The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- Sarah Marshal
Skiing and snowboarding holidays are not cheap. The best money-saving tip is probably not to go on one in the first pla.
But while there’s no getting round the fact that a ski trip is one of the pricier holidays you can take, that doesn’t mean that you can’t try to get good value for money.
With its Ski Plus City pass Innsbruck seems set on offering that. Encompassing a ski pass valid at 13 resorts surrounding the Austrian alpine city, ski buses to get there, public transport, 22 attractions in the area, admission to three different swimming pools and more, it certainly packs more punch than your normal lift ticket.
A five-day pass is €258 (£228), with children half-price. That compares to €308 for five days in Austria’s famous Arlberg region, home to St Anton, where children pay 60 per cent of full price.
To test the Ski Plus City pass for a family trip, I spent four days in Innsbruck with my wife and 12 and 10-year-old daughters.
Ski and the city: Innsbruck is surrounded by 13 resorts with the closest Nordkette looking own over the city itself
The main attraction was snowboarding and skiing and the baker’s dozen of resorts near Innsbruck offer plenty of choice of slopes.
There’s options here for everyone: from beginners hitting the snow for the first time, to intermediates looking for long cruising blue runs and advanced skiers and snowboarders wanting challenging terrain, snowparks and off-piste.
But we also had a desire to explore the city of Innsbruck and experience what it had to offer.
Steeped in history, Innsbruck, the capital of the Tyrol region, is about much more than escaping to the slopes, it is also a compact city, with a rich heritage, delightful old town, array of shops, bars and restaurants and vibrant atmosphere.
Think of Innsbruck as the opportunity to get two holidays for the price of one – a city and mountain break at the same time.
For the budget conscious, being in a city also means most things, from the cost of accommodation, to shopping and eating out, are also substantially cheaper than in a ski resort.
That benefit makes Innsbruck a potential destination to stick on the list for couples where one partner is keener on skiing than the other, for those who want to do some snowsports but have days off, and families who’d like to dip their toes in. All without the massive expense of being in a ski resort.
The obvious question in snow fanatics’ minds though will be: ‘Can we handle being a bus ride away from setting edge to snow?’ As a family of committed skiers and snowboarders, our verdict was that you can – and while it might involve some sacrifices it also comes with some benefits.
Colourful past: Named after its bridge that crosses the River Inn, Innsbruck is surrounded by mountains, beyond which lie Germany to the north and Italy to the south
Among the sights to see in Innsbruck’s old town is the famous Golden Roof building
The first thing that hits you when you land at Innsbruck airport is the mountains – a promising start for anyone staying in a city to go skiing.
Get off the plane to walk across the runway and the steep, snow-covered peaks rise straight up in front of you, feeling far closer than you’d expect. This also means that the views throughout the city are stunning.
Innsbruck, named after its bridge over the river Inn that loops round the north of the city, sits on a flat plain in a valley between Germany to the north and Italy to the south.
Innsbruck is a small and very civilised airport and it’s just a cheap and easy 15-minute bus ride into the city centre. Having left Gatwick at 8.25am, we were at reception checking into our hotel, Motel One, by 11.45am Austrian time.
For Britons weary of the extortionate cost of getting to and from our domestic airports, cheap public transport to your ultimate destination always feels like a very warm welcome.
And public transport in Innsbruck is superbly comprehensive, with trains, a tram system, and buses to whisk you around.
While not wanting to turn this into a busman’s holiday review, those buses are worth a special mention, as Innsbruck’s are the key to unlocking what it has to offer. Regular, reliable and punctual buses run out to the surrounding area and mountains, the only catch being you’ll have to take your skis or snowboard onto the bus with you.
You can even go one better than the bus and jump on the Hungerburgbahn funicular, direct from Innsbruck city centre to the small Nordkette ski resort that looks down over the city. Time it right and you can achieve the much-coveted prize of leaving London after breakfast and being on the slopes here by lunchtime.
The 13 resorts around Innsbruck range from cosy Muttereralm, to the high altitude and extensive Stubai Glacier, and the beauty of the Ski Plus City pass is that it lets you pick and choose where you want to go to.
You can pick out some of these resorts from the windows of the 13-storey Motel One. It’s right by the main Hauptbahnhof railway station and tracks, but the triple glazed windows meant you couldn’t hear any noise.
You also have spectacular background views from the floor to ceiling windows. Even from our pair of first floor rooms, you had a great view of Innsbruck’s famous ski jump and the peaks behind it.
A far better 360 degree vista is on offer from the lounge, with its relaxed seating, on Motel One’s 13th floor. Here a copious buffet breakfast is served in the mornings, while it doubles as a bar in the evenings.
Motel One bills itself as a budget design hotel – the chain has locations across Europe – and rooms are stylish and relatively spacious, with some nice designer touches, big comfy beds and decent quality bedding.
Prices start at £90 and a quick check online in late-January revealed a double room for two adults would cost £218 for two nights over the final weekend of February (£109 per night) with breakfast at £14 extra per person each day. Good luck matching that price for a February night in a ski resort.
The hotel was a five-to-ten-minute walk to the heart of the city and old town – and the advantage of being at the main station was that it’s right next to the terminal where all the buses to the resorts start from. Walk out the door, go to the correct bus stop, and off you go.
From the city to the mountains: You can explore Innsbruck’s old town in the morning…
and then be on the slopes by lunchtime at Axamer Lizum, a 30-minute bus ride from Innsbruck
