St Anton

Let's be honest about what St Anton is. It's a serious ski resort with a serious party reputation, and neither of those things screams "family holiday" at first glance. But that reputation tells only part of the story, and it puts off a lot of families who would actually have a brilliant week here. The truth is that St Anton has quietly become far more family-friendly over the last fifteen years, and for the right kind of family, it's superb.

The "right kind of family" usually means one with confident skiers and, ideally, older children or teenagers. This is where St Anton genuinely shines. Teenagers who can ski love it here: the terrain is challenging enough to hold their interest, the village has energy in a way that gentler resorts don't, and there's a sense of being somewhere that matters in the skiing world. The Arlberg lift system gives you 305km of pistes shared with Lech, Zürs and St Christoph, including the famous "Run of Fame" that links the whole massif, and the off-piste (particularly the legendary descents off the Valluga) is among the best in Europe.

The skiing is the headline. St Anton's home mountains, Galzig and Kapall-Gampen, offer long, demanding red and black descents back to the village, and the resort is north-facing enough to hold its snow well. For confident intermediates and above, the variety is exceptional. What St Anton doesn't have is much in the way of gentle, protected beginner terrain near the village centre. The nursery slopes at Nasserein and Gampen are perfectly good, but this is not a resort built around first-timers in the way Lech, Cervinia or Méribel are. Families with very young children or complete beginners will have a better week elsewhere in this guide.

On accommodation, St Anton's chalet offering has grown considerably and now rivals the better-known resorts. The best properties cluster in the quieter Nasserein and Oberdorf areas, a short walk or ski-bus ride from the main village, where you get proper Tirolean chalets (carved timber, tiled stoves, the works) refurbished to a high standard, often with the catered format (private chef, hosts, breakfast and dinner organised) that suits families travelling together. Staying slightly out of the main centre is, for families, usually the smart move: you get the character and the space of a good chalet, with the lively village a manageable distance away rather than directly beneath your windows at 2am.

On the mountain

The Verwallstube at the top of the Galzig is St Anton's smartest mountain lunch: white tablecloths, full service, properly cooked Austrian and international food with views across the Arlberg. The Sennhütte, on the way down to the village, is the cosier, more traditional alternative with a famous sun terrace. Rendl Beach, on the quieter Rendl side of the valley, is the relaxed family option with deckchairs and a barbecue on sunny days.

In the village

Hospiz Alm in nearby St Christoph is the destination dinner: extraordinary wine cellar, traditional Tirolean cooking, and a famous slide down to the wine cellar that children find hilarious. In St Anton itself, Floriani does refined Austrian cuisine, while Museum Restaurant in the old Arlberg-Kandahar building is a long-standing favourite. For an easy family dinner, Pomodoro is the reliable Italian.

Casual and provisions

Fuchs and the M-Preis supermarket handle picnic and self-catering provisioning. The bakery on the main street opens early for the morning croissant run. Hazienda does good casual lunches and coffees in the village centre.

By plane

Innsbruck is the closest airport (around 1h 15m transfer), with Zurich (2h 30m) and Munich (2h 30m) as the main alternatives. Friedrichshafen, over the German border, often has cheaper flights and a 1h 45m transfer. The road up to St Anton over the Arlberg can be slow in heavy snow, so build in buffer for a peak-season Saturday return.

By train

St Anton has one of the best rail connections of any major ski resort: the Arlberg railway runs directly into the village, with the station a few minutes' walk from the centre. Trains run from Zurich, Innsbruck and onward connections from Paris (via the Eurostar). Door-to-door from London is around 11-12 hours, but arriving directly into the resort by train, with no transfer at all, is a genuinely civilised way to travel with children.

By car

Self-driving from Calais via the Channel Tunnel is around 10 hours. The Arlberg pass road is well-maintained but chains are sometimes required in heavy snow; the Arlberg tunnel offers an alternative route in poor conditions.