Vacations in the Tyrol

Part of what makes the Tyrol so special is its backdrop of A-grade mountains – but that’s only part of it. It’s a place where mountain huts cut strange figures on the mountainside after the snow has melted, their wonky foundations jutting off the slopes. It’s a place where every village has its own brass band, and there’s always a half-drunk bottle of apricot schnapps on the side, ready for hosting duties. It’s a place where at least 30 percent of all farms are organic, and farmers still find scythes the best way to cut the grass. Here, every autumn is marked by the parade of cattle coming down off the mountains, decorated from horn to nostril with flowers and bells, to mark their safe return from the high pasture.

The Tyrol is famous for winter sports – particularly skiing, which was ‘invented’ in its modern form in St Anton. But come to the area in the summer and you’ll experience a very different side. The chairlifts and cable cars are still running, but now they transport you into a paradise of meltwater and meadows. You can hike to your heart’s content, and never run out of trail.

Achensee is the largest lake in the Tyrol region. It’s very long and very skinny, trickling through the Tyrol like a larimar-coloured fjord. In summer its shores are as close as Austria gets to beach-like. Climb Rofanspitze, a big peak above Achensee, it’s a solid 2,259m above sea level, and views from its cross-topped summit are very memorable.

Between Innsbruck and Achensee lies the Karwendel Alpine Park. This beauty spot is especially attractive in autumn when its native sycamore trees turn orange. It’s famous for the Goetheweg Trail, part of the long distance Eagle Walk. This hike takes you above Innsbruck, so you can look down over the city from the remote mountains.

Tyrol is a skiing region, but increasingly, as climate change makes ski seasons shorter and less predictable, it’s even more important that the region diversifies. Coming in summer, when the snow has melted, you will see the Tyrol’s glorious topography for what it is: essentially, a giant playground. It’s great for family activity vacations and for energetic hikers. Cyclists whoosh along defrosted roads, while yoga retreats bask in the sunshine.

People sometimes think of Austrian national dress when they think of the Tyrol – dirndls for women (in Austro Bavarian dialect it’s ‘diandl’), and lederhosen for men. It’s used as a costume around Oktoberfest and might also be seen on staff in some restaurants. It’s used for events like Dirndlspringen – a comedy diving contest in full costume, so it’s not got the same cultural cache it used to have. Whilst no one in the area is likely to dress up on demand, it’s lovely to see when you do spot it in use.

Lottie Joynes from our specialist vacation company WearActive describes a traditional lunch in East Tyrol “The Tyrol region is famous for being heavy – lots of cheese, ham and bread – great for hikers. East Tyrol has interesting food. You’ll see a lot of knödel: bread dumplings stuffed with cheese, cheese and spinach, cheese and ham… you can sense a theme here! There’s also kaisershmarrn – (shredded pancakes) eaten with apfelmuss (apple sauce). You’ll find this everywhere. It’s a dessert but it’s always massive so you won’t be able to eat anything else.”