Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 05558-42 46;
www.silvretta-bielerhoehe.at
;
s/d €59/92, incl half board €72/118; Jul-mid-Oct & mid-
Dec-Easter)
For more creature comforts at 2000m, check into the architecturally innovative
Silvrettahaus at Bielerhöhe, which has bright, contemporary rooms and spellbinding
mountain views.
Information
Montafon Tourism
( 05556-721 660;
www.montafon.at
; Silvrettastrasse 6, Schruns; 8am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-
noon & 4-6pm Sat, 10am-noon Sun)
Has the low-down on accommodation and activities in the
valley.
Getting There & Away
Trains run frequently from Bludenz to Schruns (€3.20, 20 minutes), from where up to
five buses daily continue onto Partenen (€3.30, 35 minutes) at the base of the Silvretta
pass. From mid-July to mid-October, eight buses daily climb from Partenen to the Sil-
vretta Stausee (€3.30, 35 minutes).
TOP OF CHAPTER
Western Arlberg
05583
Mountains huddle conspiratorially around the snow-sure slopes of the rugged Arlberg re-
gion, one of Austria's top ski destinations. The best-known villages are picture- postcard
Lech (1450m) and its smaller twin Zürs (1716m), 6km south. Because of their relative
isolation, fabulous skiing and five-star hotels, the resorts are a magnet to royalty (Prin-
cess Diana used to ski here), celebrities and anyone who pretends to be such from behind
Gucci shades.
Activities
Remember Bridget Jones hurtling backwards down the mountain on skis in
The Edge of
Reason?
That was filmed on Lech's scenic, forest-streaked runs. You can surely do a bet-
ter job skiing on the Arlberg region's 280km of slopes. These are interlinked by free
solar-powered buses and covered by a regional ski pass, which costs €48/235 for one/six
