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Kitzbühel

Medieval Ski Town of the Hahnenkamm

Plan this trip
2 daysIdeal stay₹13,850From / night₹3,620Food / day₹3,410Entry

A walled medieval town of painted houses that became one of the Alps' smartest ski resorts, home of the Hahnenkamm downhill (the Streif) every January. In winter it is all slopes and après-ski; in summer the Hahnenkamm and Kitzbüheler Horn lifts open walking trails and alpine-flower gardens, and the Schwarzsee is a warm swimming lake. Dear in the ski season. On the line between Innsbruck (about an hour via Wörgl) and Zell am See (45 minutes).

Highlights

  • Painted old town inside the medieval walls
  • Hahnenkamm and the Streif race course
  • Kitzbüheler Horn alpine garden
  • Swimming in the Schwarzsee
  • Skiing in one of the Alps' largest ski areas (winter)
  • Hahnenkamm race weekend in January

Things to do

  • Hahnenkamm lift and the Streif viewpoint walkMorning · 3h
  • Old town stroll and a café stopAfternoon · 1h 30m
  • Kitzbüheler Horn alpine flower gardenJun–SepMorning · 3h
  • Swim and lakeside afternoon at the SchwarzseeJun–AugAfternoon · 2h 30m
  • Mountain hike from the Hahnenkamm to the PengelsteinMorning · 5h

Tours & tickets

Tours & tickets in Kitzbühelvia GetYourGuideTours & tickets in Kitzbühelvia Klook

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When to go

Best time: December – March (ski); June – September (summer)

Heads up

Works on the Salzburg–Innsbruck Railway

The fast Railjets between Salzburg and Innsbruck run through a corner of Germany, where the line is being rebuilt: reports in 2026 said it closes for the first half of 2027, with trains sent round by Zell am See (about 1.5 hours longer) or replaced by buses, and longer journeys before that. The dates have changed more than once: check the ÖBB timetable and its works page for your dates before booking.

Heads up

Ski Season Prices

Winter is high season: rooms cost most and are hardest to find from Christmas to New Year and in the February school holidays, when many hotels sell only week-long stays. January (outside the holidays) and March are better value.

Worth knowing

Between Seasons: Hotels and Lifts Closed

After Easter until late May or June, and in November, many hotels, restaurants and lifts close between the ski and summer seasons, and trails above the village can be under snow. Check that the lifts you want are running before you book. The Kitzsteinhorn and the Ötztal glaciers keep some lifts open longer.

  • Hahnenkamm races — The World Cup downhill on the Streif, the hardest on the circuit, on a weekend in the second half of January: tens of thousands of spectators, and Kitzbühel's rooms book out and cost several times the usual price.
  • Almabtrieb (cattle coming down from the high pastures) — From mid-September to early October herds come down from the summer pastures garlanded with flowers and bells, with village fairs on the day. Dates are set locally, often only weeks ahead.
  • Krampus runs — In late November and the first week of December, around St Nicholas' Day (6 December), costumed Krampus devils with bells and horns run through Alpine towns; loud and a little rough, not for small children.