Although you might not think it, winter is a gorgeous time to travel, and to walk. And you don’t need to jet off to find a tropical summer – all you need is a place that truly, deeply loves winter. And just this past December, we found it. Going out winter walking in Tirol is one of the best walking experiences we had in 2018.
Tirol is a stunningly beautiful mountain area in western Austria, bordering Italy to the south and Germany in the north. Dotted with those classic wooden Tirolese villages Austrian Tirol also has a big city, Innsbruck, built up in the mountains. Snow laden from mid-December, Innsbruck is a mecca for winter sports with ski slopes just a bus ride away from the centre.
But aside from skiing, this part of Tirol has also got a shed load of hiking trails. Hiking trails that you can still walk on in winter, even once the snow has arrived.
Winter walking is by far and away the best way to explore these amazing, Christmassy, dramatic, wintery landscapes.
And guys: it’s easy.
Basing ourselves in Innsbruck we got all the info we needed from Innsbruck tourist office, who actively encourage walking in winter. (This is crucial as the tourist office will have up-to-date info about which trails are best, open and most importantly safe). We got public transport to trailheads and spent days tramping through fresh snow in a dream of a winter wonderland.
Of course there are a few things to note. Weather is a factor, along with snowfall and temperature. We checked with the tourist office and the weather forecast before each walk. While we were there in December it dipped to -8 so of course we needed to have thermal layers, hats and warm coats on. But we stuck to short walks and stayed plenty warm. Ice wasn’t really a problem either, we mostly walked on cleared paths or fresh powdery snow. It was actually quite comfortable!
We honestly never knew winter walking could be as simple and fun as walking in the summer.
Oh, and added bonus of heading to Innsbruck in December too is its beautiful Christmas market.
Glühwein for everyone!
3 day walks to do from Innsbruck in Tirol, Austria
All three of these easy walks use Innsbruck as a base, are simple to follow and are perfect snow globe adventures. We’ve linked each one to a map below:
From Innsbruck:
Distance – 7.5km (map)
This walk begins in the city itself, so no need for transport. It’s an easy loop to the eighteenth century Hottinger Bild chapel, which is so chocolate box beautiful in the snow.
From ski station:
Distance – 5km (map)
Get the free (!) ski bus up to Axamer Lizum (last stop – it’s a ski station with hotel and lifts) from Innsbruck HBF bus station – about a 45 minute ride.
There are ‘Winter walking trail’ signs heading off on the toboggan route from the car park, and it’s a steady downhill in pristine snow to the next village. Mountains and shaggy fir trees are everywhere you look.
There’s also a couple of restauarants at the ski station for lunch or hot drinks (Glühwein for everyone!)
On the plateau:
Distance – 7.5km (map)
Our favourite walk we did while winter walking in Tirol. We walked across the Mieming plateau.
The scenery and the walk here was seriously awe-inspiring. We caught the (sadly not fee) bus to Wildermieming which dropped us off literally in a forest. And by the end we were fairly sure we were in Narnia, having walked over a snowy plain studded with wooden huts, penned in by mountains and forests. We finished in the next village of Obsteig where we caught self-same bus back to Innsbruck.
This one is a surprisingly remote walk that we love love loved for the nature and the beauty, and would recommend to anyone.
Useful tips…
Wear good hiking or snow boots, or snowshoes. Snowshoes weren’t really needed when we were there in December, but would be when the snow gets deeper.
As we say, check what’s safe before you walk with the tourism office. Places like Innsbruck close both slopes and trails when heavy snow hits, so stay connected.
Use common sense and we’re confident you’d enjoy winter walking in Tirol!
Then when you get back inside, cheeks rosy and fingertips chilly –
glühwein for everyone!
What do you think about winter walking? Do you like
glühwein? Would you try winter walking in Tirol, Austria? Share with us in the comments!
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Hi there! Thanks for sharing. Despite being a regular visitor to Austria via my work with Kristall Spaces, I have not been able to complete a winter walk in Tirol. This is definitely something that I will consider doing in the future thanks to your tips and advice!
Hi there – we really hope you do! A beautiful destination, and you only need a short amount of time!
What a beautiful story It’s nice to read about it because I wasn’t there and your story caused me to stop and read more about. Nice pics!
Austria is so amazing!! I’m dying to visit Tirol. I’m going there next winter. That’s why this was a very helpful post for me. Thanks for sharing.
Hi , I am visiting Innsbruck for the 1st time and would like to try 1 of the route you recommend here. but I am a female solo traveler and was wondering if it is safe to hike on routes you blog here for Innsbruck ?
Sorry for this delayed reply – hopefully you tried out that route – when we did it there were lots of people walking it, families, couples, friends, solo. It was a really safe route! Hope you had a good time 🙂