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St. Anton in Austria

Wait! Don’t start yet! Put some –appropriate- music on first!

In Athens we rarely see snow. And when sometimes a miracle happens and we experience snowfall, the snow melts in dt time. So, every winter I look forward to visiting destinations dressed in white snow veil. This year, this destination would be the village of Lech. Unfortunately, it was not planned to stay overnight, only for just a visit, as the trip was, in fact, an entire road trip with many stops in 5 countries. But when man plans, God laughs. The fact that we had no snow chains combined with the intense snowfall that day in mountainous Lech made our arrival impossible. Just a few kilometers before Lech, we had to turn around. Fortunately, the area is full of ski resorts and small picturesque villages, so our plans changed and St. Anton am Arlberg got into our program.

St. Anton in Austria

St. Anton in Austria

St. Anton in Austria

St. Anton in Austria

St. Anton in Austria

St. Anton in Austria

Now if I say I knew St. Anton my nose will grow like Pinocchio’s. But it turned out to be the birthplace of alpine skiing, since St. Anton am Arlberg has been welcoming winter lovers for over 100 years. Today it is one of the largest and most famous ski resorts in the Alps with a long and proud tradition.

St. Anton in Austria

St. Anton in Austria

St. Anton in Austria

St. Anton in Austria

More specifically, St. Anton is described as one of the top five resorts in the Alps because it is located in the Arlberg region, Austria’s largest connected ski resort with fast lifts to neighboring Lech. It is also one of Europe’s most heavily snow-covered areas and features 305km of slopes, 200km of off-track routes with many challenges. But apart from the slopes, the village has elegant hotels, chalets, restaurants but also a vivid nightlife. The famous bars Mooserwirt (since 1989) and Krazy Kanguruh (since 1965) on the slopes, host some of the Alpine’s most frantic après-ski parties.

St. Anton in Austria

St. Anton in Austria

St. Anton in Austria

The route in the car, beside the snow-capped tall trees and the white vastness, these jaw-dropping images, fill me with excitement! We left the car in the parking lot and walked into the village with the charming chalets and their snow covered triangular roofs. Everyone was dressed in their ski outfit and the place looked like a huge ski theme park.

St. Anton in Austria

St. Anton in Austria

St. Anton in Austria

St. Anton in Austria

St. Anton in Austria

We walked the pedestrianized Dorfstrasse street that passes through the center, with hotels, restaurants, shops and bars along the way, many of which are still housed in farmhouses of wood and stone that count centuries of existence. The church of the city, dating back to the 17th century, still boasts its location in Dorfstrasse, with the imposing snow-capped mountains rising on both sides of the narrow valley where St. Anton is built.

St. Anton in Austria

St. Anton in Austria

St. Anton in Austria

St. Anton in Austria

St. Anton in Austria

St. Anton in Austria

St. Anton in Austria

St. Anton in Austria

I regret not having taken my ski equipment with me and also not having arranged to stay at this alpine snow paradise for (at least) one day. We walked in the village, and the snow was gently falling on us. It looked like a fairy tale, a white fluffy dream from which I didn’t want to wake up, but the voice of reason (aka my friends) put me back in the classroom and drove me back to the car, because the roadtrip had to be continued. But I’ll be back soon on my skis, ready to dance on the snowy slopes.

Travel guide

Where to stay, where to eat, what to do and more tips in the complete travel guide to the Arlberg region of Austria with the fairytale ski resorts.

Read more

À bientôt      

St. Anton in Austria

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