Austria and the Dolomites
Splendours of the Austrian and Italian Tyrol
Tour Dates
As we are only a very small team, we cannot run every tour each year. The next departure for this tour will be 2026.
Tour Cost
€3,350 per person
Single supplement: €350
This tour starts in Innsbruck and explores the delightful Tyrol landscape of Austria and Italy. We hike in the beautiful Defereggen valley in the Hohe Tauern National Park with spectacular views of Austria’s highest peak, the Grossglockner (3798m). We cross the border from Austria into Italy on foot to hike in the UNESCO World Heritage mountain scenery of the Dolomites and discover the region’s captivating Tyrolean hospitality and culture. We have a guided tour of the fascinating museum in Bolzano, which is dedicated to the 5,300 year old Otzi frozen man, before finishing in Verona with its impressive Roman arena and world-famous opera festival.
Our pick-up hotel for this tour is the Hotel Innsbruck on Innrain 3. At the end of the tour we drop guests either at Verona airport or Verona train station.
What’s Included?
- 8 nights beautiful accommodation in three fabulous hotels.
- Two experienced and knowledgeable guides to look after your every need and bring this stunning area to life.
- All meals including wine
- Dinners in a variety of superb local restaurants
- Support vehicle, enabling you to walk as little or as much of the trail as you please
- Transport to/from the start and end of the holiday
- Comprehensive pre-trip information.
- Luggage transported for you so all you need to carry is a small backpack with water etc.
- Museum visits, food/wine tastings as per the itinerary
Our tours are genuinely all-inclusive – learn more about what we offer.
Anyone keen to experience Verona’s world-famous opera festival should book tickets early. For more details on this please visit https://www.arena.it/en/arena-di-verona/calendar
Tour Highlights
• UNESCO World Heritage landscape of the Dolomites
• Spectacular alpine hiking
• Fascinating Tyrolean culture in Italy and Austria
Walking/Terrain
Mountain hiking on well-graded alpine trails, rocky in places. Significant ascents and descents every day, from 500m – 800m, and 1000m on the final day. A sound level of fitness is required.
Shortest/Longest Day: 11km/19.5km
We have graded this hike a Level 5. Some of our tours are more challenging than others, so see how we grade our hikes to make sure you choose the right one for you. If you are interested in this tour, then you might also like to take a look at France and the Maritime Alps, The Best of the Italian Alps and Southern Italy
Accommodation
Sport Resort Hohe Salve: A resort hotel with extensive spa and fitness facilities in the charming town of Hopfgarten
Macher’s Landhotel: Comfortable family owned hotel with excellent restaurant in the Hohe Tauern National Park. Sauna and steam room
Bad Moos: Four star hotel with pool, extensive spa facilities and stunning mountain views of the Dolomites
Itinerary
LEAVE BLANK
Day 1
Meet in Innsbruck at 10.30 am at the Hotel Innsbruck on Innrain 3. A short drive takes us to the Tyrol. We stop en route for a light lunch and a visit to the “Silberstadt” or silver town of Schwaz, a medieval gem which once rivalled Vienna in its wealth and importance. We stay for two nights in a resort hotel in the charming village of Hopfgarten nestled into a lovely valley at 622m. Dinner in a local restaurant this evening.
Day 2
We take the cable car from the centre of the village up to 1178m. Our hike takes us past a couple of pretty lakes, climbing through pine forest to an easy trail through the lush alpine pastures on the slopes of Hohe Salve mountain. We enjoy wonderful views down to the valley, across to Kitzbuhel and, on a clear day, to the snow-capped peaks of the Hohe Tauern National Park. We picnic just below the summit before descending to a popular Gasthof for a refreshing drink before taking the cable car back to the village. No van access today, both guides hike with the group and carry the picnic. Dinner in a local restaurant.
(11.5km/7 miles)
Day 3
We depart Hopfgarten and head to the Hohe Tauern National Park. We drive the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, one of the most fascinating panoramic roads in Europe taking us to over 2500m. Enjoy stunning views of Austria’s highest mountain and the Pasterze glacier, the longest in the Eastern Alps. Our home for the next three nights is the welcoming Macher family hotel in the lovely village of St Jakob in Defereggen at 1390m. Dinner in the hotel this evening.
Day 4
We hike up a lush valley, following the path of a pretty mountain stream surrounded by magnificent mountain peaks. Our destination is Jagdhausalm, a cluster of a dozen stone houses embedded in a picturesque natural backdrop at over 2000m altitude. The hamlet is one of the oldest alpine pastures in Austria dating back to the early Middle Ages. We eat in a tiny inn with magnificent views before descending down the valley. (18km/11 miles). Today both guides hike with the group and there is no van access during the day. Dinner this evening is in a local restaurant.
Day 5
We take a cable car and chair lift above the tree line to 2300m from where our hike starts. Quiet trails ascend up to a saddle at 2700m, through beautiful pastures with delightful wild flowers, from where we enjoy fabulous views of small mountain lakes, waterfalls and magnificent snowcapped mountains. We descend on a pretty rocky trail following the trail of a mountain stream and take the cable car back to the village. No van access today, both guides hike with the group and carry the picnic. Dinner in the hotel restaurant.
(12km/7.5 miles)
Day 6
We depart St Jakob and hike up to the border with Italy at a spectacular mountain lake. We picnic whilst still in Austria and then hike across the border on foot. (11km/6.8 miles) From here a beautiful drive takes us to the Val Pusteria and onto Sesto in the Dolomites where we stay in a luxurious hotel with a magnificent spa for the final three nights of the tour.
Day 7
A short drive takes us to the start of our hike. We follow an easy trail through ancient pine forest before climbing, steeply at times, to emerge above the tree line at the 1918 Austro-Italian border. We see vestiges of the intense fighting that took place in the region in World War I. Picnic in an alpine meadow. No van access today, both guides hike with the group and carry the picnic. In the afternoon we enjoy spectacular views of Dolomite peaks. Descend to the hotel by cable car. Dinner in a local restaurant this evening.
(12km/7.5 miles)
Day 8
Our final hike is a magnificent circuit starting in the Fiscalina valley from where we climb on a well-graded mountain trail to the heart of the Sesto Dolomites/Dolomite peaks. Stunning scenery with picturesque lakes and ever-changing scenes of spires and pinnacles, soaring peaks – including the renowned Tre Cime – and vast scree slopes with beautiful alpine blooms. No van access during the hike today, both guides hike with the group and we eat lunch in a mountain refuge. This is a very challenging but extremely rewarding day, we ascend/descend over 1000m, but it is well worth the effort!
(19.5km/12.1 miles)
Day 9
We depart Sesto after breakfast and drive to the city of Bolzano (approx 2 hours) where we visit the museum dedicated to the 5,300 year old Otzi frozen man. After lunch in a nearby trattoria we continue on to the city of Verona to arrive at the airport by 4.30 pm, followed by Verona train station.
