Galtür is located in the Paznaun Valley of Tirol. Just 9 km from Ischgl, but in many ways it’s a whole world away. I love Ischgl even though I wouldn’t take my kids there, but Galtür is perfect for a family holiday, with all that Ischgl offers just a short hop away.
The Galtür ski area is at the head of the Paznaun valley in Wirl. With 40 km of pistes rising from 1,600m to 2,300m, it’s fairly small but perfectly formed. The immaculately maintained pistes include 6km of blues, 24km of reds and 10km of blacks, plus there are dedicated freeride zones. The Galtür slopes offer a good variety of runs; most are wide, long and uncrowded. The lift system is efficient, and 75% of the pistes are covered by snowmaking.
Our three-year-old son skied for the first time in Galtür. Although the ski boot fitting didn’t go well – as a snowboarder I also cried the first time I put ski boots on – he was soon sliding down the bunny slopes and negotiating the magic carpet. His huge smile meant we were happy to leave him with the friendly English-speaking instructors.
As well as the dedicated freeride zones, there is a kids’ off-piste area to teach youngsters about safety away from the piste. There’s also a kids’ adventure zone with one route through a witch’s grotto and another about native wildlife. Finally, there is a freestyle zone with a good range of features for different abilities.
Galtür village is just outside the ski area in Wirl, so this means a short hop on a free bus. The same bus goes in the opposite direction to Ischgl with its 238 km of piste and legendary nightlife. But I never felt the need to leave Galtür, partly because there was knee-deep powder to play in, but also because the ski area punches above its weight.
We stayed at the 4★Ballunspitze Kinderhotel, which has large and comfortable rooms with everything a family needs. The on-site crèche – by far the best equipped I’ve experienced in a hotel – provides childcare from 9am to 9pm. To entertain the kids there’s a large soft play large soft-play area, climbing wall, kids’ cinema and swimming lessons. They even ferry your little ones to and from ski school.
The Ballunspitze oozes friendly charm. The staff are happy and helpful and always had time to play peekaboo with our one-year-old. The kids’ meals had a lot of options including healthy dishes. Adults were treated to four delicious courses, including meat, fish and vegetarian options plus a selection of Tirolean dishes.
Galtür is ideal for families. The ski area has enough to keep experienced skiers and snowboarders entertained, with Ischgl just 10–15 minutes away if you want a change of pace and scenery. Quiet and unassuming, Galtür is the opposite of its noisy neighbour but is a Tirolean ski holiday that’ll live long in the memory
Galtür Info:
The Rees family flew from London Gatwick to Innsbruck with easyJet (easyjet.com) and then on to Galtür by road (approx. 90 minutes) with Four Seasons Travel (tirol-taxi.at). They stayed at the 4★ Hotel Ballunspitze (ballunspitze.com), where packages are available from €1,869 (approximately £1,565) for seven nights for two adults and one child. More info at ballunspitze.com and also galtuer.com or phone +43 50990 200.
