Join us on an Austria Hiking Tour
With Edwin de Bruijn in the Zillertal Alps
September 4 to 12, 2024
We will also offer a plein air painting trip in the Austrian alps in 2024. Read More about that Trip.
Join us for a walking holiday in Mayrhofen in the Zillertal Alps, Austria
In 2022 we inaugurated our hiking trips to Austria in the Montafon region near the border of Switzerland. We hiked again in the Montafon Valley in 2023. For 2024, we are adding a new trip which will be in the Zillertal region of Austria, east of Innsbruck and near the Italian border.
Edwin de Bruijn will again be our leader for this trip, in another region of Austria that he knows well.
Each region of Austria is unique. The mountains and valleys are different, the architecture, the food, the German dialect. Hence we are pleased to open a second area of Austria to you.
You will be able to fly directly into Innsbruck to begin this hiking tour where you’ll board a train to take you to Mayrhofen in the Ziller valley. There we’ll all check into our hotel that will serve as our headquarters for the next eight nights.
Following breakfast each morning, we’ll have the choice of taking a cable car or a small bus upward to the start of our day’s hike. The difficulty of the hiking will be moderate. We will generally traverse the sides of mountains, rather then climb directly up or down. (We won’t do any technical rock climbing, nor cross any glaciers, both which would require specialized skills.)
When it is time to eat lunch we’ll picnic or eat at a mountain hut. After our hike, we’ll return to our hotel for a rest, or perhaps a sauna, before settling down to a gourmet dinner.
A day to bike:
As an extra feature of this trip, you’ll have the option of taking a day on a bicycle for a different view of the Austrian alps.
Your Trip Leader: Edwin de Bruijn
Edwin is a native of the Netherlands but has lived many years in Brattleboro, Vermont. He grew up spending summers hiking and climbing in the alps. He has hiked often in Austria’s alps and has personally selected each trail we’ll take and he will lead each hike. Here is how he introduces himself:
My first experience with a hut-to-hut hike was when my father took me to Austria back in my early teens. I gave my daughters the same experience years later, and I still love to share Austria with others whenever I can.
The trails we’ll follow on this trip lead through green mountain pastures with cows, wildflowers, mountain animals, and alms (alpine farms) where often you can stop to enjoy a snack or get a taste of local milk or cheese.
Hikers of all ages follow the trails alongside mountain lakes, over passes, and to mountain tops with views to the higher Alps on clear days. The area provides a wonderful introduction to being in the Alps and is accessible to nearly everyone.
The interconnecting network of trails, cable cars, chair lifts, trains and bus lines connects the villages and towns in the valleys with the surrounding mountains, and gives multiple ways and routes to explore the area and the many possibilities for adventure it offers.
Austria Trip Leader Edwin de Bruijn (right) with Travel Fever Tours co-founder Bob Lawson
Dates: September 4-12, 2024
Cost: $3650
Maximum group size: 10
About the Austrian Hiking Tour
This hiking tour consists of a series of day hikes in the Austrian alps.
The Ziller Valley starts out wide and flat, inviting mountain valley walks and bike riding. But the Zillertal and neighboring valleys offer a variety of mountain experiences, from trails down in the valley, to hikes up to a variety of mountain huts that bring you close to the high, snow-covered peaks that follow the border between Austria and Italy.
Mayrhofen, the main town in the valley, is a popular destination, and will serve as the base for our hikes. We can enjoy the green valley with its alms, mountain pastures, alpine lakes, and wildflowers, together with the sound of cowbells. Cable Cars can bring us to elevation to start our day hikes higher up the mountains. Some of those hikes bring you to spots with stunning views north over the lower peaks stretching into Germany, and south to the higher, snow-covered mountains. The area around Mayrhofen, Austria, is a gateway to a wide range of adventures.
The hiking will be of an intermediate nature. The trail surface may be rocky or muddy in sections, but generally, it won’t be overly challenging. We won’t be rock climbing or crossing glaciers.
We ask that all hikers on this trip have good hiking equipment, be in at least moderate condition, and be ready to carry oneself on foot for a good portion of the day. If you have any questions about whether this trip is appropriate for you, please contact us so we can talk it over together.
We will leave our bags at the hotel, so you’ll only need to carry a small pack while hiking with additional outerwear, water and a snack.
A Day on Bicycle
In the middle of the week, you’ll have the option to take a bike ride down the valley to enjoy the beauty from two wheels. At the end of the bike path you’ll have the option of taking the train back to our hotel or return on your bicycle.
Where we will stay
During this tour we will stay at the 4-star Hotel Neuhaus in Mayrhofen. The hotel combines comfortable rooms with an excellent restaurant and amenities such as an indoor/outdoor heated pool. Read More about the Hotel Neuhaus on the hotel’s website.
We find that Austrian hotels are well known for their cuisine. We’ll be well fed with a large breakfast buffet and an elaborate dinner each night. Vegetarians can be easily accommodated.
Is this Trip for Me?
This is a hiking trip and we’ll be in the mountains, but the trip relies more on cable cars to get you to altitude, allowing you to traverse slopes rather than climb straight up them. You should still be moderately fit and accustomed to hiking on uneven trails, but you don’t need to be an expert mountain climber for this trip.
Contact Us if you have any questions about the difficulty of this trip and we’re happy to put you in touch with our tour leader who can provide more detailed information.
Trip Details
(Click + to expand)
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September 4-12, 2024 (8 nights - 9 Days)
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Total cost of the tour: $3650
Supplement for single occupancy: $475Deposit required to reserve a place on the tour: $350
(Places in the tour are limited to 10 and are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. We recommend that you reserve your place early, as the alps are a popular location and so is expected to sell out.)
$350 deposit. The deposit is refundable through May 1, 2024.
$1650 initial payment (Due May 1, 2024)
$1650 final payment (Due July 1, 2024)
All payments are refundable if we need to cancel the trip due to government restrictions or unsafe travel conditions.
** Earn a $300 discount when you bring or refer a friend.
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What’s included in the cost of the trip:
You will be met at arrival at designated airport and escorted back to the airport at the close of the trip
Guided walking through the alps with experienced guide
8 nights lodging
8 dinners, lunches and breakfasts
Train transportation as well as cable cars
What’s not included:
Airfare
Alcoholic drinks
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Lodging will be at a traditional Austrian hotel with comfortable single, private rooms with private bathrooms.
During this tour we will stay at the 4-star Hotel Neuhaus in Mayrhofen. The hotel combines comfortable rooms with an excellent restaurant and amenities such as an indoor/outdoor heated pool. Read More about the Hotel Neuhaus on the hotel’s website.
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A large breakfast buffet will be available at the hotel each morning. Lunch will be packed by chefs at the hotel each day for us to picnic along the trail, or we’ll eat lunch at a mountain hut. Dinners will be back at hotel each evening.
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At the start or end of the trip, participants may opt to continue hiking in Austria, Italy or Switzerland, or take a train to visit such cities as Innsbruck, Vienna, Zurich or Munich. Indeed, all of Europe is in striking distance if you wish to arrive early or extend your trip.
We can offer advice on how to customize an itinerary to expand your trip for an additional cost.