Ellmau - One of eight villages in Skiwelt...something for everyone
Located between Going and Scheffau, Ellmau is a pleasant and traditional village and forms part of the extensive Skiwelt ski area. The pretty church is the focal point of the village, and it is surrounded by chalet-style hotels, friendly bars and cafés. Skiwelt encompasses eight villages in two valleys, ninety cable cars and seventy seven bars, restaurants, cafes and Alpine huts. Brixen is regarded as the centre, skiers can enjoy dozens of runs of all difficulty, although most best suited to intermediates, and they link up the villages of Söll, Scheffau, Ellmau, Going, Brixen, Westendorf, Hopfgarten and Itter. It has the largest night skiing area in Austria, off piste is not a strong point, whille 80% of the slopes have snow-making. Off the slopes, families can have fun at the Kaiserbad leisure centre, which has indoor and outdoor pools and waterslides, a climbing wall and tennis courts.
Property for sale in Ellmau
The ski property market in Skiwelt is as varied as the ski area, there is usually a good selection of one, two and three bedroom apartments and some lovely chalets on the market around Ellmau, Going, Söll and Scheffau, and round the other side in Brixen, Westendorf and even down to Kirchberg in Tirol. To us, the Austrian property market is excellent value in the context of the rest of Alps, like many resorts Skiwelt has made significant investments to upgrade its infrastructure and to offer comprehensive snow-making, this matters to property investors.
A guide to Ellmau
Ellmau (820m) is located in the northern side of the SkiWelt area which has 286km of downhill skiing on 186 ski runs and 91 ski lifts. The region includes the villages of Westendorf, Söll, Going, Hopfgarten, Kelchsau, Scheffau and Brixen, all included on the same ski pass. The area is effectively a horseshoe shape with Going at one end under the Wilder Kaiser range, heading around the Hohe Salve mountain to Söll and towards Brixen at the other end. The Brixen valley is open ended and links to the Inn valley in the west and the Kitzbühel valley in the East. Kitzbühel is around 30 minutes’ drive. There is an elegant church in the centre of the village with nursery slopes on both sides and an efficient ski bus system. Accommodation is in hotels, traditional inns, holiday chalets and apartments. It is around 1.5 hours from Innsbruck airport.
Ellmau ski guide
Ellmau has great nursery slopes in the village centre and a large section of gentle slopes just outside. Ellmau is also a good base to access SkiWelt, access to this area is via the gondola. At its far end SkiWelt connects to the Kirchberg-Kitzbühel ski area with the construction of the SkiWelt Bahn lift, opening up another range of choices for skiers and boarders. The slopes on this side of the valley tend to be less busy. There are numerous broad and well prepared pistes for novices and intermediates alike and a huge range for more ambitious skiers with a choice of valley descents through the trees and some excellent off-piste skiing. Ellmau has its own snowpark up on the Tanzboden. Experts will find plenty to choose from both on and off-piste, including the Silleralm descent and the Eiberg slalom run, both on Söll's Hohe Salve mountain.
As with other Austrian ski areas, there has been impressive investment in the SkiWelt resorts over recent years, reducing the queuing time at the lifts and improving the overall skiing experience. Investment in snow making has also improved the snow reliability.
There is a floodlit toboggan from Astberg down to the village. SkiWelt offers 148km of cross-country ski trails and 11 winter walking trails.
Ellmau après ski
While not on the same level as Ischgl or St Anton, you will find plenty of places to relax after a day on the mountain around the wider area. Ellmau offers diverse après ski options for après ski enjoyment; often recommended is the Ellmauer Alm at the foot of the Astberg. Memory Bar, Sandy's Bar and Pub 66 are also popular.
Eating out in Ellmau
On the mountain there are 80 mountain restaurants across the SkiWelt area, you will never be far from a refreshment stop.
In the village, you have some twenty five restaurants to choose from and everything is an easy walk to the resort centre. Try eating like a local with traditional Tyrolean dishes such as fondue and strudel. Popular restaurants include the rustic Ellmaueralm; chalet style Lobewein; the hugely popular Jauenstation Treichlhof and Memory for a good Italian meal.
Summer in Ellmau
The activity choices are enormous in Ellmau with access to over 500km of hiking trails, a 100km cycle path and 812km of mountain bike routes with numerous battery charging stations for E-bikes. There are 9 golf courses within a 50km radius, an outdoor pool in Westendorf, swimming lakes in Brixen and Kirchberg, tennis courts, minigolf, paragliding and, of course, rafting and mountain climbing in the Kitzbüheler Alpen.
For more details on Mountain Biking in Ellmau, check out our blog: Where to go Mountain Biking in the Alps
Other Destinations in the Austrian Alps:
Brixen im Thale, Fieberbrunn, Hochkönig, Kaprun, Kirchberg in Tirol, Kitzbühel, Lech, Pitztal in Tirol, Saalbach, Söll in Tirol, Zell Am See