Week 182: Snowshoeing in Lech am Arlbeg

This is a recap highlighting our last-minute weekend getaway to Lech am Arlberg.

Lech am Arlberg is a mountain village and an exclusive ski resort in the Westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg. It is also a place we have had on our Austrian bucket list since we got here in 2020, and on the last weekend of the 2024 winter season, we finally made it!

Friday, April 19

In Austria, it is mandatory to have snow tires halfway through April. On April 18th, Eric had the winter tires removed and the regular ones added back on. On the 19th, we drove to Lech, a place that had been doused with snow for the past 48 hours. As we would need to drive on a mountain pass road, we were worried we would not be able to make it all the way through, but, to our delight, snow trucks were clearing roads at a frequency of what looked like every 5 minutes. Every time we passed a snow plow, we waived and yelled thank you to these wintery road-clearing heroes.

Our drive from Gmunden stopped at Hotel Bianca—a cozy retreat that felt more like a home away from home than a traditional hotel. That is because it’s not a hotel, it is a guest house run by a local family.

Figuring out where to stay in Lech can be challenging. Every chalet, hotel, and guest house is beautiful and in a perfect location. Here are a few things to consider when picking a place.

Location – Hotel Bianca was in a great location. Restaurants, rental shops, and cable cars were walkable. So once we parked the car we didn’t need it for the rest of the weekend.
Breakfast included – Food in Lech is expensive, so finding a hotel that includes breakfast is ideal.
Parking spots – Paying for parking is the worst, so the location + parking is a dream.
Views – You don’t come to Lech to look out at a parking lot. The views from our room were breathtaking. We had a corner room so we were able to see multiple angles! When we walked into our room, it felt as if we had stepped through the cupboard doors and landed straight in Narnia.

If you are looking for a place in Lech, we highly recommend Hotel Bianca!

1,606 people live in lech, four of them are Olympic champions. All of whom are still alive and all their families own hotels and restaurants in the village, where their gold medals are on prominent display for all to see.

Another fascinating sight to see was the elementary school in the village. How could any kid focus on school work when you live in a place like this…makes me wonder if they get to go skiing at recess. lol

Saturday

After a traditional European breakfast (assorted bread, butter, meats, marmalades, cheeses, yogurt, eggs, coffees, teas, and juices), we ventured over to SportAlp–a sporting goods store in Lech to rent snowshoes before venturing out onto the trail.

The trail we chose would lead from Lech and take us to Oberlech, Skyspace Lech, and a lake called Speichersee.

This is the route: Link

*Looking out at Lech from the snowshoe trail*

From Lech to Oberlech, our shoes crunched and squeaked as we trudged through 3ft of snow that had piled up on the trails. After 30 minutes, we made it to Oberlech.

Oberlech gets its name for being the village sitting above Lech.

In the winter, Oberlech is car-free so people who stay in this part of the village send their luggage up on the cable car and it is delivered to your room! From here, guests also have the luxury of staying in “ski-in / ski out hotels” since the snow accumulates outside the front door.

We continued onward and upward towards Skyspace Lech.

Skyspace Lech is an art installation in the mountains designed by American, James Turrell. His goal was to enable the meeting of heaven and earth in the high alpine landscape. On a good day, the hole in the roof opens up. But if the weather is not optimal, there is a light show inside. A bit underwhelming, but nice to sit and get out of the snow for a moment.

After 10 minutes inside Skyspace Lech, we continued to venture up hills, around ski posts, and under cable cars to reach Speichersee.

*A chalet along the trail covered with snow*

Made it back to Oberlech for Lunch and where the “spring festival” was taking place.

While Lech is proud of their resident Olympians, another person Lech was proud to host was Princess Diana. She is one of the biggest names to have ever come to Lech and frequently visited in the 1990s with young Prince William and Prince Harry.

We found a photo from 1992. There is a 32 year difference between these two pictures, and yet not much has changed.

We were stuffed from lunch, but managed to grab table at Hûs Nr. 8 – the oldest house in Lech for a little dessert.

Be sure to call and make a reservation. It’s a very small and cozy spot that fills up fast.
Click here for more info

Sunday

We slept in, ate breakfast, and hit the road. Thankfully, the snow was cleared off for the drive back. This part of Austria, the tyrol/Vorarlberg part, is such a special place. We have 2 more trips planned this year to come back!

Week 182: Snowshoeing in Lech am Arlbeg

Week 181: Jennerbahn in Germany