Hiking in Austria: Wildschönau Valley

Wildschönau Valley is located in the Kitzbühel Alps and is home some of the best walking and hiking trails in Austria. There are over 300 km of well kept walking paths to explore at heights between 828 and 2309 metres. During my time in Wildschönau I did my hikes independently but I recommend visiting the Wildschönau Tourism website for information on guided tours.

How to get to Wildschönau Valley

I visited Wildschönau Valley via bus as an optional stop on the Busabout South Loop. It is very easy to travel here independently however with ICE, IC and EC Express trains stopping nearby at Worgl. Train timetables and route information are available from the OBB and Deutschebahn websites. It is a 10-20 minute taxi to your destination depending on which village in Wildschonau you need to get to.

Where to stay in Wildschönau Valley 

Before visiting Wildschönau Valley I had been living in hostels for 4 months straight so I opted to splurge and stay a hotel. I stayed at Hotel Schneeburger which is a lovely family owned establishment. It has beautiful views of the surrounding hills from the window and a really convenient restaurant downstairs. Included in the price of the hotel was the Wildschönau Card which gives you free access and discounts to a lot of tourist attractions in the area.  In particular, free use of the cable car that takes you to the top of the first mountain where the hiking trails begin.

For a slightly cheaper backpacker option The Apsley Ski Lodge is the most popular hostel in the area.

Where to eat in Wildschönau Valley 

I stayed two nights in Wildschönau and because my accommodation was a 6 minute walk to the grocery store I opted to take advantage of this most of the time. This was useful for packing lunches and snacks in my backpack for the day of hiking I did. On the last night however I had dinner at Hotel Schneeburger Restaurant.

What to do in Wildschönau Valley 

Wildschönau has a refreshingly laid back atmosphere. Because I was visiting in the middle of summer this was the perfect season to take advantage of the many hikes in the area. The best thing about hiking in Wildschönau is the fact that the cable car takes you up to an initial vantage point. This means that from the very beginning of your hike you have an amazing view of the region. I loved taking in the bright green hills and snowy mountains in the background!

I spent my entire day in Wildschönau walking around the paths. There are a lot of different options to choose from but I chose path ‘K’ because of my fitness level (beginner haha!), the lookout point it gave and the time restraints I had. If your accommodation does not give you the information (which it probably will) there is a huge billboard map where the trails start with all the information as to the length of the hikes, fitness level required and incline of the heights for you to plan your day. 

Other than hiking, by chance I happened to be in the area during the Wildschönau Valley Festival (approximately the 11th – 14th of August). All the locals were dressed up in traditional Austrian clothing (dirndls and lederhosen) and there was a procession through the middle of the town that I watched for a bit before I headed up to the hiking paths.

Wildschönau has a completely different vibe and reputation during winter when it is a prime Austrian skiing destination. The Wildschönau Tourism website has a really comprehensive guide to visiting Wildschönau in winter as well as further information about restaurants and activities in the area. 

If you are doing the Busabout South Loop you should definitely take up the Wildschönau Valley optional stop. It was one of my favourite gems of the entire Busabout journey. Alternatively, if you are simply in the area you should definitely consider adding it to your European trip, particularly if you want to escape the cities into the mountains. Wildschönau is a hikers or walkers dream destination! 

Feel free to comment any questions or queries below 🙂

Suitcase And I was not commissioned to write this article and as always, the opinions in this review are my own.