Bad Gastein or Saalbach Hinterglemm?
Bad Gastein takes 3 of 9, with 4 too close to call. That still does not settle it — only the categories you care about count.
Austria
Bad Gastein
Faded Belle Époque grandeur, thermal spas and 208 km of quiet skiing. Reachable by direct train from Salzburg and Vienna, which makes it one of the few genuinely low-carbon ski weeks.
Worth knowing. The town is faded and the skiing is scattered across separate mountains.
Choose it if
A non-skiing partner
About £1,110 a week from London
Austria
Saalbach Hinterglemm
A 270 km circuit you can ski round in a day, ski-in/ski-out lodging and the best-value big area within 75 minutes of Salzburg. Après starts on the mountain and does not stop.
Worth knowing. The circuit is easy throughout. Strong skiers run out of challenge by Wednesday.
Choose it if
Budget and après
About £1,198 a week from London
Side by side
| Bad Gastein | Saalbach Hinterglemm | |
|---|---|---|
| Snow reliability | 54/100 | 50/100 |
| Size of the ski area | 208 km | 270 km linked |
| Top lift | 2686 m | 2096 m |
| Cost before travel | €1020 | €1130 |
| Families with young kids | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Snowboarders | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| A non-skiing partner | 9/10 | 6/10 |
| Budget and après | 7/10 | 10/10 |
| Off-piste | 7/10 | 6/10 |
Bold marks the winner. Rows where neither is bold are close enough that the difference would not change a decision. Cost excludes travel, which depends on where you leave from.
Piste kilometres, lift counts and prices are indicative and compiled from public sources — they have not yet been checked against the resort's own figures for this season. Costs are planning estimates, not quotes. Spotted one that is wrong? Tell us.