Hiking in Austria
Hiking holidays, from leisurely walks to high-altitude trails and snowshoe tours
Introduction
Start by the lake, climb up through the forest, cross an Alpine pasture and reach the summit: hiking in Austria takes you through landscapes that change with every metre of ascent. The trails range from leisurely walks to demanding high-altitude routes. Families will find tours suited to hiking with children, while long-distance trails lead through the mountains over several stages. In winter, snow and cold change the experience: winter walking and snowshoeing take you through snow-covered scenery and along cleared paths through valleys and higher ground.
Breaks along the way are part of the hiking culture. Alpine pastures and mountain huts serve regional dishes, often with a view of the surrounding peaks. If you want to stay for several days, hiking hotels make a good base for tours. Closer still to mountain life is a stay on a working Alpine farm, with trails often starting right outside the door.
Hiking in every season
Hiking regions & trails in Austria
Hiking: Regions, huts, pastures, tips
Hiking maps for Austria
A good tour starts with a look at the map. Where exactly does the path run, how much ascent lies ahead, which junctions come up along the way? Hiking maps help you assess a route in advance and keep your bearings while you walk. In the mountains especially, they are a practical addition to a smartphone and GPS.
Maps are available for numerous hiking areas across Austria – from individual mountain groups and valleys to larger regions. Coverage and scale vary depending on the tour and the area. The freytag & berndt range includes hiking maps, walking guides and the right book for your next adventure in Austria, and you can search by province, region or the specific hiking area you have in mind.
Hiking hotels and hiking villages
If hiking is the focus of your trip, Austria has accommodation and whole villages that specialise in it.
Austria's hiking hotels are set up around what walkers need. Depending on the property, that can include personal route advice, hiking maps and tour tips, guided walks or hiking equipment hire. It means you can plan your tours straight from your accommodation.
Austria's hiking villages are places in hiking regions that build their offering around walking holidays. Trails and matching services are tied to the village itself, which acts as the starting or finishing point for tours. Between them, hiking hotels and hiking villages offer two different ways to shape a holiday around hiking.
Mountaineering Villages in Austria
Mountaineering Villages (Bergsteigerdörfer) stand for a form of alpinism in which walking and climbing under your own steam come first. Restrained development of lifts and infrastructure is part of the concept. Anyone heading out here tackles the ascent and the alpine challenges themselves – with the right experience, good preparation and personal responsibility on the mountain.
Small, locally rooted businesses and the long-term upkeep of mountain refuges are part of the philosophy too. Local culture and the cultural landscape matter just as much to how the Mountaineering Villages see themselves. Walking, mountaineering and life in these mountain regions stay closely connected.