St. Johann is a picture perfect Austrian Village a trains-throw away from Kitzbuhel. We stayed here twice, when frequenting the Hahnenkam and vacancy in Kitzbuhel had been non-existent well beyond our advance-planning phase. Luckily for us, the town is beautiful and full of fun.
With beautiful buildings nestled into this little valley, St. Johann is a great place to explore restaurants and shops. While the ski hill is small and mainly frequented by beginners and children, it does offer the adventurous one insane, dangerous, adrenaline-filled and ridiculously fun opportunity: tobogganing.
Now before you conjure up images of kids slowly sliding down a moderate slope then coming to a gradual stop at their dad’s feet, think again. Picture a bobsled start, on a giant wood rodeln with metal tracks and your five craziest friends hurling their bodies via sled down a track several kilometers long filled with steeps, deeps, corners that maim and flip you, and banks that would make an Olympic luge track look cute.
Welcome to extreme tobogganing – a sport, not for the faint of heart or cautious. A sport that will leave marks and welts that mimic the exact length and shape of metal rudders. A sport that will make you laugh until you have to stop in order to resume breathing. If you are too slow, you will get smoked from behind, and if you are too fast you will land in the powder on the side banks, not even coming close to making the corner. You ride up the ski lift at night and then spend the next several minutes being a crazy kid all over again.
For added adventure, head up to the restaurant at the top of the ski hill, Gasthof Hochfeld and have some sweet fondue and grosser biers before you launch your high-speed wood-assisted self down the mountain. The food is amazing and the restaurant is really the cherry on this fun sundae.
In the town of St. Johann, Villa Masiano is a delicioso Italian restaurant. You can’t help but notice it as you walk by, as it’s located in a mansion. A peak inside the window reveals soft candle lit tables and tiny tea lights that frame the relaxed patrons inside. The food is excellent and very very reasonably priced. A great pace to go after a long or cold day of skiing.
It’s easy to get to St. Johann from Kitzbuhel by train, and if you find Kitzbuhel booked or if you prefer a quieter, quainter place to stay, you will love St. Johann. For the party or budgetly inclined crew, Bunny’s Pub is a fun, cheap, yet loud (you have to get through the bar to make it up to your room) place to stay. Bunny is Australian and will make anyone feel right at home. Beware of the guy who brings around bottles of schnapps late into the night. He has been responsible for many turn destroying hangovers in his day.
St. Johann is also a great place for families. With skiing all day and night under the lights, parents will for sure be able to tire out their diehard new skier.
