Montafon day trip from the Arlberg: from Stuben to Schruns and Partenen

How far is the Montafon from the Arlberg?

Stuben lies on the Vorarlberg side of the Arlberg, so you do not cross a pass to reach the Montafon. The road goes downhill to Langen, then on the S16 Arlberg expressway through the Klostertal to Bludenz. From Bludenz you take the L188 Silvretta road into the valley.

The times in the table come from a route calculation based on OpenStreetMap and apply to clear roads. In snow and on the usual weekend changeover days, it is better to allow a buffer.

For the S16 between Langen and Bludenz you need an Austrian vignette. Without a vignette, take the main road through the villages of the Klostertal. What there is to see on the way is described on our pages about the Klostertal and Bludenz and the Brandnertal.

By train and bus to the Montafon

Without a car, you take the Arlberg railway from Langen am Arlberg station to Bludenz. There you change to the Montafonerbahn. It has run from Bludenz to Schruns since December 1905 and was one of the first electrically operated main-line railways of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy.

The line is just under 13 kilometres long, and the journey to Schruns takes around 19 minutes. From Schruns, ski and hiking buses take you on to the valley stations and the villages further up the valley.

How to get from the hotel to Langen station and which buses run on the Arlberg is on our page getting to Stuben. For a day with ski equipment the car is usually more comfortable; for a stroll around Schruns the train is fine.

The villages of the Montafon, from Schruns to Partenen

The Montafon is not a single village but a string of villages along the Ill. Coming from Bludenz you first reach Vandans, then Tschagguns and Schruns, then St. Gallenkirch, Gaschurn and finally Partenen. To the north the Verwall mountains frame the valley, to the south lie the Rätikon and the Silvretta with the Piz Buin at 3,312 metres.

Schruns

Schruns is the main village of the valley and the end of the Montafonerbahn. The Hochjochbahn runs from here into the ski area. Ernest Hemingway spent the winters of 1924/25 and 1925/26 at the Hotel Taube with the Nels family, and a bronze statue of him stands opposite today's Posthotel Taube. The Schruns local history museum is one of the oldest of its kind in the Alps.

Tschagguns

Tschagguns lies opposite Schruns on the other side of the Ill. Above it is Latschau with its reservoir. The Golm valley station is in Vandans. In summer there is an alpine coaster, a forest rope park and a flying fox that runs on a 565-metre steel cable over the Latschau reservoir.

St. Gallenkirch

St. Gallenkirch has the Valiserabahn, one of the main entry points to the Silvretta Montafon. In winter you need a ticket for the car park at the Valiserabahn; in summer it is free.

Gaschurn

Gaschurn is the third entry point to the ski area, with the Versettlabahn. Hemingway came here too: he stayed at the Rössle with the Kessler family. From Stuben, Gaschurn is the furthest of the three entry points, but you start right in the back part of the area.

Partenen

Partenen is the last village before the Bielerhöhe, at 1,051 metres. The Silvretta High Alpine Road starts here, and the Vermuntbahn runs up to Trominier. If you are heading for the Bielerhöhe, leave your car here.

Bartholomäberg, Silbertal and Gargellen

Away from the main road lie three villages that many day visitors miss. Bartholomäberg sits at 1,087 metres on the sunny slope of the valley. In the Baroque parish church hangs a Romanesque processional cross from Limoges, made around 1150. Iron, copper and silver were mined here as early as the Middle Ages.

Silbertal is a side valley near Schruns, named after the old silver mining. The Kristbergbahn takes you up to the hamlet of Kristberg. An old footpath leads over the Kristberg saddle at 1,481 metres to Dalaas in the Klostertal, almost to our front door.

Gargellen belongs to the municipality of St. Gallenkirch and lies in the Gargellental at 1,423 metres. It is the highest village in the Montafon, with its own small ski area from the Schafbergbahn.

A ski day in the Silvretta Montafon

The Silvretta Montafon lies between Schruns, St. Gallenkirch and Gaschurn. According to the operator it has 140 kilometres of runs and 35 lifts, with the highest top station at 2,430 metres. The 2026/27 winter season is planned from 27 November 2026 to 11 April 2027.

The Silvretta Montafon is a separate ski area with its own tickets. Your Ski Arlberg pass is not automatically valid there, so check prices and day passes on the ski area's website beforehand.

The Valiserabahn runs daily from 28 November, the Versettlabahn from 3 December and the Hochjochbahn from 19 December to 4 April. So if you come early in the winter, start in St. Gallenkirch.

For strong skiers there are five runs called Black Scorpion, the steepest with gradients of up to 67 percent. The Montafon Totale ski tour links around 45 kilometres of runs and 10,000 vertical metres of descent in one day. If you only have one day, it is better to ski one side of the area properly rather than try to cover everything in six hours.

From 6 to 21 March 2027 the FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships take place in the Silvretta Montafon. Ski cross and snowboard cross are held on the Grasjoch, the slopestyle events on the Nova. Expect more activity in the valley during these weeks and ask beforehand which runs are open.

The Bielerhöhe and the Silvretta High Alpine Road in summer

The Silvretta High Alpine Road runs 22.3 kilometres with 34 hairpin bends from Partenen to the Bielerhöhe at 2,032 metres and on to Galtür in Tyrol. After rockfalls and mudslides since summer 2024, the Vorarlberg side remains closed until 2030. At present you cannot drive up from Partenen.

The alternative is the Vermuntbahn. It takes you from Partenen to Trominier in five minutes, and from there minibuses run through tunnels to the Bielerhöhe and the Silvrettasee lake. The car park at the valley station is closed because of construction work at the Vermunt power plant, so park opposite at the Tafamuntbahn.

From the Tyrolean side, the Bielerhöhe can be reached by car in summer, via the Paznaun and Galtür. More on our page about the Paznaun and Ischgl. In winter, according to the operator, the Silvretta-Bielerhöhe opens from 25 December 2026 for ski touring, cross-country skiing and winter walking, reached by the Vermuntbahn and the tunnel bus.

In summer the Mondschein Chalet is your house for days like these. The Ski Hotel and the Arlberg Motel are closed then, and the Mondschein Chalet with its private spa suites is open all year.

How to plan the day from Stuben

A day in the Montafon works best if you set off early and do not choose a destination too far up the valley. An example of a ski day in winter:

• 7.15 am: leave Stuben, checking the road conditions first.
• Around 8 am: arrive at the Hochjochbahn in Schruns, or a little later at the Valiserabahn in St. Gallenkirch.
• Lunch: stop on the mountain, then a second round on the same side in the afternoon.
• From 3.45 pm: keep an eye on the last rides up, with the last ride down at 4.30 pm.
• Around 5.30 pm: back in Stuben, with time for the sauna and dinner.

In summer, swap the ski day for a walk at the Bielerhöhe or an afternoon at the Golm. For families with children the Golm is the shorter drive. In the rain, Schruns and its local history museum make a quiet half day.

Back on the Arlberg in the evening

After a day in the Montafon you are back in Stuben in just under an hour. In winter you eat à la carte in the Alte Gaststube at the Ski Hotel Mondschein 1739. Or you reserve the Chef's Table, which Falstaff 2026 rated with 95 points. Tables and times are under restaurants and Chef's Table.

If you want to know what it looks like on the Arlberg before you set off, check lifts, weather and webcams on the Arlberg. That way you can decide in the morning whether today is a ski day on the Albona or a trip to the Montafon.

It is best to make the trip on a day in the middle of the week. That way you get to know two valleys, but sleep in the same room every night. The Mondschein includes the Ski Hotel at Hannes Schneider Promenade 9, the Mondschein Chalet at Stuben 55 and the Arlberg Motel at Stuben 53. Check-in is from 3 pm, check-out by 11 am.