Solden Apres Ski

Apres Ski in Solden

Solden is not a pretty resort but it has a buzz about it resulting from dozens of bars, clubs and restaurants. And whilst the centre of the resort tends to be loud and lively, particularly at weekends, there are quieter areas too including Hochsolden.

The Village of Solden 

The centre of Solden buzzes with people and traffic, with hotels, restaurants, bars, clubs and shops all within easy walking distance from each other, and many of the bars and clubs stay open into the small hours.

But Solden is large enough to have quiet areas too. Hochsolden, its small ski-in/ski-out satellite resort sited on a sunny plateau more than 650m above the main resort is a perfect example of this. And even within Solden itself, the southern Gaislachkogl end is quieter than the northern Goggijoch end. And for even more tranquillity, you can stay in some of the surprisingly rural hamlets scattered around the edge of the resort. (James Bond seemed to crash a plane into one of them during the film Spectre, but in real life it emerged unscathed.)

Apres Ski Bars & Nightlife in Solden

Solden has full on euro apres ski with more than 80 bars, clubs and restaurants in the resort.

In the afternoon, this tends to start up the mountain in Gampe Alm, Gampe Thaya and the other mountain restaurants around the base stations of ski lifts A17 and C31, which is a natural crossroads between Giggijoch and Gaislachkogl. From there the action moves down to Ausserwald and Innerwald: Apres Ski Philipp is usually at the centre of it. There is also a rival, and slightly quieter apres-ski scene at Gaislachalm, particularly in and around the Bubis bar, which attracts tobogganists and hikers as well as skiers and boarders. 

Once the lifts close the apres-ski scene moves to the centre of Solden and the area around the Giggijochbahn base station (the Gaislachkogl base station is comparatively quiet).  The centre of Solden is packed with bars, some of which are likely to have live music, or a DJ or non-stop music videos playing.  Fire and Ice is probably the biggest establishment but there are many others – just follow the noise or look out for bright lights. And most of them stay open till late at night.

Restaurants in Solden

There are over 40 restaurants in and around Solden and they cater for all. The 4-star and 5-star hotels tend to have gourmet restaurants which are open to non-residents as well – the Gasthof Grauer Bar is recommended. For those on smaller budgets there are pizzerias, and most of the bars offer simple meals too.

For a change of scene, and a very memorable night, one evening a week (currently Wednesdays) the Gaislachkogl lift opens in the evening, as so the Falcon and Ice Q mountain restaurants, letting people dine under the stars at altitude. The 007 Elements Exhibition (see below) opens on the same night, so you can also visit that as well. Advance booking is essential.

Solden Other Activities

The James Bond 007 ELEMENTS Exhibition is definitely worth seeing.  For those who want to stay active, there’s night skiing, tobogganing (day or night), ice skating, winter walking and nordic skiing. And the amazing Aquadome is out of town but only a bus ride away.

007 ELEMENTS

A strange but beguiling of videos, props and interactive demos housed in an equally strange but beguiling exhibition space at over 3,000m above sea level at the top of the Gaislachkogl lift. It shows how they filmed the biggest stunts in the Spectre movie that was shot in Solden, and also explains the history of the James Bond franchise.

Night skiing

The slopes from the Gaislachkogl mid-station back to the resort stay open on one night a week (currently Wednesdays) and are floodlit.

Tobogganing and Night Tobogganing

The course from the Gaislachkogl mid-station down to Solden is more than 7km long and has an altitude difference of over 800m. It’s open every day but also  floodlit and open on one evening a week (currently Wednesdays).

Ice Skating

There is a child friendly skating rink in the middle of Solden which stays open to about 9pm at night on most weekdays, but is closed for most of the weekend.

Winter Walking

There are about 50km of cleared winter-hiking paths and approximately 20 suggested routes. And there are many more paths in the other bus-linked Ötztal resorts, including Obergurgl.

Cross-country/Nordic Skiing

In Solden, there is is an attractive 5.5 km circuit which runs along both sides of the Venter Ache river and can be skied in either classic or skating style. And there are more tracks in the other bus-linked Ötztal resorts, including Obergurgl.

Aqua Dome

A modern day temple to wellness and swimming, the Aqua Dome boasts 12 indoor and outdoor pools covering 2,200 square metres, including two large pools at its centre with water at temperatures of 34° and 36°, and 11 saunas and steam rooms. It’s located in an iconic building in bus-linked Längenfeld.

For further information, opening times, prices and online ticket purchasing for all the above, please see

https://www.soelden.com/en/activities/winter/