Lofer is a ski resort in Austria with 46 km of pistes and 10 lifts. Skiing reaches up to 1,745 m above sea level and the village sits at 626 m. Accommodation with lift pass included can be booked directly, you arrange your own travel there.
Cheapest places to stay in Lofer
Lift pass options
Prices above include the resort's default lift pass. Here is how the price per person changes if you pick another one when booking:
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Lofer is one of Salzburgerland's most picturesque ski resorts, a small and charming village at the foot of the dramatic Loferer Steinberge massif with 46 kilometres of well-maintained pistes and an atmosphere that radiates genuine Austrian alpine culture. Lofer is perfect for families, beginners and anyone wanting to experience the Alps without the stress and high prices of the bigger resorts.
The ski area stretches from the village at 626 metres up to 1,745 metres and offers a nice mix of green, blue and red pistes. The dramatic backdrop of limestone formations provides a truly special setting that makes Lofer one of the most beautiful ski resorts in the region.
The compact layout is Lofer's great advantage. No long transfers between areas, short queues and a relaxed atmosphere that suits families and anyone who wants to focus on skiing rather than navigating thousands of lifts. From Lofer it's also easy to take day trips to the neighbouring resort of Saalbach-Hinterglemm for a more varied skiing adventure.
The village of Lofer itself is a gem, with well-preserved Baroque architecture, local craft shops and a range of restaurants serving traditional Austrian food. The apres-ski culture is relaxed and cosy, with more focus on a cold Radler and good food than on a loud nightclub scene.
Ready to book a ski holiday in Lofer? Find accommodation with lift pass included in the price. You arrange your own travel there.
The lift pass included covers the ski area at Lofer. The offer at the tour operator states which pass is included. Regional passes covering several ski areas are bought locally.
Accommodation with lift pass in Lofer ›
Did you know this about Lofer?
Lofer sits at the foot of the dramatic Loferer Steinberge massif, whose limestone formations are one of Salzburgerland's most impressive geological landmarks. The mountains are sometimes referred to as the "Dolomites of Salzburg".
5 tips about Lofer
- Loferer Alm Visit the cosy Loferer Alm hut high up in the mountains for a classic Austrian mountain meal.
- Steinberge-trekking Worth knowing for summer too: the Loferer Steinberge is one of Austria's most beautiful massifs for mountain hiking.
- Day trip to Saalbach Lofer is close to Saalbach-Hinterglemm, one of Austria's finest ski areas and perfect for a day trip.
- Family-friendly Its small scale makes Lofer especially family-friendly, with short queues and a relaxed pace.
- Ski School The ski school in Lofer has an excellent reputation and takes children from the age of three, with English-speaking instructors.
Pistes and lifts in Lofer
Lofer's ski area, Almenwelt Lofer, offers 46km of pistes served by 10 lifts, in a compact and easy-to-navigate system that's perfect for families and beginners. The pistes stretch from the village at 626 metres up to 1,745 metres, giving an impressive vertical drop of 1,119 metres despite the relatively small ski area. The terrain offers a good mix of wide beginner runs, medium-length red descents through beautiful forest, and a few more challenging sections for experienced skiers.
Lofer's lift system has been modernised with an 8-person gondola as the main lift, supplemented by chairlifts and drag lifts that provide good coverage of the whole mountain. The compact layout means short distances between lifts and minimal queuing, making skiing in Lofer particularly relaxing. A ski holiday in Lofer suits those who appreciate having a clear overview of the whole ski area and who prioritise well-groomed pistes over sheer kilometres. The children's area down in the village has its own zone with magic carpets and soft obstacles that make learning fun.
Piste map for Lofer
The map downloads as an image file. On your iPhone it lands in the Files app. Tap the icon at the bottom of the address bar to open the map straight away.On your iPad it lands in the Files app. Tap the icon at the top right of the address bar to open the map straight away.On your phone it lands in the Downloads folder. Tap the download notification that appears to open the map straight away.The file lands in the Downloads folder. You can also look for the icon at the top right of the screen and open the map from there.
Snow reliability in Lofer
Snow reliability in Lofer is affected by the relatively low village altitude of 626 metres, but the higher pistes up towards 1,745 metres compensate well. Snow cannons cover the busiest descents and help maintain conditions throughout the core season. The north-facing slopes above Loferer Alm hold their snow well, and the proximity to the Loferer Steinberge massif creates local precipitation patterns that favour snowfall. In January and February conditions are usually reliable, while December and March can vary more depending on the weather.
Best time to travel to Lofer
The best time for a ski holiday in Lofer is January and February, when snow conditions are most stable and daytime temperatures hover around -3 to -1 degrees. February also brings more hours of sunshine, making skiing in the higher pistes with views of the Loferer Steinberge especially pleasant. Families with children often prefer the winter half-term weeks, as the ski school runs extra activities. If you want Lofer almost to yourself, aim for the weeks right after New Year in January, when the resort is unusually quiet and you can enjoy all 46 kilometres of pistes in peace.
Will there be lift queues in Lofer?
The lift system in Lofer carries 16,980 people an hour across 10 lifts. 5 of the 10 lifts are gondolas or high-speed chairlifts and 4 are drag lifts, which take longer to get through when it is busy. The fastest lifts carry up to 3,400 people an hour, for example SenderExpress. Per kilometre of piste there is less lift capacity than at an average resort on this site, so a busy week is felt more clearly here. The queue you actually notice is almost always down in the valley between eight and half past nine. If you are on the lift before eight you avoid it.
When is Lofer busiest?
How busy the slopes get is not decided by the English half term but by when the local families and the neighbouring countries are on holiday. These are the weeks that fill Lofer in the 2026/2027 season.
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Austria: The Semesterferien are taken one week at a time, state by state, during the first three weeks of February.
1 to 6 February: Vienna and Lower Austria
8 to 13 February: Burgenland and Carinthia
15 to 20 February: Tyrol, Salzburg, Upper Austria, Styria and Vorarlberg -
Germany: Germans are the largest foreign group in the Alps and their winter holidays are spread across early February.
1 to 6 February: Berlin, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia
8 to 12 February: Bavaria and Saarland
8 to 19 February: Saxony and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern - England: The English February half term is 15 to 19 February 2027 for most councils, with a few areas breaking up a week earlier. The Easter holidays run from 26 March to 9 April.
8 to 12 February: half term in a few council areas, for example Hull
15 to 19 February: half term in most of England, including London, the Midlands and the North
26 March to 9 April: Easter holidays for most English schools - Easter holidays: Easter 2027 is early, on 28 March. Austria and Germany take their holidays around the weekend, while the French holidays fall after Easter, in April.
20 to 29 March: the whole of Austria, all states at the same time
22 March to 3 April: most German states, including Bavaria, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia
3 April to 3 May: the French zones, which fall after Easter 2027 and only affect the highest resorts - Long weekends: Long weekends fill the slopes with day visitors from the nearest cities, even when no schools are on holiday.
26 December to 3 January: Christmas and New Year, the most expensive period of the year
6 January: Epiphany, a public holiday in Austria, Italy and parts of Switzerland
27 to 29 March: the Easter weekend. Easter Monday is a public holiday across the Alps, but Good Friday is a working day in Austria, Italy and France
1 to 2 May: May Day, a public holiday across the Alps
If you want quieter pistes and lower prices, the weeks in mid-January and late March are clearly the best. Neither the Germans nor the Austrians are on holiday then.
Opening and closing dates are typical values derived from altitude, not confirmed dates for this season. Check the resort's own website before booking.
Who will you share the slopes with in Lofer?
256,679 overnight stays in the 2025/26 winter season. From November to April. Tap a country or a segment of the circle to highlight it.
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1
Germans
61.0%
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2
Dutch
11.1%
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3
Austrians
9.2%
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4
Danes
6.7%
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5
Czechs
4.2%
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6
Poles
2.2%
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7
Belgians
1.6%
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8
British
1.0%
- 9 Others 3.0%
Source: the state of Salzburg tourism database. The figures cover the tourist region Salzburger Saalachtal, not just the village.
Snow right now. There is no snow cover in the valley or at the top right now. The figures are modelled by Open-Meteo, not measured by the lift company, and were fetched 15 October 2026 at 20:24.
The lift pass included. The stay comes with the Almenwelt Lofer lift pass, which covers 46 km of piste. The pass is worth around €307.
How to get to Lofer
You arrange your own travel: we sell the stay, not the transport. Here are the three ways people get to Lofer, so you can pick the one that suits you.
By air. The nearest airport is Salzburg (SZG). Pure flying time from London is around 2 hours, and from there it is 45 min on to Lofer. You can cover the last stretch in one of two ways:
- Private transfer. A private driver meets you in the arrivals hall and drives straight to your accommodation with no stops. The price is per car, not per person, ski boxes can be booked in advance, and the driver waits even if the flight is late.
- Hire car at the airport. With SmartCarRental you collect the car in the arrivals hall. That gets you to the neighbouring villages on the same lift pass, lets you shop at valley prices rather than resort prices, and frees you from transfer timetables. Winter tyres are standard at Alpine desks.
By car. Many drive. Taking the Eurotunnel from Folkestone and arriving at Calais, it's roughly 1,111 km to Lofer, around 11.4 hours of pure driving time through France. Remember that studded tyres are banned in France and Germany.
Last-minute deals in Lofer
Last-minute offers, that is late dates the operator still wants to fill, appear from January onwards. Once the season is under way we will show them here on this page.
Lofer is suitable for
⭐ Excellent choice
Suitable to some extent
Limited selection
Good snow reliability
Read more about ski holidays
Ready to book? Choose from accommodation in different price ranges. Lift pass is included in the price, and you arrange your own travel there.
Accommodation with lift pass in Lofer ›Frequently asked questions about Lofer
With 46km of pistes, Lofer is a compact ski area best suited to short ski holidays of 3 to 5 days. If you want more variety, you can take day trips to nearby Saalbach-Hinterglemm, one of Austria's largest ski areas, just a 30-minute drive away.
The Loferer Steinberge is a dramatic limestone massif with steep, pale rock formations reminiscent of the famous Dolomites in Italy. The massif rises directly above the ski area, giving Lofer one of the most spectacular backdrops of any Austrian ski resort.
Yes, Lofer's ski school has a particularly good reputation for teaching children and accepts kids from the age of three. Instructors often speak English, the children's area has its own magic carpets and playful obstacles, and the small scale of the resort means children are never far from their parents.
