Tag: Austria

Cheap and easy solo snowboard ⛰️ trip in central Europe.

Craving my annual dose of snow action and with the season rapidly diminishing, I last-minute-booked a cheap flight from my home of Amsterdam ✈️ to Innsbruck.

• Booked with Transavia – via Skyscanner, cost 90Euros.

For a number of reasons I went alone this time.

1. My default snow-partner is no longer in my life.
2. I wanted time for self reflection, relaxation and pure escapism. Or not so pure escapism.

For the last few years my cheap snow destination of choice has been the Bulgarian🇧🇬 resort of Borovets, 1 hour from Sofia.

For reasons mentioned above, I wanted to go somewhere different this time.

Snowboarding for 3 days plus a hotel with spa facilities.

With a low budget, and low tolerance for excess research, I opted to revisit a place I’d been 9 years prior, with family.

Just 15 mins bus ride from Innsbruck in Austria 🇦🇹 , is a small alpine town named Götzens.

There are at least 2 hotels I know of both featuring spa, pool and excellent inclusive breakfasts.

• Hotel Eidelweiss – 287€ for 4 nights with breakfast mid March Fri-Tue.
• Alp Art Hotel – Slightly more expensive but seriously nice and if I were in a couple, I would go here.

After my thrilling flight from Innsbruck, I stopped for a refreshing Austrian pilsner beer called Zipfer in the glorious city of Innsbruck, where mountain views, fresh air and classic European architecture collide.

In Götzens, I strolled through earily quiet side streets to Hotel Eidelweiss.

An unremarkable alpine style hotel indeed but not as obscure as I had remembered. Some new building have almost certainly emerged since last there, meaning less chance of uninterrupted views if lower down.

I asked for a higher up room, as on the ground floor there wasn’t much view. Luckily the very good receptionist made one available for me. 2nd floor it is then.

• Free bus from Götzens near the hotel runs regularly in the morning. It takes 15 minutes to Axamer Lizum.
• Hired board from Intersport, a far friendlier and cheaper option than the one at the carpark near the lift. 44Euro per day with boots.
• Lift pass was 50Euros per day. Not so cheap.
• The resort is not large but the pistes were well kept, and importantly I found an excellent mountain bar named Dohlennest
• In this bar I enjoyed numerous beers and food, followed by an increasingly wild dance party
• The music went from funky house, to discohouse, to progressive trance, to psytrance, to rave and back

Gallery from Axamer Lizum March ’25

Day 3 – Kühtai snowboarding and ski resort was dead empty, lacked vibe

Almost too quiet for me, the snow resort felt past its best and a little tired. Like me when I am not in the mountains.

I did have quite a fall the day before so my shoulder was aching severely, somewhat tarnishing usual enthusiasm.

• Day pass 46Euros
• Board and boots hire at Intersport 44Euros.
• Free bus from Gotzens – took 50 minutes. Beautiful bus ride however.
• Only one real mountain restaurant and it was somewhat busy and somehow without a great view. Thumbs down.

Day 4 – Train from Innsbruck to Trento

An absolutely delightful train journey for just 30Euros, through the mountain ranges between Innsbruck and Northern Italy.

• A proper train journey with a bar and restaurant, in which the bar stool faces out of the window, giving a perfect view of the passing drama in mountain ranges and attractive villages
• 32Euros booked 24hours in advanced from NS International

Trento itself is a town I highly recommend.

Overall this is a trip to be repeated for an affordable mountain getaway. Easy to do alone with no car.

Peace and mountains ⛰️