For mountain and adventures, families and nature lovers: New highlights in Tirol for summer 2022

Last updated on 13.04.2022

New long-distance hiking paths, learning trails, mountain bike routes, via ferrata climbing adventures and family attractions as well as cultural highlights await visitors to Tirol in summer 2022. With such a huge range of things to see, do and explore, there really is something for everyone. Here are some of the best new attractions and activities in Tirol.

HIKING

Arlberg Trail: long-distance hiking trail from Tirol to Vorarlberg
Three stages, five villages, three days – the new Arlberg Trail is a loop connecting Lech, Zürs, Stuben, St. Christoph and St. Anton. The total distance from start to finish is 50 kilometres, but around a fifth is completed not on foot but using cable cars. Still, the remaining 40 kilometres have a thigh-burning 6,038 vertical metres of uphill and downhill on trails of intermediate difficulty. All cable car journeys are covered by the Arlberg Trail Ticket, which can be used throughout the summer (one uphill ride and one downhill ride on each cable car along the Arlberg Trail). Accommodation is provided in St. Anton, Stuben and Lech. There is also the additional option of having your rucksack transported between accommodations for you.
https://arlbergtrail.com

High Tirol Trail: cross-border hiking trail between South Tirol and East Tirol
The Hoch Tirol Trail comprising three stages leads from the village of Prettau/Predoi in South Tirol to Prägraten am Großvenediger in East Tirol. The 25-kilometre route leads through the Rieserferner-Ahrn Nature Park in South Tirol and the Hohe Tauern National Park in East Tirol. From start to finish there are 1,490 vertical metres of uphill and around 1,000 vertical metres of downhill. Hikers stay the night at the Lenkjöchlhütte in South Tirol and the Clarahütte in East Tirol. The starting and finishing points are in bustling villages, but the terrain in between on this cross-border hiking trail is remote.
www.hochtiroltrail.at

Fun for foodies in the Wilder Kaiser region
The Wilder Kaiser region is home to many culinary highlights, from organic meat to fine schnapps and intricate handicrafts. The region has brought all these local producers together and will this summer be offering guided tours for foodies, both on foot and by bike, along routes where fine views meet fine food. https://www.wilderkaiser.info/en/region/marketplace.html

CYCLING & MOUNTAIN BIKING

Ötztal Valley: Schtirggar Line & new Mountainbike Skills Centre
The people at the Bike Republic Sölden have been hard at work once again and will welcome guests in summer 2022 with yet another new trail. Measuring 1.2 kilometres in length and dropping around 100 vertical metres from start to finish, the Schtirggar Line is aimed at beginners and children – proof that trailriding is very much accessible to families and novices.
Another new highlight in the valley is the Mountainbike Skills Centre in Umhausen, where bikers can work on their bike-handling skills in a fun and safe setting on a range of obstacles spread over 2,500 square metres.  
http://www.oetztal.com

New MTB routes, via ferrata climbing routes and hiking trails in the PillerseeTal
The PillerseeTal has two new mountain bike routes opening in summer 2022. The Hoametzl Ride in Hochfilzen and the ride up to the Hochhörndler Hütte in Fieberbrunn are an excellent way to explore the region on two wheels. The Hoametzl Ride is 8.5 kilometres long and climbs 280 vertical metres from the village of Hochfilzen up to the Hoametzl-Hütte. The ride up to the Hochhörndler Hütte is a perfect bike & hike – fit adventurers can pull on their hiking boots at the hut and complete the final push up to the Wildseelodersee lake at around 2,000 metres. The ride is 10.8 kilometres long with 950 vertical metres of uphill. The Klettersteig Henne via ferrata (a climbing route secured with a steel rope plus handholds and footholds in the rock) can be reached quickly and easily by mountain bike. www.pillerseetal.com

Trailcenter Gurgltal: 4.5 kilometres of trails for beginners
This summer will see the opening of the new Trailcenter Gurgltal near Imst. It is aimed at children and novices keen to try out the trailriding experience in a fun and safe environment. All in all there are 4.5 kilometres of trails to explore.  
https://www.imst.at

Certified gravel bike routes in the Imst region
Gravel biking is booming right now. Gravel bikes can be described as a hybrid of mountain bikes and road bikes – perfect for off-road terrain which isn’t too extreme. The Imst region has reacted to this new trend and come up with four certified gravel bike routes which will open in summer 2022. The terrain is a mix of roads and gravel trails taking in many of the most beautiful spots in this region in the west of Tirol.
www.gravelbike.tirol  

ROCK CLIMBING

Hall-Wattens: New via ferrata on the Glungezer mountain
The via ferrata (a climbing route secured with a steel rope plus handholds and footholds in the rock) on the Glungezer mountain has recently been inspected, modernised and extended by the local branch of the Austrian Alpine Club. Aimed at beginners and families, it will reopen in June 2022 and offers fabulous views of the Inn Valley and the surrounding mountains. The climbing route starts above the Zirbensee lake and leads to the Glungezerhütte hut. Along the way there are information stations telling the fun and exciting story behind the legend of “The Glungezer Giant”.
https://www.hall-wattens.at/en/tours/glungezer-via-ferrata.html

Wipptal Valley: New multi-pitch climbs at the Stafflacher Wand
The village of St. Jodok in the Wipptal Valley, which is one of Tirol’s official Mountaineering Villages, is home to a popular and sunny rock climbing area known as the Stafflacher Wand. In recent months work has been carried out there to create several new multi-pitch climbs which will open in summer 2022. They are graded between 3 and 7 on the Austrian difficulty rating scale. The longest comprises 11 pitches. All these new climbing routes begin around 300 metres to the east of the bottom of the Peter Kofler Klettersteig, with the two longest routes topping out near the summit of the mountain. There is also a drytooling practice area nearby.
https://www.wipptal.at

FAMILY

Spoggolino: longest ball run in the Kitzbühel Alps
Alpinolino Westendorf is an outdoor adventure park on the Talkaser mountain (1,770 metres) in Westendorf where action and adventure await. New highlights for summer 2022 include an even longer version of the Spoggolino ball run – a twisting and turning wooden track where visitors are invited to drop in a wooden ball and follow it all the way down from start to finish. The Spoggolino is now the longest such ball run in the Kitzbühel Alps. Families will also enjoy the easy walking trail at Choralpe.
https://www.kitzbueheler-alpen.com/en/bri/tours/spoggolino.html

Wild Witches Water in Söll: A brand new “Eilight”
The Wild Witches Water outdoor play area above Söll also has a brand new highlight – or should we say Eilight – for summer 2022. The “Eilight” egg museum (“Ei” is the German word for “egg”) invites visitors to learn all about the secrets behind eggs. What came first – the chicken or the egg? Get ready for an egg-citing adventure!
www.hexenwasser.at

Gschnitzy and Gossy: new themed walking trail in the Wipptal Valley
This 12-kilometre themed walking trail in the Wipptal Valley invites families to the join two friendly water droplets Gschnitzy and Gossy as they explore the new Gschnitztal Water Walk all about the fascinating element water. Leaving from either Steinach or Trins, the trail comprises droplet-shaped info boards placed along the banks of the Gschnitzbach leading all the way to the Gasthof Feuerstein at the end of the valley. En route there are two adventure playgrounds. The trail will officially open in May 2022.
https://www.wipptal.at

NATURE

Karwendel Nature Park: new animal-watching spot & extended nature park borders
The Hinterhornalm and the Walderalm are two popular huts in the mountains above Hall in Tirol that are connected by a short walking trail. In summer 2022 a new animal-watching spot will open on this trail where visitors can observe many of the animals native to the Karwendel Nature Park such as chamois, marmots and golden eagles. There is an information board with details on the national park as well as a Swarovski Optics telescope to observe these majestic animals in their native habitat.
The Tirolean regional government has also recently decided to incorporate the Arnspitze Nature Park into the Karwendel Nature Park. This means the municipality of Leutasch near Seefeld will also be an official Nature Park Municipality, with the area covered by the Karwendel Nature Park increasing by 11.5 km² to 739 km².
www.karwendel.org

CULTURE

TOP Mountain Motorcycle Museum: reopening bigger and better than before
In early 2021 the TOP Mountain Motorcycle Museum on the Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road was almost completely destroyed by fire. Just a few months later, however, Europe’s biggest motorcycle museum reopened bigger and better than before. Visitors can look forward to classic motorcycles telling the story of two-wheeled motorsport down the ages. The exhibition also has lots of fun and interactive learning stations – and all that at 2,175 metres above sea level.
https://www.crosspoint.tirol

Gurgl Carat: new congress and event centre in Obergurgl
Gurgl Carat is a new congress and event centre in the heart of Obergurgl at the end of the Ötztal Valley. It takes ist name from its eye-catching design in the shape of a diamond. Inside you will find state-of-the-art technology and flexible room concepts to accommodate conferences, congresses, meetings, workshops, concerts and art exhibitions of all sizes, with space for over 500 guests. The centre is run as a joint partnership by the Ötztal Tourism Board, the University of Innsbruck and the local council in Sölden.
https://gurgl-carat.com

TRANSPORT

Ötztal: improved public transport & charging stations for electric cars
The Ötztal Valley has been hard at work to further improve public transport. Among the changes is a new timetable with buses into and out of the valley every 30 minutes, seven days a week. This makes it significantly easier to access the Ötztal Valley from across Tirol by public transport (train to Ötztal Bahnhof, then bus into the valley). All buses will also now be equipped with modern, easy-to-use bike racks which can be used free of charge. Many buses also have an additional luggage trailer offering plenty of space even for large bags and suitcases. Sustainability is also the ideal behind expanding the network of charging stations for electric cars in the valley – in future there will be 17 charging spots (high speed and normal speed) between Ötztal Bahnhof at the start of the valley and Sölden/Zwieselstein at the end of the valley.
http://www.oetztal.com

Alpbach Valley: Reintalersee lake in Kramsach to be made disabled-accessible
The Alpbach Valley has recently begun work to make the Reintalersee lake accessible to visitors with disabilities. This means easier access in future for families with pushchairs as well as visitors with a range of disabilities. There will be new benches along the approach to the lake where you can sit down and take a break, while the path around the lake will be redesigned to make it wheelchair-friendly. A new park is also planned with a series of skills stations. Children can look forward to a wheelchair swing, interactive stations to test their strength and a special carousel for young wheelchair users. https://www.alpbachtal.at

Staying safe on holiday: For an overview of the current Covid-19 rules and recommendations in Tirol please visit www.welcome.tirol