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Resort Height: 859m

Bad Hofgastein is located in the centre of the wider Gastein Valley, which includes the larger spa town of Bad Gastein and another resort Dorfgastein. Each has its own ski area and there are five different areas in the Gastein Valley that are promoted jointly and included in a single ski pass. This ticket includes bus and train travel between the resorts, but Bad Hofgastein is located at the base of the Angertal area, which is linked to skiing above Bad Gastein to create the largest single ski area in the valley, which is itself one of the largest ski areas in Austria.

Bad Hofgastein itself is a market town and the historical hub of the Gastein Valley, located in the sunniest and broadest point of the valley. It has a pleasant pedestrian precinct with some lovely old buildings containing shops, hotels and restaurants and a generally more laid back atmosphere than its larger neighbour. The five hundred year old church is a prominent landmark. The village contains a major spa centre reflecting centuries of history as a centre for curative health treatments, supplemented by the ski industry which started here in 1945.

Beginners

Bad Hofgastein has a superb new building at Angertal, the ski slopes above the village, which contains all facilities needed for first timers, as well as a great restaurant to recover in. The ski school makes use of the excellent nursery slopes here and the Judau lift serves the best of the runs for first timers. We can offer packages including equipment rental, lift pass and tuition for a combined price that is much lower than buying these elements separately.

Intermediates

The main ski area above Bad Hofgastein is the Schlossalm which connects via the Angertal area to Stubnerkogel above Bad Gastein, opening up more than 1,400m of vertical and many kilometres of wonderful long blue and red piste up to eight kilometres (five miles) long. There are four other ski areas to explore nearby including Sportgastein, and Staukofgel by Bad Gastein and going back down the valley in the other direction the Kreuzkogel slopes above Dorfgastein. All on the local Gastein pass as well as the bus transport between them. If you need still more the area participates in the Ski Amade regional pass which covers four times as much skiing again in the wider area at dozens of nearby resorts.

Advanced

Although there are some black runs, and if conditions are good, some good powder to find off piste in the area with the help of a guide, most advanced skiers will be drawn towards the Sportgastein and Graukogel areas beyond Bad Gastein. Sportgastein has the regions highest lifts and best powder with 1000m of off-piste vertical served by the gondola. Take pistes 1 + 2 for maximum thrills. Graukogel is lower, has a slightly smaller vertical and is reached from Bad Gastein centre, but it has some of the valley’s toughest skiing including the 1958 Alpine World Championships downhill. Most of the runs lead through forests and are therefore sheltered from wind and allows good orientation on days when visibility is poor and great tree skiing when it’s good.

Snowboarding

The Gastein region’s snowpark fills the “Stubnermulde� sector of Stubnerkogel, served by the Burgstall lift and located directly above Bad Gastein. Accessed by the Stubnerkogel lift , it can be reached in one ride directly out of town, itself a short bus journey from Bad Hofgastein, or reached over the snow.

Other Activities and Facilities

The Alpentherme Gastein has six themed ’worlds’ of health and leisure, a glass Sky Bar with a one-of-a-kind 360-degree Alpine panorama, a multi-media experience dome, geysers, a sauna world with its own mountain lake and architecture that is truly unique. The six “Thermal Worlds� include Relax World - an exceptional spa of tranquility; Family World - the fun spa experience for children big and small; Sauna World – “the hottest village in all the Alps;� Ladies World - the Saunarium, where relaxation is definitely the women’s domain; Sports World – a paradise for sports enthusiasts and finally Gusto World which contains the spa’s restaurants.

Outdoor activities available include around 90 kilometres of cross country skiing tracks, 120km of winter walking paths, horse drawn sleigh rides, horse riding, toboggan runs, snowshoeing and ice climbing. Indoors you will also find bowling, indoor tennis courts, museums and there’s a casino in Bad Gastein.

Après Ski and Dining Out

There is a good range of bars and restaurants in the pedestrianised centre of Bad Hofgastein with the option of visiting livelier Bad Gastein for a night out if you wish. Almstadl and Salute are two of the more popular bars locally. Popular places to eat include the Mozart café in the Hotel Astoria and the Gasthof zur Alten Post. Along with the traditional Austrian restaurants there at Italian and Mexican options.

Families

Theirs is an excellent new non-ski facility for children aged two and a half and older in the Anertal base area building. It also has its own dining room and an outdoor playground. A ski kindergarten operated by the ski school is located at the base of the lifts in three locations - the Schlossalm carpark, the Schlossalm mountain station or the ski centre Angertal. You will be told which one is operational for your child at registration time. Ski school which runs from 10am to 3pm Sunday to Friday. Minimum age for children to start snowboarding is nine.

Ski/Board Suitability Guide

Suitable for families:	[No]
Suitable for beginners:	[4]
Suitable for intermediate skiers:	[4]
Suitable for advanced skiers:	[4]
Suitable for boarders skiers:	[3]

Piste Map for Bad hofgastein

Accommodation in Bad hofgastein

• Grand Park - 5 star,
• Hotel Osterreichischerhof - 4 star, half board
• Hotel Tirol - 4 star, half board
• Impuls Tirol - 4 star, half board
• Kurhotel Palace - 4 star, half board
• Palace - 4 star, half board
• Rauscher - 3 star, half board
• St. Georg - 4 star, half board

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