Kitzbühel (Winter)

Oozing ritz and glitz, Kitzbühel is a ski town with an attitude similar to Hollywood and Aspen. Anyone traveling in the Tyrolean Alps during the snowy season won't want to miss out on swooshing down intermediate groomers and steep blacks at Austria's first winter sports destination. The town of Kitz – as locals affectionately call it – sits pretty at the base of its famous mountain, the Hahnenkamm. Best of all, it is a true medieval city with a labyrinth of old cobbled streets snaking around 15th-century buildings with an impressive fusion of Baroque and Gothic architectures. And from designer boutiques to German luxury automobiles, there's ...

Oozing ritz and glitz, Kitzbühel is a ski town with an attitude similar to Hollywood and Aspen. Anyone traveling in the Tyrolean Alps during the snowy season won't want to miss out on swooshing down intermediate groomers and steep blacks at Austria's first winter sports destination. The town of Kitz – as locals affectionately call it – sits pretty at the base of its famous mountain, the Hahnenkamm. Best of all, it is a true medieval city with a labyrinth of old cobbled streets snaking around 15th-century buildings with an impressive fusion of Baroque and Gothic architectures. And from designer boutiques to German luxury automobiles, there's no question, Kitz is Austria's Aspen, a rival to other European ski greats like St. Moritz or Chamonix. Off the slopes, check out the 15th century St. Andrea’s church perched high above the village or take a horse-drawn sleigh ride through Kitzbühel's cobbled, traffic-free town center.

About the Expert

Aaron Anderson is coauthor of Lonely Planet's Washington, D.C. City Guide, a contributor on western states to Lonely Planet USA, and he wrote the Austria chapters for Lonely Planet's Western Europe and Europe on a Shoestring.