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Choosing the cheaper option can sometimes mean sacrificing charm, but not in Austria’s case. In fact, many of the country’s most affordable resorts are also among its most picturesque.
Traditional villages such as Alpbach, Kirchberg, and Westendorf allow you to enjoy the classic Alpine ski holiday – traditional wooden chalets, sweeping mountain views and pristine pistes – for less. Better still, many of these resorts are linked to much larger ski areas. That means you can stay in a great value affordable base while still enjoying access to hundreds of kilometres of pistes.
Using Iglu Ski booking data for the past three seasons, we’ve ranked the cheapest Austrian resorts based on the estimated total cost for a week-long holiday. We’ve also calculated the approximate cost per kilometre of piste – giving a clearer picture of where you can get the most skiable terrain for your money. It's worth noting that, for consistency, we've based all prices on half board – but your holiday could be even cheaper if you choose bed & breakfast or self-catered option.
Here are our most affordable Austrian ski resorts:
1. Kirchberg
2. Alpbach
3. Fieberbrunn
4. Nassfeld
5. Bad Gastein
7. Westendorf
8. Schladming
9. Leogang
10. Söll
11. Zell am See
Discover more great value resorts in our ranking of the most affordable ski resorts in Europe.
Compare the cost data for our most affordable Austrian ski resorts
See how the costs of everything from your accommodation to your lift pass and your daily lunches stack up against each other.
Looking for a budget ski trip to France? Check out our ranking of the most affordable French ski resorts.
1. Kirchberg
- Total holiday cost: £1,383
- Size of ski area: 188km
- Cost per km (pp): £7.35
Kirchberg, our most affordable overall resort, shares its ski area with Kitzbühel – one of Austria’s most glamorous ski resorts with its designer boutiques (though even there you can get a round of drinks for much less than in some French resorts). Choose Kirchberg and spend an average of £1,000 per person less to ski on the same 188km of slopes and have lunch at the same mountain huts that you would if you were staying in its upmarket neighbour. You’ll also save on basics like ski hire, which averages £147 for the week. Taking everything into account, you won't spend more than £7.35 pp per km.
There's superb skiing nearby and plenty to keep you occupied after hours, including a number of lively apres-ski spots and restaurants. Check out Eis Bar for affordable rounds of drinks and the legit Austrian après experience or Schi-Alm for slopeside shenanigans and sustenance.
Expert comment:
Iglu Ski’s Aimee went on a ski holiday to the Kitzbühel Alps recently and did the runs around Kirchberg and back down into the valley several times.
“The valley runs back down are fairly wide and not too steep, plus there are plenty of spaces for lunch or a snack on the way down. Head to Usterweis on the 30 blue run back down to Kirchberg to sample the indulgent Cremesschnitte - you may need to share!
2. Alpbach
- Total holiday cost: £1,520
- Size of ski area: 114km
- Cost per km (pp): £13.33
Said to be the most beautiful village in Austria, Alpbach also deserves to be known as one of its most affordable. A week here averages £1,520 per person, with a six-day lift pass costing £262 and ski hire just £130. You’ll have access to 114km of beginner to intermediate-level pistes, including those in the wider Ski Juwel area, which unites Alpbach with Wildschonau. That works out at £13.33 pp per km.
Off the slopes, you can stroll the narrow streets, admire the uniform wooden architecture and stunning natural scenery, and fuel up on regional cuisine. Check out Böglalm Mück for a traditional and great-value mountain lunch or Messner's for reasonably-priced pizza.
3. Fieberbrunn
- Total holiday cost: £1,680
- Size of ski area: 270km
- Cost per km (pp): £6.22
Fieberbrunn is the best value of the four resorts in the 270km Ski Circus, one of the largest ski areas in Austria. A ski holiday in this Tyrolean market town will set you back an average of just £1,680 per person, making it the second cheapest resort in our ranking on a cost per km basis at £6.22.
Lunch and drinks are also great value in comparison to other Austrian resorts, costing under £170 for the week – the joint lowest on the list. Jausenstation Tennalm is a great place for a mountain lunch if you fancy affordable Austrian fare, with mains for under £15.
Fieberbrunn is a lovely place for a family ski trip, with lots of kid-friendly activities, discounted passes for kids, and for parents skiing with toddlers.
4. Nassfeld
- Total holiday cost: £1,638
- Size of ski area: 110km
- Cost per km (pp): £14.90
Nassfeld occupies a scenic corner of the southern Alps on the border with Italy. It enjoys consistent snowfall (averaging 7-8m annually), and exceptionally sunny skies. A week-long stay averages £1,638, which includes a £281 lift pass and £138 for ski hire – which works out at £14.90 per km.
The resort is another standout choice for families, thanks to the quantity and quality of childcare, ski schools, and discounted passes for children. Intermediates should also feel right at home here, thanks to the high percentage of red runs among its 110km of pistes, though there’s plenty for beginners and advanced skiers too. The Watschiger Alm mountain hut is an ideal spot for a great value lunch, with drinks and food available for under £15 per person.
5. Bad Gastein
- Total holiday cost: £1,710
- Size of ski area: 200km
- Cost per km (pp): £8.55
Bad Gastein is known for its grand Belle Époque architecture and dramatic setting in a steep Alpine valley. The resort forms part of the wider Ski Amadé network, giving skiers access to around 200km of pistes across the Gastein Valley. A week-long holiday here costs a relatively modest £1,710 per person, working out at £8.55 pp per km. That includes a £322 lift pass and £142 for ski hire, with lunches and drinks as affordable as you're likely to find anywhere in Austria. Grab a filling burger for around £13 at Zum Wasserfall in town, or if you're on the mountain, check out the reasonably-priced mains at Valeriehaus at Sportgastein.
The skiing suits intermediates particularly well, with long cruising reds and scenic runs linking the different sectors. Off the slopes, Bad Gastein has plenty of character too, from historic hotels and thermal spas to a lively après-ski scene.
6. Niederau-Oberau
- Total holiday cost: £1,739
- Size of ski area: 114km
- Cost per km (pp): £15.25
The resort of Niederau-Oberau is a lovely but lesser-known ski resort in Austria’s Wildschönau region. These small and traditional villages are set in scenic surroundings, with easy access to the 113km Ski Juwel. Niederau offers superb skiing for novices, including a brilliant nursery area and lots of beginner-friendly blues.
For a week-long trip, you’ll spend a reasonable £1,739 per person, with the ski pass among the cheapest in Austria (£262 for 6 days), and ski hire averaging just £121. Our top picks for a value lunch are Markbachjochalm, where you can fill up on schnitzel for under £15 per person, or the highly-regarded Norderbergalm, which has decent portions at great prices.
7. Westendorf
- Total holiday cost: £1,859
- Size of ski area: 284km
- Cost per km (pp): £6.54
Westendorf is located in another large Austrian ski area with an unwieldy name. The SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser - Brixental offers visitors 284km of varied pistes and Westendorf is an affordable base for your trip. Costing just over £1,859 per person for a week-long holiday, staying in this charming resort allows you to ski the SkiWelt for a very competitive £6.54 per km.
The village is small, pretty and traditional, but lively enough and surrounded by excellent nursery slopes. Stop at Berggasthaus Sonnalm next to the Gondelbahn-middle station for a filling and affordable lunch, and finish the day with a beer on the terrace at Nagelhütte.
8. Schladming
- Total holiday cost: £1,965
- Size of ski area: 222km
- Cost per km (pp): £8.85
Schladming is a former mining town in Austria's densely-forested Styria region, known as much for its sublime scenery, rich culinary scene, and thermal spas as it is for its skiing. Linked with Dachstein, the ski area combines nine mountains and 222km of slopes, which you can access for a cool £1,965 per person (£8.85 per km).
There’s a nice balance of blues (92km) and reds (115km) and the Dachstein glacier is sometimes able to open for an extended October to May season. Lunch and drinks prices are on the higher end of the scale (£211), but you won’t mind forking out for forkfuls of hearty local grub. In particular, we'd recommend Charly’s Treff (Planaistub’n), a favourite for its massive portions and lively après, which is opposite the Planai gondola station. Or tuck into large portions of traditional Austrian comfort food at Stadtbräu in town.
9. Leogang
- Total holiday cost: £2,001
- Size of ski area: 270km
- Cost per km (pp): £7.41
Like Fieberbrunn, Leogang is another Ski Circus resort and shares many of its qualities, including a pretty village in picturesque surroundings and lots to recommend for families. Your holiday will cost you a little more than it would if you were staying in its neighbour (£2,001 per person for the week vs £1,680), but with its beautiful wooden chalets and hotels, and Michelin-star restaurants, it has a delightfully low-key luxury vibe that’s worth that little bit extra.
But there are plenty of more affordable lunch spots. Try the Steinadler or Lindlalm mountain huts for filling favourites with a view. Leogang is considered one of the most beginner-friendly resorts in the ski area, with wide and gentle slopes and dedicated nursery areas.
10. Söll
- Total holiday cost: £2,097
- Size of ski area: 284km
- Cost per km (pp): £7.38
Söll combines affordability, a lively atmosphere and, like Westendorf, excellent access to the SkiWelt’s 284km of pistes, including friendly blues and cruisey reds. The resort itself has a friendly, traditional feel and is known for its energetic après-ski, with bars and mountain huts that stay busy well into the evening.
At £2,097 per person for a week, including a £304 lift pass and £138 for ski hire, it works out at £7.38 per km. That's excellent value for skiers looking to experience one of Austria’s best ski areas and a little more buzz than Westendorf. Check out Hexenzit (just above the town) or Moonlight bar (at the end of the home run into Söll) for a lively end to the day.
11. Zell am See
- Total holiday cost: £2,158
- Size of ski area: 408km
- Cost per km (pp): £5.28
Few Austrian resorts can match Zell am See for scenery. Sitting beside a frozen Alpine lake and surrounded by snow-covered peaks, it’s one of the most picturesque ski destinations in the country.
Thanks to the Ski Alpin Card, you can access a huge 408km of slopes spanning Zell am See, Kaprun and the Skicircus area, making it the largest ski area in this ranking. Despite that scale, a week-long trip costs a reasonable £2,158 per person, working out at an unbeatable £5.28 per km of pistes. Off the slopes, you can enjoy the historic town centre, lakeside views and a wide choice of restaurants and bars. Villa Crazy Daisy is a great spot for lunch, with reasonable prices and views over the lake.
Our data
This ranking is based on Iglu Ski’s customer booking data from the past three winter seasons. Prices represent the average cost of a seven-night ski holiday on a half-board basis, including flights, transfers, breakfast and dinner and a full-area lift pass.
To measure value, we calculated the total estimated cost of a holiday – including six days of ski hire plus typical food and drink spending – and divided it by the size of the ski area (in kilometres). This reveals the approximate cost per kilometre of skiable terrain.
To compare resorts fairly, we estimated the total cost of a typical ski holiday by adding six days of ski hire and average on-mountain spending on food and drinks. We then divided that figure by the total kilometres of pistes available in each ski area to calculate the approximate cost per kilometre of skiing.
Find the most affordable Austrian ski holiday with Iglu Ski
Thinking about a ski trip to one of these great-value Austrian resorts? Iglu Ski works with many of Europe’s leading ski holiday providers, giving you maximum choice and the best deals on cheap ski holidays to Austria.
Not sure which resort is right for you? Our ski specialists are on hand to help. Give them a call and, with their years of experience and in-depth resort knowledge, they can help you find and book a great-value Austrian ski holiday.