Lech versus St Anton: which is right for your family?

We absolutely love skiing in Austria, and we're often asked the Arlberg question; is Lech or St Anton a better option for my family? Lech and St Anton share the same 305km lift system, the same Arlberg lift pass, and the same corner of the Tirol. On the piste map they look like two halves of the same resort.

However, a week in each is a pretty different experience. Here's a direct comparison of Austria's two primary ski resorts, specifically for families.

Start with the atmosphere

The difference between these two resorts is clear before you've even buckled your boots.

Lech is quiet. Not boring-quiet, but genuinely peaceful in a way that's calming and elevated and welcome. The village centre is car-free, hotels are mostly family-run with guests who return every year, the pace of daily life has a rhythm that hasn't changed much since the 1920s, ad there's no famous après scene for a hedonistic week in the mountains. The Almhof Schneider and the Aurelio are exclusive hotels at the highest end of alpine luxury, and the whole resort manages the trick of being very upmarket without feeling performative. For families with children learning to ski, the Skischule Lech has been teaching here since 1925 and is one of the very best in the Alps. When we think of Lech, the week looks like children thriving in ski school, long lunches up at the Goldener Berg in Oberlech, and being in bed at a reasonable hour. For a family with young children it's, well, exceptional.

St Anton is where modern skiing was codified. Hannes Schneider was teaching here in the 1920s, the Arlberg ski school tradition began here, and serious skiers have been coming for a century to test themselves on some of the most demanding terrain in the Alps. The village is busier and unmistakably more energetic than Lech, with a main street that hums well into the evening and a reputation for après-ski that is globally famous (for good reason). None of which means it's wrong for families, as we'll get to, but it means the atmosphere is completely different.

When you're considering whether Lech or St Anton is the right resort for your next family ski holiday, start by being honest about which of those two environments your family actually relaxes in. The skiing is fantastic in both, so in many ways it's actually the secondary consideration.

Après-ski and what it means for families

St Anton's après reputation is the thing parents are most wary about when it comes to family holidays in St Anton.

There are two world-famous après bars in St Anton, MooserWirt and The Krazy Kanguruh. They sit opposite each other halfway down St Anton's home run, and from about 3pm this is where you'll find crowded bars, dancing in your ski boots, a singalong soundtrack, and a genuinely raucous atmosphere. With these bars being located on the slopes, the main hub of the après ski party is sequestered in this small area. The main thing to consider is that you might be sharing the home run (blue piste no. 50), with some very lively fellow skiers who might not be in full control of their skis from about 4pm. Children in all day ski school lessons typically finish their day at 3.30pm at the bottom of this run, so they will avoid the worst of the post-après slip'n'slide down the mountain.

For families with teenagers a visit to either of these bars might be a memorable experience for all during your St Anton ski vacaction, where you can all enjoy the party atmosphere, Europop, and exuberant crowds together. Families with younger children might prefer to stop for a quieter (but still lively) après drink at The Anton Bar, or one of the other quieter options in the village. For a non-drinking alternative, the fantastic 4.3km toboggan run down from Gampen to Nasserein is a similarly exciting, if more family-oriented alternative!

Families choosing to stay in St Anton often find the Nasserein area, a five-minute walk from the main village, gives them a bit more breathing room from the après action. It has its own gondola access up to the ski area, the toboggan run from Gampen finishes right here, and the atmosphere is noticeably calmer than the main street in the evenings, which suits families with younger children well.

Lech's après is the opposite: restrained, refined, and reliably over by 7pm. The Hotel Krone's terrace in the village centre is the classic late-afternoon stop, the Tannbergerhof occasionally has live music in the early evening, and that's largely where things end. For young families, it's ideal. the adults in the group can still enjoy a few drinks and perhaps some music, but nothing is prohibitive to the younger skiers in the group.

Rest days and off-slope life

Both resorts hold up well when skiing isn't on the cards, though neither has the full off-slope infrastructure of somewhere like Zermatt or Cortina.

In Lech, the ice rink in the village centre is lovely after dark, the toboggan run from Oberlech down to the village is a reliable hit with under-12s, and the lit walk along the river through the village is the post-dinner ritual of most families who've been before. The hotel spas are excellent without being the main draw.

St Anton's arl.park leisure centre is the stronger foul-weather option: indoor pool, climbing wall and play areas, and useful for a full rest day with younger children. The Hospiz Alm in nearby St Christoph is worth the trip for dinner, partly for the extraordinary wine cellar and partly because the wooden slide down to it has been delighting children for years.

Ski schools

Both resorts have extraordinary ski school heritage, and this is one area where the choice is less clear-cut than the atmosphere question.

The Skischule Lech has been teaching since 1925 and is, in our view, as good as ski schools get for younger children. The instruction is patient and methodical, the Oberlech nursery terrain is ideal, and the school produces children who leave reluctantly on the first morning and spent the rest of the week wanting more. If you have a nervous beginner aged five to eight, we'd suggest it as a great option for building confidence and technique, as well as a genuinely enjoyable week filled with fun and amazing holiday memories. We've written more about Lech specifically for families with younger children in this article.

St Anton's ski school tradition traces back to Hannes Schneider ('The Father of Modern Alpine Skiing'), and the Arlberg technique that shaped modern skiing. For older children and confident intermediates wanting to push into off-piste or steeper terrain, the instruction is excellent and the terrain to practice on is just the right level of demanding. The resort has also developed a strong English-language teaching offering, so communication isn't the difficulty it occasionally is at some Austrian schools.

If your group spans a wide range of ages and abilities, Lech probably wins on ski school grounds simply because the younger end is so exceptionally catered for. For confident teenagers wanting to improve, St Anton's instructors and terrain offer more.

The skiing

The Arlberg lift pass covers both resorts plus Zürs, St Christoph, Stuben and Warth-Schröcken: 305km across the whole massif, seamlessly connected since the Flexenbahn cable car removed the last awkward transfer a few years ago. Wherever you decide to stay, you can ski the whole region. For skiers wanting to tick the famous White Ring ski circuit off their list however, Lech is the traditional and most popular starting point.

Aside from that, the main difference between the two resorts is what's on your doorstep; the very local runs that might actually make up a fair bit of the skiing for families with beginners or young intermediates in the group.

Lech's home terrain is predominantly blue and red, wide and well-maintained, with most of it above 1,700m and reliably snowsure. The particular gem for families is Oberlech: a satellite village five minutes above Lech by underground funicular, car-free, with its own nursery slopes, its own ski schools, and some of the most confidence-building beginner terrain in the Alps. Children learning to ski at Oberlech don't feel like they're on a nursery slope; they feel like they're actually skiing. It's fantastic resort design and one of the main reasons we keep pointing families with young children toward Lech rather than anywhere else in Austria.

St Anton's home terrain is a different proposition. The descents from Galzig and Kapall back to the village are predominantly red and black, long and demanding, and excellent fun if you can ski them. The Valluga at 2,811m opens up some of the most celebrated off-piste in the Alps, including the famous guide-only descent to Lech. For confident intermediates and above, the variety is exceptional. What St Anton doesn't have is gentle, protected beginner terrain near the village. The nursery slopes at Nasserein and Gampen are perfectly adequate, but families with children still genuinely learning will have a better time in Lech.

The Run of Fame, the 85km circuit linking the whole Arlberg massif (the longest continuous ski circuit in the Alps), is worth a proper day from either resort. The route is: St. Anton/Rendl ➔ Stuben ➔ Zürs ➔ Lech ➔ Schröcken ➔ Warth, and then back in reverse. It's a real adventure, and having lunch at the Verwallstube at the top of the Galzig before skiing back is one of those days that gets talked about long afterwards.

The cost

Just briefly, because as with any ski holiday, the cost entirely depends on what you want your Arlberg ski holiday to look like.

Lech is an expensive resort. The five-star hotels (Almhof Schneider, Aurelio) sit at the top of the Austrian market. Catered chalets offer better value within that and the quality is genuinely high. St Anton is comparable in its upper tiers and offers slightly more flexibility at the mid-market level, with Tirolean chalets in the quieter Nasserein and Oberdorf areas in catered format at prices a notch below Lech's best. Neither is a bargain, but both deliver an amazing alpine experience they are the right resorts for your family.

So, honestly, which one?

Families with younger children: We will almost always point younger families towards a ski holiday in Lech. Oberlech, the Skischule Lech, the car-free village centre, the calm pace of the week; there aren't many resorts in the Alps as well designed for a family at this stage of skiing life as Lech.

Families with confident skiers and teenagers: The answer shifts for us when more experienced groups are asking the question. St Anton's terrain is more interesting for strong skiers, the energy of the village suits older children who want somewhere with a pulse, and the après can become part of the appeal rather than something to work around.

For most families, the smartest move is to base in Lech and ski across to St Anton for a day. You get the calm, family-focused week in the Arlberg's most luxurious resort, with an experience at the Arlberg's most lively resort as an excursion. It also allows you to dip a toe into the vibe of St Anton, and suss it out for future holidays.

If you'd like help working out which end of the Arlberg suits your family, or want a steer on where to base yourself for the week, tell us what you're working with and we'll give you an honest answer. Our guides to Lech and St Anton cover the detail on each resort if you want to go deeper on either.