An Alm is a mountain pasture that is farmed during the summer months, usually from June to September. Alpine dairy farmers keep cows, sheep or goats there, grazing on grasses and mountain herbs. Centuries of farming have turned these pastures into a cultural landscape shaped by human hands. The huts and farm buildings on a pasture are also referred to as an Alm. In Vorarlberg, the word used is Alp or Alpe.

How many Alpine pastures are there in Austria?

Austria has around 8,000 working Alpine pastures, spread across every province except Vienna and Burgenland. Most are in Tirol, followed by Carinthia, Salzburg and Styria. Depending on the pasture, cattle, sheep, goats or horses graze there, and some pastures also produce cheese.Source: Almwirtschaft Österreich (Link in German only)

What's the difference between an Alm and a hut?

An Alm is an area of pasture; a hut is a building. Mountain huts come in many forms, from a simple shelter offering protection from the weather to a staffed mountain hut with food and beds. In self-catering huts, guests bring their own supplies. A hut standing on an Alpine pasture is an Almhütte – though in everyday speech it's often simply called an Alm.

Why do people yodel on Alpine pastures?

Yodelling served as a form of communication, among other things. The wordless calls carried over long distances, allowing farmers to stay in touch with the next pasture, for example. Today, yodelling is above all part of Austrian folk music.

When can I stay overnight on an Alpine pasture?

Many Alpine and self-catering huts can be booked during the summer months, usually from June to September. That's when the farmers are up on the pasture with their animals, so you experience Alpine farming at first hand. Some huts can also be booked in winter – as a base for skiing or ski touring, for instance.

Smiling woman leaning over wooden railing of an old wooden building, worm's eye view.

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Accommodation in Austria
Holidays on an Alpine Pasture

An Alpine pasture holiday in Austria
Discover mountain life in an Alpine hut

Rent an Alpine hut, stay the night and start the day with a hearty Alpine breakfast: Alpine pasture life in Austria, from morning to night.

Austria has around 8,000 working Alpine pastures (Link in German only) – from herb pastures and cheese dairies to pastures grazed by cattle, sheep and horses. Many of them are farmed during the summer months: the animals graze on the mountain meadows while the dairy farmers make butter and cheese.

As dusk falls and the evening air turns cool, the mood up here changes. Artificial light and everyday noise fade into the background, and darkness settles over the meadows. Your gaze drifts almost automatically upwards, to the stars. The quiet is as noticeable as the darkness.

Meet Austria's alpine pastures

Overnight stays on Alpine pastures

What a feeling: waking up on an Alpine pasture and blinking out at the mountains. Many Alpine huts offer simple accommodation close to pasture life – woken by cowbells, breakfast fresh from the dairy and a first-hand look at the work of the Alpine farmers.

In the Großarl valley

Around 40 mountain huts are open in summer in the valley of mountain pastures. Some, such as the Filzmoosalm or the Weissalm, also offer overnight accommodation.

Staying at Alpine huts & pastures

On the Postalm

Within Austria's 42 km² of Alpine pasture land here, you can stay in a room at the 'KäseAlm' Rettenegghütte or the Schafbergblickhütte.

Alpine huts on the Postalm

On the Teichalm

From the Angerwirt hut on the Teichalm, walking and cycling routes lead into the surrounding area. Lake Teichalm is close by, with an Alpine inn for a stop.

Alpine hut Angerwirt

On the Bodenweise

Via the largest Alpine pasture in Lower Austria, or the Eng, you head to the Gahns (1,250 m) - a foothill of the Schneeberg with the Knofeleben Nature Friends' Centre.

Naturfreundehaus on the Knofeleben

In the Nock mountains

In the UNESCO Carinthian Nockberge Biosphere Reserve, numerous mountain huts such as the Hiaslalm await you with overnight accommodation.

Alpine huts at a glance

Lake Millstatt and Nockberge mountains

In the UNESCO Carinthian Nockberge Biosphere Reserve, there are plenty of alpine huts, such as the Hiaslalm, offering overnight accommodation.

Alpine pastures in the Nockberge

Staying in self-catering huts

Quiet – just birdsong, a stream, the odd cowbell. Self-catering, setting your own pace and spending plenty of time outdoors: in a hut, your own rhythm sets the tempo.

Almhaus Alpenrose, Postalm

Central location on the sunny side: The Almhaus offers flats and double rooms and can be rented exclusively.

Almhaus Alpenrose

Landhaus Kurzen, Teichalm

Arriving here means stepping into another era. Dating back to 1730, the farmhouse combines historic architecture with a stay on the Teichalm.

Landhaus Kurzen

Almhütte Raith, Teichalm

The alpine hut is quietly located at 1,250 metres above sea level. Hiking trails and refreshment stops are nearby, the Teichalmsee lake is just a 30-minute walk away.

Almhütte Raith

Hirschalm in the Mühlviertel

Quiet log cabins in the forest with fireplace, sauna and terrace. Relax, enjoy, sit together - everything is possible.

Hirschalm

KernAlm, Mühlviertler Alm

Whether with friends, as a couple or with your horse – the KernAlm sits on the bridle path network, with stables right next to the house.

The Country House

Vorderkaseralm, Großarl valley

Ideal for families: watch red deer, marmots & co, be outdoors, enjoy the mountains - hut holidays on the brink of the Hohe Tauern National Park.

Vorderkaseralm

Pointhütte, Elmautal

Rustic and comfortable: The hut is located at 1,200 metres above sea level and is the ideal starting point for hikes in summer.

Pointhütte

Nockstern Hütte, Turracher Höhe

A house standing on its own, surrounded by forest at 1,250 metres above sea level. And yet the lifts, the lake and walking trails are just minutes away.

Nockstern Hut

Hut holidays in Tirol

Experience the simple life – wood-fired stove, creaking floorboards and mountain views. A selection of 16 rustic self-catering huts.

Comfortable, luxurious or simple

Renting an Alpine hut in Austria

Breakfast with a view of the mountains, walks that start at your front door and evenings winding down on the terrace: an Alpine pasture holiday plays out between meadows, forests and mountain peaks. The hut becomes your home for a while – simple, comfortable or luxurious.

The recommendations below cover self-catering Alpine huts, well-appointed premium huts, former mountain farmhouses, holiday homes on the pastures and luxury chalets.

Fancy a break in the Alps?

Working on an Alpine pasture

Sometimes it's time for a longer break. Out of the city, away from the rush, the digital world and being constantly reachable. Working on an Alpine pasture from June to September is one way to leave everyday life behind – looking after the animals, helping with the hay harvest or serving walkers who stop by.

If you don't want to stay for the whole season, many pastures also welcome a helping hand during your holiday – and offer a glimpse of an entirely different way of life.

Here are a few places to get in touch about working on an Alpine pasture:

Austrian Alpine Society (Link in German only)
Dream job: Alpine dairy farmer (Link in German only)

Traumberuf Alm: Senner:in Arbeiten auf einer Alpenvereinshütte