If you’re a nature lover looking for a summer holiday destination, then you have to add St Anton am Arlberg, in Austria, to your bucket list.
St Anton is famous worldwide as a winter destination for its incredible ski slopes and fun après-ski, but this Austrian mountain town is equally stunning in summer.
With their green expanses and lush pine forests, the mountains in summer are a natural wonder. The mountains of St Anton have plenty to offer to outdoors fans also in summer.
There are hundreds of trails where you can go hiking and biking, as well as plenty of engaging scheduled activities that you can join with your St Anton summer card.
I was recently invited to spend a few days in St Anton, and I honestly loved it. Despite being a skiing fan, I had never spent much time in the mountains in summer, and I now realise just how much I’ve been missing out on!
In this article I have outlined why you should visit St Anton in summer, and everything you need to know to make your trip smoother.
From logistical tips like how to get there and where to stay, to overviews of the most epic St Anton summer activities, here you’ll find everything you need to know.
So without further ado, let’s dive in and discover this unique town in the Austrian Alps in summer!
Table of Contents
Practical info about visiting St. Anton in summer
Before we dive into all the amazing things you can do and reasons you should visit St Anton in summer, let’s go over some of the basic information you should know about St Anton.
Where is St Anton am Arlberg
Sankt Anton am Arlberg, often referred to only as St Anton, is located in the Tyrol state of Austria, in the Tyrolean Alps.
It’s located in a valley with three other villages; Pettneu am Arlberg, Schnann, Flirsch and Strengen, with St Anton being the biggest town in the valley.
How to get to St Anton
St Anton am Arlberg is very easy to reach.
There are a number of international airports that aren’t too far away, like Innsbruck (100km, approximately 1-hour drive), Zurich (200km, approximately 2-hour drive) and Munich (200km, approximately 2-hour drive).
There are a number of shuttle transfers from the main airports to St Anton, as well as a variety of taxi services.
St Anton also has a Railjet train station, with seven daily trains from both Vienna and Zurich. Personally, we took the train from Milan in Italy, changed over in Zurich and promptly arrived in St Anton.
St Anton Summer Card
St Anton offers a really cool service to its summer visitors, called the St Anton Summer Card. This card is given for free to all travellers who check in to a hotel in St Anton, and it allows you to do a wide variety of activities.
Included in the Summer Card you have unlimited use of the public buses between Landeck and St. Christoph am Arlberg, unlimited use of the cable cars for one day, one entrance at the Arlberg WellCom pool, one yoga session, one guided excursion and loads more activities.
There is also a Premium Card that you can pay for, which lasts 3, 5 or 7 days. If you’re planning a longer trip to St Anton, this is ideal as it gives you more flexibility, allowing you to join scheduled activities more than once.
The prices for the Premium Card are:
– 3 days: 55 EUR for adults and 28 EUR for children
– 5 days: 66 EUR for adults and 33 EUR for children
– 7 days: 77 EUR for adults and 38 EUR for children
On your summer card you will find the link to the schedule website, where you can see what’s planned for the days that you’re in St Anton. This is also the same link where you can reserve the activities.
St Anton am Arlberg summer weather
Just because you’re in the mountains, don’t expect it to be cold!
During the summer months temperatures range from a minimum of 10°C (usually in evenings), to a maximum of around 22°C. However, it’s not unusual for there to be particularly hot days, where it can go up to almost 30°C.
And trust me when I say, when you find yourself hiking at the top of a mountain, it often feels much hotter! The Alpine sun can be very strong, so make sure to pack sunscreen.
As the weather in the mountains can be quite variable, you should pack in layers, with options to either undress or cover yourself if it becomes hotter or colder than expected.
Where to stay in St Anton
In St Anton we stayed at Die Arlbergerin, a lovely family-run hotel located just outside the town centre of St Anton. The rooms are spacious, recently renovated and have lovely balcony with mountain views.
They also serve an amazing breakfast buffet, as well as a delicious dinner menu if you reserve the half-board rates. Every night you can expect an abundant salad buffet, and tasty Tyrolean delicacies as your main dish.
11 reasons to visit St Anton in summer
Now that we’ve gone over the logistical information about visiting St Anton in summer, let’s dive into all the amazing things you can do in this gorgeous mountain destination.
You can go on epic mountain hikes
If you’ve read my blog before, you know how much I love a good hike. For me, visiting St Anton in summer was like taking a child to a funfair. There are countless trails surrounding St Anton, of varying levels of difficulty.
Whether you’re a keen hiker who wants to conquer a mountain, or a family who just wants to go for a scenic stroll, you’re guaranteed to find a hike that suits you in St Anton.
There are also a number of themed trails, like the “Mutspuren – Feel the Courage” trail.
These trails have interactive stations throughout the trail, where you can find fun games for both kids and adults, as well as learning about the history of the region.
While in St Anton, we did one of the most scenic hikes I’ve ever done. We took the two gondolas up to Kapall, at 2,330m, and from there hiked to Leutkircher Hütte, a mountain hut with epic views.
The first section of the trail was 4.1km with minimal elevation change, just 190m up and 250m down. We hiked along the mountain side and on the ridge, enjoying the epic views over the valley and town of St Anton below us.
It was especially magical since it was cloudy when we first arrived at the top, and we were looking down at the sea of clouds.
The clouds cleared throughout the hike, gradually revealing more and more of the amazing Tyrolean landscape.
Once we reached Leutkircher Hütte we had a delicious traditional lunch, where we tried hauswurst with kraut and breadkaspressknodel with sweet kraut.
After walking for two hours at the top of a mountain, it was just what we needed!
From Leutkircher Hütte we then hiked back down directly into town. The trail down was 9.5km, with 1,000m of elevation change.
While the view from the top was undoubtedly stunning, I also loved hiking back down and seeing the landscape change at different altitudes.
As you hike down you will go from the barren mountain side to walking through clusters of Arlberg trees, the small pine trees from which St Anton takes its name, to then eventually through the bigger pine tree forest and then back into town.
We did our hike with Geli, a knowledgeable local guide who told us about all the different flowers, trees and mountains we were seeing, as well as some local history. It was a fantastic experience to say the least.
You can do some awesome mountain biking
Besides hiking, another great way to explore the mountains is by bicycle. Especially if you get an e-bike, you will be able to reach peaks and mountain huts that would be too far to walk to or reach with a normal mountain bike.
If you have a Premium Summer Card you get a 20 EUR discount on a e-bike rental.
We took an e-bike to Darmstädter Hütte, and while the trail was undeniably tough, the views throughout were breathtaking. The trail is a 12.5km return trail with 1,125m elevation change (so 25km in total).
We picked up our e-bikes from The Great Valluga store in town, and started cycling from there. I loved the trail because it was super scenic, and you could see the landscape change as you cycled your way up the mountain.
Starting with the scenic views over St Anton town, then cycling through pine tree forests until you reach the stunning Kartell alpine lake, and then for the final mountainous stretch to Darmstädter Hütte.
Each section of the trail had a distinctive landscape, and they were all stunning. Kartell Lake is genuinely one of the most incredible places I’ve ever seen.
The water was so bright and turquoise, and the contrast with the green mountains so strong, it looked like a postcard.
Reaching Darmstädter Hütte was incredibly satisfying, and we rewarded us with some homemade knödels, arguably amongst the best in Austria. They have different types and you can mix and match so you try different flavours.
Just because the cycle back is downhill doesn’t mean it was easy. It was much quicker for sure, but you still have to concentrate on the steep mountain path.
It was one of my first times properly mountain biking, and I loved it so much I will be doing it again for sure.
You can do yoga with a mountain view
Tough outdoors sports aren’t the only thing you can do in St Anton in summer. It’s a great destination also if you want to disconnect, recharge and get back in touch with yourself.
Almost every day you will find yoga classes taking place at Arlflow, a yoga studio just in front of the ski slopes. The yoga studio has wide windows with view of the slopes, forest and surrounding mountain.
If the weather is good, the yoga classes can also take place outside. With the free summer card you get one yoga lesson included, whilst the premium summer card allows you to join as many yoga classes as you want.
After two days of hiking and biking, a relaxing yoga flow was exactly what we needed to stretch our muscles and relax.
Every year they also run a Mountain Yoga Festival on the first weekend of September, the perfect combination for keen nature and yoga lovers!
You can take the cable cars to enjoy amazing mountain views
If you want to enjoy stunning mountain views, but without having to hike or bike for hours to see them, worry not, as there’s a solution also for you!
In summer in St Anton there are four cable cars running, going on both sides of the valley.
You could even take a cable car all the way up to Valluga, at 2,811m! Use of the cable cars is covered by your summer card, both the free one and premium one.
Making the most of the cable cars is a great way to enjoy the unique mountain views that you can see in St Anton. You will see mountain peaks stretching as far as the eye can see, and feel closer to the sky than ever.
The St Anton Sommer Card includes tons of cool things
I’ve already introduced the St Anton summer card, but I wanted to reiterate just how cool it is.
I had never travelled somewhere that offered a card like this, and I was honestly amazed at just how much it includes and how many different things you can do with it.
The list of activities that you can do with a summer card is huge and incredibly varied; from yoga to archery, from guided hikes to discounted e-bike rentals, or from museum entrances to torchlight walks, there’s really something for everyone.
Even if you’re paying for the Premium Summer Card, the value for money is incredible and well worth it.
For example, one return journey on the cable cars would already cover around half the cost of the 3-day Premium Summer Card.
At to that all the cool classes and guided tours that you can join, and you’ve more than paid it back.
You can go for a swim at the Arlberg WellCom pool
I’ve already mentioned how, even if you’re in the middle of the Austrian Alps, the weather in St Anton in summer is far from cold! After a long day of hiking or biking, what better way to cool down than in a scenic pool?
At the Arlberg WellCom wellness centre you will find a beautiful outdoors pool with mountain views, as well as an indoor pool and a jacuzzi area.
You get one free entrance with your St Anton summer card, and unlimited entrances with the premium card.
We went there after our Leutkircher Hütte hike, and let me tell you, it was just what we needed after hiking for 15km. You can go for a refreshing swim, sit back, enjoy the views and relax.
You can enjoy the delicious local cuisine
I guess you could do this at any time of the year, but, in my opinion, enjoying Tyrolean delicacies while sitting in the sun and enjoying the mountain views, is even more fun.
Especially if you’re eating at a mountain hut after hiking all the way there, it feels even more rewarding!
Some of the dishes we tried during our stay in St Anton include knödel, hauswurst, breadkaspressknodel, käsespätzle and strudel.
Tyrolean cuisine is hearty and filling, and is usually prepared with fresh and local ingredients. One of my favourite things to do when travelling is tasting the local cuisine, and learning about a place’s history and culture through it.
Tyrolean cuisine does just that, serving hearty local dishes, whose history is rooted in the traditional cooking of mountain farms.
You can golf on the slopes
This is another thing I had never seen before. As we were walking around town we saw people playing golf close to a ski-lift, and we quickly realised that, in summer, some of the ski slopes get turned into a golf course!
The golf course in St Anton has 9 holes, and is suitable both for beginners and advanced golf players.
It’s located just on the outskirts of town, and from the golf course you can enjoy a lovely view over the roofs of St Anton and surrounding mountains.
With the St Anton summer card you get one Green Fee covered (this is access to the golf course). It’s a great way to spend some time outdoors, without necessarily having to bike or hike up a mountain to do so.
There is plenty of daylight to discover St Anton
One of my favourite things about summer is how long the days are. Depending on the summer month you visit, in St Anton the sun can rise as early as 5:20AM and set as late as 9:15PM. That’s almost 16 hours of daylight!
Compared to the 8 hours of daylight you get in winter, when the sun sets at 4:30PM, it gives you plenty more daylight time to discover the town and its surroundings.
You can spend the whole day out in the mountains, then return to St Anton and still have time to explore this cute town by day. You can wander around the town, taking in the unique architecture, old wooden houses and the green mountains that act as backdrop.
It also gives you more time to adventure in the mountains, without having to worry to be back before dark.
There are less crowds
Possibly the most important reason, you’ll be able to do all the above without crowds! St Anton is one of the most famous ski destinations in the world, and as such attracts a huge number of skiers every winter.
In summer, those numbers are considerably lower. That’s not to say that you’ll be on the trails entirely alone.
There are plenty of hikers, bikers and visitors, both tourists and locals, in the mountains, but when you compare it to the winter crowds, it’s almost non existent.
This is ideal for anyone looking for a mountain getaway, where you can recharge in nature, away from the stress and chaos of everyday life.
There are plenty of fun water sports available
We didn’t have time to do this, as we were only in St Anton for a few days, but it’s at the top of my list for my next St Anton summer trip.
In the waters surrounding St Anton you can do kayaking, canyoning, rafting and even tubing!
If you get bored of hiking and biking, worry not as there are still plenty of water sports to try, which will still allow you to be out in nature.
All of these activities are offered at varying levels of difficulty, so that you can join the most appropriate for you.
They’re not included in the summer card, but you can see the timings at which they’re organised in the summer card schedule and even register there.
Final thoughts on visiting St Anton am Arlberg, Austria, in summer
There you have it, my ultimate St Anton summer guide! Have you been to St Anton before? How did you find it? Let me know in the comments below!
I had previously been to St Anton in winter, during a December ski trip in the Alps, and I’d been to Trentino in Italy in summer, but neither of those trips prepared me for the beauty that is St Anton in summer.
I honestly loved it and can’t wait to go back. With its amazing mountain views and huge range of activities available, it’s the perfect active nature getaway. You have no risk of getting bored in St Anton in summer.
Whether you want to do yoga, go hiking, biking, kayaking, rafting or even try an archery class, you can do all that in St Anton, and much more!
It’s the perfect destination for a healthy and outdoorsy trip, spending time in nature, reconnecting with yourself and even experiencing the unique local culture and cuisine of this Tyrolean town.
I hope that with this guide I was able to convince you to plan a St Anton, Austria, summer trip, and that it provided you with everything you need to know to make the most of it.
If you have any questions, just let me know in the comments below!
* This article was sponsored by the Austrian Tourism Board. All thoughts and opinions are my own. *
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