 Poster: A snowHead
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Same ski area of course but has anyone stayed in both villages and if so what are your thoughts?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Although I've not actually stayed in Samnaun my immediate thought is that the cable car is the only access to the mountain. Not sure what the capacity is and how the queues are first thing in the morning. But its a nice little town (ette), plenty of hotels, the tax free status doesn't really seem to help pricing, although there is a good variety of places to eat and make merry, as well as plenty of accommodation options. Access back from the Ischgl is simple enough, either via Idjoch/Alptrida or Planinkopf. Easily reachable from the airport. Ischgl is larger and much more developed, with multiple access lifts to the mountain at Idalp and Pasrdatschgrat, four gondals up from the village if memory serves.. Plenty of accommodation along the valley and some of the most famous or infamous Apres in the alps. Again easy access from the airports. with a full area press you will also get access to the other resorts in the Paznaun valley (See, Kappl, Galtur) via the free ski bus. If anything Ischgl seems to be geared a little towards the more lucrative clients from Russia, Germany etc. However I guess everything could well be a little different next season.
Personally I prefer to stay in Galtur, better value from the hotels, and access Ischgl/Samnaun/Kappl/See/Galtur during my trip via the bus. my Daughter insists that I also add that she now prefers the Galtur option.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I didn't stay in Samnaun but I thought it looked cheesy with all the duty-free signs....not the "Switzerland" in my mind's eye at all. (Ischgl probably isn't, either). Agree with Bob about the singular lift access point also.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Ischgl2020 vs Ischgl2021 vs Samnaun
Who knows?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I was in Galtur/Ischgl in March, the week of the closure. I stayed in Galtur, and got the frequent bus in to Ischgl. Access to and from the ski area from Ischgl is plentiful and efficient. From Samnaun, you have a single, and a double decker cable car via a bus journey. I got a feeling those lifts are not as busy as a few of the multiple base gondolas in Ischgl.
It may also depend on what kind if night life you want, the Ischgl party scene or quieter small town/village, hence my staying in Galtur (and cost). Samnauan will have the Swiss Franc and Euro as currency, as do some of the mountain Restaurants in the Swiss Alp Trida area.
I stayed in the Hotel Alpenhotel Tirol in Galtur, which was superb.
No matter where you stay, I thought Ischgl was a great ski area, with plenty of miles to cover and an abundance of lifts, that look confusing at first, but are actually well thought out.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Not stayed in Samnaun either but would expect it to be VERY quiet once the lifts stop running with little or nothing to do outside a few restaurants and hotel wellness. It's also a lot more spread out along the valley than Ischgl, so a good chance you'll have to jump a bus to both get to the gondola in the morning and also to get around town in the evening (no idea what time they run till).
If you like the ski area but want somewhere quite and full board hotel/self catering with no desire to go out after the skis come off it could be a good choice - but as others have said so would Galtur be.
The one other reason for going to Samnaun would be you like early season skiing and LOVE Santa - https://www.samnaun.ch/en/clauwau-weltmeisterschaft-nikolause
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@waitrose,
I've stayed in Samnaun, Kappl and Galtur but not Ischgl itself. All on family holidays when apres was not of any interest to us and we were self catering.
Samnaun and Galtur were both quite a few years ago now.
Samnaun is a bit of a straggling area along the valley rather than having a single centre none of the accommodation is next to the cable car out though you can ski back to different bits, some are distinctly more appealing than others. The main bit is a mass of hotels and duty free shops some of the other bits are rather more attractive older villages. We did not explore the nightlife and I would not expect it to be particularly riotous.
The cable car has a huge car park that we usually used or a bus service from the different bits. Access to the main ski area from the cable car is pretty good though not quite as central as Ischgl's and fewer sheltered options if the weather is poor. The queuing for the cable car on our high season visit was a bit quieter than Ischgl's usually is but by no means quiet.
Ischgl's accommodation was a bit more expensive than Samnauns but cheaper options are available elsewhere in the Paznaun valley. It is party central and a lot mroe bustling than Samnaun.
Personally for family holidays both worked for us and we were quite happy. On expense grounds we ended up in Kappl most years. If nightlife is your thing Ischgl is definitely the better option
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Samnaun is a bit of an oddity, it is pretty isolated from the rest of Graubünden and is easier to reach from Austria. It is the only part of Graubünden (maybe in the whole of Switzerland) where the majority language is Bavarian German (same as Tirol). An odd take on a summer visit to the village https://www.hiddeneurope.co.uk/keeping-loyal-to-samnaun. It is a very different place to Ischgl, no brash loud apres or burger joints, though lots of "duty free" shops ( a result of a smart local 19th century mayor who played up the remote thing to persuade the cantonal authorities to give it duty free status) and "Wellness" hotels. From a ski perspective the only uplift to the skiing is via two cabin cars set in the gap between the two parts of the "village". Bus or car is likely to be the most practical option to get to the lifts in the morning though it is possible to ski back down to the two parts of the village. The piste down to Dorf is the lovely long red from the Palinkopf area, it is not so snow sure early and late season (there is a path link to the cable cars assuming valley level snow). There is a long blue down to Laret from Alp Trida, there have been various plans to build a lift here but none seem to have come to fruition. However there is now a plan (confirmed by a local referendum) to develop the area under Piz Ot for skiing, no idea what this will involve.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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piz ot is quite away from Samnaun.... bloody long drive.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Indeed, Piz Ot is just off the back of piste 80 shortly before you get unto Samnaum Dorf
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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I stand corrected 
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Many thanks for all the info guys, all very informative.
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FAQ
