Hochgurgl:Ski resort guide

What is Hochgurgl like?

Hochgurgl is a hotel village on the slopes at the head of the Ötztal in Tyrol. The tourist office gives its altitude as 2,150 m, almost 200 m above Obergurgl. Both belong to the municipality of Sölden.

It is a recent place. The tourist office says pioneers built the first hotels and lifts on the high mountain pastures in the 1960s, drawn by the sunny position. What stands there now is mostly hotels, most of them directly on the pistes, so you can ski from the door in winter and walk from it in summer.

The shops, supermarkets, bakery and doctor's surgery are in Obergurgl, which the tourist office describes as the place with everything within walking distance. Hochgurgl has the slopes, the hotels and the highest lifts in the area.

Choose it if you want to sleep on the piste at altitude and do not need a high street.

Skiing in Hochgurgl

Hochgurgl's skiing is the upper half of the Obergurgl-Hochgurgl ski area, which the lift company and tourist office market together as Gurgl. The whole area has 112 km of pistes and 25 lifts, with runs between 1,800 m and 3,030 m. Hochgurgl's side has roughly 56 km of that.

It is a separate ski area from Sölden: the Ötztal Super Skipass lists them as separate areas with their own seasons. The pass covers both, and you travel between them by road or ski bus.

Hochgurgl ski area

The lift company describes Hochgurgl's slopes as wide and sunny. Its highest point, 3,030 m at the Top Mountain Star on the Wurmkogl, is the highest lift-served point in Gurgl, reached by the Wurmkoglbahn II. Blue runs come down from there to the valley, so beginners can reach the top too.

For first days, the lift company points to the many blue runs in Hochgurgl. For confident intermediates it suggests the Schermerspitze descent, run 30. The steep one is run 28, from the Top Mountain Star to the Wurmkogl middle station. The longest run in the whole area also starts here: from the Wurmkogl down to Obergurgl and Pill, 8 km with 1,260 m of vertical, on runs 29, 26, 24, 32 and 33.

The Top Express gondola joins Hochgurgl to the Obergurgl side: 3.6 km over the Königstal and Ferwalltal valleys in nine minutes.

Night skiing is included in the lift pass. For 2026/27 the Hochgurglbahn runs every Thursday from 17 December 2026 to 25 March 2027, from 6.30 pm to 9.30 pm, with the last ride up at 9 pm.

Hochgurgl piste map

The lift company publishes an interactive piste map of both halves, with live lift status and rest stops. Check it before crossing to Obergurgl late in the day.

Hochgurgl lift pass

One lift pass covers Hochgurgl and Obergurgl. For 2026/27 the lift company sells day, multi-day and season passes from 19 November 2026 to 18 April 2027, and publishes prices on its ski pass page. Passes of three to 14 days can be used in every open Ötztal ski area; one- and two-day passes are for Obergurgl-Hochgurgl only.

The Ötztal Super Skipass is valid in Gurgl, Sölden, Vent, Gries, Hochötz-Kühtai and Niederthai, includes night skiing in Hochgurgl and Obergurgl, and comes with the free ski bus. Tickets booked online can be collected at a machine at the Hochgurglbahn valley station.

Ski hire and ski lessons in Hochgurgl

The tourist office lists rental shops that take online reservations, with ski depots and boot drying at the cable car valley stations, and a shuttle service for guests whose hotel is not on the slopes. Gurgl has all-round, specialist and one-person ski schools, and children can start from the age of three. Ski lessons and guiding can be booked through the tourist office's ski school page. The schools and shops are covered in more detail in our Obergurgl guide.

Where to stay in Hochgurgl

Hochgurgl is almost entirely hotels. The tourist office calls it a small hotel village in the middle of the ski area, with a short walk from room to piste, and says most of its hotels are directly on the slopes. Across Hochgurgl and Obergurgl it counts more than 100 places to stay, and lists the hotels right on the ski slope in both.

Hochgurgl hotels

The tourist office describes the hotels in Gurgl as ranging from modern design hotels to traditional ones, many with spa areas. One in Hochgurgl is the Top Hotel Hochgurgl on Hochgurglerstraße, at 2,150 m. Its website lists rooms and suites, a spa, and direct access from its ski room to the ski area, and at the time of writing advertises a Christmas package.

Hochgurgl apartments and booking

The tourist office's booking platform covers both villages, with no booking fees and filters by type and facilities. The supermarkets are in Obergurgl, so self-caterers should plan on the bus or gondola for shopping. The Obergurgl accommodation guide compares the two places to stay.

Hochgurgl for families

The tourist office calls Hochgurgl family-friendly, and the lift company sends beginners to its many blue runs. Blue runs also lead down from the Top Mountain Star, so a family can ride to 3,030 m together. The Obergurgl side has the dedicated beginner lifts and the ski school's children's areas, nine minutes away on the Top Express. Children can start ski school from three. The tourist office's family page lists funslopes, playgrounds and hotels with kids' clubs.

Things to do in Hochgurgl

The Top Mountain Star is a panorama bar on the Wurmkogl at 3,030 m. The tourist office says the view runs over the Ötztal Alps to the Dolomites, and the Gams-Steg walkway leads out from it. For 2026/27 it is listed as open daily from 9 am to 5 pm during the winter season.

In Hochgurgl, on the Timmelsjoch road, the Top Mountain Crosspoint combines a museum, a restaurant and a cable car station. The museum is the Top Mountain Motorcycle Experience, which the tourist office calls Europe's highest motorcycle museum, with more than 500 historic motorbikes, a 4D cinema and simulators. At the time of writing entry is €15 for adults and €8 for children.

Beyond Hochgurgl, the Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road climbs to 2,509 m and crosses into South Tyrol's Passeier valley. It is a private toll road with 30 bends, open in summer only: in 2026 from 13 May to 20 October. Tolls are on the Timmelsjoch page.

For winter walks, tobogganing and the Zirbenwald stone pine forest, see the Obergurgl guide.

Eating and drinking

The tourist office says Hochgurgl's restaurants serve both international dishes and Tyrolean specialities. On the mountain, the Top Mountain Crosspoint, at Timmelsjochstraße 8, cooks everything in-house with seasonal, mainly regional produce and has a large sun terrace. The Top Mountain Star serves food and drinks at 3,030 m. The tourist office keeps a full restaurant list for both villages.

Hochgurgl in summer

The tourist office says most hotels are on hiking routes as well as slopes, so you can walk out of the door. The Timmelsjoch road is open, and the tourist office lists a bus line, the 335, from Obergurgl over the Timmelsjoch to Moos in Passeier. The Summer Card includes entry to the motorcycle museum. For summer lifts and routes, see the hiking page.

How to get to Hochgurgl

Innsbruck to Hochgurgl

Innsbruck is the nearest airport. The tourist office gives the drive from Innsbruck to Sölden as 83 km, and Gurgl is further up the valley. Scheduled buses run up the Ötztal from the Ötztal-Bahnhof railway station every half hour, with timetables matched to trains and flights; timetables are on the Ötztaler Verkehrsgesellschaft website, linked from the tourist office's mobility page. The Ötztal Shuttle and local taxis take pre-booked passengers from the airport or station straight to hotels in Obergurgl-Hochgurgl.

By train, Ötztal-Bahnhof at the mouth of the valley is the station for Gurgl. By car, the road up the Ötztal continues past Obergurgl towards the Timmelsjoch, and Hochgurgl lies on that road. In winter the Guest Card from your accommodation gives free use of the public buses and ski buses.

Weather, snow and webcams

Hochgurgl's slopes reach 3,030 m, and conditions at that height change quickly. The tourist office runs webcams in the Hochgurgl ski area and at the Crosspoint. Check the official pages on the day rather than any forecast copied elsewhere.

• Hochgurgl webcams
• Hochgurgl snow report and slope status
• Hochgurgl weather forecast

When to visit Hochgurgl

For 2026/27 the lift company sells passes from 19 November 2026 to 18 April 2027, and the Top Mountain Star keeps the same dates. Night skiing at Hochgurgl runs on Thursdays from 17 December to 25 March. The tourist office places the valley in the dry inner Alps. In summer the Timmelsjoch road opens, from mid-May to late October in 2026, and the motorcycle museum becomes the main sight.

Hochgurgl vs Obergurgl

The two share one ski area, one lift pass and one tourist office, and the Top Express links them in nine minutes. The choice is about where you sleep.

Hochgurgl, at 2,150 m, is hotels on the piste with the highest lifts above them, and little else. Obergurgl, at 1,930 m, is the village: shops, supermarkets, a bakery, a doctor and restaurants within walking distance, and most beds within 250 m of a slope.

Choose Hochgurgl if you want to step out of the hotel onto the snow, high up and away from the village.

Choose Obergurgl if you want shops and restaurants on foot as well as the skiing.

What's nearby

• Obergurgl

  The village half of the ski area, about 200 m lower, nine minutes away on the Top Express gondola.

• Sölden

  A separate ski area further down the Ötztal, by road or ski bus; also on the Ötztal Super Skipass.

• Vent

  A ski area up a side valley, also on the Ötztal Super Skipass.

• Timmelsjoch

  The high alpine road over to South Tyrol, open in summer, starting past Hochgurgl.