This month, with ski breaks in mind, we’re in the stunning Austrian Alps that have beguiled Britons for decades. Specifically, Sankt Johann im Pongau, an hour’s drive south of Salzburg and well-served from Bristol and Birmingham airports. Alternatively, fit winter tyres, load your skis, drive out via northern France, Luxembourg and Bavaria, and say ‘sgott (from the traditional alpine welcome, ‘Grüß Gott’) to Salzburgerland.

Excellent Alpine accommodations and food
However you get here, you’ll soon forget workaday cares, enjoy great family skiing, and be tucking in to Salzburgerland specialities such as delicious Lungnau dumpling soup and wickedly-sweet Salzburger Nockerln.

Accommodation in St. Johann embraces all tastes and budgets, from the ‘Amazing!’ Hotel Oberforsthof and popular Alpina Sporthotel, to the three-star Pension Edelweiß and well-rated BIO-Bauernhof Rothof. As ever, TripAdvisor and Booking.com will be helpful when choosing.

For a break from the pistes and T-bar lifts, Sankt Johann offers plenty to entertain. The spectacular Liechtensteinklamm gorge is near Alpendorf, the heart of St Johann’s skiing (2km south of the town centre), and the renowned Pongauer Dom dominates the town skyline and delights church and architecture fans. It’s also close to Central St. Johann’s tempting cafes (check out Café Schiebel on Hauptstraße) and the main Wagrainerstraße-Hans-Kappacherstraße-Färbergasse shopping district.

Walk in Mozart’s footsteps
Cyclists of all abilities love the area’s network of well-maintained, generally level, cycleways along former railway lines. From Stanshope, the Tissington, Manifold and Monsal trails are a short drive away and offer spectacular views, tunnels, viaducts and insights into local history. And of course, tasty treats at the teashops that seem to pop up in former railway buildings! We’ll leave you to work out whose is the ‘original’ Bakewell Tart recipe… Just make sure to leave room for a delicious evening meal. Fancy a break from self-catering? There are many good places to try, such as Hartington’s character-packed Manifold Inn.

Everything good about Austrian family skiing
Austria is deservedly popular with us Brits when we crave the cold white stuff and Johann-Alpendorf represents everything that’s good about the country’s renowned family skiing. Being set in the heart of the Ski Amadé winter sport region (yes, the name is derived from the ‘Amadeus’ in Mozart’s name), with its 760km of runs, the Alpendorf resort, Sankt Johann’s other attractions, and the enduring appeal of Land Salzburg shouldn’t disappoint.

If you’re planning skiing in 2017, we reckon you should shortlist this quintessentially Austrian delight.