Saalbach, Austria

Saalbach is a wonderfully complete and perfect ski resort in the Austrian Alps and it's no wonder that many skiers and snowboarders choose to spend their ski holidays here. The best thing about Saalbach is the cozy alpine feel, one of the most modern lift systems in the Alps and the many varied rides that you can find here. In addition, the nightlife in Saalbach is very well known, something that makes this ski resort very popular among party-hungry skiers of all ages.

Although Saalbach is its own village separated from the village of Hinterglemm the town has been officially called Saalbach-Hinterglemm since 1987, but we choose to separate the two as two different ski resorts as they are two completely separated areas within the same municipality.

Lots of kilometers of skiing

The ski system in Saalbach is connected to Hinterglemm, Leogang and Fieberbrunn, and together they form the larger ski area Skicircus. In total, this ski area has 270 kilometres of pistes and 70 lifts. Of all the kilometres of slopes, 140 kilometers are blue slopes, 112 kilometres are red and 18 kilometres are the toughest kind of black ski slopes.

Something that can be seen as proof of the greatness of the slopes around Saalbach's is that the ski resort is often included as a competition venue for Super G and downhill races for the Alpine World Cup. They also arranged the Alpine World Championships here in 1991 and will host the Alpine World Championships again in February 2025.

A ski pass for one day costs 79 euro for an adult. This is the price for a full day in high season, but if you buy a card for several days, the average price per day goes down. You can read more about ski passes in Saalbach here.

And it's not just downhill there are plenty of groomed kilometres for skiing here. There are also 260 km kilometres of cross-country skiing trails here.

After-ski in Saalbach

Saalbach is not a quiet place after the slopes close, here it is party around the clock, which is one of the big reasons why so many young people are attracted to go on a ski trip here. The après ski in Saalbach is world famous in ski circles and has been named the best après ski resort in the Alps (and therefore probably in the world) several times.

In total, there are around 20 après ski places in Saalbach. The exact number there can vary a bit from season to season as new places open and some close down. Many of the places are both bar and nightclub rolled into one, and some are open until three or even four in the morning.

Some of the more popular places are Bauer's Schi-Alm, Off Piste Bar, Schwips Après-Ski & Club and Castello, but bear in mind that these are just examples. The best thing to do is to find your favourite place yourself by trying out a few different places every evening and night. Since Saalbach is a small village, it is not difficult to walk (or do pub crawl if you like) between the different places.

If you get tired of what Saalbach has to offer, which few do unless you are here for a whole season, you can always go to Hinterglemm, which is less than ten minutes away by taxi, to explore the après-ski places there.

Travel to Saalbach

Most people who go to Saalbach on a ski holiday choose to take a flight, and the best option is then to fly to Salzburg. From the airport in Salzburg, it is around 85 kilometres to drive, which takes just under an hour and a half with a rental car. There are also plenty of transfer options if you don't want to rent a car, although overall it can be a bit more expensive, but many find it more convenient. Probably the cheapest option is to take a regular bus, but then you have to go via Zell am See and change buses there, so the travel time is much longer, expect three to four hours.

Flying to Innsbruck are also a good alternative, even if the transfer time is slightly longer. By car, it takes just over two hours from here, and as the journey time is a little longer, the cost is usually slightly higher. If you choose to rent a car, the extra cost is marginal, however.