Hotel in Stuben am Arlberg: three houses in the village by the Albona lift

Stuben am Arlberg: a pass village at around 1,400 metres

Stuben is part of the municipality of Klösterle in the Klostertal valley of Vorarlberg. The village lies on the Vorarlberg side of the Arlberg pass. The top of the pass itself is at 1,793 metres near St. Christoph, already in Tyrol.

The village centre is small. The church, inns, ski rental and the valley station of the Albona I lift are a few minutes' walk apart. The parish church of Our Lady's Nativity stands right next to the Ski Hotel Mondschein. Stuben has been a parish of its own, separate from Klösterle, since 1666.

Stay here and you are in the middle of the Ski Arlberg area, but in a village without a shopping street. For browsing the shops you go to Lech or St. Anton. In the evening in Stuben you walk from dinner to your room.

Stubenbach is not Stuben

When searching for accommodation, Stubenbach often comes up. It is part of Lech, a good 12 kilometres by road from Stuben, on the other side of the Flexen pass. The Lech village bus serves Lech, Oberlech, Zug, Stubenbach and Zürs. Stuben am Arlberg has the postcode 6762.

From pass inn to ski village

The history of Stuben is the history of the pass. As early as 1218 the Knights of St. John built shelters here so that travellers on the Arlberg would find "fire, water and a roof". In 1330 Stuben is first mentioned as a post station, as the "emperor's highest parlour".

In 1739 the Gasthaus zum Mondschein got its name. According to the house tradition, carters and traders waited here for the full moon, because only its light showed the way to St. Christoph. With the Arlberg railway from 1884, traffic went under the mountain and Stuben grew quiet. From 1900 the first tourists came, and the Post and Mondschein inns became base camps for mountaineers.

Hannes Schneider was born in Stuben in 1890. With the Arlberg technique he shaped skiing and in 1920 founded the first ski school in Austria on the Arlberg. Between 1920 and 1933 he appeared in films such as "Der weiße Rausch". Shortly before the Second World War he moved to the USA and built up a ski area in North Conway. Since 2012 a bronze sculpture by Udo Rabensteiner has stood in the village in his honour.

His brother Friedrich founded the Stuben ski school in 1924. Emil Walch, a racer and trained stove maker, later took over the Mondschein. His tiled stove still stands in the Alte Gaststube today. Walch also drove the building of the Albona lift, which opened on 13 April 1957.

Skiing from Stuben: the Albona, Alpe Rauz and the whole Arlberg

Stuben belongs to Ski Arlberg, together with St. Anton, St. Christoph, Lech and Zürs. One ski pass covers the whole area. You can get your ski pass at reception in the Ski Hotel, and the ski rental is across the road.

Albona I: the local mountain outside the door

Since winter 2023/24 the Albona I lift has been an eight-person gondola. In around five minutes it climbs from 1,405 to 1,845 metres, right next to the Albona Mitte mountain restaurant. From the Ski Hotel Mondschein it is a three-minute walk to the valley station.

The runs on the Albona are long and face north, which is why the snow holds here until late spring. If you come in March or April, you have the local mountain right outside the door.

Albona ridge: terrain off the piste

Above the Albona is the Albona ridge. Stuben explicitly lists freeriding and ski touring among its winter activities. Off the piste, only go with avalanche equipment and ideally with a mountain guide.

The Longboard Classic starts on the Albona ridge, a race for longboards and old-school snowboards over 1,001 vertical metres down to Stuben. Paul Gruber founded it in 1999. The 27th edition took place on 11 April 2026.

Alpe Rauz: the hub for St. Anton and Lech

Alpe Rauz lies east of the village on the pass road. Three lifts start here: the Albonabahn II back up onto the Albona, the Valfagehrbahn towards St. Anton and the Flexenbahn to Zürs.

Via the Valfagehrbahn you ski into the runs of St. Anton and St. Christoph. The Flexenbahn takes you in a ten-seater gondola from 1,665 to 2,227 metres, and from Zürs you continue on skis to Lech and Oberlech. Plan your way back via the Flexenbahn before the lifts close in the afternoon. Which lifts are running today is shown on our page lifts, slopes and webcam live.

The season and winter in the village

For 2026/27 Ski Arlberg plans the season in St. Anton, St. Christoph and Stuben from 2 December 2026 to 18 April 2027, noting that partial operation is possible. In the village there is a cross-country trail, plus tobogganing, winter walking and snowshoe tours. A free ski bus runs several times a day to the Sonnenkopf lift in Klösterle.

Three houses in the village: which hotel in Stuben suits you?

The Ski Hotel Mondschein 1739 is the original house at Hannes Schneider Promenade 9. A four-star hotel with half board in the evening, three minutes' walk from the Albona I lift, with a wine cellar from the 17th century. It opens in winter, from December to mid-April.

The Mondschein Chalet with private spa suites at Stuben 55 sits a little above the village, with direct access to the piste. Each suite has its own wellness area, with a sauna, infrared cabin or hot tub depending on the suite. The Chalet is open all year, so also for hikers in summer.

The Arlberg Motel at Stuben 53 is the simple choice: bed and breakfast right next to the valley station of the Albona I lift. It suits you if you mainly want to ski and eat at the hotel next door in the evening. The Motel is also closed in summer.

• Ski Hotel Mondschein: Hannes Schneider Promenade 9, winter, half board available
• Mondschein Chalet: Stuben 55, all year, private spa suites
• Arlberg Motel: Stuben 53, winter, bed and breakfast

In all three houses check-in is from 3 pm and check-out by 11 am. You can reach us on +43 5582 511.

Eating and drinking in Stuben

Stuben is small, and so is the choice of restaurants. At the Ski Hotel Mondschein several dining rooms sit under one roof. The Alte Gaststube, the fondue and the Chef's Table are also open to guests who are not staying with us.

The Alte Gaststube cooks à la carte from 12 noon to 3 pm and from 6 pm to 9 pm. You sit next to Emil Walch's tiled stove. In the Bilderzimmer there is fondue every evening from 6 pm. Hotel guests on half board have the Chef's Choice in the Panorama Restaurant or the Zirbenstube.

The Chef's Table has no more than eight seats and is open on Mondays and from Friday to Sunday. The evening starts at 7 pm with an aperitif in the wine cellar, and the menu follows at 7.30 pm. Falstaff rates the Chef's Table with 95 points in 2026.

The bar opens at 4 pm, and on Fridays Electronic Friday goes on until 2.30 am. On the mountain, the Albona Mitte restaurant is right at the top of the Albona I lift. Times, menus and reservations are under restaurants and Chef's Table at the Mondschein.

Stuben in summer: hiking on the pass

In summer Stuben is even quieter. The Ski Hotel and the Motel are closed then, and the Mondschein Chalet stays open.

The Arlberg Trail links Lech, Zürs, Stuben, St. Christoph and St. Anton in three stages over 52.1 kilometres. It is graded difficult and is best walked clockwise. Stuben is one of the three starting points.

• Stuben, Stubner See lake, Kaltenberghütte and back: around 4 hours, intermediate
• The hunters' and poachers' path with wooden sculptures
• The alpine flower trail and raised bog lakes around Stuben
• By mountain bike: Stuben, St. Christoph, Galzig and back, around 3 hours

Down the valley is the Sonnenkopf activity mountain near Klösterle. What there is to do there and in the villages below is on our page about the Klostertal.

Getting to Stuben am Arlberg

By car, take the S16 Arlberg expressway to the Klösterle/Langen exit. From Tyrol you come through the Arlberg tunnel. The Stuben car park is free. In winter, winter equipment and snow chains belong in the car.

By train you get off at Langen am Arlberg, where the express trains also stop. From there it is a good 4 kilometres by road to Stuben. You continue on regional bus 750 via Stuben to Zürs and Lech, by taxi or with our shuttle if you book in advance.

The figures come from the OpenStreetMap route planner and apply without traffic jams. On winter Saturdays and in snowfall, allow more time. All the ways by train, plane and transfer are under getting to the Mondschein. If you are coming from Bavaria, you will find car and train connections on our page Arlberg ski holiday from Munich.