Schladming

Advantages: one of the best ski resorts in Europe
Disadvantages: none that I am aware of

...Vienna, Munich and Innsbruck. Schladming has been voted by the Daily Mail to be Europe's best developed skiing resort. You will find a lot of information on the Internet. Have a look at www.schladming.com! ACCOMMODATION You will find all types of accommodation in Schladming and in various price ranges, from first-class hotels to private rooms and self-catering appartments. Prices vary depending on the type of accommodation and on the season. We ...
...of the many ATMs in Schladming which accept Maestro, Cirrus, VISA, MasterCard) because unfortunately in this part of Austria, the acceptance of credit cards is not very widespread. YOUR LICENSE TO SKI Skiing vacations are not cheap. One element of costs is the ticket for the ski lifts in the region, which will cost you about 148 Euro (GBP 92) for six days, children pay 74 Euro (GBP 46). Credit cards are accepted for payment there. With this ski ... Read review

Advantages: great atmosphere, good runs,
Disadvantages: accommodation can be tight

...and something that has won Schladming a lot of plaudits. The night slalom is spectacular, as I witnessed in 1998, and the atmoshpere is great. The skiing in the Planai is excellent, with the lifts going upto about 1900m, the village of Schladming itself being at 750m above sealevel. There are over 100km of pistes, which are served by approximately 50 lifts. Of course if there is an exceptional mild winter, the snow can be not as good as if say you ...
...not for a weekend. Schladming is very easy to get to, with regular train services either from Salzburg (sometimes direct, sometimes having to change at Bischofshofen) or from Wien and Graz, having to change in St Michael. Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) have a special ticket for skiiers, which includes discounts on skipasses, called Wedelweiss. This is typical of the cooperation between the railways and ski resorts, and a further initiative has ... Read review

Advantages: Great high-mileage skiing with Amade liftpass
Disadvantages: Quiet nightlife on non world-cup weeks

We went to Schladming twice already, once in 2001 and again in 2003. The town is in upper Styria (Obersteiermark), but is actually nearer to the well-known resorts of Salzburg (Zell Am See, Abtenau, etc.) than the provincial capital of Steiermark which is Graz in the south. Schlamding (or Schladders as my friends now call it) is about a.5 hours from Salazburg airport, and you can make this journey by train or car, but the best option is the planaibus, ...
...airport direct to the town. This town really has a life outside skiing, ther eis some industry, and numerous businesses unrelated to tourism, so you don't get the contrived feeling that you can in some ski resorts. It's not a typical Austrian village though, it's definitely a town in terms of size and character, although it's by no means big. The skiing is on 4 mountains, the Planai, which is reached fmro the centre of town, the Hochwurzen, where ... Read review

Advantages: Good food, good skiing for beginers and intermediates.
Disadvantages: quite low altitude

My first ever skiing holiday was two weeks in Schladming. Although 14 years ago I still have some great memories. This may be a case of rose tinted spectacles and the fact that the snow conditions were amazing but I remember that the ski school was excellent with some very exciting skiing even for novices (like sampling off piste and through the woods!). Being a budget holiday the accomadation was a basic B&B pension with not much choice for breakfast. ...
...night and sample a variety of the local restaurants which by and large were excellent. One memorable night was spent at Uncle Willies Hut. This mountain restaurant organises a weekly Austrian evening, which is not part of the tour operastors events so is more representative of true Austrian hospitality: loads of saur kraut, half a pigs leg and plenty of schnaps (but the head in the morning!) ... Read review

Advantages: Very pretty traditional resort
Disadvantages: Possibly a bit too quiet

...month we went skiing to Schladming and were really lucky with the snow, lots and lots of it. The resort basically offers four linked mountain areas with north facing slopes. When we visited there were no real lift queues anywhere, partly due to the fact that we had missed the school half term holidays and partly due the efficient network and operation of the ski lift system. The village of Schladming dates from 1322 and is a real working town with ...
...ski run. Apparently the great Alberto Tomba and Hermann Maier are regual visitors. Schladming was about an hour and a half transfer from Salzburg (well worth visiting in its own right). There is plenty of skiing available for beginners and intermediates but real experts might be a bit disappointed. ... Read review

Advantages: Diversity
Disadvantages: You might find Austrians a bit stand offish

...part of the Hapsburg dual monarchy, forming Austrohungary. The border area of Burgenland still has a certain imperial charm, and the border areas of Hungary still maintain an Austrian feel. Styria, in the south of the country is a very diverse province. From the vineyards in the East, to the lakes and valleys of the North and West, as well as ski resorts like Haus and Schladming, it offers everything for the tourist. Graz, Austria's second city is pretty and a great gateway to explore the bordering countries. Finally there is Carinthia, parts of which were formerly part of Slovenia, and which also border Italy. There are lakes and valley here to, and plenty of opportunities for outdoor pursuits. Velden and the Wörthersee, whilst Shrove Tuesday in Villach is something to be seen. The Viennese can be bolshy and unfriendly... Read review

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Advantages: This may make you want to see Salzburg yourself
Disadvantages: I don't think there are any

...I have been to Salzburg 3 times, all in December. The first 2 times I went was with my Secondary School on ski trips in Schladming which is about a 20 minute drive from Salzburg I think. Austria is an excellent place to ski; the views from the mountains are just amazing. I skied down the Planai hundreds of times which are, if I remember correctly the highest or steepest down hill slope in the world (that you can ski down); please correct me if I am wrong. There is a small bar/restaurant at the top which I have eaten and drank in many times before flying down the slopes. The food in Austria is very different but also very tasty and the drinks are very strong, hehehe!! Each time I have been I have shopped in Salzburg. I don't know what it is like at other times of the year but in December it is very beautiful, especially... Read review

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Advantages: affordable prices, lots to do, great climate
Disadvantages: GTI rally is definitely best avoided

...Velden is one of Austria’s premier summer resorts. Whilst rich Austrians head for the slopes of St Anton or Schladming in Winter, they all make a beeline to Velden in summer. Velden is a beautiful resort, set on the shores of the Wörthersee in Carinthia, with a permanent population of approximately 8,000 although the place comes alive in summer, with many of its hotels and b+b’s only open seasonally. It is also a gateway to Italy and Slovenia, being just 50 km from the Italian border (Tarvisio) and 30 km from the Slovenian border (Jesenice), the other side of the Karawanken mountains. Getting there: Velden is very easy to reach, with good road, air and rail connections. From Vienna the journey takes about 4 hours, being more or less all motorway, and there are also motorways leading from Villach and Italy (the A10... Read review

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