Vorarlberg, hut hiking across the mountains of Austria

Austria’s Vorarlberg mountain range has many beautiful hiking regions to choose from that you will simply be lost for choice.

I spent some special days hiking across these Austrian landscapes very recently.

My recommendation is to focus on the Montafon and Bregenzerwald regions of Vorarlberg, plenty to see here.

The aim of this trip for me was to discover Vorarlberg via the mountains by hiking from hut to hut.

All over Austria and Vorarlberg you can discover a whole network of mountain huts which offer half board food provisions and lodging for hikers who want to stay up in the mountains.

Getting to the Vorarlberg mountains

Do it like I did: fly into Innsbruck from London, then get a regional Austria train to reach your destination around Vorarlberg.

Train travel in Austria is both easy to book and plan online and a wonderful introduction to the mountain view from the comfort of your seat.

Hut hiking across the mountains of Vorarlberg

You can find many of these little huts across Austria (locally called Hüttes), and I’ll give you my week-long itinerary that you can use to traverse Vorarlberg crossing Montafon and Bregenzerwald.

First, I started my trip in the Montafon region of Vorarlberg, Austria.

The Montafon region of Vorarlberg, Austria is a huge beautiful valley known for great snow in the winter season, and rolling green hills in the summer.

You have to stay at this great little guest house called Gasthof-Hotel Sonne in the village of Partenen.

Start your hike at the crack of dawn as the guesthouse is very conveniently located near to the cable car which will take you up to the top of the mountain.

The guesthouse has wonderful, comfortable rooms and traditional local cuisine on offer to kick start your introduction to Austria.

Day two of your Austrian hike

Take the cableway Tafamunt up to the starting point of the trail, and from here you can hike to Neue Heilbronner Hütte, the first hut of the hike.

Be sure to stop off at the Wiegensee lake along the way. It makes for a perfect lunch stop and is an incredibly picturesque spot.

Now you’ll pass through a stunning valley called Verbella Alp to reach your next hut. Be sure to take some photos of this beautiful valley!

Neue Heilbronner Hütte is also known as the newest hut on the route. This newly renovated hut offers a lot of facilities for hikers such as a dry room, hot showers, and cosy wooden bunks.

Be sure to request the hut with the special chopping board and a wide selection of local foods to try, goes perfectly with an Austrian beer after a long day of hiking.

The hut also has a stunning panoramic view of the Verbellner Winterjöchli lake, which is a perfect spot to enjoy a sunset.

To reach Neue Heilbronner Hütte from cableway Tafamunt on foot will take you 4.5 hours hiking time (ascent 813 m, descent 54 m, 8,7 km).

Day three hike: on to Berggasthof Piz Buin

Wake up bright and early and hike back through the valley you walked through to reach the first hut, then spend the day following a new path towards the Stausee Kops reservoir.

Here you can enjoy some stunning views of the reservoir before briefly entering Tirol, and then hiking back into Vorarlberg again to complete the final stretch before reaching your next hut, Berggasthof Piz Buin.

This hut has wonderful Austrian rooms with sauna facilities and views over the lake Silvretta Stausee.

Luckily for me, it started to snow just as I reached the lake and I managed to enjoy the snowstorm from the comfort of my room.

This luck made for some perfect photos in the morning as the surrounding mountains were completely snow covered.

The walking time on this part of the hike is approx. 7 h (ascent 992 m, descent 1.261 m, 19,5 km).

Day four hike: Silvretta Stausee

Hiking around Silvretta Stausee is an easy two-hour walk, and wonderful to do on a clear day.

Once you’ve explored the lake in the morning, grab a local bus (take the bus line 85) for one of the most scenic drives across Vorarlberg and Austria you can find as you work your way down the mountain via windy roads, popular amongst motorcyclists.

Enter the Bregenzerwald region of Vorarlberg, Austria.

Now it’s time to hop over to a different part of Vorarlberg. Bregenzerwald is a peaceful place full of native Austrian tradition and stunning natural beauty.

Definitely a great place to visit to feel like youíre at the heart of Austrian culture!

Day five hike: Starting in the village Au

Hike from Au to the Bergkristall mountain hut. This part of the hike will bring you to the top of the Bergkristall mountain and offers stunning views of the entire region.

You also get to cross some lovely waterfalls and streams with bridges which complement the hiking route and make this a varied and super fun place to hike.

The Bergkristall mountain hut is a charming family-run hut with a wonderful atmosphere and mountain views.

The owner is also the cook and happens to be a master of local Austrian dishes, which is a real joy after a long day of hiking. If you have some free time be sure to ask him to yodel for a truly authentic experience. 🙂

The walking time for this section is approx. 4.5 h (ascent 962 m, descent 522 m).

Day six: Hike from Bergkristall mountain hut to the Biberacher mountain hut

This will be your only hike today, taking you straight from hut to hut.

On this pleasant section of the hike you will most likely have the chance to stumble across different types of locals.

The Austrian cows love to graze up here before they are herded down the mountain for the autumn months, and they are extremely cute.

Walking time on the last leg is approx. 5 h (ascent 860 m, descent 254 m).

Dinner & overnight stay at Hirschen Wohlfühlhotel

For your final and last stop on day seven: make your way down the mountain to the village of Schoppernau for your trip finale.

The Hirschen Wohlfühlhotel is a truly great place to end a hut hiking trip as they have comfortable and traditional rooms and spa facilities. Take advantage and fully relax and unwind on your last day before flying home.

Thank you for reading

Thank you for reading this post about my hut hiking trip across the Vorarlberg mountains! I hope you get a chance to take your own trip to this beautiful country.

If you have any questions about the hiking route or how to find information about Vorarlberg, Montafon or the Bregenzerwald region, please feel free to leave a comment below and I will do my best to help.