Cooper Eagles

Sep, 25 2025- 7 mins

The Tirol Decathlon: 10 Ski Resorts in 10 Days, Austria’s Ultimate Road Trip

Ten days. Ten resorts. One car.

Are you ready for the most unique, ultimate Alpine experience in the Austrian Tirol? Here, we will showcase a bucket-list road trip through Austria’s most premier ski area. From end to end, the total drive time is about 8 hours long, including 10 must-visit resorts to stop at along the way. Each resort on the route has been chosen to showcase one unique aspect at each that you NEED to experience. To plan this iconic road trip, we’ve used genuine ski reviews and advice from our community to reveal top tips along the way. Each journey from resort to resort ends up only being roughly 30 minutes to an hour, weaving you through the spectacular Eastern Alps within Tirol.

Day 1 – Ischgl (Live Events + Access to Swiss Skiing)

Ischgl offers a great lift system, with very good snow reliability thanks to its high altitude. Not only is Ischgl renowned for its après-ski scene, but also its world-class live music events such as the Top of the Mountain Concerts. Unique to this experience is the opportunity for multi-country skiing. Our recommendation here is to access Switzerland by skiing along Smugglers Run into Samnaun, a one of a kind and not to miss experience. Smugglers Run has 3 different options, tiered for experience level and distance. Ben raves about the “...options to ski in Switzerland for duty free needs and nice lunch!"
Starting off this road trip is easy via a short transfer from Innsbruck airport, or alternatively from Munich or Zurich.
To discover more about which Après bars and events to go to, read what our community has said over on our Ischgl resort guide

© TVB Paznaun Ischgl

Day 2 – St. Anton am Arlberg (Freeride Opportunities and the Run Of Fame)

Not only does St. Anton am Arlberg have a history of featuring in classic films and music videos, it's also home to a large ski area catering to riders of all skill levels. Most notably, St. Anton am Arlberg is home to famous freeride opportunities with some unmatched, challenging off-piste routes. For those who prefer to stick to marked trails, be sure to check out the Run of Fame - a ski circuit spanning 85 kms that allows skiers to experience the entire Arlberg region. This route has two official routes; one southerly in the direction from St. Anton/Rendl to Warth, and the other, northerly from Warth to St. Anton am Arlberg. After completing one of these routes, celebrate with a large stein (or a small beer if you’re the driver) and a dance on the tables at Mooserwirt or Krazy Kangaruh to experience these legendary après spots.
Adrian talks about how he “…really enjoyed the ski challenges like the Run of Fame and enjoyed skiing over to Lech”.
From Ischgl, the drive to St. Anton am Arlberg is about an hour. For tips, advice and reviews check out the full St. Anton am Arlberg resort guide here.

© Tourismusverband St Anton am Arlberg, Photographer - Lucas Tiefenthaler

Day 3 – Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis (Traditional Charm)

Venet is a resort in the holiday region TirolWest, boasting great piste skiing across a compact area for intermediates, in particular. This resort won't damage your wallet as well. Being a quieter resort, you’re more likely to score first tracks too!
Want a break from all the skiing? We recommend taking an Alpaca Trekking Tour to explore more of this region through such a unique experience.
This is one of the shortest transfers in this road trip, taking only 35 minutes from Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis.
Discover more about Venet on our Venet resort guide.

© Ferienregion TirolWest, Photographer - Roman Huber

Day 4 – Venet (Quiet Hidden Gem with Traditional Adventures) Venet is a resort in the holiday region TirolWest, boasting great piste skiing across a compact area for intermediates, in particular. This resort won't damage your wallet as well. Being a quieter resort, you’re more likely to score first tracks too! Want a break from all the skiing? We recommend taking an Alpaca Trekking Tour to explore more of this region through such a unique experience.
This is one of the shortest transfers in this road trip, taking only 35 minutes from Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis.
Discover more about Venet on our Venet resort guide.

© Ferienregion TirolWest, Photographer - Roman Huber

Day 5 – Kühtai (High Altitude Ski-in/Ski-Out Resort)

Get ready for a climb, and an A-grade resort feature! Nestled in the Innsbruck region, Kühtai is unique in that it's the only resort here that is, as Jonathan confirms, “…entirely ski-in ski-out”. So even though you're very high up (above 2,020 meters), you won’t waste energy hauling ski gear around. Though relatively small, Kühtai offers 33 runs that vary in difficulty.
This drive is especially gorgeous and worth the 1h30m journey.
Kühtai offers some fantastic variety of terrain including the KPark - read all about it on our Kühtai resort guide!

© Innsbruck Tourismus, Photographer - Christian Vorhofer

##Day 6 – Mayrhofen (Harakiri) Mayrhofen in the Zillertal valley is a resort for the thrill seekers, home to the infamous Harakiri. Specifically mentioned by our Snomad community as one of the most challenging slopes in Europe and one not to be missed.
Emily recounts how she “...had so much fun skiing in Mayrhofen even conquering the Harakiri run…Would definitely recommend!!!"
Mayrhofen also makes for a great day of skiing for those who opt out of the Harakiri challenge, with modern lifts across 142 km of pistes, very nice food and restaurants, all at good value.
Getting to Mayrhofen from Kühtai will take you the longest out of any drive on the road trip, at roughly 1.5/2hours. “We recommend this drive midweek, when the journey is especially relaxed compared to the lively ski season weekends.”
The Mayrhofen Ski Resort Profile details more about the great food and restaurants to check out while you’re there!

© Zillertal Tourismus GmbH, Photographer - Daniel Geiger Photo

Day 7 – Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau: Alpbach and Niederau (The Perfect Place for Families to Progress)

The Ski Juwel area offers 4 resort villages, but 2 of them shine when it comes to improving family skiing ability: Niederau and Alpbach. These resorts cater to both sides of a ski family. Niederau is praised as a fantastic ski resort for beginners and families, highlighted by its high-quality ski schools (4.73/5) and beginner areas in the lower sections of the piste. After dropping the kids off at ski school in the morning, the more skilled adults (or is it the other way round?) can travel over to Alpbach for a range of long blue and red runs that cater to improving intermediates.
Daniel, a “... relatively intermediate skier…” was “...happy that he had numerous slopes suitable for his ability” at Alpbach, while Ross states that Niederau “... is an excellent choice for families”.
Getting to Alpbach from Mayrhofen will take around 45 minutes, and 10 minutes longer if you opt to start your day from Niederau.
The choice is yours to base yourself at either Alpbach or Niederau.

©ski_juwel_alpbachtal_wildschoenau

Day 8 – Söll (Night-Skiing)

The SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser-Brixental area is yet another large and interconnected ski area, boasting 275 kms of slopes. Start in Söll for some incredible skiing, with well-groomed pistes (rated 4.79/5) and a very efficient lift system (rated 4.85/5). And be sure to check out the tremendous night skiing here. Over 10kms, you can ski well into the night under an array of floodlights.
As well as night-skiing, Barry suggests that “... a toboggan run…also makes use of floodlights”.
From the Ski Juwel area, Söll can be reached in about 40 minutes by traveling through the Inn Valley. If you have time, make sure to get out and explore the small Austrian fortified town of Rattenberg along the way.
For more tips and to discover more about this resort, check out the Söll Resort Guide for advice from genuine skiers.

© SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser Brixental Marketing GmbH, Photographer - Michael Schroeder

##Day 9 – St. Johann in Tirol (Laid-Back Pleasure Skiing) After travelling and skiing amongst some more well-known and larger ski areas, it's time to take a step back into a more relaxing and traditional alpine region. St. Johann in Tirol offers a compact base for exploring nearby resorts, without breaking the bank. This hidden gem holds 18 runs, where you can cruise along whilst taking in the breathtaking mountain views, all for good value.
Thomas likes how the “lift queues [were] quiet and there [were] plenty of runs within St Johann”.
Be sure to keep an eye out for the Wilder Kaiser massif on the left during your 30-minute drive from Söll, this is one of Tirol’s most dramatic ridgelines.
St. Johann in Tirol has so much more to offer, discover it all here on our St. Johann in Tirol Resort Guide.

© Mirja Geh Photography

Day 10 – Kitzbühel(Hahnenkamm Downhill Race)

Finish off this road trip at this iconic ski resort. Kitzbühel is home to classic Alpine charm, challenging terrain, and the historic Hahnenkamm downhill race. In its 86th year, the Hahnenkamm downhill race week kicks off on Tuesday the 20th of January, 2026. The downhill race itself takes place on Saturday the 24th on the Streif piste, with Slalom runs finishing off the week on the Ganslern piste on Sunday 25th. This is an event not to be missed! When the event isn’t running, those bold enough are free to test the run for themselves. Robert did just this, stating the experience “... adds an extra bit of magic for me, being able to ski sections of the slope raced on, incredible”.
The last leg of this road trip is thankfully the easiest! Just a 15-minute journey.
Get the full scoop by checking out the complete Kitzbühel resort guide.

© Kitzbuehel Tourismus

Think you have what it takes to complete this Tirolean Road Trip? 10 iconic resorts over 10 days can be easily done with some planning, allowing you to experience a true variety of skiing! Offering a range of unique experiences and events, this road trip will allow you to experience all that the Austrian Tirol has to offer in such a short time, creating memories that will last a lifetime. And if time isn’t a limiting factor, some may even prefer to stay in each resort for a couple of days to really experience the entirety of every ski area. And be sure to check out all the reviews, tips and tricks from our community by visiting all the relevant resort guides on Snomad.