Ski holidays in Zillertal Arena, Austria

Zillertal Arena is the largest connected ski area in the Zillertal valley, spanning five villages: Zell am Ziller, Gerlos, Königsleiten, Hochkrimml and Krimml-Wald. With 150 km of pistes and 52 lifts, the area offers a great variety of terrain to suit all levels, with a focus on family-friendly and intermediate runs.

Skiing in Zillertal Arena is characterised by wide, sunny slopes above the tree line with magnificent views over the valley. The area lies on the border between Tyrol and Salzburgerland, and this unique location means you literally cross the state boundary while skiing. Königsleiten and Gerlos sit higher up and have better snow reliability, while Zell am Ziller is the valley's main village with the most facilities.

Zillertal Arena has invested heavily in modern lifts in recent years, with fast gondolas and heated chairlifts that keep skiing comfortable even on cold days. The connections between the different sections are smooth, and you can easily ski from Zell to Königsleiten and back in a single day.

Families do particularly well in Zillertal Arena thanks to the many gentle beginner slopes, child-friendly facilities and relaxed atmosphere. Après-ski can be found especially in Zell am Ziller and Gerlos, though the vibe is more low-key than in neighbouring Mayrhofen.

5 tips about Zillertal Arena

1. Best for beginners Zell am Ziller and the area around Gerlos have plenty of wide, gentle pistes that are perfect for anyone who has just learnt to ski.
2. The family choice With its easy descents and relaxed atmosphere, Zillertal Arena is a safe bet for families with children of all ages.
3. Make the most of the whole lift pass Set aside a full day to ski from Zell over to Königsleiten; the modern lift connections make it easy to cross all five of the system's villages.
4. Head high for better snow For the most dependable snow, stick to the higher reaches around Gerlos and Königsleiten, where the piste network climbs towards 2,500 metres.
5. Travel outside the peak weeks Book the weeks either side of the half-term holidays for shorter lift queues and often better accommodation prices.

Pistes and lifts in Zillertal Arena

Zillertal Arena has 150 km of pistes and 52 lifts spread across five villages. The terrain suits beginners and intermediate skiers, with plenty of broad blue and red runs. More experienced skiers will find challenges at Kreuzjoch and Königsleiten. The ski area stretches from 580 m in Zell am Ziller up to 2,500 m, with the best snow conditions in the higher areas around Gerlos and Königsleiten.

Piste map for Zillertal Arena

Download the piste map See all piste maps

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 Zillertal Arena

Zillertal Arena stretches from 580 metres in the valley up to 2,500 metres at the top, which makes for considerable variation in snow conditions between the different sectors. The lower slopes around Zell am Ziller can be short of snow during mild spells, while the higher pistes at Gerlos and Königsleiten generally enjoy better and more reliable cover thanks to the altitude.

The area is not considered fully snow-sure, so anyone wanting to play it safe should focus first and foremost on the higher-lying sections of the piste network.

Best time to travel to Zillertal Arena

January and February offer the best conditions. March brings sunnier days, but the low altitude of Zell am Ziller (580 m) means the lowest pistes can lose their snow. The higher areas around Königsleiten hold their snow well into April.

Will there be lift queues in Zillertal Arena?

The lift system in Zillertal Arena carries 96,437 people an hour across 52 lifts. 32 of the 52 lifts are gondolas, cable cars or high-speed chairlifts, the kind that clear a queue quickly. The fastest lifts carry up to 2,940 people an hour, for example Kapaunsbahn. Per kilometre of piste there is more lift capacity than at an average resort on this site, and you notice it: queues clear quickly. 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 Zillertal Arena 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 Zillertal Arena in the 2026/2027 season.

• 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.

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 16 October 2026 at 20:24.

How to get to Zillertal Arena

Last-minute deals in Zillertal Arena

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.

Zillertal Arena is suitable for

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Frequently asked questions about Zillertal Arena