Kitzbühel is traditional. Kitzbühel sips champagne in fur coats. Kitzbühel wears Bogner jackets and only goes up the mountain to sit on the terrace enjoying expensive, low-calorie canapés to stylish jazz music nodding to the relaxed beat of affluence. Kitzbühel drives Lamborghinis, Porsches and Bentleys and is the place to see and be seen. Kitzbühel buys Prada and Louis Vuitton. Kitzbühel loves big parties, showing off the most expensive clothes and the most beautiful botoxed faces. Kitzbühel attracts fat wallets. Kitzbühel is an abundance of tasteless bragging.
Amidst all these prejudices and assertations, the many facets of the skitown are lost. Kitzbühel is young. What at first glance seems like endless ‘Chichi’, too much of everything and too little of the right stuff, is a hotspot for laid-back and easy-going vibes. Pearing behind the facade, behind the celebrity and high-society circles you can find spots that do not appear to fit the exclusive image of the town. Digging through the superficial layers of glamour reveals Kitzbühel’s young, relaxed community; a ground-breaking enthusiasm for sport, movement and nature. New emerging companies, a wealth of art and ideas – all of this is overshadowed by a sea of luxurious judgements.
A day in the Tyrolean town does not have to be spent in the land of wealth. You can find authentic places and shops, which never seem to be mentioned when talking about the overpriced wintersport area. Kitzbühel is a playground for adventurers, connoisseurs, photographers and nature lovers:
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Franz Coffee & Lifestyle Shop
Fashionable sport clothing and shoe shopping in a rustic-modern atmosphere whilst enjoying the rich aroma of coffee. Donuts for nourishment at the shop’s café along with many other foods and beverages make your shopping experience unique. The brand new Franz Coffee & Lifestyle Shop stocks brands such as Nike, New Balance and Under Armour and tops it all off with delectables and a rustic-hip ambience. This is the young scene in Kitzbühel.
Lanna Thai Imbiss
Minimalistic, small and simply furnished, this Thai restaurant located directly on the ‘Horn’- intersection, is not one of the most famous culinary hotspots in Kitzbühel but it is definitely an insider secret. Freshly prepared food, lunch buffets, large portions and fair prices.
Zinnkrug
Definitely no glamor-shack, the Zinnkrug is however a place where you can be properly nourished. They say “if the menu is too big, the range of dishes is too big, it will most likely lack taste and quality”. Not in Zinnkrug. In the rustic restaurant located right in the city, you can eat anything from pizza to fish to steaks and desserts all of which will satisfy your hunger’s greatest dreams. Simple, cheap and always worth a visit.
Bücherklause Haertel
Take a book, get recommendations, sniff the pages and enjoy the smell of fresh paper. Yes, even in Kitzbühel survives a small, quaint book shop against the big online portals like Amazon. It is a must see for all bookworms. It is a tiny intellectual oasis in the middle of the pedestrian zone.
Pano
Pano wins you over with its cozy atmosphere, full tables and optimal location and fresh, delectable food; homemade bread and delicious spreads. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, coffee breaks or afternoon snacks.
O’Flannigans
The authentic atmosphere and music, live acts with the most laid-back people behind the bar. Enjoyable parties, relaxed beer drinking or chilled apres-ski will satisfy anyone who steps foot inside this authentic spot.
The Londoner
Probably the most famous club in town. Legendary stories were written in the Londoner. The sons and daughters of the super rich party with ski-bums. Munich rich kids mingle with true-blue Kitzbüheler locals and Louis Vuitton poised girls fall in love with Australian seasonal workers – there are no classes in the Londoner. In the Londoner you party.
Manni’s
After long nights, countless relatively successful approaches to the same or different sex, after umpteen tequila rounds and with music soaked ears, there is nothing that could awaken the mind more than food! Pizza, Fleishkas-Semmel, Hot Dogs – everything that the heart of a night owl desires, you will find at Manni’s located right next to the Londoner.
Horngipfel Frühstück
Whilst eating breakfast at the Horn, you can see the sun rise behind the Loferer Steinberge, listen to the Weisenbläser… – No major program point, but a must see for all connoisseurs and those who love authentic mountain experiences. In the summer, the Kitzbüheler Bergbahn will take you on a special gondola ride from 4:30am. Locals and tourists alike admire the natural wonder atop the mountain. Sportspeople and night owls can skip the gondola and walk up. Pure magic!
El Dorado Bar
The absolute secret hotspot for anyone looking for small but authentic gatherings, long nights at open-mic nights and many rounds of tequila. Perfect for those looking for somewhere else to spend their nights other than in the Londoner or Take Five Trubels.
Ping Pong Club
The Ping Pong Club was brought to life by three young, adventurous people. They created a party concept, which appeals to the young, hip and easy-going scene of Kitzbühel. Playing ping pong with a beer in hand whilst a mix of chilled funk, soul, 90’s hip hop, house and techno plays. Refreshingly relaxed and refreshingly different.
Seidlalmsee
A short hike and you are in a mountain paradise. Framed by a breathtaking mountain scene. Offering a sensational view of the Wilde Kaiser and the Kitzbüheler Horn along with a goosebump provoking sunset, the Seidlalmsee is loved by the locals. It is popular for skinny or normal dipping and chilling on the shore in the grass.
element3
A first class, upscale, high quality ski school in winter. A 365 day per year experience company. Every adventure that an adrenaline junkie dreams of is made possible by element3. Tandem flights, canyoning, mountain biking, climbing tours – element3 is ready.
Rote Teufel Kitzbühel (Red Devils Kitzbühel)
A historic and legendary ski school. World Famous; and not for nothing. The quantity of fully-certified instructors and Kitzbühel natives is what makes the Rote Teufel the ski-blacksmiths of Kitzbühel.
Sport
You can run around the scenic Schwarzsee in the morning. You can go to the climbing hall, gym, ice skating rink, or to the swimming pool. You can play golf or tennis, go hiking, snowshoeing or walk around the (cross-country) tracks and much much more. Kitzbühel makes the sporting heart beat faster.
Kitzbühel’s reputation as an exclusive winter sport destination and celebrity hotspot is important for the town – it made and makes it what it is today; successful and elegant. Historical and traditional. Kitzbühel is not just the parking lot for all of Munich’s Ferraris and the capital city of Moncler jackets. Kitzbühel is so much more.
Kitzbühel can be an adventure. Kitzbühel is connected to nature. Kitzbühel goes to the mountain at night to see the sun rise behind the peaks in the morning. Kitzbühel climbs the mountain to jump into the crystal clear lake. Kitzbühel plays football well (by Austrian standards). Kitzbühel parties in Irish pubs. Kitzbühel hikes to breathtaking waterfalls and remote pastures. Kitzbühel finds its balance through outdoor yoga. Kitzbühel glides over the old town’s rooftops during tandem flights. Kitzbühel throws itself into canyons during guided tours. Kitzbühel goes ski-touring and listens to the wind atop the mountain. Kitzbühel nibbles on homemade bread in hip cafés. Kitzbühel designs new business concepts and Kitzbühel rushes down untouched and glittering powder runs. Kitzbühel eats good-value pizza and Kasspatzl’n in traditional huts.
Kitz is not just niminy-piminy. Kitz wakes up early to get the first gondola and shred the first powder turns. Kitz is sport-orientated and organises events that make the adventurous heart race. Kitz can party – with a beer in one hand and a Fleischkas-Semmel for food for the way home. Kitz attracts young people from all over the world to come and work as a ski instructor. Kitz wears Arcteryx and Northface and enjoys the hip streetfood festivals, it dances to good music and is young and casual.
If everyone in Kitz relaxed with caviar and champagne, there would not be such a huge sporting scene of past and future ski stars, extreme mountaineers, triathletes, cross-country skiers, cyclists, footballers and mountain bikers. If Kitz was only concerned with moving its far too snobby cars through town, there would be no young, aspiring artists and start-up entrepreneurs, there would be no progress and no events that attract tens of thousands of people to Kitzbühel. Events like the Hahnenkamm Race, the Vertical-Up, the Triathlon, concerts, Harley Davidson meetings, the New Year fireworks, the Tristkogel-Challenge, the ATP Generali Open Tennis Tournament, guided tours on the mountains and in town and so much more. These are events that would not exist without the “Kitzbüheler”. “Kitzbühelers” who invest sweat, thousands of man hours as well as enthusiasm and a love for their town all to offer people from all over the world some awesome entertainment.
If Kitz only partied at high-society festivals, there would be no daily cluster of people, who go up with the first gondola through the thickest fog and rip down the Streif with the biggest smile on their faces. With a genuine smile: no botox treated or fake designer-smile, which many associate with Kitzbühel. A smile triggered by true happiness and real endorphins, by untouched powder runs, relaxing moments at the lake or Hot Chocolate with a lotttttttt of whipped cream. ‘Kitzbühelers’ do not spend millions on fur coats and champagne, in the Mecca of wintersport, money is invested in skis, good parties and delicious food. Kitzbühel is NOT ONLY what everyone expects. Kitzbühel is much more.
Kitz is young. Kitzbühel can be so much more than just luxury and money. You just have to look past the prejudices.
