110 wanderlust.co.ukMarch 2020
BetweentheKitzbühelAlps
andtheRofanRangelies
picturesqueAlpbachtal,
aregionofTirolwithquaint
villageshiddenamongitsrolling
hillsandpiercingpeaks.
Alpbachisaprimeexample.
Notonlyisitthelargestvillage
inAlpbachtalValleybutithas
alsobeenofficiallyrecognised
as‘themostbeautifulinAustria’
andthisisinnosmallpart
thankstoitstraditionaltimber
housesandtheprettyflower
boxesthatadornthem.Hikes
andbiketrailsaroundthis
tranquilvillagewilloftenlead
tohiddengems.Theeasy-going
‘AlpbachNatureandHeritage
Trail’traipsespasthistorical
sightsanddowntheMühlbach
PathofContemplation–
aroutethatencouragesyou
topauseandreflectbyeach
oneofitsnaturalsculptures–
oryoucanlooktoscaletothe
topoftheWiedersbergerhorn,
accessibleviathe
Wiedersbergerhornbahnfound
justoutsidethevillage.NexttotheRiverInnsitsthe
historictownofRattenberg.
Withjust 400 inhabitants,
it’sAustria’ssmallestbut
famousthroughoutthevalley
thankstoitsmedievalcentre
andartisanalglasscraft.
Must-visitsitesofinterest
includetheAugustinianMuseum,
whichhousesmorethannine
centuriesofTiroleanart,and
theGlassFactoryKisslinger
toseetheglassblowersatwork.
Ifcastlescharmyou,then
keepheadingwestfrom
Brixlegg,togettothefairytale
likeMatzenCastle.Fromhere
areseveralpathsthatlead
uptoReithimAlpbachtal,
anattractivevillagewithherb
gardensandalakeatitscentre,
fromwhichyoucantakethe
Reitherkogelbahntoramble
onReitherKogel,complete
withimpressivevistasoverthe
ZillerandInnvalleys.
Tocooldownfromtheheat
ofthesummerday,headnorth
fromthebanksoftheInntothe
municipalityofKramsach.Therearefourlakespopular
withswimmerstofindhereand
thisareaisalsorenownedfor
theTirolFarmsteadMuseum,
whichoffersafascinating
insightintoapastwayoflife.
Besuretotraversethe
TiefenbachGorgetrail(found
betweenKramsachand
Brandenberg)toheartherush
oftheBrandenbergerAche
Rivers’torrentsortaketothe
pathwaysofKaiserGorge,once
saidtobeafavouriteofEmperor
FranzJosefandhisbeloved
wifeSisi,centuriesago.You’d
behard-pressednotbe
charmedbythisregiontoo.ALPBACHTAL
V i l l ag ech arm & g org e- ous v i ew s
Floral charm
(clockwise from this)
Quaint farm houses and
lots of nature in the village
of Alpbach; the impressive
Matzen Palace; idyllic Lake
Reintaler in KramsachFind out more at alpbachtal.at