St Anton family holidays and breaks

Austria's St Anton is one of the world's best ski resorts, and it's child-friendly too. There's a great snow record allowing skiing to mid-April, and the Arlberg lift pass covers 260km of piste and 180km of deep snow trail, so family holidays here allow more enterprising skiers the chance to visit the resorts of Lech, Zurs and St Christoph. Meanwhile, there are children's ski areas in Nasserein (where we recommend a couple of accommodation options) and up at Gampen. The village of St Anton itself is charming and lively at night, with a wide range of facilities for non-skiers or those taking a break from the slopes.

Flying Time	2 hours
Carbon Footprint	0.9 tonnes CO2
Timezone	GMT +1
Local Currency	Euro

What to Do

For intermediate and advanced skiers, St Anton guarantees a week of excitement, with 71 red and 31 black runs to test every level of ability and gorgeous scenery too. Powder is left unpisted on 180km of marked ‘trails’, and for the really adventurous there’s plenty of off-piste skiing too.

For beginners there are slopes at the foot and the top of the gondola in Nasserein.

For non-skiers or those taking a break, St Anton offers tobogganing, bowling and indoor tennis. There's also a swimming pool 5km away in the village of Pettneu.

Where to Stay

For our recommendations and deals for family holidays in St Anton, see the right-hand column of this page.

Photos

When

The ski season runs mid-Dec–mid-April. St Anton is also great for family holidays in summer, with numerous activities and excursions.

How

Family holidays in St Anton are made easy by a good choice of flights to Innsbruck from British airports then a 75-minute transfer, or for a more environmentally friendly journey, by train from London to St Anton itself (see Man in Seat 61 for full details).

Eat

If you've booked a holiday in a catered chalet or a hotel in St Anton, you're likely to be served a Continental breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner (exactly what’s included will vary according to your arrangements).

For lunch or to add a bit of variety to family holidays, there 10 mountain restaurants in St Anton, and the village itself offers a range of eating options if you need a break from your hotel/chalet fare.

Cost

Family holidays in St Anton vary dramatically in cost depending on the season. Try to avoid skiing holidays at half-term, where adults can easily pay £1,000 each; at other times, you might pay half that, with discounts for children. If you come in summer, you'll pay considerably less.