Tyrol, from Innsbruck to the Ötztal

High mountain roads that climb up to the glaciers, mountain lakes and a Habsburg city at the foot of the peaks. Eight days on a loop from Innsbruck, by way of the Achensee, the Zillertal, the Kaunertal and the Ötztal.

Austria

See, in the Paznaun valley: the village on its green meadows, between forests and peaks, under a blue sky.

Valleys, high mountain roads and lakes

Tyrol has two kinds of valley. The Inn valley, wide and busy, crosses the region from west to east, with Innsbruck in the middle. Narrow valleys run off it to the south: the Stubai, the Zillertal, the Kaunertal, the Ötztal. They all end at the foot of the glaciers.

In these valleys, five toll roads climb high. The Zillertaler Höhenstraße rises above 2,000 metres, over the farms of the Zillertal. The Schlegeis road runs through single-lane tunnels to a turquoise reservoir. In the Kaunertal, the road follows the Gepatsch reservoir. Above Sölden, the Ötztal Glacier Road reaches 2,829 metres, the highest point in the Alps you can reach on a tarmac road. The Timmelsjoch climbs to the Italian border, then drops down towards Merano.

You also stop by the water. The Achensee, the largest lake in Tyrol, stretches for more than 8 kilometres between wooded slopes. Above Oetz, the Piburger See, a small lake in the forest, reaches 23 to 25 °C in summer. Alpbach has kept its wooden chalets, and Kitzbühel its colourful old town.

The rooftops of Hall in Tirol and its parish church, in front of the Karwendel range.

Hall and Schwaz, the towns of salt and silver

Ten kilometres from Innsbruck, Hall in Tirol lived on salt. From the 13th century until 1967, it came from the mines of the Halltal, above the town. Hall was granted town rights in 1303. It has kept the largest medieval old town in North Tyrol: sloping streets, tightly packed roofs and the parish church, at the foot of the Karwendel. You see it on foot, in half a day.

In 1477, the Tyrolean mint moved from Merano to Hall, closer to the silver mines. In 1486, it struck the Guldiner, a large silver coin that was the forerunner of the thaler. The word ‘thaler’ gave us ‘dollar’. In 1567, the mint moved into Hasegg Castle, now a museum.

The silver came from Schwaz, about twenty kilometres away. In the 16th century, it was one of the great mining towns of Europe. In the silver mine, a small train takes you 800 metres into the mountain.

The word ‘thaler’ gave us ‘dollar’.

Innsbruck, the city of Maximilian and Andreas Hofer

Innsbruck owes a great deal to Maximilian I. Around 1500, he had a loggia added to a residence in the old town, covered with 2,657 gilded copper tiles: the Golden Roof. In the Hofkirche, his tomb is surrounded by 28 larger-than-life bronze statues. Yet it is empty: the emperor is buried in Wiener Neustadt.

The city’s other hero is Andreas Hofer. In 1809, he led the Tyrolean uprising against Bavaria, Napoleon’s ally, and won several battles at the Bergisel before he was defeated. Shot by firing squad in Mantua in 1810, he lies in the Hofkirche. On the Bergisel, the Tirol Panorama shows the battle of 13 August 1809 on a circular painting of about 1,000 square metres.

Hintertux

Tux, Tyrol · 30 minutes from Mayrhofen

The Tuxertal ends at Hintertux, at 1,500 metres, at the foot of the glacier of the same name. Gondolas climb up to the glacier. Near the top station, you go down into the Natur Eis Palast, a natural cave in the ice that you can visit even in summer.

Practical notes

When to go: Late June to late September, when all the high mountain roads are open. The Timmelsjoch usually opens from early June to late October.
Getting there: Innsbruck is about two hours from Munich. The Austrian motorway vignette is compulsory; from 2027, it will only exist in digital form.
Access: Everything is tarmac. All five high mountain roads are toll roads. The Zirler Berg, towards Seefeld, is closed to trailers over 750 kg going uphill.
Sleeping in a van: Campsites in every valley. Camping outside authorised sites is forbidden in Tyrol.
Worth knowing: At weekends and on public holidays, from May to early November and in winter, some motorway exits are closed to through traffic, except for drivers stopping in the area.
Allow: Eight days for the loop, one more for Hintertux.

The turquoise Achensee and Pertisau, between the Karwendel and Rofan mountains.

What not to miss

1The StuibenfallThe highest waterfall in Tyrol, a 159-metre drop, with a staircase of 728 steps alongside it.
2RattenbergThe smallest town in Austria, known for its glassmakers, at the foot of its castle hill.
3Kufstein FortressTaken by Maximilian in 1504; every day at noon, the open-air organ in its tower plays for the dead of the wars.
4Stams AbbeyFounded in 1273 as a burial place for the princes of Tyrol; its church was remodelled in the baroque style in the 18th century.
5The NordketteA funicular, then two cable cars, climb from the centre of Innsbruck to the Hafelekar, at 2,256 metres.
6Ötzi DorfA reconstructed Neolithic village built around Ötzi, the Iceman found in 1991 above the Ötztal, on the Italian side.

Tyrol in pictures

The Zillertaler Höhenstraße through the alpine pastures, above the Zillertal.

The Stuibenfall, among the wooded cliffs of the Ötztal.

Stams Abbey and its two onion domes, before the peaks of Tyrol.

The Zillertaler Höhenstraße through the alpine pastures, above the Zillertal.

Tyrolean food

Tyrolean cooking is mountain cooking. Tiroler Gröstl is potatoes, onions and meat fried in a pan, with a fried egg on top. Kaspressknödel, flat dumplings of bread and cheese, are served in a broth. In the mountain huts, you finish with Kaiserschmarrn, a thick pancake cut into pieces.

Tyrolean speck, pork that is smoked and then air-dried, has protected geographical indication status. The Zillertal produces Graukäse, a very low-fat cheese with a grey curd, protected by a designation of origin. Zell am Ziller has been brewing beer since 1500.

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