Ski and snowboarding holidays in Kitzbühel, Austria

Resort height: 750mThe mountains

Don't be put off by the intimidating reputation of the Hahnenkamm. The Blue Riband event takes place on the super-steep Streif downhill race course, and draws vast crowds each January. But it's not representative of most of the skiing in Kitzbühel - which is intermediate-friendly for the most part. There's 168km of pistes on offer here, and if you don't mind riding the odd bus, you can visit the neighbouring resort of Westendorf for 45km more (there's a highly-rated terrain park there too).

The best snow in Kitzbühel is almost always in the Resterhöhe sector of the resort, which is home to the highest and coldest slopes. You can either commute over using the lift system, or jump on a taxi or shuttle bus. Either way, the journey puts most visitors off - so it's a great place to start your day, when the slopes are especially empty. Then you can work your way back towards the slopes immediately above town.

Getting there

Kitzbühel can be easily reached from Munich, Salzburg and Innsbruck airports. Munich is the furthest away (about two and a half hours) and Salzburg the closest (90 minutes).

Rating: 8/10Après-ski

During the Hahnenkamm weekend (towards the end of January), half of Austria packs into Kitzbühel, for one of the biggest all-night parties of the season. For the rest of the season, however, Kitzbühel is now too posh to be really lively at night. Brass Monkeys and the Pavillon are the places to head for a drink when the lifts shut. Meanwhile, gastronomes will be delighted by the range of restaurants - the best are at the Romantikhotel Tennerhof and the Schwarzer Adler, both of which have Michelin stars and 16/20 points from the gastronomic Gault Millau guide.

Rating: 8/10Non-skiers

Kitzbühel is great choice for non-skiers - especially those who like their creature comforts. Many of the hotels are super-swanky, and have vast, cutting edge spas. There's great shopping in town, too. Outdoor distractions include ice-skating, cross-country skiing and snow-shoeing, provided it's cold and snowy enough.

Rating: 4/10Cost of living

Don't come to Kitzbühel  for a budget skiing holiday. That doesn't mean you can't stay here cheaply - there are plenty of reasonably-priced guesthouses in town - but it would be missing the point. Save up, and wait until you can afford a hotel with a nice spa, as well as at least one fancy meal.

Rating: 7/10Attractiveness of the resort

Provided there's snow, Kitzbühel is as cute as they come. The scenery is attractive too, although it's more Sound of Music than Cliffhanger in style.