London to Innsbruck’s Ski Resorts in under 6 hours

Have you ever thought of waking up in the UK and having lunch in the Alps, at one of Innsbruck’s ski resorts?

If you live inside or close to London, this is easier than you’d think. You can be on the slopes within 6 hours, door to piste. Yes, it is possible and I have done it.

The quickest way

I have my own snowboard equipment and the airlines allow you to take this with you. If you don’t have your own kit, it is possible to rent from Die Boerse in Innsbruck, which would take about 30 minutes extra total time. But this depends on how far away your hotel is to the shop and how busy it is.

When I’m in England, I live about 25 minutes drive from London Luton Airport. Easyjet flies from here direct to Innsbruck, twice a week on Thursdays and Sundays. There are also flights from other airports in England, such as Bristol and other airlines to choose from, such as Monarch or British Airways who now fly from Heathrow, as well as from Gatwick.

You have to get up early as the Easyjet flight out of Luton is at 07:25, but this gives you more time on the snow, so it’s definitely worth it.

Flying into Innsbruck ski resorts.

Innsbruck’s Ski Resorts

There are 9 different Innsbruck ski resorts to choose from, which are part of the Olympia Skiworld. The easiest pistes to get to in this example are either Nordkette-Seegrube or Patscherkofel. The J bus runs from one to the other every day via the city.

Patscherkofel is my favourite of the two, but if you stay for a long weekend or a week, you can experience each resort on a different day. This is the beauty of Innsbruck.

Timings

There were no delays when I did this and it is set assuming your hotel is in the centre of Innsbruck. So here we go:

1. Taxi to London Luton Airport: 25 minutes
2. Bag/board/ski drop and wait at airport: 90 minutes
3. Flight time (including taxiing, take-off and landing): 120 minutes
4. Passport control and bag collection at Innsbruck Airport: 20 minutes
5. Taxi to Hotel in Innsbruck: 15 minutes
6. Check-in and change clothes: 30 minutes
7. Walk to bus stop and wait for the J bus: 15 minutes
8. Bus journey from the city to the Patscherkofel lift: 15 minutes
9. Wait for lift, then head up the mountain: 20 minutes

That’s it, you’re on the slopes in 5 hours 50 minutes.

Door to piste in under 6 hours.

Your turn

So give it a go, you can be on the mountains in under 6 hours from London. Plan your ski/snowboard trip using this interactive map and for details on hotels in Innsbruck, check out the Innsbruck website. Have fun!

All photos were taken by me.

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