Lech am Arlberg is a charming Austrian alpine village and an exclusive ski resort, favored by royals, design enthusiasts, and foodies. Michelin-Star restaurants, luxury hotels, ski slopes, and even a James Turrell Skyspace— Lech and the surrounding towns of Zürs and Saint Anton have something for everyone. Make sure to book in advance as Lech is so beloved by locals that many have been coming for decades and have longstanding reservations. In fact, The Dutch royal family has visited for a ski holiday every February for more than 60 years. Unlike its famous neighboring ski destinations, like Gstaad and St. Moritz, or even St. Anton (a short 20 minute drive down the mountain), Lech offers a laid-back luxury that feels like a well-kept secret.

STAY

HOTEL ARLBERG A family-operated hotel since 1956 in the heart of town. Decorated in alpine-chic fashion, with roaring fireplaces, antlers, and excellent service, it is no surprise that this was the preferred place to stay for the late Princess Diana. Make sure to make a reservation at the cozy, cabin-like Die Stube fondue restaurant. There is also a Michelin-starred Italian restaurant La Fenice, a spa with an indoor-outdoor pool, and even a luxury yurt on the property— a popular aprés-ski spot. Tannberg 187, 6764 Lech; arlberghotel.at

KRISTIANIA Kristiana is nestled in the mountains overlooking the village of Lech. An art gallery is adjacent to the hotel and the interiors are filled with contemporary art available for purchase. It seems more like a luxurious private home than a five-star bolthole. Omesberg 331, 6764 Lech; kristiania.at/en

ALMHOF SCHNEIDER Perhaps the town’s most well-established surname. The Almhof Schneider is a design-forward hotel owned by Gerold Schneider and his architect wife Katia Polletin. Tannberg 59, 6764 Lech; almhof.at

GASTHOF POST Another multigenerational mainstay for European royals is the nearby Gasthof Post, a Relais & Châteaux property whose dark wood and pink-stucco facade is an iconic fixture on Lech’s low-slung skyline. There, the Moosbrugger family has been raising the bar on white-linen hospitality for more than 80 years. Dorf 11, 6764 Lech; postlech.com

KRONE HOTEL Set on the banks of the Lech River and surrounded by the Arlberg mountains, the Ice Bar at the iconic Krone Hotel is the place to be for aprés-ski. Dorf 13, 6764 Lech; kronelech.at/en/

BOUTIQUE HOTEL SCHMELZHOF Everything is quintessentially Austrian, carefully honed by generations of practice. One of the great joys of staying here is when the owner, Anna, walks around to every table at breakfast, taking the time to make sure each guest feels welcome. Each room is individually designed, there’s a lovely in-house spa, and the hotel bar is the place to be for locals and visitors alike come nightfall. Omesberg 370, 6764 Lech; schmelzhof.at

THURNHER’S ALPENHOF A 5-star hotel and a member of “The Leading Hotels of the World.” Family-owned and operated, set in an alpine-style building surrounded by mountains, with excellent service. Zürs 295, 6763 Zürs; thurnhers.com

HOTEL ZÜRSERHOF A family-run luxury establishment for over 60 years. Zürs 75, 6763 Zürs; zuerserhof.at

SPORTHOTEL LORÜNSER On a ski slope in the center of Lech village, this upscale, 1927 hotel has a relaxed, regional restaurant, and a cozy bar with a fireplace. Amenities include an indoor pool, and a spa with a sauna, a gym, and a hot tub. Zürs 112, 6763 Zürs; loruenser.at

HOTEL EDELWEISS A charming green and white chalet-style hotel with a gourmet restaurant serving Austrian specialties as well as a stylish bar and a lounge. A spa is equipped with a sauna and beauty treatments. Zürs 79, 6764 Lech; edelweiss-arlberg.at

DRINK | DINE

HOSPIZ ALM Not far away, in neighboring St. Christoph, is the venerable Hospiz Alm, which has a soaring central barnlike dining room, a mammoth open-sided fireplace, and a slide for ski-booted guests to zip down to the loo. It boasts the largest wine cellar in Europe with an impressive cellar of oversized wine bottles, so polish off a bottle, served by a dirndl-wearing waitress, before using the slide down to the loos. St. Christoph 18, 6580 St. Anton am Arlberg; arlberghospiz.at

RESTAURANT KLÖSTERLE Helmed by Jakob Zeller and Ethel Hoon, Klösterle inhabits a romantic wooden farmhouse in Zug, a few minutes drive or horse-drawn carriage ride from Lech. Its contemporary take on Alpine cuisine, using only the finest local ingredients with an Asian twist, provides a reprieve from the area’s famously fortifying fare. Zug 27, 6764 Lech; restaurant-kloesterle.at

S’AELPELE Getting to S'Aelpele is half the fun. A bright red snowmobile will pick you up and deliver you to a cozy, two-story cabin in the mountains where you will be greeted with a glass of glühwein before enjoying their famous fondue. Zug 61, 6764 Lech; aelpele-lech.at

HUS NR. 8 A traditional Austrian restaurant, famous for generous pots of fondue. Omesberg 8, 6764 Lech; hus8.at

CRÊPERIE SCHÜNA Oberlech, perched above Lech and accessible only via the 80-person Bergbahn cable car (or skis), is another picture-perfect throwback to a simpler time. Up there, is an intimate 25-top jewel-box restaurant with a dangerously limitless raclette course. Oberlech 55 Hotel Sonnenburg, Lech

EDELWEISS RESTAURANT A traditional Austrian restaurant within the Edelweiss Hotel. Zürs 79, 6764 Lech; edelweiss-arlberg.at

THE WOLF The Wolf is one of Lech’s "ski huts," an on-the-slopes spot to stop for coffee and a snack, beer, or a full-blown lunch. The sleek, wood-paneled space is a smart combination of local materials and modern design, ideally located between the Petersboden mountain station and the Weibermahd mountain station. Order the famous burger! Grosserbenalpweg, 6764 Lech; derwolf.ski

CAFÉ GOTTHARD The place for Austrian pastries. Choose from cakes, strudels, and pralines, but don’t miss the krapfen, an apricot marmalade-filled doughnut that’s perfect for breakfast or an après-ski snack. Omesberg 352, 6764 Lech; gotthard.at

CHEF’S TABLE AT ROTE WAND Found in the neighboring village of Zug, just a few minutes from Lech, the Chef’s Table at Rote Wand is the perfect example of chef-driven, buzz-worthy cuisine. Housed in an old schoolhouse built in 1780, Rote Wand is the brainchild of award-winning chef Julian Stieger, whose resume includes roles at Eleven Madison Park in New York City and Geranium in Copenhagen. The experience starts with a welcome cocktail and small bites on the ground floor of the schoolhouse. Guests are then brought upstairs for the chef’s table experience, where hyperlocal, hand-foraged Alpine ingredients are reinterpreted in a modern way. Zug 5, 6764 Lech; rotewand.com

RESTAURANT AT ALMHOF SCHNEIDER For nearly a hundred years, the Schneider family has welcomed guests to its hotel and fine dining restaurant. The spruce-paneled dining room is regarded as one of the most beautiful in the Alps, and the elevated Austrian fare doesn't disappoint, either. Tannberg 59, 6764 Lech; almhof.at

SCHNEGGAREI An aprés ski spot, perfect for lunch. Order pizza from an original wood-fired pizza oven. Tannberg 629, 6764 Lech; schneggarei.at

LA FENICE Italian and Mediterranean dishes are created by chef Patrick Tober at Hotel Arlberg's restaurant. 187, 6764 Lech; arlberghotel.at

RESTAURANT AT HOTEL BERGKRISTALL Hotel Bergkristall is located on the Oberlech Sun Terrace. Perfect for a scenic bite before or after hitting the slopes. Oberlech 382, 6764 Lech; bergkristall-lech.at

JÄGERSTUBE In the winter season you can enjoy the creative cuisine of chef Michael Rieser in the traditional hunting lodge style in the Post Lech Hotel. Tannberg 228a, 6764 Lech; monzabon.at

ART | CULTURE | ACTIVITIES

JAMES TURRELL SKYSPACE Lech has one of James Turrell’s famed Skyspaces, an indoor-outdoor immersive lighting experience open to the sky via a large overhead hole. Come at the right time and you may witness a trickle of snowflakes dancing down from the ceiling — it’s a magical, Instagram-worthy experience that blends nature with contemporary art. Tannegg, Gemeinde Lech; skyspace-lech.com

OLD CHURCH OF ST. NICHOLAS Built in 1390 in a Gothic style with an 18th-century Rococo interior. 15 Dorf Rd

HUBER HOUSE Built in 1590 and now operating as a museum that displays what life in 16th century Lech looked like. Dorf 26, 6764 Lech; lechmuseum.at/ausstellungen/huber-hus/

SKI There’s no wrong way to ski Lech — just hop on the lifts and go — but the destination's iconic White Ring is an easy-to-follow route that traverses up and over the various mountains surrounding town, offering a 360-degree perspective and connecting the villages of Lech, Zürs, Zug, and Oberlech. This part of Austria is famous for its “ski up from one village, ski down into another” approach, and it's also one of the largest contiguous skiable areas in the world.

SHOP

STROLZ SPORT & MODE Located on Lech’s main street, Strolz is the place to shop for upscale ski gear and traditional Austrian dirndls. Since 1921, it has been outfitting the town with stylish leisurewear and ski equipment out of its stunning outposts, which likely provided much of the inspiration for Vail and Aspen’s Gorsuch stores. Dorf 116, 6764 Lech; strolz.at

SAGEMEISTER This outpost of the German boutique stocks a nice balance of established designer brands (Chloe, Céline, Valentino) alongside a healthy buy of smaller German and Austrian designers. 6764 Lech am Arlberg; lechzuers.com/en/sagmeister

LENAI & LINAI Near the famous St. Nicholas church sits a sweet, sustainable-fashion boutique, featuring cozy woolen Giesswein slippers. Dorf 163, 6764 Lech; lenai-linai.at

SPA

HOTEL ARLBERG SPA Sleek and inviting interior design is at the heart of the newly-remodeled spa. Future-forward healing devices such as hydrotherapy showers, heated pools embedded in nature, stylish sauna and steam facilities as well as myriad relaxation rooms, make the spa deserving of the recent German Design Award. Offering expansive mountainside views and bespoke natural materials like breathable limestone plaster and energizing volcanic clays, semi-precious stones, Carrara marble and ultramarine ash; all of which actively promote wellness whilst evoking the stunning surrounding nature, including Vals quartzite stone, which has been quarried in Vals (170km away) and used in local infrastructure for centuries. Dorf 163, 6764 Lech; arlberghotel.at/en/day-spa

DAY | WEEKEND TRIP

SAINT ANTON AM ARLBERG The “cradle of alpine skiing.” Hannes Schneider became the first ski instructor in St. Anton in 1907, and 15 years later he opened a ski school in town, using a teaching method he invented called the Arlberg technique. Schneider became known throughout Europe as the father of ski instruction. He would go on to ski train the Austrian Army during the First World War and the 10th Mountain Division of the US Army during the Second World War. It makes sense, then, that he is responsible for the ski giant St. Anton has become today. A trip here is truly a journey to where it all began. Today, it is Austria’s most heralded ski town, attracting skiers from all over the world. St. Anton's charming downtown is a picture-perfect ski town, with undulating snow-topped mountain ranges and a winding main street framed by chalet-style buildings and twinkly lights strung overhead. Stay at the Hotel Post whose restaurant has a four-course dinner as well as a daily breakfast buffet defined by artisan cheeses and Austrian pastries. The wine selection is among the region’s best, boasting 15,000 bottles from around the world. Other options include the luxurious Hotel Tannenhof a seven-suite hotel that includes chauffer service, the Hotel Schwarzer Adler, which traces back to 1570 or the Hotel Kertess, the Valluga Hotel, Raffl’s Tyrol Hotel, Ulmer Hutte, Das Mooser Hotel, or Anthony’s Life&Style Hotel. Dine at the dimly lit romantic Museum Restaurant where diners eat in various rooms stocked with antiques and fine art, lending a living-room feel. Try the Tyrolean venison with juniper jus and an underrated Austrian wine. The eminently missable 2011 British comedy Chalet Girl was filmed in St Anton and the Museum doubled as a chalet. Other options include Griabli, Fuhrmannstube, or Alber’s Rodelalm where diners head out by toboggan. Order the Tiroler Gröstl (roast potatoes, bacon and onions). Verwallstube has stunning views, sitting high in the mountains. For St. Anton’s famous aprés, head to Mooserwirt, which claims to sell more beer than any other place in Austria, or Krazy Kanguruh. Visit the beautiful ski museum to learn more about the history of the sport in St. Anton, and enjoy hot pools and saunas at the Arlberg-Well.

Text: Veronica H. Speck Photo: Slim Aarons, © Getty Images