Villas in Murtal-Kreischberg

St Georgen am Kreischberg suits skiing families, Murau suits a small-town base, and Niederwölz is quieter and further from the lifts. This is the upper Mur valley in western Styria, a mid-sized ski area with lower prices and fewer crowds than Tyrol. Most of our homes are chalets and apartments near the Kreischberg lifts. You will need a car.

Where

Villas: 104
From, per week: £471
Cheapest month: October
Nearest airports: Klagenfurt is closest, at around an hour and 20 minutes, but has few UK flights. Graz and Salzburg are both around an hour and three-quarters away and have more choice. Flights from London take around two hours.

Where to stay in Murtal-Kreischberg

Sankt Georgen am Kreischberg

St Georgen has more than half of our homes here, many of them in chalet groups on the slopes below the Kreischberg. A gondola leaves from the valley next to its own stop on the narrow-gauge Murtalbahn railway. The ski area tops out at a little over 2,000 metres, has a well-known snow park and hosted the freestyle and snowboard world championships in 2015. Klagenfurt airport is around an hour and 20 minutes away.

Best for: Families and intermediates who want to be close to the gondola

Not for you if: You want a big village with lots of bars: St Georgen is small, and après is low-key.

Murau, Stolzalpe and St Lambrecht

Murau is a small medieval town on the Mur, with a large parish church, a castle above the old streets and its own brewery. Steam trains run on the Murtalbahn on some summer days. Stolzalpe is a sunny plateau above the town with easy walking, and the small Frauenalpe ski area is close. St Lambrecht, around 20 minutes south, is built around a Benedictine abbey below the Grebenzen. Klagenfurt is about an hour and a quarter away.

Best for: A real town with shops and restaurants, and summer walking

Not for you if: You want to ski from the door: from Murau the Kreischberg lifts are a 15-minute drive or a short train ride.

Niederwölz, Frojach and Katsch (lower valley)

East of Murau the valley opens into farmland. Niederwölz is just below Oberwölz, a tiny walled town, and the Lachtal ski area sits higher up the same side valley. Frojach and Katsch are small villages on the Mur cycle path, which follows the river for hundreds of kilometres downstream towards Graz. Shops and restaurants are thin on the ground, so expect to drive to Murau. Graz airport is around an hour and a half away.

Best for: Couples and cyclists who want a quiet, rural base

Not for you if: Skiing is the priority: the Kreischberg is around 25 minutes away, and the Lachtal a similar drive north.

Stadl an der Mur (upper Mur)

Stadl is a small village upstream of St Georgen, where the valley narrows towards the Salzburg border and the Lungau. The Kreischberg lifts are around 10 to 15 minutes away by car, and the Turracher Höhe, a high pass with small lakes and a ski area, is reached on a steep road to the south. Salzburg airport is about an hour and three-quarters away.

Best for: A quiet village base west of the Kreischberg

Not for you if: You want choice: we have only a handful of homes here.

When to go to Murtal-Kreischberg

The Kreischberg usually opens in early December and runs to early April, helped by snowmaking. Christmas, New Year and February are the busiest weeks, including the Austrian semester holidays and UK half-term. The ski area is lower than the Tyrol glaciers, so late-season snow is less certain. Summer, from June to September, brings walking, cycling on the Mur path and the summer steam trains. Many restaurants and lifts close in April, May and November.