3. Hit the Trails: Hiking and Biking in Kitzbuhel
During warmer weather, the slopes around Kitzbühel are transformed from a winter wonderland to a hiker’s heaven. All told, the area boasts more than 1,000 kilometers of trails, from pleasant strolls through colorful valleys and meadows to more challenging climbs leading up to the region’s many peaks.
Whatever your pace, these well-maintained trails offer superb alpine views, as well as countless reasons to stop and admire the scenery. Along the way you’ll find fun mountain huts set up as rest and refreshment stations, some of which can be used for overnight stays. One of the most popular of the area’s many hiking trails is the well-marked 15-kilometer Kaiser Trail with its wonderful views over the jagged Kaisergebirge massif.
Mountain bikers, too, are well catered to. One of the most popular routes is the 1,000-kilometer Bike Trail Tyrol based around Kitzbühel. Broken into 32 stages, the route can be picked up at numerous locations with many fine stopovers along the way. Maps and trail information are available from area tourist centers, hotels, and attractions.
4. Scale the Hahnenkamm
The 1,712-meter-tall peak of the Hahnenkamm rises high above Kitzbühel and offers some of Austria’s cleanest mountain air, its most beautiful walking country, and superlative skiing terrain. Accessible by numerous chairlifts and cable cars, this spectacular mountain also affords some of the best valley views to be found anywhere in Europe. On the northern side rises the 1,206-meter Seidl-Alm, just a one-hour-and-15-minute climb from Kitzbühel.
There’s also an attractive 30-minute walk from the upper station of the cableway to the Ehrenbachhöhe (1,805 meters). From here, it’s another half an hour to the 1,960-meter Steinbergkogel, also reached by chairlift from the Ehrenbachgraben, or 1.5 hours to the 1,940-meter Pengelstein. The 3.5-kilometer Hahnenkamm Ski Run is one of the most famous in the world, and while in winter it’s the scene of many international races, in summer, it becomes a popular destination for walkers, hikers, and mountain bikers.
