We visited 2 of the world's most expensive ski towns and found they're both wildly luxurious — but in totally different ways

Monica Humphries,Maria NoyenMar 23, 2022, 15:33 IST

Side-by-side images of Aspen and Lech.Monica Humphries/Insider/Maria Noyen/Insider

Aspen in the US and Lech in Austria are two of the most luxurious ski resorts in the world.
Insider's US and London reporters visited both, which are known to attract celebrities and royals.

Two Insider reporters visited luxury ski resorts in the US and Europe.

Monica, left, in Aspen; Maria, right, in Lech.Monica Humphries/Insider/Maria Noyen/Insider

Aspen and Lech are worlds away from each other.

Arrows point to Aspen, Colorado, and Lech, Austria, on a world map.Google Maps

Both resorts are accessible by flying, but a private taxi from the airport is essentially the only way to get to Lech.

Insider's authors took planes and private cars to their respective ski towns.Monica Humphries/Insider/Maria Noyen/Insider

Aspen is home to restaurants serving international cuisines, while Lech's food scene is more local and traditional.

Aspen's restaurants ranged from sushi to Italian to American; meanwhile, Lech focused on traditional Austrian food.Monica Humphries/Insider/Maria Noyen/Insider

Both Aspen and Lech are very walkable ski towns.

Both authors found their respective ski towns to be easily accessible on foot.Monica Humphries/Insider/Maria Noyen/Insider

Walking around Aspen and Lech, both reporters instantly saw things that screamed luxury.

Art galleries and golf carts were two major signs of luxury in the ski towns.Monica Humphries/Insider/Maria Noyen/Insider

Aspen is a hub for celebrities, billionaires, and influencers, whereas Lech is the go-to ski resort for royals.

While celebrities frequent Aspen, Lech targets a royal crowd.Riccardo S. Savi/Getty Images/Frame Denim/Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty Images

Shops in Aspen and Lech both cater to big-budget clients.

Streets in Aspen and Lech were lined with high-end designer stores.Monica Humphries/Insider/Maria Noyen/Insider

One major difference between the towns is that Aspen's real-estate market is booming while it's rare for anyone to buy a home in Lech.

The two ski towns have drastically different real-estate markets.Monica Humphries/Insider/Maria Noyen/Insider

The street style in Aspen and Lech shows how wealthy the regular clients are.

Visitors to the expensive ski towns dressed the part.Monica Humphries/Insider/Maria Noyen/Insider

Cost-wise, Aspen is a bit more expensive. A day pass to ski in Aspen will set you back about $200 compared to Lech's $72 lift ticket.

Lift tickets in Aspen were pricier than in Lech.Monica Humphries/Insider/Maria Noyen/Insider

Hot tubs are an Aspen staple, but in Lech it's all about the sauna.

Both of the Aspen hotels Monica stayed in had hot tubs, whereas Maria's hotel had a sauna.Monica Humphries/Insider/Maria Noyen/Insider

Skiing-wise, Lech's slopes are known to be super wide, which is helpful for beginners. Meanwhile, Aspen is more suited to advanced skiers.

The two ski towns had slopes with varying levels of difficulty for its skiers.Monica Humphries/Insider/Maria Noyen/Insider

Both reporters would go back to Aspen and Lech when they have the chance.