; however, there was still quite a lot of snow. There is a good beginner area with a great range of slopes at various levels. They have a range of lifts such as a button lift, gondola and a chair lift.
Lift Passes:
The lift passes are around 225 euro (depending on your exact dates) per adult for three days and can be brought here. You need this to give you access to the slopes and the lifts. However, you will not need a pass on days you won’t be skiing (or don’t plan to go to any restaurants using the gondola).
Lessons:
They have a great ski school, which I have linked here. As there were two of us, we got a private lesson, which wasn’t that much cheaper than a group lesson. You can also do adult and children ski school where you learn with a bigger group.
Apres-Ski
If you are anything like me, then the Apres-ski is what you want to know about the most, and it was exactly how I expected it to be. We only did one afternoon of Apres, but it was definitely the highlight of my trip. We went to Nederhutt which, when I went did live music on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The band is excellent and they do about three hours. Everyone is drinking, dancing on the chairs, and having a great time with a great view of the mountains. It is a super fun time, and I highly recommend it. To get to this restaurant you need to take the gondola by Edelweiss and Gurgl up (if you have a ski pass then this will be included if not you need to buy a ticket which I think was around 20 euros) and then it’s a short walk to the restaurant. If you aren’t drunk after the apres-ski, you can ski down, but for those who drink a bit too much, they let you go down on the skidoo (snowmobile). I highly recommend going here if you are in the area.
Restaurants:
- Ice Q – This is in Solden, not Obergurgl, but is super easy to get to using shuttle buses. This was a filming location for James Bond (I believe Spectre). I didn’t get the chance to go here on my trip, so I will definitely add to my list when I return. They have two restaurants up here, both pretty expensive, to be honest. One is a wine and tapas lounge, and the other is a gourmet menu.
- Schonwieshutte – this restaurant is in the middle of nowhere and involves either hiking for about an hour and a half or arranging a skidoo transfer. The menu looks stunning, and it has excellent reviews
- Hohe Mut alm – This restaurant is super high up on the gondola but is absolutely stunning views. A great place for a drink or lunch. They also do fondue nights with live music on Wednesdays. There is a set cost for fondue nights at 85 euros per person.
- Hochfirst – We had a half-board package and all our dinners here. The food was excellent and super good quality. If you are not staying here, you can go to the Sun Terrace for lunch. This is a great outdoor spot with great views of the beginner slope.
Other things to do:
- Tobogganing
- Ice skating
- Cross country skiing
- Snowshoeing
Skiing was something super high on my bucket list, and whilst I found it scary, I still loved my trip. Obergurgl truly is gorgeous. I had a wonderful time and have found myself already dreaming about returning. I hope you guys found this blog post useful. Let me know down below if you have been to Obergurgl and what you thought!
