Wildschonau Apres Ski Bars & Restaurants

Though the Wildschonau valley is unspoiled, hidden away in each of the calm and pretty villages are some lively apres ski bars. Dining in or out in the Wildschonau mostly involves eating in your hotel or picking the best hotel restaurants to visit. Most offer reasonably high standards of cuisine backed up with adequate selection of wines, and a few restaurants such as the Gasthof Kellerwirt in Oberau are worth making an extra effort to visit and will help make your Wildschonau ski holiday more memorable.

Apres Ski Bars & Restaurants in Niederau

Most of the lively apres ski bars and clubs can be found in Niederau where Bobo’s Heustadl Bar, a circular wooden building next to the base area, is a popular first bar stop and the favourite of many locals. Other lively apres ski bars in Neiderau are O’Malley’s Irish Pub at the Sport Hotel next to the Markbachjoch base station and opposite the Schnappshutte apres ski bar, the Sport Café at Pension Flatscher, and the Dorfstub’n. Later in the evening, clubbers might like to try the Cave Bar disco in the Hotel Staffer.

The 4-star Hotel Wastlhof (Tel: +43 5339 8247) is Niederau’s best for fine dining and the Hotel Austria Stuberl (Tel: +43 5339 8188) in Niederau is the most popular restaurant in the village and serves international dishes as well as specialities of the region. For eating out Italian style, try Pizzeria Ferrari (Tel: +43 5339 2733) and Pizzeria Milano.

Just a 10-minute drive from Niederau, the small town of Worgl offers a bigger choice of restaurants including Austrian, Italian, Spanish, Indian and Chinese restaurants and with a touch more sophistication.

Apres Ski Bars & Restaurants in Oberau

Next along the valley and much quieter is Oberau, where the Hotel Tirolerhof’s Sno Blau Bar is a popular hotspot along with the Starchenstubl at the Gasthof Starchenthof and the Keller Bar at Gasthof Kellerwirt which are also popular for apres ski, but to experience the Kellerwirt at its best, a table reservation for dinner is highly recommended.

The Gasthof Kellerwirt (Tel: +43 5339 8116) in Oberau is among the best restaurant experience in Wildschonau and highly recommended. An historic building dating from the 12th Century, the Kellerwirt has been a traditional Tirolean coaching Inn owned and managed by the Keller family since 1750. Hans Keller, the most genial of hosts with a keen sense of humour (often seen riding his bicycle down the piste after night skiing) will delight you with his tales of the history of the Kellerwirt. Book a table for dinner, ideally to coincide with a wine tasting in the cellar deep within the 12th Century walls and be sure to visit the Monkey Room.

Also in Oberau, the Hotel Talhof (Tel: +43 5339 8465) serves home produced lamb and fresh trout from its own farm and the Landgasthof Dorfwirt (Tel: +43 5339 8113) is especially well regarded for its authentic Tirolean specialities. The Riedlhof Hut at Oberau would be a strong contender in any “biggest Wiener schnitzel” contest with chips hidden underneath.

Apres Ski Bars & Restaurants in Auffach

The circular wooden Grutt’n Stadl Bar (Tel: +43 664 163 4182) in an unmissable location at the bottom of the slopes next to the main Schatzberg lift station is purpose built and ideal for apres ski. Apart from a few local hotel bars, it’s possibly the only apres ski bar in Auffach which adds to its popularity.

Still in Auffach, the 4-star Hotel Auffacherhof just 80m from the Schatzbergbahn lift has reasonably priced daily menus and a choice of international and traditional Austrian cuisine including lamb, beef and fish dishes using locally sourced products. The 3-star Hotel Platzl (Tel: +43 5339 8928), located 120m from the Schatzberg lift, has a popular restaurant serving innovative dishes prepared by Chef Walter Frey who adds his own twist to traditional dishes. Examples are venison in a pumpkin seed crust or pear with pear croquettes and red cabbage with chestnuts or bream in a red curry sauce.

Wildschonau Night Bus Service

For those guests who don’t have access to a car, the Auffach-Oberau-Niederau night bus service operates on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights from late December until early April (13 stops en route) in both directions every half hour from 8pm until the last bus from Niederau at 02:30 arriving in Auffach at 02:55am. Free for Wildschonau Guest Card holders otherwise a small charge applies. A timetable is available from Wildschonau Tourist Offices.