Austria’s Tyrol is a beautiful mountain region of precipitous peaks, green valleys and quaint villages. We base ourselves in charming Alpbach. Voted as Austria’s prettiest village, it is the picture-perfect image of the Tyrol with well-kept chalets, flower-filled window boxes and views of the whole valley. We enjoy walks through forest and meadow, a limestone gorge, and ascend the higher ridges by cable car for fantastic views of the snow-capped Alps.
Itinerary
[+] Detailed Itinerary
1
Join tour Munich Airport
Arriving at Munich Airport we transfer in 2- 2.5 hours to our accommodation in Alpbach (975m). There are great views of the Alpbach Valley and the surrounding hill-tops, including the imposing Gratlspitz mountain. Alpbach has restaurants, cafés and bars, a bakery, an ATM and a medium-sized supermarket. There will be a short briefing by our Tour Leader about the week ahead, followed by dinner at a local restaurant.
Overnight Standard Hotel
Included meals: Dinner
2
Walk along the Muehlbachweg to Inneralpbach
Voted Austria’s prettiest village, Alpbach is the picture-perfect image of the Tyrol. The village has well-kept chalets, flower-filled window boxes and views of the whole valley. We walk from the hotel, along the Muehlbachweg and on to Inneralpbach. The first day’s walk is a gentle valley walk and an introduction to the area. We will pass by the main river, through larch forests and farm land. From Inneralpbach we take the public bus back Alpbach.
Approximately 4 hours walking.
Overnight Standard Hotel
Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner
3
Traverse below the Wiedersbergerhorn. Optional Standkopf summit (2241m)
We take a 5 minute bus ride from Alpbach and then a cable car to 1850m. This takes us high without the effort of a huge climb! We traverse for 45-60 mins below the Wiedersbergerhorn – the main peak above Alpbach – until we meet the main north-south ridge which undulates at an altitude of around 2100m. We follow the ridge south for 1.5hrs with great views of the valleys of Alpbachtal and Zillital. We can see snow-capped peaks in the distance and the higher peaks above Alpbach. Stopping for lunch, there is the option to climb Standkopf (summit 2241m). It is slightly exposed, but the 45 minute round trip is well worth the climb. We then return along the ridge to the cable car and descend to the valley bottom. For those with the energy you can climb the Wiedersbergerhorn (summit 2127m) – allow 30 mins extra - before taking the lift down.
Approximately 4-5 hours walking.
Overnight Standard Hotel
Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner
4
Visit to historic Rattenburg. Walk in the Kundler Klamm Gorge
Today is a more leisurely day. We take the public bus and visit the historic town of Rattenburg. It has very pretty houses and shop-fronts and is famous for glass blowing and that it is the smallest town in Austria with just 400 inhabitants. It is a nice place to stroll along the medieval pedestrian streets or watch the world from a café. There is also a nail-making museum. We then continue to the Kundler Klamm: a limestone gorge with a well-maintained path. We take a short walk here before heading back to Alpbach.
Approximately 2 hours walking.
Overnight Standard Hotel
Included meals: Breakfast
5
Walk to the Zireiner See
We take an early bus for 30 minutes and head to just outside Kramsach (520m). We take the charming Sondwennjoch chair lift that quietly makes its way through the forest and then above the main tree line to 1900m. The scenery is very different to Alpbach and dominated by craggy limestone-cliffs. We head for 1.15 hrs to Zireiner See (1799m): this is a beautiful high-altitude lake located below limestone cliffs. After photo stops, we continue to a small pass where there are further views of the steep limestone cliffs and then return to the top of the chair lift via a different path. We descend to the valley bottom and return to Alpbach.
Approximately 4 hours walking.
Overnight Standard Hotel
Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner
6
A Free Day
A free day to explore the region on your own using public transport. Options include a trip to Innsbruck with historic buildings, churches, museums and lots of restaurants and cafés. Or you could head to Achensee - a beautiful lake, surrounded by mountains. You can swim at the lake or explore some of the small villages. If there are enough people interested, a private minibus can be hired for a day-trip to Salzburg for your Sound of Music fix!
Overnight Standard Hotel
Included meals: Breakfast
7
Circuit of Gratlspitz
The final walk takes us around the craggy cliffs Gratlspitz (summit 1898m) which sits above Alpbach. We take a taxi to gain some height and then climb to a small mountain pass at 1800m. We then walk around the back of the mountain for views looking east. There are interesting Alpine flowers that change with the aspect of the mountain. We then come back into the Alpbach valley and descend back to the town.
Approximately 4-5 hours walking.
Overnight Standard Hotel
Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner
8
Tour ends Munich Airport
Transfer to Munich Airport where our tour ends.
Included meals: Breakfast
