A cable car above the green summer slopes of the Kitzbüheler Horn, with Kitzbühel in the valley below
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Luxury in the Austrian Alps

Kitzbühel

A walled medieval town in the Tyrol, painted houses on the Vorderstadt, the Streif above it and the most famous ski race in the world each January.

The Kitzbüheler Horn in summer, Kitzbühel belowPhotograph: Pexels

Grüß Gott

The legend of the Streif

Kitzbühel was a market and mining town long before it was a resort. Its old centre, the Vorderstadt and the Hinterstadt, keeps its gabled and painted houses, its gates and its two churches, and the town sits between two mountains, the Hahnenkamm and the Kitzbüheler Horn.

Skiing came to Kitzbühel in the 1890s, and in 1931 the first Hahnenkamm races were held. Today the downhill on the Streif, every January, is the most famous ski race in the world: steep, icy and fast, it draws crowds of tens of thousands and a week of parties in the town. Toni Sailer, the local hero, won all three alpine golds at the 1956 Olympics in Cortina.

Kitzbühel is also a summer town, with golf courses around it, the Schwarzsee lake for swimming, and the tennis of the Generali Open in July. This guide brings together only the first class: the hotels, the tables, the shops and the homes that meet our standard.

A few words of German
EnglishGermanSay it
Hello (polite)Grüß Gottgroose GOT
Hello (informal)ServusZAIR-voos
PleaseBitteBIT-teh
Thank youDankeDAHN-keh
Good eveningGuten AbendGOO-ten AH-bent
The bill, pleaseZahlen, bitteTSAH-len, BIT-teh
Enjoy your mealGuten AppetitGOO-ten ah-peh-TEET
GoodbyeAuf Wiedersehenowf VEE-der-zay-en
The church of Kitzbühel and green hills below the snow-capped Kitzbühel Alps in spring
Kitzbühel in spring

Where to go

Kitzbühel at a glance

When to go, the one best hotel and restaurant, and how to arrive by private jet and helicopter.

Kitzbühel

A medieval town in Tyrol and home of the Hahnenkamm, one of the most famous downhill races in skiing. It combines town life, a long season and a strong summer of golf and tennis.

When to goWinter, October to April; summer, June to September. Signature events: the Hahnenkamm races in January, and the ATP tennis tournament in summer.

  • Stay
    Grand Tirolia Kitzbühel

    Two MICHELIN Keys.

  • Dine
    Les Deux Kitzbühel – Brasserie & Bar

    One MICHELIN star, at Schwarzer Adler.

Arrive privately
By private jet or helicopter
Innsbruck (INN/LOWI), about 1 hr 15 by road or 25 min by helicopter; Salzburg (SZG/LOWS) is also used.
Old timber chalets with deep snow on their roofs and lace curtains at the windows, in falling snow
Chalets in falling snow

Stay

Luxury hotels and chalets in Kitzbühel

The grand hotels at our standard, and the officially five-star hotels.

The grand hotels

Each holds two or three MICHELIN Keys or a Forbes Five-Star rating, or is a palace of the great resorts.

  • Grand Tirolia KitzbühelKitzbühel

    A resort hotel on the Eichenheim golf course above Kitzbühel; two MICHELIN Keys.

The five-star hotels

The 10 confirmed, officially five-star hotels in Kitzbühel and the Kitzbühel Alps.

See all 10 hotels

Kitzbühel and the Kitzbühel Alps

A tasting menu of small plates, a glass and a dessert of meringue on a pale stone table in the sun
A tasting menu in the sun

Dine

Dining in Kitzbühel

The chefs who cook in your chalet.

Private chefs and catering

For a chalet, a wedding or a party.

  • Oxford Ski Companyacross the Alps (Courchevel, Val d'Isère, Verbier, St. Moritz, Zermatt, Gstaad, Kitzbühel)

    Luxury ski specialist established in 1998; many of its chalets include a private chef who prepares meals to the guests' preferences. Visit website ↗

  • DO & COKitzbühel and Vienna

    Vienna-based hospitality group that caters the VIP areas of the Hahnenkamm races in Kitzbühel every January and the Formula 1 Paddock Club worldwide since 1992; its event team also plans private parties. Visit website ↗

A skier in a yellow jacket and red trousers carving through fresh snow below a white summit
Fresh snow on the piste

Ski

Skiing in Kitzbühel

KitzSki, the Streif and the ski schools of Kitzbühel.

Ski schools and private instructors

  • Ski School Kitzbühel "Rote Teufel"Kitzbühel

    The "Red Devils" have taught in Kitzbühel for about a century and are among Austria's largest winter-sports schools, with up to 250 ski instructors, mountain and ski guides, snowboard and cross-country instructors. Visit website ↗

Innsbruck and the Inn valley in snow at dusk, seen from the Nordkette
Innsbruck at dusk, from the Nordkette

Travel

Private jets, helicopters and first-class travel in Kitzbühel

Innsbruck and Salzburg for jets, about 1 hr 15 by road, and Munich about two hours; the airlines to each.

Airlines to Munich, the gateway to the Austrian Alps

First and business class.

See all 17
A skier in an orange jacket and helmet turning in deep powder off the piste
Off the piste in deep powder

Experience

Events and things to do in Kitzbühel

The Kitzbühel year: the great events, month by month; each event's own website gives this year's dates.

Golf

  • Kitzbühel golf: Eichenheim and Schwarzsee-ReithKitzbühel

    Two 18-hole courses close to town: Eichenheim, a championship course by Kyle Phillips, and Kitzbühel-Schwarzsee-Reith, set between the Hahnenkamm, the Kitzbüheler Horn and the Wilder Kaiser. Visit website ↗

After dark

  • Kitzbühel Country ClubKitzbühel

    A private members' club founded in 2010, with dining, accommodation and a members' calendar. Membership terms are set by the club on application.

A woman in a winter coat with a white fur collar, the lights of the town blurred behind her at night
Dressed for the winter evening

Shop

Luxury shopping in Kitzbühel

The Vorderstadt and the Hinterstadt.

Shopping streets

Live

Living in Kitzbühel

A home in Kitzbühel.

Branded residences and new developments

  • Six Senses Residences Kitzbühel AlpsKitzbühel Alps

    10 villas and 30 apartments in Austrian chalet style beside the Six Senses resort near the Wasenmoos nature reserve, with architecture by IAW and interiors by Martin Brudnizki. Visit website ↗

A table laid with glasses, tea and a dessert at a window high above the mountains
A table above the mountains

Plan your trip

Luxury travel in Kitzbühel: your questions answered

Where is Kitzbühel?

In the Tyrol in western Austria, at 762 metres between the Hahnenkamm and the Kitzbüheler Horn. Private jets land at Innsbruck or Salzburg, each about 1 hr 15 by road; Munich is about two hours.

When is the Hahnenkamm race?

Every January, over a long weekend of downhill, super-G and slalom on the Streif and the Ganslern. Hotels and chalets are booked a year ahead for race week.

When is the best time to visit Kitzbühel?

Winter, October to April; summer, June to September. Signature events: the Hahnenkamm races in January, and the ATP tennis tournament in summer.

Where are the best luxury hotels in Kitzbühel?

Grand Tirolia Kitzbühel, two MICHELIN Keys.

How do you arrive in Kitzbühel by private jet?

Innsbruck (INN/LOWI), about 1 hr 15 by road or 25 min by helicopter; Salzburg (SZG/LOWS) is also used.

Do you tip in Austria?

Round up to about 10 per cent and hand the tip to the server as you pay, rather than leaving it on the table.

What should you wear in Kitzbühel?

On the mountain, ski clothing is the norm at mountain restaurants and après-ski. The dirndl is the expected dress for women at many cultural events and at weddings, and in rural areas many women also wear it in daily life.

Beyond Kitzbühel

More in the Austrian Alps

The other great resorts of Austria, and The Alps beyond.

The Austrian AlpsKitzbühel, Lech and Zürs, St. Anton and SalzburgExplore the Austrian AlpsThe AlpsFive countries, seventeen resorts, first class onlyExplore The Alps
Snow on the forests and farms of a valley in the Kitzbühel Alps, under a winter sky
The Kitzbühel Alps in winter

Customs and etiquette

Customs and etiquette in Austria

How Austria does things.

Language
German is the language of the Austrian Alps, from Kitzbühel and Lech to St. Anton and Ischgl. Local dialects are strong, but Standard German is used with visitors, and English is spoken in the leading hotels.
Greetings
"Grüß Gott" is the standard polite greeting, often heard as "griaß di" or "griaß eich". "Servus" is the informal hello and goodbye among friends.
Dress
On the mountain, ski clothing is the norm at mountain restaurants and après-ski. The dirndl is the expected dress for women at many cultural events and at weddings, and in rural areas many women also wear it in daily life.
Dining and shopping
Most shops close on Sundays under a federal law of 2003; weekday shop hours run from 6 am to 9 pm and Saturday hours to 6 pm. Bakeries, petrol stations, shops at railway stations and airports, and businesses in designated tourist zones may open on Sundays, and restaurants and bars open as usual.
Tipping
Round up to about 10 per cent and hand the tip to the server as you pay, rather than leaving it on the table.
Mountain etiquette
On the pistes the international FIS Rules for Conduct apply. In mountain huts, book beds and meals ahead, carry cash, keep quiet from about 10 pm and take all rubbish back down to the valley.

Every list on this page is checked by hand and dated: last checked October 2026. Hotels, restaurants and events link only to their own official websites, where confirmed.

The Mediterranean Season Letter

Where to be, every season

Four letters a year, one for each season: the Mediterranean from spring to autumn, and Beyond the Mediterranean, into the Alps, in winter. The one best hotel to book, and the events worth crossing a sea for.