Two of Austria’s most famous mountains are Grossglockner (3,797m) in Hohe Tauern National Park and Untersberg, in the Vienna Alps. The former because it’s the highest peak in Austria, and the latter because it features in the opening and closing scenes one of the highest grossing films of all time, The Sound of Music. Although few know the mountain by name of course. The hills are alive with the sound of mountainous music in so many places in this country, however, where over half of the country is given over to majestic peaks. Whether you choose to explore the Kitzbühel Alps, or the Salzkammergut, here are our five best hikes in Austria, where trekking, exploring and feasting on fine mountain fare are definitely a few of our favourite things.
Pinzgauer Spaziergang, Kitzbühel Alps
This is the longest walk of our trekking tour in the High Trails of the Kitzbühel Alps, but it’s an extraordinary 17km journey along the Pinzgauer Spaziergang which translates, amusingly, as Pinzgau stroll. If you call taking a cable car up to Schattberg (2,097m) then walking on a trail that is enveloped by more than thirty peaks exceeding 3,000m a stroll, then so be it. What’s incredible about this trek is that it isn’t that challenging, just long, with the highest climb being 650m of climb. There are some puffy moments, but there are also so many natural highs en route, with panoramic views to Grossglockner and Kitzsteinhorn, a trek on Schmittenhöhe which overlooks Zell am See from 1,965m and then the cable car ride that brings you down to the idyllic Austrian town on its eponymous lake.
Distance: 17km
Hiking time: 6h
St. Wolfgang to Strobl, Salzkammergut
Salzkammergut is Austria’s lake district, just under 50km from Salzburg. When you take in the colourful, traditional houses and mountains around Lake Hallstatt, said to be one of the most photographed lakes in the region, you feel transported to an era when people came to enjoy deep rest in the mountain air and ‘take the waters. For a wonderful trek that takes in two lakes, the walk from St. Wolfgang, on Wolfgangsee, to Strobl ticks a lot of boxes, especially as it takes a divine diversion via Schwarzensee.
On this Salzkammergut mountains and lakes walking holiday, you follow trails from one lake to the other along a tranquil forest trail overlooking St. Wolfgang. After just over an hour, you see the glistening gorgeous of Schwarzensee, thought by many to be one of the region’s most stunning lakes as well as a perfect picnic and swimming spot, with a family-run restaurant there to boot. From Schwarzensee you walk down into the valley through a gorge, back to the lakeshore and around the rocky promontory of Bürglstein, finishing in the elegant waterfront town of Strobl, famous for its fine Art Nouveau villas.
Distance: 15km
Hiking time: 6h
Krems to Dürnstein, Wachau Wine Route
The Wachau Valley, on the banks of the Danube, is a region that is not only famous for its wines but also its medieval castles and monasteries. On this Wachau Wine Country walking holiday you hit the heights of this spectacular region on day two, walking between Krems and Dürnstein. This is because you climb up 500m through traditional terraced vineyards, rewarded with sweeping views of the Danube, the prettiest of riverside villages and Göttweig Monastery.
The region’s ancient cultural heritage and landscapes are protected by UNESCO, and on this trek you can really see why, with the winegrowers’ traditional farmsteads all typically U-shaped or L-shaped, layouts that date back as far as the Middle Ages. You also have a picture perfect stop for lunch on this tour, at Fesslhütte, which is located in the middle of the forest and has been feeding hungry hikers for over a hundred years. Your trek comes to a close at the impressive ruins of Dürnstein castle, with a descent down to the Danube and your hotel in the medieval town of the same name, where you can rest your limbs and, of course, enjoy the fruits of the local vines.
Distance: 12km
Hiking time: 4.5h
Hofpürglhütte, Dachstein Circuit
The Dachstein High Altitude Circuit, starting and ending in Ramsau am Dachstein, in the heart of the eponymous massif, is a 121km trail through the three Austrian provinces of Salzburg, Styria and Upper Austria. You get a feeling straight away of just how great this trail is on a trek up to Hofpürglhütte (1,705m), a mountain hut where you spend the night. On your trek up to the hut, you ascend Sulzenschneid, a 300m long ridge that extends in an east-west direction between the foothills of the Dachstein massif in the north and Rötelstein (2,247 m) in the south. As the ridge itself is at an elevation 1,884m, you can imagine that the views are second to none.
You then continue along the Linzerweg, a traverse between Bischofsmütze and Rötelstein through alpine meadows and pasture to the mountain hut, where you not only get some of the best views of the twin peaks of Grosse Bischofsmütze, but also the finest hospitality from your hosts, Heinz and Regina Sudra. The benefits of staying in a mountain hut is that you wake up to the same wonders, with another glorious hike around Donnerkogel (2,054m), with views across to the Dachstein glacier and down into the Gosau Valley, where your hotel awaits at Lake Gosau, which you reach with a final cable car ride. Experienced mountain hikers can also summit Donnerkogel.
Distance Ramsau to Hofpürglhütte: 13km
Hiking time: 6h
Distance Hofpürglhütte to Gosau: 11km
Hiking time: 5km
Admont to Spital am Pyhrn, Benedict Pilgrimage Trail
The Benedict Pilgrimage Trail is both a spiritual and viticultural journey through Upper Austria’s Kremstal Valley, following in the footsteps of monks from the Benedictine Order from Upper Austria into Slovenia. On this seven day, self-guided tour, you walk from Admont, in the heart of Gesäuse National Park and the Ennstal Alps, to Linz. It’s day two of the tour, when you first take off from Admont, that we’re highlighting as one of the most special. It’s not all downhill after that, we can assure you, but this trek really gets your hiking holiday off on a high.
Starting out in Admont, where you spent the night before and home to a 10th-century Benedictine Abbey, you start a rugged ascent up to Bosruck Pass then to Rohrauerhaus mountain hut (1,308m), with views across the Annstal Alps. In particular, you get to see Grosse Pyhrgas which, at 2,244m, is the highest mountain in the Haller Mauern range of the Ennstal Alps. Continue on through Pyhrn Valley to Dr Vogelsang gorge, which is famous for its waterfalls and wooden walkways that traverse a magical, moss-covered rockscape. Then bring the day to a close in Spital am Pyhrn which is a small ski resort in winter, thanks to its perfect location at the foot of the Pyhrn Pass, between Warscheneck massif and the Haller Mauern range. It’s also famous for having the fastest funicular in Europe, which you can try out if you have time. You may, of course, prefer to reward yourself with a local beer and just take in the views.
Distance: 18km
Hiking time: 7h
While embarking on some of the best hikes in Austria, it’s worth remembering that Austria has been a major player in reintroducing the lynx to its mountain terrain in recent years. If you enjoy Austria’s forests and mountains, please support the work of WWF in protecting and restoring healthy lynx populations here. The lynx is very elusive, however other wildlife in Austria to look out for includes ibex, golden eagles and bearded vultures, especially in the autumn. Meanwhile, if you have any questions about our walking tours in Austria, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
