  Airport
About KitzbuhelKitzbühel is known as the ultimate traditional Austrian resort. Dating back to the 14th century, the town sits along side Kirchberg resort in the Tirol region. The resorts are pedestrians and full of old painted houses, narrow lanes and cobblestone streets. This fashionable resort is lively, sophisticated and up-market. The Kitzbühel ski region encompasses more than 170 km of pistes, including Kirchberg. It is a good all-round resort, with a mix of slopes to suit everybody, although as usual intermediates have the most choice. In 2009 Kitzbühel will host the 69th Hahnenkamm Race weekend (January 23rd - 25th), with the Hahnenkamm Alpine Downhill ski race - taking place. Tens of thousands pack the town to watch the race and partake in the festivities afterward. The differing ski areas are linked by bus, and Kirchberg is linked by high speed gondola. Snowboarders will love the area around Kitzbühel and Hahnenkamm, and the Boardercross, terrain park and half pipe, which has music pumping out for you to board to. Recently the resort has spent a lot of money and efforts on upgrading facilities, meaning the lift system is a mix of old and ultra modern. The stylised houses, chic shops, attractive cafes and concealed passageways all add to the charm of the village - and are usually packed with beautiful people! Framed by rugged mountains, the romantic village has grown into a sprawling town. Amongst the Austrian resorts it is known for being the most glamorous and commercial. Whilst not setting you back as much as some of the exclusive resorts in the French Alps, Kitzbühel can still be expensive. The après ski scene is extremely lively, with sophisticated and rowdy bars lining the streets. Day trips shopping in Italy or cruising around Venice can be a great way to spend your day off. The only downside to Kitzbühel is its low altitude (760 m) which can mean a lack of snow. But the resort has invested heavily in snowmaking equipment, and when the snow is good the resort has everything to offer. Head here for gourmet dining, sophisticated shopping, happening nightlife, beautiful town and diverse ski terrain - plus the chance to choose the new Kitzbühel Alps AllStar Card, which will give you access to seven ski areas and 1,081 kilometres of pistes including Kitzbühel / Kirchberg, SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser - Brixental, Schneewinkel, Hochtal Wildschönau, Alpbachtal, Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang, Zell am See - Kaprun and the Kitzsteinhorn glacier (3,203 m). For beginners
There are good facilities and slopes for beginners at Kitzbühel. The Kitzbüheler Horn is a separate mountain that is popular with beginners and intermediates for its quiet, sunny and gentle slopes. There are also good, easy nursery slopes at the foot of the Hahnenkamm and Jochberg. There are easy blues around for you to progress on to and all of the major lifts are gondolas and chair lifts. The only downside is that reaching the nursery slopes surrounding Kitzbuhel can be a little inconvenient.
For intermediates
Intermediate skiers can rip much of the mountain at Kitzbühel. Hahnenkamm boasts plenty of long blue runs, and there are numerous long, gentle pistes on Pengelstein. If you are looking for quiet runs, head to The Pass Thurn ski area, the furthest from Kitzbühel for peace and queue-free slopes. The red run down to Skirast from the top of Pengelstein is fantastic, as is the sweeping run from Ehrenbach-hohe down to the resort of Kirchberg. If you want to branch out, the ski guiding service will take you on the Ski Safari, covering 35 km of non-stop skiing.
For the advanced
There are lots of lots of challenges for experts here, with steep black runs and, at times, great off-piste skiing. The most taxing skiing is found in Pass Thurn. The legendary Hahnenkamm piste is a must-ski which will have your heart pounding as you look down from the top. Sections of the course are signposted as ski route instead of as a normal ski trail due to the level of difficulty, and it is generally ungroomed. Kitzbuheler Horn also offers some quick pistes for more adventurous skiers. The best snowboarding terrain on the Hahnenkamm is located on the Kasereck and Silberstuben downhill runs where loads of natural hits and lips promise the ultimate adrenalin rush. The Horn also provides a boarder-cross course, half-pipe and terrain park - complete with sound system. Ski school
Element3 is a highly recommended ski school based in Kitzbühel, with branches in the surrounding villages. It offers tuition and off-piste guiding as well as ski hire. Après Ski
It's the weekend all week long in Kitzbühel - the nightlife is always happening. There are can cocktail bars, beer pubs, clubs and everything in between for you to choose from. The resort is a great destination for those to whom après-ski is as important as the skiing itself. Flannigan's Irish bar, The Londoner (live music every night), Brass Monkeys, Das Lichtl, Pavillion Bar, Highways and Take Five club are always popular. If you love beer, you can taste some differing varieties by ordering a small "Pfiff" beer, 0.2 litres. During the Hahnenkamm weekend (towards the end of January), half of Austria packs into Kitzbühel, for one of the biggest all-night parties of the season. Food lovers will be deeply satisfied here, with a variety of restaurants. For stylish cuisine, try Romantikhotel Tennerfhof or Schwarzer Adler, both of which have Michelin stars. For more casual eats, head to: Goldener Gams, Pizzeria Pfiff, Huber Bräu or La Fonda. Off the Mountain
Kitzbühel knows how to show you a good time off the slopes. Kids will love the igloo village in the Streiteckmulde ski area, near the Hahnenkammbahn cable car station. The igloo village is easily accessible by gondola or chair lift, making it and ideal destination not only for skiers and snowboarders, but also for non-skiers and winter hikers. Visitors to the icy village can relax in deckchairs or share a drink with friends at the snow bar. You can even spend a romantic night in one of the igloos. The resort offers up some great beauty and wellness treatments as well. There's a myriad of wellness offers for all preferences, promoting new products in the field of "well-being" and relaxation. They combine untouched natural landscapes, breathtaking mountain sceneries and majestic peaks, crisp and clean mountain air with ethereal oils, healing herbs and relaxing massage. Also available: A beauty parlour, nail salon, solarium, sauna and the Aquarena Leisure Centre in the village centre. There's a lot of great sightseeing to be done. The area around the resort is filled with rolling hills, rivers, and farmlands dotted with quaint farmhouses, fenced-in pastures, and hay barns. The Erbhof Trail leads past the most beautiful farms. The churches and chapels are also definitely worth a look. For centuries, social life in rural Tyrol was dominated by the regional head of the Roman Catholic Church and the baroque era, gothic buildings still remain. In the Baroque era, Gothic buildings had to either make way for the new style of architecture or have Baroque elements incorporated. For centuries, social life in rural Tyrol was dominated by the regional head of the Roman Catholic Church, and even though these strong ties became loose over the course of the 20th century, many of the customs still live on in local villages. The shopping is extensive, from traditional Tirolean clothes to fashionable boutiques. There's also: delicious bakeries, the 25 m Aquarena pool with large fun-pool, mud baths, saunas, a fitness studio, indoor tennis and squash, sleigh rides, ice skating rink, cross-country skiing, a museum and a casino. Getting there
By air
The closest airport to Kitzbühel is Salzburg (80km). Fly from London and regional airports with Thomsonfly (www.thomsonfly.com). EasyJet is launching a new service to Salzburg from Gatwick in December (www.easyjet.com). Innsbruck (100km) is a smaller airport with fewer flights, or you can fly into Munich airport (160km) or Zurich (400 km). Airport transfers
From Salzburg, you can get a reasonably cheap Kitzbühel Alpen Shuttle to your hotel, and you can book up to 24 hours in advance. There are also several other shuttle services and train connections. You can get a train to Kitzbuhel from Salzburg, with changes in Wörgl or Bischofshofen. From Salzburg Airport, take a shuttle to the train station, from where trains take approximately 2 and three-quarter hours to reach the resort. Buses from Salzburg take approximately 1 and three-quarter hours, first stopping at Kitzbuhel. From the Innsbruck train station there is a direct train to Kitzbuhel. Another common route is to take a train from the main train station in Munich to Kitzbühel or to Wörgl, from where there is a train to Kitzbuhel every hour; total journey time can take from two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half hours. Kitzbüheler Alpen Shuttle http://www.kitzalps.com/en/kitzbueheler-alpen-shuttle-1.html By train
If you want to travel by train you'll can take the Eurostar from London to Brussels, where you can pick up the Bergland Express overnight train to Kitzbühel. There's a mainline train station in the resort, and a post-bus picks up passengers from there every 15 minutes. Regular Eurocity trains travel from Munich to Innsbruck, from where several trains daily make the one-hour trip to Kitzbühel. Eurostar By car
Motorists arriving from the north (D, NL, B, GB...)
Resort rating and reviews
12 January 2008
Traveller rating:
  World famous resort with some of the most charming resort atmosphere t...
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Resort ratings out of 10
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