Lech
A Walser village high in the Arlberg, reached over the Flexen road, with family hotels five centuries in the making and two-star kitchens at Zug and Oberlech.
- Arrival
- Zurich Airport · ZRH
- To the village
- About 2 h 30 from Zurich by car
- Private jets
- Innsbruck, about 1 h 30 by road
- Best time
- December to April
The city
Walser roots, Arlberg snow.
Settlers from the Valais climbed to this valley in the thirteenth century, and for centuries the place was called Tannberg. The Gothic church of St. Nikolaus, from about 1390, still stands on its hill above the river, and the village is measured from it, at 1,444 metres. Oberlech, higher up, has kept its lanes free of traffic since 1997.
Lech holds snow late. The 2026–27 season runs from 2 December to 18 April, and since the Flexenbahn opened in 2016 one pass covers Lech, Zürs, Stuben and St. Anton. The road over the Flexen pass is not winter-safe, and after heavy snow the village can be cut off for a while.
Arriving
Over the Arlberg by road.
Innsbruck, in the Inn valley, is roughly ninety minutes away by car. Friedrichshafen is about the same, and Zurich is two and a half hours away.
- Frankfurt 50 min
- Nice 55 min
- Cairo 3 h 45
- Abu Dhabi 6 h 20 long-range jet
- Johannesburg 11 h 05 long-range jet
When to go
December to April.
High and snowy: the Arlberg gets around 100 mm of precipitation a month through the winter, and afternoons stay close to freezing from December to February. The lifts run from 2 December 2026 to 18 April 2027, and by March the afternoons climb above 5 °C. The figures are for St. Anton, 140 metres lower.
- 1° J 106
- 3° F 93
- 6° M 92
- 10° A 64
- 15° M 86
- 18° J 134
- 21° J 162
- 21° A 162
- 17° S 96
- 13° O 74
- 5° N 101
- 1° D 105
What to see and do
Days in and around Lech.
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Landmark
Der Weiße Ring
A circuit of 22 kilometres of piste and 5,500 metres of descent, raced each winter by about a thousand skiers.
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Landmark
Rüfikopf
A cable car from the village, the Kästle Mountain Museum at the top, and the Langer Zug run back down.
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Landmark
Oberlech
A car-free hamlet above Lech, linked to the village by its own lift.
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Snow
Ski Arlberg
Austria's largest ski area links Lech with Zürs, Warth-Schröcken, Stuben and St Anton across 305 km of pistes served by 87 lifts.
Official site -
Snow
Wucher Helicopter heliskiing
With a mountain guide, skiers fly from the Flexenpass or the Kriegerhorn to the Mehlsack at 2,652 metres for an hour's descent to Zug.
Official site -
Culture
Skyspace Lech
James Turrell's chamber of light and sky, opened in 2018, is set into the Tannegg hill and reached on foot through a 15 metre tunnel.
Official site -
Opera & music
Lech Classic Festival
Each August, vocal soloists and a festival orchestra of young players from Central European orchestras give a week of concerts at the Lechwelten hall.
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Nature
Formarinsee
Voted Austria's most beautiful place in 2015, this mountain lake below the Rote Wand is reached by local bus or a 15 km walk via Zug.
Official site -
Golf
Golfclub Lech
Nine holes, par 66, follow the River Lech through the Zug valley at about 1,500 metres.
Official site
Where to stay
Family houses on the slopes.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- Hotel Almhof Schneider The Schneiders have been in Lech since 1451 and have taken guests since 1929; the cellar holds about 25,000 bottles.
- Post Lech Arlberg Kept by the Moosbrugger family for eight decades, and a member of Relais & Châteaux since 1976.
- Hotel & Chalet Aurelio Ten rooms and suites, a separate club chalet, and a sun terrace right on the Schlegelkopf piste; new to the Keys in 2026.
- Burg Vital Resort At about 1,700 metres in car-free Oberlech, home to the two-star Griggeler Stuba.
Where to dine
Two stars at Zug and Oberlech.
From the MICHELIN Guide Austria 2026 and Gault&Millau Austria 2026.
- Rote Wand Chef's Table Two Michelin stars Contemporary Hotel Rote Wand, Zug
- Griggeler Stuba Two Michelin stars Alpine, with Japanese notes Burg Vital Resort, Oberlech
- La Fenice One Michelin star Alpine and Mediterranean Hotel Arlberg
- Rote Wand Stuben MICHELIN Green Star Alpine Hotel Rote Wand, Zug
- Aurelio’s Gault&Millau, 4 toques Contemporary Hotel & Chalet Aurelio, Lech
Elsewhere in Austria
More reasons to come.
- Vienna The Musikverein, the Spanish Riding School, and the Ringstrasse.
- Salzburg Mozart's birthplace, and the festival every summer.
- Kitzbühel The Streif, the most feared downhill of the World Cup, raced every January.
- St. Anton The cradle of alpine skiing, at the other end of the Arlberg.
- Innsbruck The golden roof of the old town, and Alps at the end of every street.
Flying to Lech?
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A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.