Mellau in the Bregenzerwald
Welcome to the largest ski area in the Bregenzerwald. A village that is quieter in summer than in winter, but never empty.
Day trips: what is within reach
With the Guest Card you travel free of charge in summer — the regional bus (Landbus) serves the Bregenzerwald remarkably well.
| Destination | Distance | Why go |
|---|---|---|
| Bezau | approx. 7 km | Baumgarten cable car, Wälderbähnle heritage railway, village centre |
| Damüls | approx. 15 km | The other half of the ski area, a hiking mountain in summer |
| Schwarzenberg | approx. 12 km | Angelika Kauffmann Museum, a classic Bregenzerwald village |
| Bad Reuthe | approx. 10 km | Peat baths and spa |
| Dornbirn | approx. 25 km | Inatura nature museum, Rappenloch Gorge, shopping |
| Bregenz on Lake Constance | approx. 40 km | Lake stage, Pfänder, swimming |
| Mainau Island | approx. 75 km | Day trip across Lake Constance |
| Lech and Warth | approx. 40 km | Via the Hochtannbergpass road, the Arlberg in winter |
Eating out: where the lights are on at night.
The valley still has as many inns as it always did.
In the Bregenzerwald almost every village has kept its inn — with mountain cheese from its own dairy, Käsknöpfle, the Bregenzerwald cheese spätzle, and game from the surrounding area. It is worth booking a table at weekends; we are happy to tell you at breakfast which places are open at the moment.
Winter and summer
We let in both seasons — and each has its own merits.
Winter: early December to early April
The Mellau cable car takes you into the linked Mellau-Damüls ski area, the largest in the Bregenzerwald. Damüls is considered one of the snowiest inhabited places in the Alps. The cross-country ski trail and a groomed winter walking trail start directly opposite our house; the natural toboggan run, with a place to stop for food and drink, is near the village centre. The ski bus stops one minute’s walk away and is free for guests.
Summer: early May to the end of October
From May the Bregenzerwald is a hiking area with an unusually dense network of trails — from an easy loop along the valley floor to the traverse of the Kanisfluh. Mountain bikers find routes that would long since be overrun elsewhere. From three nights you receive the Bregenzerwald Guest Card free of charge: mountain lifts, swimming pools and all buses included.
In the middle of the valley, just below us.
1,300 inhabitants and, above them, the Kanisfluh, the limestone massif that gives the middle Bregenzerwald its profile.
Mellau lies in the middle Bregenzerwald, in the Austrian province of Vorarlberg, about 25 kilometres from Dornbirn and 40 from Bregenz on Lake Constance. The Bregenzerach flows through the valley, with the slopes rising on either side.
The Bregenzerwald is not a region that has made itself subordinate to tourism. It is known for its Cheese Road, for the craft businesses of the Werkraum and for architecture that draws international attention: timber buildings that are modern without denying their origins.
Mellau at a glance
- Altitude
- 690 mVillage centre
- Local mountain
- Kanisfluh2,044 m
- Ski area
- Mellau-Damüls109 km of pistes, 27 lifts
- Nearest town
- Dornbirnapprox. 25 km, regional bus 40
- Lake Constance
- approx. 40 kmBregenz, Lindau
- Province
- VorarlbergBregenz district
Food and craft:
a tradition that is alive.
The KäseStrasse Bregenzerwald (Cheese Road) links the region’s dairies, farms and inns. Bregenzerwald mountain cheese has protected status, and almost every village has a producer where you can watch and buy.
The Werkraum Bregenzerwald in Andelsbuch is the association of the region’s craft businesses, housed in a building by Peter Zumthor.
Come and visit
Three apartments and a single room, right in the village. Ask about your dates — we usually reply the same day.