Landeck, Fliess and the Venet
This is where most of our Oberinntal homes are. Landeck is a small town where the Sanna joins the Inn, with a castle museum above the centre and a mainline station. The Venet cable car from Zams climbs to a small ski area and a summer paragliding launch. Fliess sits on a sunny terrace above the river, close to the Naturpark Kaunergrat. Ischgl is around 40 minutes away. Innsbruck airport takes about an hour.
Best for: A year-round base with shops, a station and several ski areas within reach
Not for you if: You want to ski from the door: Landeck is a working town, and the big areas are a drive away.
The Kaunertal (Prutz, Feichten, Kauns and Kaunerberg)
Prutz sits at the mouth of the valley on the Inn, and Feichten, the main village, is around 20 minutes further in. A toll road climbs past the Gepatsch reservoir to the Kaunertal glacier, where skiing runs from autumn into early summer above 3,000 metres. One pass also covers the small Fendels family area. Kauns, with Berneck castle, and the hamlets of Kaunerberg face the sun above Prutz. Innsbruck airport is about an hour and a quarter from Prutz.
Best for: Glacier skiing in spring and autumn, and quiet high walking in summer
Not for you if: You want après and nightlife: the Kaunertal is a long, quiet valley with a few hotels and inns.
Fiss and Ried im Oberinntal (Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis)
Fiss sits on a sunny plateau at around 1,400 metres, with lifts from the village into Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis, a large linked area known for long blue and red runs and good ski schools. In summer the lifts serve walking trails, an alpine coaster and family rides. Ried is the valley village below, with the Sigmundsried castle and lower prices, about 15 minutes' drive from the lifts. Innsbruck airport is roughly an hour and a quarter away.
Best for: Families who want a large, well-run ski area and summer adventure lifts
Not for you if: You want quiet slopes in the school holidays: Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis fills with families and ski school groups.
Pfunds and Tösens (upper Inn valley)
Pfunds is an old village of painted houses split by the Inn, close to the Swiss border. The Inn cycle path runs along the valley floor, and rafting trips launch on the river in summer. A road near the border climbs to Samnaun, a Swiss duty-free village linked by lift to Ischgl. Tösens is a small farming village just downstream. Innsbruck airport is around an hour and a half away.
Best for: Cyclists, rafters and a quiet base near the Swiss border
Not for you if: You want lifts on the doorstep: you drive 20 to 30 minutes to Nauders or Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis.
Nauders (Reschen pass)
Nauders sits at around 1,400 metres just below the Reschen pass, where Austria, Italy and Switzerland meet. The Bergkastel ski area rises above the village and is rarely as busy as the better-known Tyrol resorts. A few minutes over the border in Italy, the church tower of the old village of Graun stands in the Reschensee reservoir. In summer Nauders is a well-known mountain-bike base. Innsbruck airport is roughly an hour and three-quarters away.
Best for: Uncrowded skiing, mountain biking and trips over two borders
Not for you if: You want a short transfer: Nauders is close to two hours from Innsbruck in winter.
