Kitzbuehel, known as the most legendary town for skiing expeditions, is one of the most exciting places you could go for your holidays if you enjoy skiing and colder climates. Kitzbuehel is a medieval city situated in Austria. It is renowned as a skiing resort. Kitzbuehel is blessed with all the requirements you seek in an ideal holiday destination.

Tourism and Sporting activities

Kitzbuehel is well known for its winter sport resorts. Kitzbuehel is also the official destination of the World Cup Ski races. The ATP Austrian Open is also held every year in Kitzbuehel. The 3S Aerial Tramway is a famous tourist spot in Kitzbuehel. The Aerial Tramway is a huge cabin with one of the largest spans in the world. An aerial view of Kitzbuehel from the top will indeed leave you breathless.

Dine in Style

Tourists can enjoy a variety of delicacies in the restaurants of Kitzbuehel. The Tennerhof restaurant is well-known for its main courses and exotic desserts. Do not forget enjoy a lovely dinner at the Tennerhof. You can also enjoy a quiet and romantic candlelight dinner at the Restaurant Hochkitzbühel. Make sure that you try the continental gourmet food at Hochkitzbühel. Some of the other popular restaurants include the Barrique and the La Fonda. Zum Zinnkrug is also a popular local restaurant, which serves Austrian meals.

Other activities

A trip to Kitzbuehel is incomplete without a balloon ride. The experience of sailing through the snow mists cannot be expressed in words. Make sure you book a ticket to Kitzbuehel.

Tourism has become one of the fastest growing business ventures in recent times. The overwhelming response meted out by the customers has propelled tourism agencies to come out with newer methods to attract potential customers. Many holiday deals offer several benefits to the customers. You can now customise your holidays with such unique holiday deals.

If you are a skiing fan and love the idea of dodging trees at a break-neck speed, then Saalbach is the most ideal holiday destination for you and your family. Saalbach consists of beautiful skiing ranges for all sorts of skiers. So, it does not matter if you are an amateur or a professional skier. It is located in Austria and has a groomed run of three skiing ranges consisting of Saalbach, Hinterglemm and Leogang. Saalbach is the preferred destination for international skiing championship tournaments. It was the venue for the Alpine Ski World Championship in the year 1991. Other events like the British University Snowsports Championships and the British Royal Air Force Championships were also held at Saalbach.

It is thus understandable that Saalbach has a well groomed run for skiing. Saalbach is also popular for its hospitable reception towards the guests and tourists. Saalbach is a modern skiing resort and has 6 and 8-man chairlifts. It is preferred by tourists for its favourable climatic conditions. Since tourism is the main occupation of the people of Saalbach; it is endowed with many plush and comfortable hotels. Get out of the routine lifestyle and enjoy a superior holiday experience at Saalbach.

Kitzbuehel in Austria is widely known for its ski area across the world. Not only does the town offer excellent skiing opportunities, but it also has scenic beauty, a superb atmosphere and is very stylish. Kitzbuehel is also responsible for the inception of the 3S Bahn and is today linked to an extensive range of ski areas such as the Jochberg or Resterhohe. The stylish resort of Kitzbuehel has a number of modern restaurants, decent nightclubs and its own casino to keep you entertained. Towards the south of Kitzbuehel, lies a beautiful village of Aurach, which again offers quick access to the Kitzbuehel ski area by the free ski bus.

While in Kitzbuehel, you can explore the Kitzbueheler Alpen Ski Pass that allows you to ski on over 700 kms of piste. There are 260 lifts having a maximum uplift of 300000 skiers an hour, for you to try out. Besides this, there are plenty of runs in the local area to cater to all levels of skiers.

The resort of Kitzbuehel has a large swimming pool, Aquarena pool with saunas and mud baths, indoor tennis and squash courts, fitness studio, skating rink, sleigh rides, cross country skiing and the Hahnenkamm Race.

Now you can enjoy your holidays or city breaks in the beautiful resort of Grindelwald. Grindelwald comprises three key areas – Wengenand, Schilthorn and First. First is home to the famous Jungfrau region, with six lifts which accesses 50 kms of runs, and lies in the suburbs of Grund. The Wengen area of Grinderwald serves as the cheapest ski holiday destination, having more than 100 kms of runs managed by 20 lifts. Schilthorn, on the other hand, is the smallest area which is linked by rail or bus to Murren.

There are some exclusive nursery slopes at Bodmi, dedicated for skiing beginners. Bodmi can be reached by a short ski bus ride from the resort centre. It is an area which has created a perfect environment for beginners to learn the ski basics with dedicated lifts and practice on the nursery slopes. The entire Jungfrau skiing regions offers ample opportunities for skiing, with areas marked red and blue for beginners and intermediates.

You could try out the longest 8 kms run from the top of Oberjoch towards Grindelwald. There are also some great powder slopes descending from the Eiger’s glacier. Some runs can be tried by intermediates and experts, the best one being the Lauberhorn World Cup Downhill. Grindelwald Sports is a known ski school in Grindelwald, offering classes on off-piste powder skiing and mountaineering.

Saalbach and its popular neighbour Hinterglemm are two of the most popular cheap holiday destinations offering exclusive holiday deals to tourists. The last minute holidays in Saalbach can be spent in the awe-inspiring ski resorts whilst the valley sides offer a number of ski slopes worth looking at. Intermediate level skiers can look for ski trails of more than 200 kms which are linked by lifts. One can also enjoy a glimpse of the new Tyrolean style villages which have a traditional ambience with chalets and sleigh bells adding to the glory.

Shopping at Saalbach
The close neighbour Hinterglemm is well known for its valley shopping where its stores are often visited by locals and tourists alike. The High Street of Saalbach has a line of boutiques and shops offering good buys including hardware, cookware, kitchen gadgets and Austrian sweaters. For souvenirs, you can look for the shops offering beautiful woodcarvings and art pieces with Alpine motifs.

Superb nightlife
Your last minute holiday to Saalbach becomes really thrilling when you hit the ski slopes of the Glemmtal Valley in Saalbach. Enjoy abundant beer and schnapps in the mountainside inns with some rocking music playing in the background.

Eating out
Eating out when on skiing breaks is another fascinating experience. The valley boasts many restaurants, cafes and ice bars for holidaymakers. Rustic Alpine inns offer pork and sausage dishes for lunches and dinners, while they also offer lip-smacking Austrian pastries and coffee for breakfast. Besides the city’s delicacies, the villages have plenty of nightlife fun at hotel bar and clubs.

Austria’s national tourist office has just published a new informative guide which will prove especially helpful for tourists who are looking to visit the country to enjoy a hiking or walking holiday.

The new guide is known as ‘Walk Austria 2009’. A copy can easily be obtained from their website or by ringing their holiday service hotline. The guide is completely free of charge.

The guide provides advice from Austrian hiking experts and detailed information on the local culture and cuisine of Austria’s villages. It includes vital hiking and walking trails in Austria’s twelve premier recreational areas.

The guide also includes a very large scale reference map that specifies regional highlights and geographical locations.

The new Austrian publication covers areas such as Kitzbuhel, which is a popular place for holiday makers coming to ski during the winter months. The area is also popular during the summer, as it is a wildlife haven which has a good number of scenic and themed walking routes.

Holiday hikers are given information on how best to explore Eagle Way in the Tirol region which covers 280km and leads to the provincial capital, Innsbruck.

Austrian Airlines made recent announcements confirming that their plans to increase the company’s flight capacity will definitely go ahead. The plans include extra flights for those holiday makers who are wishing to visit the ever popular destination of Dubai this year.

Austrian Airlines operate from a base in Vienna and utilises a 235 seater Boeing 767. This will be the carrier for over half of its flights, transporting travellers and city break customers from Vienna to Dubai.

The new plans have meant that the airline will see an increase of 20% extra on the seating capacity that it offers per flight. Until recent announcements, the airline has only ever used medium haul aircraft to fly holiday makers to Dubai.

Another craft that will service the new route to Dubai will be the Airbus A320. This will offer travellers premium rate care, with individual sleeping seats with specially built-in massage functions and reading lamps. The food and drinks service is also first class and there is an excellent choice of complementary items.

The airline has just launched a number of special promotional discounts to offer to its city break passengers which coincide with the launch of their additional travel services.

Austrian Airlines announced it was going to increase the seat capacity on its flight by 30% from its route from Austria to Tel Aviv, Israel in 2009 to show its recognition for the Middle Eastern region as a ‘fundamental and strong pillar’ within the airlines new corporate strategy.

The increased flights which will take off from Vienna in May are to be on Boeing 767 which carries 235 seats. This current raft runs a route from Vienna to Mumbai in India but this flight is due to be cancelled altogether from March 2009.

Austrian Airlines stated that they will be providing a much higher level of comfort along with the ability to transport a higher number of passengers on the route to Israel.

Austrian chief commercial officer, Dr Andreas Bierwirth stated that the airline had been flying to Tel Aviv in Israel for over 45 years and had flown more than 2 million passengers via that route.

He stated:

“In 2008, we were able to increase our passenger volume on this route by 5.1% compared to the previous year. Many of our passengers use the great transfer connections at Vienna international airport to Scandinavia, northern Italy, Japan and destinations in Eastern Europe. With our expanded and improved product from May 2009, we are expecting to see an additional boost to demand.”

A recent announcement stated that flights were going to get more varied in services for the future as Austrian Airlines and Lufthansa were becoming a partnership following the German airline buying a 42% share in Austrian Airlines.

People planning skiing holidays in Austria have been informed that 110cm of fresh snow has recently fallen on the Hintertux glacier in the Tirol region.

According to the Tirol Tourist Board, all runs and lifts are reported to be open in the Hintertux area and conditions are ‘excellent’.

Hintertux is one of five glaciers in the Tirol – alongside the Kaunertal, Pitztal, Solden-Otztal and Stubai – and all are now open for the winter.

Visitors can purchase a combined lift pass which enables ‘glacier-hopping’ between these locations, making a total of 314km of ski runs available on a €298 (£240) ten-day combined lift pass.

There is a selection of accommodation available in the Tirol region, varying from four- and five-star hotels to wooden lodges and farmhouses.

The Tirol is accessible via flights to the Austrian city of Innsbruck or connections to Munich in southern Germany.

The Austrian National Tourist Board has tipped Austra as a great destination for walking holidays.  It says the ‘culture-savvy outdoors type’ will be able to find both ground-breaking architecture and great walking trails in the Austrian country.

The tourist board said:

“One highlight is Zaha Hadid’s Bergisel ski jump, a futuristic structure that has come to be known as the Innsbruck Lighthouse.”

At the Zaha Hadid’s Bergisel ski jump there is also a tower where visitors can view panoramic scenery as well as enjoying a meal in the restaurant.

The tourist board also tipped the state of Carinthia, known as the Austrian Riviera, for some great walks.

The Lonely Planet travel guide said:

Austria’s “dizzying peaks, cobalt lakes and rushing rivers” are the perfect place for lovers of outdoor activity and Austria “flaunts its heritage in exuberant fashion” and boasts cities with great “splendour”.

Flights to Austria are quite reasonable and available from many major UK airports.