Beginner skiers 

Both Lech and Oberlech have some great beginners' areas to learn on. In Lech, the best place to head first is Best in Lech is the Flühen lift next to the old church. There's a T-bar and ideal beginner terrain. After you've practiced your moves here, you can move on to Oberlech and some easy blue runs like Weibermahd. The Lech Ski School and Oberlech Ski School have a variety of lessons and courses to get you going and generally have a decent amount of English-speaking instructors. In Zürs the beginner lifts near the main car park are a good place to start.

Intermediate skiers 

You'll have a field day here, with extremely easy access to all of the blues and reds on Lech, Zürs and Oberlech to start with, and then plenty of other resorts to head to if you want to spread your wings even further. The descent from the top of Madlochjoch down to Zug is wicked, and you should definitely take at least a day to fully do the trip from Lech to Zürs and explore the area. Start by heading up the Rufikopt cable car, then ski the long run to the Trittalp above Zurs. After that choose from a myriad of ski routes through Zürs before returning in the afternoon. Apart from that, there are great reds and blues everywhere.

Expert skiers 

The advanced will be definitely kept happy here. In Lech there are some good black runs to start on, like the steep Rufikopt to Langerzug and the bumpy ride to Liezen from Balmengrat. From there head into the off-piste - the massive array throughout the Arlberg area will keep the most skilled skier occupied. Definitely set aside time to ski a few days at St. Anton, which has some wickedly challenging slopes. In Zürs try the plenty of steep, deep off-piste on Madloch Steilhang, Stierloch and Stierfall.

There are around 500 very skilled instructors across the ski schools at Lech, Oberlech and Zürs. Generally the instructors are English-speaking locals with a great knowledge of the area. Instructors can get booked out, so it's a good idea to contact them before you arrive. The ski school in Lech has been around since 1925 and has a great reputation. Its teaching style adheres to the 'Arlberg School' which was developed here.

Après-Ski

The après-ski scene in Lech is limited but of great quality. For lunch of or a drink in the afternoon sun, head to the great mountain restaurants at Oberlech such as Goldenerberg, and sit on the sun-drenched terraces. The many ice bars are popular spots, especially the one outside Hotel Tanbergerhof, and you'll find several classy wine and jazz bars with open fire places and dancing. There are some livelier options later on as well. The Archiv Bar in the Amrosiuspassage draws a younger crowd for cocktails and late night drinks to 2.00am; s'Pfefferkörn, Tannbergerhof and Side Step nightclub in Hotel Kröne are also good picks. The food is generally very high quality but fairly pricy. Sample exotic meats like ostrich and crocodile at Fux Restaurant & Bar, and the Restaurant Klosterlie, a former monastery , does a great fondue. Cheaper eats include Restaurant Italiener and Gashof Omesburg.

Off the mountain 

Away from the slopes and you can try your luck on the natural toboggan run which is floodlit in the evenings, helicopter skiing, paragliding, ice-skating, hiking trails, curling, indoor tennis, winter golf, squash and a sports centre. The re are also many boutique shops to peruse, and the villages in the surrounding area are very beautiful and worth a trip. Elaborately painted Tyrolean houses dot the scenic landscape. The best way to take it all in is to take a horse-drawn sleigh to delightful villages like Zug and Stuben. There's also: and indoor pool, the chance to feed high-alpine game and bowling.

By air

Most visitors from the UK will fly into the closest airport, Zürich. Several international and budget airplanes also fly to Munich airport regularly, making that a viable option as well. The closest local airport is Innsbruck (120km), and you can get a train and bus from there to Lech. Other options include Friedrichshafen (130 km) and Salzburg (302 km) airports.

There is a direct ski bus service from Zürich Airport to all the Arlberg resorts that runs on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The bus trip takes about three hours and at times can be quicker than driving since the bus drivers know how to avoid the weekend traffic jams. If you are flying to Munich, there's a bus connecting the Munich airport with St. Anton which you can organise through Four Seasons Travel. at Local taxi companies will also pick up at the airport.

By train

The closest railway station is Langen am Arlberg (17 km), and there are regular taxi and bus connections which will transfer you to the resort in about 20 minutes. Direct trains connect Langen with Cologne, Dortmund, Munich, Innsbruck, Salzburg, Zürich, Paris, Brussels and Calais. So you can easily catch the Eurostar to Paris and then get a direct train to Langen.

By car

You'll need to get the car ferry from Dover to Calais, and then the trip to Lech involves 1,030kms and over a day of driving along tolled motorways.

Motorway Stickers

Austrian motorways are subject to toll. Stickers are available at border checkpoints, service stations, post offices, tobacconists, your automobile club or the Lech Zürs Tourist Office.

Motorway sticker for private cars

10 days      € 7,70

2 months    € 22,20

1 year        € 73,80

Merinannies

Merinannies provides first class childcare in Lech. Their testimonials and returning clientele show the level of care they provide which relies on the quality of their nannies. Merinannies offers flexible a reliable private nanny service to suit every family's requirements. Their team consists of qualified, experienced and checked nannies, first aided, specialh needs trained and multilingual nannies. They take care of babies from the age of four weeks to 14 years for short weekends or full weeks and long term. 
www.merinannies.com