Enjoy high altitude heaven and the renowned nightlife of Ischgl
With high-reaching pistes and exciting après-ski, experience the high life in this Austrian Tirol resort
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Your support makes all the difference.Live the high life in Ischgl in more ways than one. With slopes peaking at 2,870m, you’ll be in high-altitude heaven within this sprawling 238km ski area tucked in the Austrian Tirol’s Paznaun Valley. Its snow-sure season runs from late November until the beginning of May, topped and tailed with some of the biggest outdoor concerts in the Alps.
And then there’s the nightlife, which is legendary even in a country known for its raucous après-ski.
The party starts not long after lunch and carries on well into the night, with plenty of bars and clubs to choose from. If you want a break from the buzz, you won’t have trouble finding a chilled-out lounge for a quiet drink.
Fine dining
The cuisine is just as heavenly. Spread across the mountains and throughout the village are top-notch gourmet restaurants offering fine dining. Restaurant Stüva at the Hotel Yscla and Paznaunerstube at Hotel Trofana Royal are just two of Ischgl’s award-winning eateries worth checking out.
If you’re on the hunt for classic Austrian fare, head to one of the rustic mountain huts for a hearty traditional lunch you can enjoy on a sunny panoramic terrace.
For skiers keen to clock up the kilometres, Europe’s fastest lifts make easy work of exploring Ischgl’s vast and varied ski terrain of Silvretta Arena. If you really want a challenge, hire a guide who will show you how to get the best out of Piz Val Gronda’s tough off-piste terrain.
Skiers, snowboarders and freestylers can get their kicks in the huge Jeep Snowpark, quite rightly hailed as the best in Europe. Take the red-black run from the top of Greitzpitz and 11km later you’ll finally find yourself back in the centre of Ischgl. It’s one of Austria’s longest runs, but it’s a doddle compared with the old smugglers’ runs into Samnaun in Switzerland.
Take a trek
For an unforgettable cross-border trek, you’ve got three pistes to choose from: gold (extremely tough), silver (still very tough) and bronze (relatively easy). They all take about four hours and involve a round trip of 40km to 50km. That really is a grand day out.
Once you’ve taken off your skis, join the fun on a floodlit toboggan run, which is among the longest in Austria. Get your skates on for a twirl around the ice-skating rink, or go for a snowshoe trek in the woods where a cheesy fondue awaits. However you spend your day, Ischgl leaves you wanting more.
With daily scheduled flights to Innsbruck from London Heathrow and London Gatwick, as well as services from Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Liverpool, it’s easy to discover the Austrian Tirol. For more details see ischgl.com/en and visittirol.co.uk
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