Sölden – the most spectacular valley in Austria
Somewhere in the valley of Oetz, the most spectacular valley in Austria, close to the Italian border, lies the jewel of this long valley, the famous ski resort of Sölden.
Solden. Hochsolden in the foreground. ©Anton klocker/Ötztal tourism. www.oetztal.com
Sölden has well-equipped and advanced mountain lift infrastructures, three peaks higher than 3000m, aka the big3, with spectacular viewing platforms.
The hanged observation deck at the top of Tiefenbach glacier. One of the BIG3. ©Christoph Nösig/Mountain railways Solden/ Ötztal tourism. www.oetztal.com
It is famous for its lively apres ski scene and its main street, the famous Solden party mile, and lately, starred in the 2015 James Bond Spectre film.
Solden is one of the most popular ski destinations in the Alps and is particularly favoured by Dutch and German skiers.
As the jewel in the crown of the Oetztal, Solden benefits from new developments in the Oetztal.
The new 10pax Hochsolden-Rotkogl gondola, from its mid station.Hochsolden in bkgd. ©Christoph Nösig/Mountain railways Solden/ Ötztal tourism. www.oetztal.com
In this article
We will present these developments and show you the essential things you need to know before booking a vacation in Solden. If you read the whole article, you will get some great tips that will help you make better decisions, save time and money, and have a more enjoyable vacation.
Runs 11 &18 red from the Giggijoch area towards Gaislachkogl mountain. Rettenbach Glacier in bkgd.
How to get to Solden?
The closest Innsbruck Airport, Austria, is just 83 km away from the ski resort or 1 hour and 10 minutes drive. Other close airports are Friedrichshafen with 211km and two hours and 46 minutes, Memmingen with 177km and 2 hours and 40 minutes, and St Gallen with 182 km and 2 hours and 25 minutes to Solden.
Two major airports near Solden are Munich, 3 hours and 8 minutes 279 km away, and Zurich, with 3 hours and 20 minutes drive to Solden.
Here’s a link to the best online flight engine.
Here’s a link to the best online car rental website.
We will get a small commission if you buy through our links. This way, you will support us in making better videos for you and future tools on the website.
Solden ski area
Solden ski area comprises 144km of slopes for skiing and snowboarding with altitudes ranging from 1,350 to 3,250 m.
Solden ski area. in the pic, you can see the Solden-Hochsolden area and Rettenbach glacier in the bkgd. ©Lucas Ennemoser/ Ötztal tourism. www.oetztal.com
Solden has one of the most advanced and well-equipped lift infrastructures globally, comprised of 31 lifts that can carry 66,020 passengers per hour.
Gaislachkoglbahn2. Starred in James Bond Spectra. State of the art lifts.
In contradiction to the past, if you buy a ski pass for more than three days, then you’ll get the Oetztal super ski pass, which includes 361 km of slopes and 91 lifts, among them the resorts of Obergurgl and Kuthai. 6 days ski pass will cost you between 277€ to 288€ most season, as low as 243.50€ in early Dec and late April. The lifts company ESTABLISHED a dynamic pricing system. These prices are valid only online at least five days before the first day of skiing.
Top mountain star and Wurmkoglbahn quad chairlift in Obergurgl. Included in the skipass! © Anton klocker/Ötztal tourism. www.oetztal.com
The prices at the ski desk can be up to 20% higher than the prices mentioned. There’s also a free cancellation policy if cancelled more than five days before validation. If you buy six days or longer ski pass, you receive free admission to 007 elements in gaislachkogl peak and other attractions like free use of the toboggan runs and one-night skiing!
007 elements attraction free admission is included for 6+ days skipass holders.
The ski season in Solden is from late November until early May.
If you want to have an early worm up for the season, the glaciers ski area in Solden is open for skiing since late September every ski season.
Tiefenbach glacier. Seiterkar 6 seater will take you to Rettenbach glacier. Both open from late Sep.
Out of the 144 km contiguous ski runs at the ski area of Solden, 49% are blue, 32% are red, and 19% are black.
We can divide the ski area into three different sub-areas:
If you are a beginner or plan to take ski lessons, the giggijoch lift top station is the meeting point of most ski schools. The runs on the Giggijoch varied from blue to black but mainly comfortable, wide well-groomed slopes. Here you can find the “area 47” snow park which designers from 8 countries shaped.
Giggijoch top station and ski are. AKA Solden-Hochsolden area. Here’s also most ski school meeting points.
The giggjoch area also known as the Solden-HochSolden area, and it’s kind of connects between the two other ski areas.
Freerider on the Solden-Hochsolden ski area. Much more off-pists are in Gaislachkogl. ©Isidor Nösig/Ötztal tourism. www.oetztal.com
If you are a freerider and looking for off-pistes, the gaislachkogl, the 2nd area, and one of the “big 3” peaks, offers many great freeride routes, most of them quite challenging. Here, you can find various slopes for all levels, the toboggan run and the night skiing run.
Gaislachkogl peak. Many challenging off-pists all around the mountain.
The 3rd area is the glaciers area, which includes two glaciers around the Schwarze Schneide peak, the highest of the famous “big 3”.
Schwarze Schneide peak, the highest of the famous “big 3” at 3340m. Tiefenbach glacier in the bkgd. © Philipp Horak/ Ötztal tourism. www.oetztal.com
The glacier on the north side is rettenbach, where you can find the black world cup run.
Rettenbach Glacier. © Christoph Nösig/Mountain railways Solden/ Ötztal tourism. www.oetztal.com
The glacier to the south is Tiefenbach, where you can find a wide beginners run.
Tiefenbach glacier. Beginners paradise. Tiefenbach 8 persons gondola
Tiefenbahkogl, the top of this glacier, is the 3rd “big 3” peak, with an amazing suspended long balcony over the abyss.
Tiefenkogl hanging observation balcony. The place for selfies. ©Rudi Wyhlidal/ Sölden mountain railways/ Ötztal tourism. www.oetztal.com
The glacier area is excellent for beginners, which can make there a blue runs circle. this area is open for skiing each year from late September.
Tiefenbach glacier. Glaciers area is open from September and include blue runs circle.
the Solden marketing team phrased the “big 3” to emphasize the fact that Solden is the only ski resort in Austria with three peaks above 3000 meters.
BTW, the number of ski lifts that cross the 3km elevation is 7!
7 ski lifts tops 3000m altitude. Gaislachkoglbahn 2 top station at 3040m.
Another unique feature of Solden is the largest vertical drop in Austria with almost 2 km, from 3250 meters altitude to 1340 meters altitude at giggijoch bottom station level.
The last section of run 33 blue that begins in the top station of Schwarze Schnide 2 gondola
The longest run in the Solden is the longest ski run in Austria. It begins in the top of Schwarze Schneide gondola, as #33 blue, then continue in the long Rettenbachtal as 30 blue.
run 30 from Langegg 6 seater chairlift. Last part after its penitrating the trees line
After penetrating the trees line, it continues to innerwald as #7 black. Finally, at innerwald, it continues as #9 blue to gaischlachkoglbahn bottom station, having a total length of 15 km!
run 9 blue finishing at Gaislachkpglbahn 1 valley station
The most challenging run is in Rettenbach Glacier, black No. 31,also famous as the World Cup opening season slope.
FIS world cup run. Black 31. ©markus Geiser/ Mountain railways Solden/ Ötztal tourism. www.oetztal.com
World cup run(black #31) Closer look. You can also see Schwarze Schneid 1&2 8pax gondola system.
On mountain attractions
Challenge lovers will love to do the “big 3” rally, which includes 50km of ski runs or participate in the Adrenalin Cup, where you can challenge yourself in giant slalom and other skiing disciplines and win prizes.
Giant Slalum. Oart of the adrenalin cup.Giggijoch top station at the buttom of the slope.
A unique attraction in the ski area is the 007 elements on Gaislachkogl peak. It costs 22 euros for an adult and 12 for a child but is free for three days and above ski pass holders.
If you saw James Bond Spectra, you know what it is. 007 elements. ©Werner Elmer/ Ötztal tourism. www.oetztal.com
Other highlights are the nighttime tobogganing and skiing on the gaishalachkogl lift, from 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm, which costs 12 euros for an adult and 7 for a child for one evening, for ski pass holders. Unfortunately, the toboggan rental is not included. (around 8€ per day).
Night ski (white) and sled (yellow) runs at Gaislachkogl. ©Jan Schöppe/Ötztal tourism. www.oetztal.com
Tobogganing in Solden. Gaislachkoglbahn 1 in bkgd
Where to stay in Solden
Solden village from the north. Where to stay in Solden?
The village of Solden is narrow and more than 2 km long from north to south. The centre of Solden is a mile-long main road between the Giggijoch lift on the north side and the Gaislachkogl lift on the south end.
Solden party mile is the main street between the Giggijoch and Gaislachkogl ski lifts.
This area, aka as Solden party mile, and among many shops, hotels and restaurants, hosts many bars and clubs as implied from its name.
Solden party mile. The street with more bars than any other street in a ski resort anywhere.
The best place to stay, in our opinion, is in the Giggjoch area because the best bars and clubs are in this area and of course, the ski schools meeting points are there.
stay here if you can. Best location to stay in Solden for most people.
If you don’t need lessons or are a free rider, and you don’t care to be far from the best bars, stay at the Gaishlachkogl lift area. If you want a quiet area, stay east of the stream parallel to the main street.
Gaislachkogl gondola. Stay here if you are a free rider. At the top of the picture, you can see the hotels on the other side of the stream—the quiet area of Solden.
Another quiet area is innerwald, where you can have ski in – ski out accommodation and a meeting point for some ski schools.
Innerwald. ski in- ski out and still stay in town. On the left is some ski schools meeting points and the top station of the Zentrum shuttle.
The Zentrum shuttle funicular that operates until midnight connects innerwald to the main street.
centre shuttle between Innerwald and Solden main street.
If you want to be first on the slopes, stay in Hochsolden, which is all ski in ski out, at an altitude of 2090 meters.
Hochsolden. The chairlift in the front is a new 10pax gondola. Giggijoch top atation at bkgd.
The distance to solden is 7 km by road. You have free underground parking if you choose to stay here. Note that a taxi ride to or from solden is 28-35 euros and takes about 20 minutes.
Hochsolden. The underground free parking is on the left. Solden in bkgd.
If you come with a car to Solden, there are two big covered garages, next to the main two ski lifts, which are free from 8 am to 7 pm.
Covered parking on the left and open parking on the right, next to Gaislachkogl lift.
Apres-ski in Solden
We found various apres-ski bars in Solden party mile. Here’s a recommendation of a bar crawl in the Famous apres-ski bars in Solden: just in front of the giggijoch, you’ll find Kuckuck, which have terraces.
Kuckuck. First apres-ski bar on the right, when entering Solden party mile. Giggijoch on bkgd.
You can then turn right and check the Alm Rausch.
Alm Rausch
Alm Rausch inside
Then continue to the Schrimbar, which is the best apres-ski bar in town.
Schrimbar, as seen from fire & ice, on the opposite sideof the street.
Schrimbar inside. Mad house!
After Schrimbar finishes, cross the road to Mogul, a lovely apres-ski bar that turns into a club along the evening,
Mogul. As seen from fire & ice. Opposite to Alm Rausch
Mogul inside.
then, next door is Fire & Ice Club, which is the centre of nightlife in Solden.
Fire & Ice
Fire & Ice inside. Huge bar with 2 floors
Regarding apres ski, we will give some tipsin the tips section soon.
Conclusion, pros and Cons
to conclude, Solden is top of a notch resort with a small ski area for that level of ski resorts, but the Oetztal management and the lift company’s decision to include all the resorts in the valley for three days or more ski pass holders is exciting news!
Hochgurgl. The Ötztal super skipass, let you ski in Gurgle, kuthai and the rest of the resorts in the valley. ©Gred Otto/Ötztal Tourism www.oetztal.com
For a tip on how to use it wisely, keep reading to the end.
The slopes are pretty crowded, especially you feel it at the end of the day on the narrow ski runs down to town,
crowded slopes on the way back to town in the afternoon.
but because of the remarkable capacity of the ski lifts, the lines are minimal.
Giggijoch top station at the end of the day. Big crowd, big capacity.
Before rating our scores to Solden, let’s see the pros and cons:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| The resort has the largest skiable vertical in Austria and long runs | Extremely busy and overcrowded |
| State-of-the-art infrastructure and well-equipped lift system | Lack the charm of top-notch Austrian resorts |
| Snowsure resort | The contiguous ski area is not big |
| Vibrant international après ski scene |
Solden/Hochsolden area from run 1red on gailachkogl.©Isidor Nösig/Ötztal Tourism. www.oetztal.com
Solden scores by criteria
Here are our scores for Sölden:
- For snowboarders: 7.5
- Advanced skiers: 7
- Intermediate skiers: 7.5
- For beginners: 8
- Freestylers: 8.5
- Free riders: 8.5
- Nightlife: 8
- Aprés ski: 8.5
- Resort charm: 7.5
Our total score for Sölden is 8.2
©Lukas Ennemoser/ Ötztal Tourism. www.oetztal.com
Bonus tips for your holiday in Solden
Our first tip:
If a storm is coming, don’t struggle. Instead, get off the mountain, and take a 20 minutes ski bus ride north to the aquadome in Langenfeld.
Aqua Dome in Langenfeld. The place to be in a snowstorm.
The aquadome is the best spa centre we visited, you can easily spend here many hours, and it is the best place to be in bad weather.
Aqua Dome. The best wellness centre we have been to so far. There is also a hotel in the compound.
Our second tip:
Use the extended ski pass, take a 20 minutes ski bus ride south to Obergurgle, and enjoy this 110km ski area less crowded than Solden. The ski bus runs every 10 minutes from many stations in Solden.
Obergurgl. ©Alexander Lohmann/ Ötztal Tourism. www.oetztal.com
Our 3rd tip for apres-ski lovers:
Every Friday from 3 pm, outside the Giggijoch restaurant, a big dance apres-ski party with famous DJs is happening.
Friday, 4 pm apres-ski near the Giggijoch top station.
And for our last tip for EDM lovers:
even a bigger stage built every year in this area for the Electric mountain festival in April.
In 2022, the festival will take place on the 8th and 9th of April.
It is free for ski pass holders!
