WINTER HIKING TRAILS

Walking, tobogganing, snowshoe walking, ski tours. A 4.5km-long, top condition toboggan and hiking route takes you from Praxmar to the unserviced Koglhütte, a place to which you will need to bring your refreshments. Tables and benches are available for you to rest and enjoy the wonderful view.

On request. A picturesque guided hike through snowy Oberperfuss. During the hike, you'll stop at various viewpoints with stunning views of Innsbruck and receive lots of interesting information about Oberperfuss, the Innsbruck region and Tyrol. The hike takes about one hour. Minimum of 10 people. Meeting point 8.15 pm at Hotel Krone, lanterns are handed out and the hike starts from there.  

This walk begins at the Grünberg car park in Obsteig, before passing a wooden barn and along a wide forest path past the former ski piste. About an hour later, you'll reach Zwischensimmering. Turn left at the junction to reach the 1,497m-high Grünberg.

This tour starts at the "Kraftwerk" car park above the district of Lehen/Telfs and initially follows a wide forest road that zigzags steadily uphill. Once at the top, you walk past a barrier and continue along a relatively flat path to the Straßberghaus mountain hut (not managed).

This walk begins at the Arzkasten car park, follows the wide forest path to the bridge at the Lehnbergbach stream, and long the winding path to the Lehnberghaus alpine hut (the perfect place for a rest). If you don't wish to walk any further, simply hire a toboggan from the hut and head as quickly downhill and back to the car park as you choose.

This tour starts at the hikers' car park in Wildermieming and leads to the Straßberghaus mountain hut (not managed) in about an hour. If the snow conditions are right, the tour can be extended to the Neue Alplhütte mountain hut, an additional climb of roughly one hour.   

This tour starts at the hikers' car park in Wildermieming and leads to the Straßberghaus mountain hut (not managed) in about an hour. The route continues past the Straßberghaus and leads along the lower part of the magnificent Mieming Range before reaching the Neue Alplhütte mountain hut after about another hour (remember to check the opening times).

This walk begins at the Grünberg car park in Obsteig, before passing a wooden barn and along a wide forest path past the former ski piste. About an hour later, you'll reach Zwischensimmering. Follow the signs for 'Simmeringalm' (not managed) along the forest path. Your destination awaits you about 60-90 minutes later.

Innsbruck's Imperial Gardens offer numerous options for short strolls and long walks in the shade of mighty coniferous and deciduous trees from all over the world. The various paths through the park are ideal for relaxing and recharging your batteries. The park covers around ten hectares near Innsbruck's historic old town and has several entrances, with at least one on each side. When strolling through the park, you are walking in historical footsteps. The origins of the Imperial Gardens date back more than 600 years. The area was initially part of the city's floodplains and was only later transformed into a Renaissance garden by Ferdinand II. After that, it was given a more Baroque style before being redesigned as an English landscape garden. The basic appearance of the Imperial Gardens has not changed for over 150 years. In 2001, the Federal Monuments Office placed the entire site under protection. One of the paths leads along the inside of the perimeter. Attentive observers will notice the small rockery about halfway along the western wall, which is home to alpine plants such as saxifrage, fingerwort and toadflax. Other paths branch off towards the Hofgarten pavilion in the centre of the park. The inside of the pavilion is adorned with intricate wall paintings, which were uncovered and restored during the last renovation. Right next to the pavilion is an idyllic pond with water lilies and other water plants. To the southeast, you can't fail to notice the gnarled catalpa bignonioides tree, which is 120 years old but still not the oldest tree in the Imperial Gardens. The Maria Theresa spruce that towers up to the north of the pavilion is around 260 years old. All of the paths lead past impressive trees, local and exotic bushes and – in summer – colourful flowerbeds. For several years now, visitors have been allowed to walk on the grass and use the well-tended lawns. Sheep used to graze on these areas but today, machines are used to keep the grass short instead. If you would like a longer walk through lovely green surroundings, you can stroll on through the "Kleiner Hofgarten" (the "Small Imperial Gardens") – also known as the Chamber Gardens or Governor's Gardens – along Rennweg road. On the other side of the road is the English Garden, which is where the chess players from the Imperial Gardens now play. From there, you can continue along the River Inn – either towards the Saggen district or towards the city centre and the Mariahilf district.

Ambras Castle is a stately building that towers up high above Innsbruck to the south-east of the city. The castle is surrounded by an extensive park with plenty of different terrain, from areas that are almost flat to much steeper sections. The main entrance is on the south-western side, directly off the road that leads up to the village of Aldrans. If you take Postbus 4134 and get off at the "Schloss Ambras" stop, you will be standing right by the entrance. Alternatively, you can take tram no. 6 (the "Igler" tram) to the "Tummelplatz" stop. From there, it's only a short walk through the forest to the castle. Or take the Sightseer bus, which stops right in front of the entrance to the lower castle. There is an attractive entrance on the north-western side of the walled park. To get to this entrance, known as the "Schneiderhäusl-Tor" or the "Schneidertörl", you can take tram no. 3 to the "Philippine-Welser-Straße" stop. The walk from there to the park leads through the idyllic Amras district, which has a real village feel, along the roads Kirchsteig and Bichlweg and under the motorway underpass. On the other side of the underpass, you'll see a concrete staircase on your left. This small entrance is named after the observation pavilion located there. It is a remnant of St. George's Church, which was endowed by Archduke Sigmund the Rich before being damaged by a stream and subsequently secularised. The building was used as a residence by a tailor for many years and parts were later demolished. If you keep left at the turnoff and continue walking for just a few minutes, you will come to a votive chapel. The path continues from there, taking walkers into the romantic, natural part of the castle park with its steep cliffs, small gorges and valleys, wooden bridges and sometimes very dense mixed forest. If you continue along the winding paths from there, which can be steep in places, you will come to the artificial waterfall and Ferdinand hill, which drops off steeply on the eastern side. On the right, paths lead up past the striking stair tower to the Renaissance garden on the south side of the upper castle. There you will find the Keuchengarten, named after the former prison tower (the "Keuchen"), the Bacchus grotto (rock cavern) and, at the level of the lower castle, the Venetian fountain. The landscaped gardens extend out to the west of the castle and include a lawn and a large pond. The peacocks of Ambras Castle, which are a popular photo motif, roam around in this area, including the white peacock Weißkunig. If you follow any of the paths leading downhill towards the Nordkette mountain range, they will bring you back to the Schneidertörl entrance.

Going for a stroll or hike to visit a nativity scene or two is a popular pastime in Tyrol. Oberperfuss is a very well-known nativity scene location that is home to outstanding woodcarvers. Every festive season, numerous visitors flock to the village to admire the stunning works of art in local homes and buildings. The walk starts in the car park next to Oberperfuss Parish Church, where you can park for free. In front of the parish church you will see the beautiful village nativity scene by Konrad Spiegl, a grandson of Oberperfuss' famous woodcarver Josef Spiegl, who carved thousands of sheep that can now be admired in many of Tyrol's nativity scenes. When you enter the church, be sure to check out the baptistery on the left, where you can view the stunning old church nativity scene, a mountainous crib scene created by Karl Triendl, featuring figurines made by Giner, Seisl, Mundi, etc. and a background by Pögl Alois. Other attractive highlights of the Baroque parish church include the tomb next to the church wall and the sundial by the famous cartographer Peter Anich on the south side of the church. After leaving the parish church, continue west for a few minutes until you reach the Hotel Krone, home to the Niederkircher family's inn nativity scene. At the reception desk, you will see a sign reading "zur Krippe". Follow the signs directing visitors through the hallways to the "Steincafé" and it won't be long until you're suddenly standing in front of a true work of art so large that it needs its own room: Tyrol’s largest private nativity scene with a width of 5.2 metres and depth of 2.4 metres. The scene contains hundreds of figurines depicting various stories from the Bible, for example the Annunciation, Mary and Joseph's search for a room, the birth of Jesus in the stall, the shepherds in the field and the visit of the Three Wise Men. The painted background of the nativity scene has a genuine oriental feel to it. Hundreds of the figurines in the scene date back to a period lasting two centuries and are believed to be connected to the late-Baroque Giner school from the end of the 18th century. This nativity scene takes an impressive total of two weeks to install. It is a truly fascinating original replica of Jesus' birthplace, Jerusalem, the landscape, the shepherds' clothes and the animals. Back when the scene was created, a number of local residents embarked on what were extremely difficult pilgrimages to the Holy Land in order to be able to realistically recreate what happened in the nativity. The Niederkircher Nativity Scene at the Hotel Krone in Oberperfuss is truly tremendous and well worth a visit. After admiring this work of art, you can bring your nativity scene tour to the perfect close at the neighbouring M1 café and restaurant. The car park next to the parish church is only a short walk from the restaurant, or you can choose to go on a longer walk starting at the Hotel Krone and leading you through the village before following the Blasius-Hueber-Weg path back to the car park. You can, of course, also enjoy this very sunny route before setting out on your nativity scene tour.  

A wonderfuil winter walk along the Inn to Martinsbühel. On cold winter days, you'll pass bizarre ice sculptures at the water and frozen plants. A special experience for those wintry days! Return is via the meadows and fields back to the starting point.

The walk starts at the town hall in Völs and leads towards Bahnhofstraße road. When you come to the butcher's called Metzgerei Singer, head west towards Seestraße road and past the sports ground in the direction of Völser Teich pond. Then continue along Aflingerstraße road towards Afling until you reach the Maria Schnee Church. From there, follow the same route back to the town hall in Völs. Alternatively, you can walk from Afling towards the village of Kematen and return to Völs via Michelfeld. If you would like to take a break along the way, you can stop at Restaurant Blockhaus, www.restaurant-blockhaus.at, Michelfeldarena.

A winter walk along the toboggan run from the DreiSeenBahn cable-car valley station to the Graf-Ferdinand-Haus alpine hut. This moderate walk, taking in 200m in altitude difference, offers wonderful winter impressions, and should be taken at a leisurely pace. Refreshments at the hut are still fully deserved.

From the church in Barwies, head south along a little-used path and down to the lake. From here, turn right at the first junction and follow the signs for Mötz and Burg Klamm (castle). The path here is well-maintained and, after the underpass, turn left before following the signposts towards Zein. Here, it's steadily along the edge of the forest and down to the Brunnigkapelle chapel, before heading uphill again to Zein. The route passes the bathing lake towards Untermieming. Head through the village and, at the final houses, turn right and follow the path up to Obermieming and the Georgskirchlein church. From here, it's back into the village and on to Barwies and the starting point.