Looking for the best place for family skiing in Austria? Although a family ski vacation with children might seem overwhelming, daunting, or the last possible place you want to spend your time, especially when you’d rather be poolside and drinking margaritas, I must say that Seefeld in Tyrol is quite amazing. I know because I typically have my winter sights on a warm white sandy beach with exotic cocktails in hand, not necessarily the opposite: skiing. However, little did I know that I’d find the perfect family ski village in Austria: Seefeld in Tyrol.
Images of schlepping my kids’ ski equipment and listening to whiny kids moan on their way to the slopes in heavy ski gear are my typical fears of a ski vacation with kids. Although we typically spend February breaks somewhere tropical, living in Europe translates to hitting the slopes. With my husband’s mind made up, I sought to find the best family ski village in Austria.
Table of Contents
Seefeld in Tyrol – Best Family Ski Village in Austria
After last-minute planning for the week that most refer to as the busiest ski week in Europe, I found a ski gem in the Austrian Alps that will have us returning for years, Seefeld in Tyrol.
Not only is Seefeld sunny and picture-perfect, but incredibly convenient, kid-friendly, and affordable (for ski standards!).
Being a first-timer at planning a European family ski vacation, I didn’t want to commit us to a week-long trip. Given how expensive it is to ski, it wasn’t worth the risk to commit to more than 4 days when we had no idea what it would be like and if the kids even enjoyed it.
Easy access to the ski destination was also really important because let’s face it, traveling with small children can be a challenge. My son gets migraines so the fastest way to our destination is the only way. And this is how I stumbled across Seefeld.
The Seekirchl Church is stunning
Getting To Seefeld In Tyrol
Known for its sunny climate, a variety of snow sports options, and is located just 30 minutes from Innsbruck airport. It’s only a 2-hour direct flight from Luton airport on EasyJet and a 50 Euro taxi ride to Seefeld (2018 taxi rate). It all seemed too good to be true. In fact, I still had doubts despite all the positives but now I can honestly say Seefeld is the perfect family ski destination.
Gorgeous Austrian Alps and Seefeld village view from Hotel Seelos
Where To Stay In Seefeld
We stayed at Hotel Seelos which is a short walking distance to the town center for shopping, restaurants (must try Sudtiroler Stube for Tyrolean cuisine and Pauly for incredible Italian) and sight-seeing. The hotel staff is friendly and willing to assist you with nearly everything. They have a large bar and restaurant which we enjoyed every morning for breakfast and drinks at night.
The hotel lounge has a cozy seating area, stocked with puzzles, games, and even a pool table. The bartender was sweet with the kids and gave them gummies and lollies every night, much to my chagrin. It made the kids happy so we ran with it since we were on vacation after all. The hotel also has a sauna/spa room but be warned that this isn’t really appropriate for kids unless you’re ready to talk to them about opposite sex parts (insert lots of naked adults freely walking/laying around).
The perfect view and activity after a ski day – Hotel Seelos
The standard suite we booked needed updating but it offered a sleeping area for the kids separate from the main bedroom. It also included a table in which we could play cards, puzzles and even have dinner. Yes, we even ordered pizza take-out one night!
Our balcony had to-die-for Alps views which we thoroughly enjoyed with a bottle of wine (grocery is just down the street). We even got to sit outside with shorts on…that’s how warm the direct sunlight is there! Margaritas weren’t involved, but we did have to apply SPF due to the intense sun on the slopes.
Apres-ski from our hotel was perfect
The two negatives about this hotel were the bed and pillows. Both need to be upgraded but they did make up for it by delivering chocolates every night. 🙌
The Ski Resort & Ski Lessons For Kids
Rosshütte Ski Resort
The hotel arranged for free transportation every day to Rosshütte (a five-minute taxi from the hotel). Rosshütte is the ski resort we chose to spend our vacation.
The Happy Ski Card allows you to ski amongst all the Seefeld resorts, all within very close proximity to one another. We chose Rosshütte because it offered ski options for all levels and after our first day of skiing, we were quite happy with our choice.
Ski Lessons for Kids at Rosshütte
There are several options for ski lessons in the area, but ours boiled down to availability and cost. Private lessons are most likely what you’ll find if you make a late reservation, which ranges from €72 to €102 for two children per day. The cheaper rates are during the noon hour if saving money is the focus.
We got incredibly lucky and found group lesson spots at the very last minute with Alpinpower for €130 per child for a two-day course. This seemed incredibly reasonable considering a 30-minute lesson in Hemel Hempstead, England is £60 for one child.
She had the BEST time with Alpinpower Ski School at Rosshütte
Ski Rentals
Immediately next to the Alpinpower meeting point is Sailer Sport Ski Rental. This part was amazing.
If you book your ski equipment online, you get a 10% discount. The process was incredibly easy! And the very best part…you aren’t schlepping your kids’ ski equipment around.
Sailer Sport is literally 20 steps from the ski lesson meeting point, and on top of that, they store your equipment for you so that all you have to do is show up the next day and you’re practically on the slopes within minutes (or at least it felt that way). This alone made the trip worth it!
How The Ski Lessons Went (even with the German language barrier)
The ski lessons themselves proved fruitful because, by the end of the first day, our 8-year-old son skied a black diamond. Despite the German language barrier, our son followed closely behind the instructor, who takes approximately 8-10 kids, and learned so much that he was keeping up with the hubs on our last day of skiing.
Our daughter stuck to the Kinderland both days with her class and loved it. On her last day, she showed us all the turns she’d learned and how to stop pizza-style.
Kinderland Area for beginner skiers at Rosshute Seefeld
Lunch Tips At Rosshütte
Lunch at Rosshütte can be a bit tricky if you don’t plan ahead. There is only one main lodge to eat with your kids during their lunch break, so unless you pack a lunch you need to divide and conquer. What worked for us was sending the hubs off to collect the kids while I waited in the lodge to grab a table. Over both days we ended up sharing a table with another family, which was perfectly fine for us.
The waitresses barely have time to take your order due to the busy nature of ski resorts in mid-February.
Get their early and order drinks and food all at the same time. If you do that, you will not be disappointed (order the goulash soup). If you don’t, then you’ll be waiting a while or eating food outside where there are plenty of open tables.
Alternatively, you can eat at one of the restaurants on the mountain, but that’ll depend upon your children’s ski ability.
What To Do While Kids Are In Ski School
For the hubs and I, Rosshütte was perfect. There are plenty of intermediate and advanced ski trails and even a cable car that connects two mountains to ski.
The cable car ride in Seefeld Austria is scary but breathtaking
The views were incredible and despite my fear of the cable car, it was so worth it.
From Harmelekopfbahn cable car at 2045m – there’s nowhere but down
With so much focus on arranging lessons for the kids, we forgot that we’d actually have alone time together which meant experiencing amazing views like this gnarly one.
So on top of the kids learning to ski, we finally had 4 hours every day of pure adult time, including skiing from the peak, looking up and pausing to enjoy the quiet beauty whenever we wanted, and stopping for a drink. This was a huge bonus over our typical beach vacation where we are with the kids 24×7 and no time for just the two of us.
Apres-Ski & Other Activities
In addition to skiing, Seefeld offers lots of other recreational sports and activities such as tubing, ice skating, sledding, cross-country skiing, and sightseeing. We chose to skate (€6 for 2 hours), sled (€5 for 2 hours), see the Seekirchl Church and enjoy the après-ski scene at Woods kitchen & bar where everyone was literally sunning themselves.
Woods Kitchen & Bar is a MUST in Seefeld
We even applied SPF. It was the perfect way to end our Austrian Alps family ski vacation.
Final Thoughts On The Best Family Ski Village In Austra – Seefeld In Tyrol
So, there you have it – a hassle-free, convenient, sun-filled, and fun family ski destination in the Austrian Alps. The best family ski village in Austria anyone could only hope for!
It may not be poolside, but now my images of a ski vacation are filled with alone time with the hubs, adventure for my kids, easy ski rental, quick travel, and even sun on my face. Margaritas, optional. 🍹
UPDATE 2025: Since this first family ski trip to Austria in 2018, our family seeks a ski trip annually. Compared to the French Alps, Italian Alps, Breckenridge, and Park City, our Austria ski trip was the most affordable and maybe our favorite. For my husband, it’s a toss-up with the Dolomites. I want to share this because skiing in the USA is expensive compared to Europe (we have not done a Swiss Alps family ski trip yet). If you’re debating between Austria and another location and have questions, post in the comments. We are thinking about going back!
