Walking Holidays In The Tyrol Mountains
An essential guide to walking and hiking in the Tyrol
If you’re looking for classic Alpine scenery but have already had your fill of the more famous French and Swiss Alps (or just prefer somewhere a little less popular) then I think the Tyrol mountains may be for you.
The westernmost finger of Austria, sandwiched between Bavaria and northern Italy, is essentially all mountain – the Tyrol (and its westerly neighbour, little Vorarlberg) is a coherent picture of classic Alpine scenery.
But not all Alps are the same: the limestone massifs in the north and south provide different experiences from the glacier-clad central mountains, and locals distinguish between 20-odd mini-ranges.
One thing they all have in common: they’re laced with well-maintained paths – around 24,000km in total – and feature excellent transport and accommodation, in attractive traditional villages or mountain huts, to make organising multi-day treks a breeze.
The best walking holidays in the Tyrol Mountains
Our experts' top picks
Tyrol Mountains
Adlerweg (Eagle's Way)
The Tirol’s flagship long-distance trail is the Adlerweg (Eagle’s Way), a challenging 300km trek between St Anton and St Johann; variant routes allow less-experienced trekkers to bypass the more technical sections.
Tyrol Mountains
Stubai Höhenweg
- Distance: 80 km
- Duration: Seven to nine days
- Start: Neustift
- Finish: Neder
- Difficulty: Moderate
The Stubai Höhenweg is a beautiful high-level hike between huts perched above the namesake valley south of Innsbruck – not easy, but not technical and accessible to most fit walkers.
Along the trail you will meander through diverse alpine landscapes where you can see ibex, chamois, and marmots, and an impressive variety of alpine flora. This trail also takes you through the Stubai Glacier, providing breathtaking views of ice fields and snow-capped peaks.
Austria's Hohe Tauern National Park
Planning a walking holiday in the Tyrol
Everything you wish you'd known before you booked
Highlights
Austria’s loftiest summit, 3798m Grossglockner, dominates the skyline in Hohe Tauern National Park in far eastern Tirol. The Kaisergebirge (‘Emperor Mountains’) on the Bavarian border northeast of Innsbruck are spectacularly beautiful, with striking rock formations, high forests and postcard-pretty villages.
Need to know
Austria has one of Europe’s most comprehensive networks of mountain huts – 1000 of them – generally very comfortable and with excellent facilities; many are run by the Österreichischer Alpenverein (Austrian Alpine Club; https://alpenverein-austria.at, in German). Innsbruck is the main international transport hub, an attractive city with rail and bus links into the mountains. In summer, ski-lifts carry hikers up to high trails – at a price: costs in Austria are relatively steep.
Top walking holidays
The Tirol’s flagship long-distance trail is the Adlerweg (Eagle’s Way), a challenging 300km trek between St Anton and St Johann; variant routes allow less-experienced trekkers to bypass the more technical sections. The Stubai Höhenweg is a beautiful 55km, six-day high-level hike between huts perched above the namesake valley south of Innsbruck – not easy, but not technical and accessible to most fit walkers.
About the author
Paul Bloomfield
Paul is an award-winning travel journalist writing on walking and hiking in Europe and beyond for the likes of the Telegraph, The Times, Wanderlust, Lonely Planet, BBC Wildlife and National Geographic Traveller.
