Travel: St Anton: best resort for travel by train

THERE are about 20 serious ski resorts in the Alps that you can reach by rail. But in many you then need a taxi or a sleigh ride to your hotel or ski lift. Step off the train in St Anton and you may not need either. A few yards in one direction lie the (admittedly expensive) central hotels, while a few more in the other direction are the main lifts towards the vast, steep ski slopes of the Valluga. Arrive here in falling snow, or under twinkling stars, and stroll into the Hotel Post, and you may give up airports for ever.

PLUS POINTS Vast areas of off-piste skiing. Extensive piste skiing. Good snow record and snow-making facilities. Lively at night. For keen skiers. Resort is characterful and attractive. Easy access by road as well as rail.

MINUS POINTS Mainly south- facing. For an Austrian resort, lacking charm. Prone to lift queues. Nursery slopes not ideal.

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