A Foodie’s Guide To The European Slopes
Have you ever eaten pretzels at 2,000 metres above sea level? You should really do that.
![](http://archive.junkee.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/hero.jpg)
![](http://junkee.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/logo1.jpg)
Presented by
Thanks to Contiki we’re shining a light on the best European Winter has to offer; and it’s not all carols, eggnog and log fires.
–
What’s the deal with skiing? There’s something about careering down a mountain strapped to thin wedges of wood or carbon graphite that’s always been associated with the super rich.
While school holidays in the French Alps are generally still the pastime of squillionaires, European getaways in the snow are actually really doable, with regions from Germany to Switzerland offering affordable holidays for Aussies. The best thing is that even if you don’t wish to fulfill your Freudian death wish on a black run, these areas are teaming with cool bars, places to eat, and scenery so good you won’t even need a filter. Yeah. That good.
–
1. Drink from a bar at 3,000 metres above sea level
Top Mountain Star Hotel – Wurmkogel Mountain, Austria
![1.TopMountainHotel](http://junkee.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/1.TopMountainHotel.jpg)
A view of Top Mountain Star Hotel. It looks like a Bond villain’s hideout. [image via Top Hotel Hochgurgl]
–
2. Eat pretzels on Bavaria’s tallest mountain
Restaurant Alpspitze – Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
![2.pretzel2](http://junkee.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/2.pretzel2.jpg)
Yep, that’s a good lunch. [image via Rosalyn Davis]
Located on Bavaria’s highest peak, Restaurant Alpspitze serves pretzels with beer and weißwürste (sausages) for less than €7. If that doesn’t do it for you, they also serve other Bavarian fare such as pastries and schnapps, and at 2,033 metres above sea level, it offers the highest dining experience in, well, Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
–
3. Be James Bond and gamble in St Moritz
Casino St Moritz – St Moritz, Switzerland
Look, gambling isn’t the sort of thing you want to do everyday, especially in Australia where it probably means spending lots of time in front of a poker machine at your local RSL. But hey, when you’re in St Moritz, home to the rich and famous, James Bond, and other examples of ostentatious wealth… well, you just have to throw the dice, at least once. You won’t feel to bad about losing all your money in such a swanky place.
–
4. Drink at Mooserwirt, and then ski home
Mooserwirt – St Anton, Austria
![4.Mooserwirt](http://junkee.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/4.Mooserwirt.jpg)
Mooserwirt sells more beer per square metre than anywhere else in Austria. [image via Moosewirt]
–
5. Go to a music festival in your ski lodge
Zermatt Unplugged Festival – Zermatt, Switzerland
![5.Zermatt](http://junkee.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/5.Zermatt.jpg)
Button-up rock! [image via Zermatt Unplugged Festival]
–
6. Party like Prince Harry
The Farm Club – Verbier, Switzerland
![6.FarmBar](http://junkee.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/6.FarmBar.jpg)
What do you mean it looks tacky? Are you calling Fergie tacky? [image via Farm Club]
–
7. Eat halfway down a cliff face
Äscher Cliff Restaurant – Wasserauen, Switzerland
![7.AscherCliff](http://junkee.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/7.AscherCliff.jpg)
Take a photo, print it on canvas, and put it in your good room [image via Ascher Cliff Restaurant]
–
8. Eat at the world’s oldest sausage restaurant
Zum Gulden Stern – Nuremberg, Germany
![8.sausage](http://junkee.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/8.sausage.jpg)
The restaurant’s old, but the sausages are brand new! [image via Bernt Rostad]
–
9. Drink beer from a monastery
Andechs Monastery – Bavaria, Germany
![8.Andechs](http://junkee.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/8.Andechs.jpg)
Ain’t no beer like a monk-brewed beer. [image via Andechs]
Drinking beer with monks has got to be the most guilt-free alcohol experience you’re ever likely to get, and better yet, the monastery is smack-bang in the middle of Bavaria’s ski fields!
–
10. Drink at a bar carved out of ice
White Lounge – Mayrhofner, Austria
![9.WhiteLounge](http://junkee.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/9.WhiteLounge.jpg)
At this bar, it’s good to dress frumpy and practical. [image via White Lounge]
–
Callum Denness is Melbourne-based freelance writer who makes films, takes photos and watches television. You can tweet him here.
Feature image via Moosewirt
Follow Contiki here on Twitter.