We can’t stress it enough, a summer holiday in Austria is a real treat for those who want to do more than just lie on the beach. The Kitzbühel Alps in Austria provide the perfect backdrop for a splendid mountain holiday. Hiking, mountain biking, climbing, it’s all possible! And for a change of pace, you can also relax by crystal-clear blue lakes, indulge in culinary delights, or simply laze around with a good book. With these five super fun summer activities in the Kitzbühel Alps, you are guaranteed to have a wonderful summer holiday in Austria!
Enjoy Beautiful Hikes in the Kitzbühel Alps
Whether you have years of hiking experience or have never walked in the mountains before, the Kitzbühel Alps offer hiking opportunities for everyone. If you’re up for a challenge during your summer holiday in Austria, head out from one of the beautiful valleys to conquer some beautiful peaks and ridges. And if you prefer to take it easy, just take one of the many lifts up to enjoy a beautiful walk from there. You can hike endlessly in the Kitzbühel Alps at all levels, so there’s plenty to discover during your summer holiday in Austria. If you’re inexperienced, you can choose to gradually build up the difficulty level. The hiking area is extensive enough for this! You can even opt for multi-day treks and stay overnight in mountain huts. At the local tourist offices, you’ll find maps with hiking routes per valley or you can order hiking maps online.
A budget-friendly summer holiday in Austria with the Kitzbühel Alps Sommer-card
If you plan to spend a lot of time in the mountains, it may be worthwhile to purchase the Kitzbühel Alps Sommer-card. This card gives you access to no less than 36 lifts in the area, and with the extended version, you can also use the bus. This allows you to explore a large part of the Kitzbühel Alps during your vacation.
Discover the Best of the Kitzbühel Alps on the Multi-day KAT Walk (or KAT Bike)
Are you looking for a real hiking holiday in Austria for your summer vacation? Then you can also choose to hike the Kitzbühel Alps Trail (KAT Walk). This multi-day hike runs through the heart of the Kitzbühel Alps and can be done at two levels: KAT Walk Alpin and KAT Walk compact. The former is a challenging hike of 6 stages (7 nights), and the latter is the lighter version, with more lifts included in the route. This is divided into 5 stages (6 nights). It’s also possible to split the KAT Walk Alpin into two parts, stages 1 to 3 and stages 4 to 6, if you want to do a multi-day hike during your vacation but don’t want to hike for 7 days straight. You walk the trail on your own, without a guide. This gives you a bit of freedom and the opportunity to complete the stages at your own pace. During the KAT Walk, you stay in small hotels in different valleys scattered throughout the Kitzbühel Alps. Your luggage is transported for you from one hotel to the next, so you don’t have to walk with a heavy backpack!
The KAT Walk compact starts at €499, and the Alpin starts at €539. Prices include all accommodations, breakfast, and dinner. All hotels have a so-called Koch Art restaurant, meaning they cook with local products. Definitely recommended! Are you more of a cyclist? There’s also the KAT bike, with a multi-day route for mountain bikers.
Booking an Organized Trek in Austria?
Does a hut-to-hut trek in Austria sound appealing to you, but you’re not keen on arranging it all yourself? On Book a Trekking, you’ll find many organized hut-to-hut treks, or you can have your hut-to-hut trek custom arranged by the trekking experts, such as the Adlerweg or KAT walk. You walk the hut-to-hut trek independently, but the route and huts are arranged for you (often based on half board). This way, you can easily book a complete hiking holiday that suits you. Especially for a first hiking holiday, this is highly recommended!
Enjoy Local Products in Koch Art Restaurants
A summer vacation in Austria doesn’t just mean outdoor sports, as Austria also has plenty to offer on the culinary front. If you want to taste local products from the Alps, you’ll find so-called Koch Art restaurants in the Kitzbühel Alps. These restaurants are characterized by always having several dishes on the menu prepared with local products from the region. And it goes beyond just a tasty schnitzel. They also cook abundantly with herbs from the Alps and delicious fresh vegetables. Often, the quality of these Koch Art restaurants is excellent. If you fancy a culinary night out, dining at Hotel Unterlechner in St. Jakob in the Pillerseetal is recommended. In addition to delicious dining, you can also enjoy a comfortable stay here. The hotel offers cozy rooms, a beautiful outdoor pool, and an extensive breakfast.
Visit the Highest Wine Cellar in the Alps
You can definitely enjoy good food in the Kitzbühel Alps, but don’t forget about the delicious Austrian wines, as there are plenty of them! If you want to make a unique excursion, visit the Angerer Alm near St. Johann am Tirol. You can hike to the alp or visit it by lift. What’s special about the Angerer Alm is that the owner, Annemarie Foidl, owns the highest wine cellar in the Alps here. As the head of the Austrian sommelier association, she is a true wine connoisseur, and when you take a look into the cellar, you’ll definitely find some special bottles here. The Angerer Alm is a delightful cozy place where you can sit by the fireplace on cold days or enjoy a beautiful view from the large terrace on sunny days. In addition to wine tasting, it’s also a great place to relax. The alp also offers some beautiful places to stay overnight, so those who fancy an evening of dining, wine drinking, and relaxation in the mountains can also choose to stay here.
Relax at One of the Beautiful Lakes in the Kitzbühel Alps
It’s clear that you can engage in plenty of outdoor sports in the mountains, but there’s also ample space for relaxation. Many valleys have beautiful lakes where you can swim. How nice is it to relax with a good book in the Austrian sun for a day? A beautiful place is the Pillerseetal with the expansive Pillersee and lakes like the Wiesensee and Wildseelodersee. The perfect relaxation after a few active days of hiking, mountain biking, or climbing! The Pillerseetal is also a perfect base for a summer in the Kitzbühel Alps.
Where are the Kitzbühel Alps located?
The Kitzbühel Alps are a region in the Austrian province of Tyrol. Tyrol is situated in the western part of Austria, between the provinces of Vorarlberg and Salzburg. The Kitzbühel Alps are located in the eastern part of Tyrol. The drive from the Netherlands can be completed in one long day, but you can also choose to make a stopover in Germany if you don’t want to spend the entire day in the car. Traveling by train is also possible, but it offers slightly less flexibility.
How to get to the Kitzbühel Alps?
By car to the Kitzbühel Alps
By car, the Kitzbühel Alps (from Utrecht) are approximately a 10-hour drive, without stops or delays along the way. So, you can reach the area in a day. If you find this drive too long, you can choose to split the journey into two parts and spend one or more nights in Germany.
Flying to Munich
If you want to fly to Austria, the best airports to fly into are Salzburg or Munich. From there, you can rent a car to continue to the Kitzbühel Alps. Alternatively, you can take a local bus or book a shuttle bus.
By train to Austria
Since April 2021, you can also take the night train to Austria! There is a direct train from, among others, Amsterdam and Utrecht to Munich, Innsbruck, and Vienna. You depart in the evening and arrive amidst the mountains early in the morning! It’s a very relaxed way of traveling, allowing you to enjoy your summer vacation in Kitzbühel directly!
