Hiking in Austrian Alps

Vorarlberg - the best in the west

Austria is a fantastic country for hiking. Outdoor fans will love every single point - valleys, mountains, forests and alps. One of the more unknown, but very friendly and small province of Austria is Vorarlberg, lying in the west of Austria, bordering Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany.

Vorarlberg is famous for ski spots like Lech, Arlberg or Silvretta Nova, but expect as much as outdoor fun during summer - go hiking or mountain biking. There are hundreds of marked paths and hiking trails across the country.

Lonely Planet provides a useful travel guide for the entire country of Austria - check their offers!

Vorarlberg's landscape of the Alps is cherished as a source of power, inner harmony and health. See below for some pictures or check out this mountain bike trip into the Mellental to get an idea about the beauty of nature.

Tipp: for all german readers, check out this travel blog about several travel destinations and travel reports!

Vorarlberg impressions

At the Alpe Weißfluh

Hiking routes

One of the longest hiking trails, the Via Alpina, is also crossing Vorarlberg. The Via Alpina starts in Trieste (Italy) and ends in Monte Carlo, a trail of about 5.000 km length. See here for the Via Alpina sections in Vorarlberg (pdf).

Within Vorarlberg, you can undertake numerous day and multi-day hiking adventures. There are trails for all skill levels - all marked with different signs for easy orientation and safe walking: yellow-blue for easy paths, white-red-white for alpine hikes.

A good site to start with route planning is http://www.actionscouts.com/. You can select a route and you get a map, a distance and length of the hike.

If you like more to use cable cars (like the Pfänder-Bahn), there are also as many possiblities for you.

One of my favorite routes is a two-day hike in the Bregenzer Wald, an alpine region to the north-east of Vorarlberg. The start is in Au and goes via Schönebach along a range through Bezau up to the Alpe Weißenfluh, where you return to "civilization" in Dornbirn, the biggest city in Vorarlberg.

Below an image from a recent hiking trip.

Alp in Vorarlberg

Related Products from Amazon

	Chainmate CM-24SSP 24-Inch Survival Pocket Chain Saw With Pouch Amazon Price: $13.49 List Price: $24.99
	Fiskars 7850 X7 14-Inch Hatchet Amazon Price: $21.15 List Price: $27.99
	Backwoods Cutter Insect Repellent Aerosol-6 oz Amazon Price: $4.55 List Price: $14.99
	Fiskars 7855 8-Inch Hatchet Amazon Price: $24.54 List Price: $29.99

vote up vote downshare print flag

Was this Hub ...?

Go to last comment

Woemwood 5 years ago

I was Married in Dornbirn you forgot to mention the romantic Bodensee with all the little places sstringing along the edge of the waters all the way to Germany,my wife lived there for several years. I have many beautiful shots from these places.

Skistar Hub Author 5 years ago

There is so much in the region it is almost impossible to write about: Bregenzerwald, the Bodensee, the island of Mainau, the Swiss Alps across the valley, and and and.. Where did you marry in Dornbirn? I will create some hubpages about Dornbirn in the next days or weeks, and I you like, contribute! Where did you wife live there - in Bregenz?

Woemwood 5 years ago

Skistar yes you do know a few things, in particular Bregenzerwald is something not to be missed. My Wife was living in Dornbirn when I was on Holiday there and we got married in 1954. And our first trip together was to the " Insel Mainau " you can write astory just about that place alone. Thank you for mentioning this places Harry

Skistar Hub Author 5 years ago

hi Harry, 1954, that's a long time ago. If you haven't been here since then, a lot changed. The valley (Bregenzerwald) is still very nice, and during winter there is skiing everywhere. I like to go skitours. Lech is pretty much known outside of Austria, but there are so many small treasures which are so wonderful - Schwarzenberg, Sibratsgfäll, Schoppernau... During summer, it's best for mountain biking or hiking, and although many people live directly or not directly from tourism, it's not overrun. During the week, you won't meet many hiker up there. The island of Mainau is something different, there are daily boats going there, and it is pretty much crowed. But the boat tour is nice, and it takes 2-3 hours from Bregenz to get there.Dornbirn is the biggest city now in Vorarlberg, and the liviest. I like it, there are many events on the central market place.

Gregg Kell 4 years ago

Thanks for the great lens. I'd like more information about <a href="http://www.adventure-travel.us/" target="new">Adventure Travel</a> in the Austrian Alps.

brvce 3 years ago

A couple years ago I was fortunate enough to take the lift up above Zell Am Zee - and walk down. What a magnificent dat that was. Thanks for bringing back some of those memories.

pvnizr 2 years ago

Zell Am See is dope, but the Bodensee region is artsier and gives you morally-correct graffity: Moralische Turbulenzen um AIF Graffity

LRobbins 2 years ago

Thanks for the great hiking info. I'm spending more time in Germany lately and love hiking in the German/Austrian Alps so this info will be really helpful. I've book marked your site.

Rob 2 years ago

Austrian Alps one of the best places for recreation and sport. Not only hiking.

Best places 2 years ago

I visit Alps every winter. Amazing place.

love camping 24 months ago

i would love to go hiking in the Austrian alps! i will one day :)

Thanks for amazing hub!