Exploring Austria in the summer time is surely set to be an adventurous and fun thing to do. The country offers a wide range of places to visit, most of them related to exploring the outdoors as nearly 60% of the country is made up of mountain ranges. We have been going to Austria for the third time now and always enjoy exploring more of the region. It turns out we really enjoy hiking and taking longer treks across the mountains, so that was something we also did during our last visit. In the following we put together a list of some of the things that we experienced and explored in the Salzburg State but also beyond. We had some great hikes, visited the amazing Krimml Waterfalls and more.
Visiting Austria’s highest waterfall, the Krimml Waterfalls (German: Krimmler Wasserfälle), is definitely a memorable experience. Located near the village of Krimml in the High Tauern National Park, the waterfalls reaches a height of around 380 meters, all divided into three tiers that can be reached via a walking path. It’s not a very difficult walk and with each stop in between you can get a great view of the waterfalls from a different perspective. If you are lucky and the sun shines you might also get the chance to get some nice rainbow + waterfall pics.
Rutschenweg Neukirchen
German: Rutsche means slide and this is exactly what you will get when you visit the Rutschenweg in Neukirchen. It is a panoramic slide path that takes you from the mountain station of the Wildkogelbahn (2000 meters) to the mid-station at around 1600 meters. This is a path where you can partially walk and slide your way down. For sure a fun experience to not only get down faster but also combine it with some great slides! Here you can enjoy some breathtaking views and have a great time while descending the mountain. This is suitable for both young and old as there are different types of slides, some steeper and faster than others. Make sure to stop and have some drinks and food at the Gasthof Stockenbaum once you finished the slides.
By the way, there are also some other great hiking paths in and around Neukirchen that we explored in our previous trips.
Hiking to the Kürsinger Hütte
As mentioned before we really enjoy hiking and decided to take a bit of a longer hike to the Kürsinger Hütte which is a mountain hut located at 2548 meters in the midst of the mountains in the state of Salzburg. Once you reach the starting point the actual hike takes around 4-5 hours and leads you past some nice break & rest points, a beautiful valley and amazing views across the surrounding mountains. Once you reach the top you can see the opposing glacier and can even go further to reach the Großvenediger, which is the highest mountain in the region. The hut is actually a starting point to discover the higher mountains around.
We decided to just take this step first and take it easy. We booked a room and spent the night in the middle of the mountains which was an amazing experience. Unfortunately, it was very foggy during the walk up but we were rewarded with some amazing views on the following morning! Definitely one of the nicest hikes we did in Austria and we can highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a great outdoor experience (and fit enough to do this climb).
Hiking around the Achensee
When we visit Austria we usually stayed in the state of Salzburg and did not really discover the other states. Also, because there is just so much to do there, but we decided to head to the neighboring district of Tirol. The state of Tirol is quite famous for its amazing areas for skiing but also has great spots to offer in summer for hiking.
We heard of an amazing lake called Achensee, or Achen Lake, which we really wanted to visit. It is located in the norther part of Tirol and separates two mountains ranges. There are some beautiful hiking paths around the lake as we decided to climb up all the way to the Steinerne Tor, or stone gate, which is literally huge opening between two rock formations right on the top of the mountain. It takes around 3 hours to reach and a path then guides you down the mountain back to the lake. The best thing is that you can stop at the Dalfazalm on the way down and reward yourself with some great food and drinks. A simply beautiful hike that offers amazing views of both the surrounding mountains and the crystal clear waters of the Achensee.
Both the state of Salzburg and Tirol offer a great variety of places to explore. Activities range from intense and demanding hikes to leisure walks and fun things to do. There are numerous activities for families as well which makes it a great destination for everyone.