Austrian motorways require a vignette, yet you don't need one for every ski area in Austria. You reach these areas, for example, by driving on roads where this requirement does not or no longer exists. Since 2019, for example, there have been four motorway sections where the vignette requirement has been abolished. Although the vignette doesn't cost an arm and a leg for a week of ski holidays, it is an excellent way to save. Curious to learn more about ski areas in Austria that do not require a vignette? In this blog, we give you some tips.
Although Austrian vignette prices are not very high, 2019 saw the abolishment of the vignette requirement for some routes altogether. Sometimes, you only have to travel a short distance on the motorway to reach some villages or ski areas. There was quite a fuss about that because not everyone thought it was fair to have to pay for such a small stretch. Since 2019, four motorway sections have been exempted from tolls. Below are listed the motorway sections where you don't need a vignette. Please note: these are small motorway sections; the exemptions do not apply to the entire motorway!
Thanks to these exemptions, there are several destinations you can reach without incurring unnecessary costs. So, for a number of ski resorts, you don't need a vignette. It's nice to save on such costs on an otherwise expensive ski holiday. This way, you can spend that tenner on an extra large schnitzel!
Is a vignette required if I want to go to destination X? Where is a vignette required? When do I need a vignette, and when not? For anyone taking the car on a winter holiday to the Austrian Alps, these questions are bound to come up. Fortunately, a convenient online tool from road authority ASFINAG exists. You enter your departure and arrival points, and the route is calculated with a click of the mouse. The tool tells you whether you need a vignette, which is handy and removes doubts!
SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser - Brixental is one of the ski areas that does not require an Austrian vignette. Because the ski area is not far from the border at Kufstein, you can easily reach the villages Going, Ellmau, Söll, Scheffau and Itter, among others, without needing a vignette. By the way, the fact that SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser - Brixental is a popular ski area is not only because it is relatively easy to reach. With 270 km of pistes, a cosy atmosphere and excellent après-ski options, it is a wonderful place for everyone. Just ensure you take the Kufstein-Süd exit and do not drive through to Wörgl, as you will have to pay. After the exit, you drive along the Eibergstraße and enter the Wilder Kaiser region between Scheffau and Söll.
In case of heavy snowfall, it is wiser to drive via Wörgl for the villages of Westendorf, Brixen im Thale and Hopfgarten instead of taking the shortcut at Kufstein. In this case, you do need an Austrian vignette.
The versatile destination Zell am See-Kaprun is also one of those ski areas in Austria that does not require a vignette. Exit the motorway at Kufstein for the B172 (Walchsee Straße). Then continue towards Lofer on the L39 and B178. You take the B311 towards Saalfelden and Maishofen to exit at Lake Zell. You can then enter Zell am See or continue to Kaprun. The latter is also an excellent destination for skiing, primarily due to the diversity of slopes and the snow guarantee. Thanks to the presence of the Kitzsteinhorn glacier, you can always be sure of excellent snow conditions here.
What applies to Zell am See-Kaprun also applies to the neighbouring Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn. This is another of the ski resorts in Austria that does not require a vignette to reach it. You drive in the same direction as the route above. You only exit the Glemmtal towards Saalbach and Hinterglemm or head towards Leogang and Fieberbrunn via the B164. Just as easy to reach, then. What's nice about this ski area is that it is connected to Zell am See-Kaprun. This allows you to ski on no less than 408 km of slopes with one ski pass!
Since you no longer need a vignette for part of the A14 motorway, you can also reach the Warth-Schröcken ski resort without an Austrian vignette taped to your windscreen. The slopes of the ski resort connect to the more than 300 kilometres of pistes of Ski Arlberg, a trendy and beautiful ski resort in Austria. Warth-Schröcken is characterised as versatile, incredibly snow-assured and vibrant, the right ingredients for a fabulous skiing holiday.
Winter sports region Bregenzerwald consists of several ski areas in Austria that are easy to drive to and do not require a vignette. You go through the Pfändertunnel without any problems, follow the A14 towards Hohenems, and in no time, you will find yourself in the ski area. This region's ski areas are small, manageable and ideal for families with children. The villages are quiet and idyllic, the landscape is beautiful, and there are many other winter sports activities to enjoy, such as cross-country skiing or tobogganing.
KitzSki is also one of the ski resorts that does not require an Austrian vignette. The ski area, formed by the popular winter sports resorts of Kirchberg and Kitzbühel, can be reached by crossing the border at Kufstein, where you take the exit Küfstein-Süd. Then head along the Eibergstraße (B173) towards the Brixental, past Westendorf and Hopfgarten to Kirchberg, Kitzbühel or one of the other villages in the ski resort. However, the same note of caution of the first entry on this list applies. Buying the vignette and leaving the A12 at Wörgl is better in case of heavy snowfall.
The beautiful resort of Damüls-Mellau-Faschina is also among the ski resorts in Austria that do not require a vignette. If you cross the border at Bregenz and continue on the A14, you can take the exit to the ski resort and only pass through roads where the vignette requirement does not exist. Thanks to a favourable location, the area is pretty snow-sure. With over 100 km of slopes, there is no shortage of variety. This makes it an excellent destination for winter sports with friends or the whole family.
Just across the German-Austrian border is the popular ski region of Tiroler Zugspitz Arena. Here you will find several cosy Tyrolean villages and small but excellent ski resorts such as Ehrwalder Alm, Bergbahnen Berwang and Grubigstein. Together they account for around 140 km of slopes. You don't need an Austrian vignette to reach the region by car. You cross the border at Füssen and follow the B179 (Fernpassstraße). This road can be congested, especially in high season. You will first encounter Heiterwang and Bichlbach, after which you can continue to Ehrwald, Berwang and Lermoos, among others.
Besides the above-mentioned ski areas, you can go to several other destinations without purchasing an Austrian vignette. Among them are:
Snowplaza is not responsible for any fines arising from driving through Austria without an Austrian vignette.
Do you prefer certainty, and are you okay with spending a tenner on a vignette? Or have you already booked a winter sports trip to a ski resort that you can only reach via motorways that require a vignette? Then you can easily buy one online in advance. Click the button below for more information and prices. Buy an Austrian vignette online and be well-prepared for your trip.
I grew up in Slovenia, close to the Julian Alps. Early on, my parents put me on skis and skates, and the winter sports enthusiasm hasn't left me since. I also enjoy cross-country skiing and have been a keen snowboarder for the past 20 years.
