I traveled to Austria for 9 days of hiking in the Alps and a couple of days of sightseeing in Vienna (Wien). My friend Allan and I joined up in the Vorarlberg state and we hiked for 9 days in the Silvretta and Zillertal Alps, and then I proceeded to Vienna solo for a couple of days before flying to New Orleans to join Alexandra and Anderson for a week and a half in Mississippi.
Distance
miles
Elevation Gain
feet
Time
days
Click markers on map for more info
I researched and planned two routes; one through the Silvretta Alps spanning the Austrian states of Vorarlberg and Tirol, and the other through the Zillertal Alps in the Eastern part of Tirol. Most of the taller peaks and largest glaciers in Austria are along the southern border with Switzerland and Italy, and both of these routes were very close to the border (we crossed over into Italy one day).
This part of Austria receives few international tourists; mostly just Germans on weekends or summer vacation. The trails were uncrowded, and we encountered few native-English speakers.
The European alpine huts provide cooked meals and beds, so no need to carry shelter, cooking gear, sleeping bag and pad, or any food beyond lunch and snacks for a day. We carried only light packs with water, clothing, gear, and some personal effects.
Some of the photos here were taken by Allan on his phone; I shot the rest mostly on my Sony RX100, and others on my iPhone and I edited all in Lightroom.
