Mountain pastures and local dishes — hiking to the Tyrolean alpine huts

Are you into cheese? Then this tour is perfect for you. The short hike takes you to the Aussermelang Alm in the Watten Valley, which is known for its first-class cheese production. The starting point of the seven-kilometer hike is at the parking lot of the military training area in Walchen. Much of the route takes you through the Federal Army camp - which is important information regarding the shooting times. But don't worry, if you follow the advice below, nothing stands in the way of your hiking pleasure.From the parking lot you turn onto a dirt road, the Wattentaler Zirbenweg. You run relaxed uphill, with a total of 440 vertical meters in front of you. On economic trails you hike past the Stieralm and into the forest. On hot summer days, the trees offer you a shady climb.You will soon have reached the Aussermelang Alm and can look forward to an enjoyable break. In the rustic alpine village with its 20 huts, around 100,000 liters of milk are processed into excellent alpine cheese every summer. In the snack station you can convince yourself of the pure quality - and pack your backpack for home with even more cheese. The way back is the same way as the way there.Important: Before you plan to do this tour, definitely check the shooting times of the military training area. The hiking trails may not be used during military exercises, as there is a risk to life. You can find all the necessary information here: wattenberg.tirol.gv.at/Truppenuebungsplatz.

No question, the Ötztal mountains around Sölden have much more to offer than ski slopes - for example, excellent cuisine on the Gampe Thaya. On a short but quite steep hike, you can climb from Sölden through the forest to the alpine pasture and look forward to the food all along the way. In addition to Tyrolean classics such as cheese dumplings and Kaiserschmarrn you get in the quaint parlor or on the sun terrace, some special delicacies: lukewarm stripes of beef are served to the colorful salad and who pre-orders, enjoys the great cheese fondue - of course, only with regional cheese. Speaking of cheese: In the summer, master carpenter Jakob Prantl still produces his own Gampe Kaas from Tyrolean gray milk. You can then buy the same then in the Almladen.At the towering church in Sölden begins your hike to Gampe Thaya. First it goes steeply up to the district of Plöden and then past a small lake into the forest. Here you will meet a little later on the wild and romantic ladder mountain trail. You follow this steadily uphill, crosses the Hochsöldenstraße and reach the Gampe Thaya a little later. Here is princely geschaust, before it goes on the same way back down to Sölden.

The Burgeralm is the perfect hiking destination for lovers of excellent cheese. Because up here in the Chiemgau Alps, first-class cheese made from fresh hay milk is processed directly on site. The cows are grazing all around the pasture, and you can watch them on the hut terrace while having a snack. And for this tour, leave a little more space in your backpack, because you can not only try the different cheeses here, but also buy them in the farm shop.The hike to the Burgeralm starts at the hiking car park Feistenau. From here you can hike very comfortably on a wide farm road up to Burgeralm. The trail over wide alpine meadows is signposted throughout and rises only gently - perfect for a real pleasure hike. After a long rest on the Burgeralm it goes the same way back to the starting point.

Extensive mountain forests, fantastic views of the Inn Valley and the Karwendel, as well as a comfortable ascent with gondola lift and, not to forget, cozy mountain huts - the Zirbenweg is a popular classic of Tyrolean pleasure trails. The cozy panoramic trail leads you from the Patscherkofel through the wildly romantic Zirbenwald to the Tulfeinalm. After the stop, the Glugenzerbahn brings you back down to the valley.From Igls you can take the gondola up to Patscherkofel with a marvelous view. If you like, you can make a detour to the summit of the Innsbrucker Hausberg, otherwise you can start with the Zirbenweg. Passing the Patscherkofel-Schutzhaus, you first wander over mountain meadows until you reach the eponymous stone pine forest. Up here you can admire one of the oldest stone pine forests in Europe - some of the pine trees are almost 700 years old. The signposted hiking trail leads you past the Boscheben hut and spoils you again and again with great views of the Inn Valley, Innsbruck and the Karwendel-Nordkette. At the end of the tour, it's worth making a stop in the romantic Tulfeinalm before taking the Glugenzerbahn I + II down to Tulfes. From here a bus takes you back to the valley station of the Patscherkofelbahn.

The deep blue Achensee is the largest lake in Tyrol - and of course you have the most beautiful view of this natural jewel on a hike in the surrounding mountains. If you also have a cabin stop on your tours then we have the right hike for you. From Eben, on the eastern edge of the lake, we lead you on beautiful forest paths up to the Buchauer Alm. On the way there are always wonderful views of the sparkling Achensee and at your stop you can finally spoil yourself with Tyrolean delicacies.The starting point of your tour is the tolled hiking car park at the Notburgakirche in Eben. From here, you briefly cross the main road and then follow the Notburgasteig into romantic mountain forest. After a while, the signposted hiking trail branches off to the Buchauer Alm. The wide trail climbs moderately and leads you past several viewpoints overlooking the Achensee. On the last meters of altitude, the path meanders in several hairpin bends until you reach the wide meadows around the Buchauer Alm. Here you have earned a long break before it goes back to the starting point on the same way.

A stop at the Falbesoner Ochsenalm is something for all the senses: after a steep ascent you really feel your legs, look at the mighty mountain panorama of the Stubai Alps, listen to the rippling of the Falbesoner Bach, enjoy the spicy smell of the homemade gray cheese and let yours Enjoy a hearty snack - that's what a mountain hike should be like. No wonder if these prospects don't just stick to a snack, because Sennerin Maridl Schmid naturally has other Tyrolean specialties to offer.Your ascent to the Falbesoner Ochsenalm begins at the hiking car park next to the Hotel Waldcafé. On a root path you climb up through dense, rustic mountain forest in numerous hairpin bends. After about an hour the forest clears and you meet a wide gravel path. Stop here briefly to enjoy the view of the picturesque mountains. The only ascending path finally leads you to the Falbesoner Ochsenalm and thus to your well-deserved snack. Freshly strengthened, you then go back to the starting point in the same way.

A stop on the Mösl-Alm you have to earn properly, because 22 kilometers route for round-trip is a small challenge. But you will be spoiled right on the mountain pasture and not only with the excellent gray cheese, but also with the secluded location in the midst of the wild mountains of the Karwendel. Add to that the wild and romantic Gleirschklamm, which you can admire on the way to the Alm. If the route is too long for you, you can call the Karwendelt Taxi (Taxi Mair, Tel .: 05213/5363 or Taxi Ramona, Tel .: 05213/5541) from June to October for the return journey.From the trail parking lot in Scharnitz you start your hike to Mösl-Alm. First, it goes flat along the banks of the Isar, where you already enjoy a first magnificent view of the Karwendelgebirge. The trail soon climbs until you reach the Gleirschhöhe for a fantastic view of the gorges of Isar and Gleirschbach, which merge together at this point. Here you leave the Isar and walk on a beautiful hiking trail above the Gleirschklamm in the direction of Mösl-Alm - if you like, you can of course take the exciting trail through the middle of the gorge. The route takes you up the romantic valley of the stream uphill until you reach the Mösl-Alm amidst wide mountain meadows. Strengthened and rested, it's the same way back to the starting point later.

Dinos in the mountains? On the Kammerköralm in the Pillerseetal you can actually discover some of the extinct lizards, if only as a replica. The Triassic Trail, the adventure trail of the Triassic Park, not only takes you to the tops of the stone slab, but also into the ancient Triassic with its prehistoric sea Tethys. Fun for the whole family.Start of the hike is at the mountain station Steinplatte on the Kammerköralm. Once you pass the neighboring restaurant, the culinary reward comes after the more than four kilometers long circuit. You enter the prehistoric Triassic Trail. On always well-paved roads, you first pass by the Speichersee and then south to the summit of the Steinplatte. Here you can expect a great view of the surrounding peaks.The way back leads you past the "red wall" and on the north side of the mountain. You walk back to the mountain station and the Kammerköralm. At the end of your tour, treat yourself to a refreshing snack in the panoramic restaurant at 1,666 meters altitude.

The Muttereralm lies on the wide slopes of the Nockspitze not far from Innsbruck and attracts mountaineers, families and leisurely hikers alike with the easy hiking trails, the wonderful view of the Inn Valley and of course the Tyrolean delicacies. While sporty hikers ascend to the Pfriemeswand and the Nockspitze before a stop, the others stroll on our leisurely tour across open alpine meadows and through light mountain forests. At the end everyone meets again on the terrace of the Muttereralm, before finally taking the cable car down to the valley.The tour starts at the top station of the Muttereralmbahn. From here you follow our route through beautiful forests and on wide paths across promising mountain meadows. After you have circled the small reservoir, the tour ends where it started: at the Muttereralm. Here you take a seat on the sun terrace and let yourself be spoiled with Tyrolean specialties with a magnificent panorama.If you still want a little more action, you can rent one of the cool mountain carts on the mountain pasture and wind your way around the five kilometers from the mountain station down to the valley.

A trip to Seealm Hög in the Tyrolean Oberland is the perfect day out for you and your children. You comfortably float with the gondola of the Alpkopfbahn to the middle station and explore here the Six Senses way and the adventure playgrounds around the Högsee. As a conclusion, you then enter the stylish Seealm and let yourself be pampered. Above all, the menu includes first-class fish dishes, supplemented with vegetarian and vegan dishes. And if your kids want to play in the playground, watch them having a cup of coffee from the terrace.From Serfaus you can take the Alpkopfbahn to the middle station, the starting point of your tour. From here you can take the broad, pram-friendly trail around the lake. Always with you: the magnificent view of the mountains of the Tyrolean Oberland. A small round through the light mountain forest will take you past the romantically located "Familien Lichter Kapelle" and back to the lakeshore. Another tour by pedal boat or a jump into the water, before it goes to the Seealm? No problem, the adventure park Hög offers variety for children of all ages - and the parents may of course lunch. After your retreat, you will float happily and happily down the gondola into the valley.

With the Hochschoberhütte, hut host Harry Lucca has fulfilled a dream. He ran an inn in Upper Austria for 10 years - and then he needed a break. Together with a friend, he left for Tibet and spent months wandering across the Himalayas. Back in Austria, there was a unique opportunity on arrival: a mutual friend picked her up at the airport and said that the hut is looking for a new tenant. Harry Lucca says his decision didn't take two minutes.Today he prepares first-class East Tyrolean specialties up here and pays strict attention to regional origin for all ingredients. It is not easy, but it is important and the result can be tasted. Fruit and vegetables from the valley, game from a hunter friend, cheese from the farmers' market in Lienz and fruit brandies and liqueurs from the Kuenz natural distillery.From our tour, we take you from the hut parking lot at Leibnitzbachbrücke on a wonderful hiking trail - the Eduard-Jordan-Weg - through pine forests up to the Hochschoberhütte. In the rustic dining room or directly in front of the hut on a beer garden bench you can enjoy the rugged high mountains and the excellent food at the same time. A homemade schnapps schnapps must not be missing before returning home.

There have been new tenants at the Lizumer Hütte since 2019 - and the two have already made a name for themselves in this short space of time. This is mainly due to the down-to-earth Tyrolean cuisine, which relies entirely on first-class ingredients from the region. For them, the Lizumer farmers are not just suppliers, but also friends and neighbors - and so the two learn a lot more about the ingredients and how they are made. You can even get to know a few suppliers on your hut tour, because the cows of Alpe Lizum graze directly on the wide meadows around the hut.Our tour takes you around 630 vertical meters up the Lizumer Zirbenweg. It begins at the end of the access road and, as the name suggests, leads through natural pine forests and along beautiful paths towards the hut. When you get to the top you deserve a good break. It is best to order everything on the menu with your fellow hikers and try your way through all the dishes. Then it's the same way back to the parking lot.Important: Before you plan to do this tour, definitely check the shooting times of the military training area. The hiking trails may not be used during military exercises, as there is a risk to life. You can find all the necessary information here: wattenberg.tirol.gv.at/Truppenuebungsplatz.

Framed between the Platteinspitzen and the Muttekopf, the Muttekopfhütte drones in the Tyrolean mountains. Hut manager Patrick Zwangerl spoils his mountaineering guests with regional ingredients only. Mountain cheese from the See dairy in the Paznaun valley, the beef from farmers in Imst and the eggs from the Locherhof in the Pitztal - he has personally got to know the chickens there. But even the best ingredients are nothing without the right preparation: the Hüttenwirt stays true to the recipes, traditional Tyrolean dishes are served on the table. But here the details make the difference. Homemade sourdough bread, hand-molded cheese dumplings and the famous jus, which is prepared a few times a season.On our tour we take you on a round tour to your meal at the Muttekopfhütte. First of all, the chairlift takes you from Imst via the middle station to the mountain station. Here it goes a bit to the eagle's nest, a unique viewing platform that hangs at a lofty height on the steep mountain slope - just like an eagle's nest. Then the narrow and rocky Drischlsteig leads you towards the hut. On the exciting path, surefootedness and a head for heights are a prerequisite - if you like it less exciting, you'd better take the route over the Alpjoch (our way back). There are a few more meters in altitude, but the paths are easier to walk.No matter which route you choose, his break at the Mittekopfhütte is only a few meters away. Bring great hunger so you can try out several of the delicacies. Then you can enjoy the view of the mountains before heading back to the cable car station via the Alpjoch.