Guided Hikes in the Austrian Alps

After a hearty lunch of goulash soup, bread and schnapps, we left our cozy little mountain hut and started hiking back to one of the many Mayrhofen trails in the Ziller Valley Alps.

Hang gliders with bright colors flew above us and drifted like giant butterflies past the meadows of tiny colorful flowers, past cows clanging their bells while munching meadow grass, past cyclists pushing their way up rugged roads, down to the lush green valley spotted with wood-trimmed chalets. The scene was so perfect, it seemed as if it had been created at the Disney studios in Burbank.

Guided hikes here, such as the one I was on, offer travelers some of the best budget breaks available and are provided free by the tourist information offices in many of the Austrian Alpine areas. The only time cash is needed is when someone takes a cable car or public bus, rides to the trail heads or purchases food or drinks at huts along the route.

What’s good about the hikes is that they bring travelers together socially and enable the hikers to exchange information on routes, sightseeing and the huts in which they may want to stay overnight.

A good place to start a hike is in Innsbruck, a 2 1/2-hour train trip southeast from Munich, Germany. Until Sept. 23, Innsbruck is offering free guided walks daily for anyone staying in the area at least three nights. Boots and small backpacks are also provided free by the Innsbruck Tourist Office, located at Burggraben 3.

Trips, led by the guides, depart from the Innsbruck Congress Center, Rennweg 3, at 8:45 a.m. Guides choose from 40 different routes, the degree of difficulty depending on the ability of that day’s group members.

Innsbruck has five youth hostels, camping close to the city center and several residences open during the summer at universities and colleges. These accommodations are listed at the Innsbruck Tourist Office.

About three miles south of Innsbruck, connected by a tram, is Igls, a small resort village. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, hiking guide Dieter Baer will meet visitors at 9 a.m. in front of the Igls Tourist Office and pick a route from the more than 30 miles of Igls trails. The walk and guide are free.

On Tuesday nights, visitors are met at 7 p.m. in Innsbruck and Igls by a bus that delivers them to the trail head for a short climb to a rustic Alpine hut called Gasthof Heiligwasser.

There hikers can buy food and drinks and watch an evening of free musical entertainment until 11 p.m., when a guide with a lantern will lead the way back down to the bottom of the trail, where they’re met by a bus and taken back to Igls and Innsbruck.

Mayrhofen is about a two-hour drive from Innsbruck. Here visitors gather each weekday morning at the Mayrhofen Information (office), Europahaus Dursterstrabe 225, to join Thomas Hueber, the local hiking guide, for a walk on one of the more than 120 miles of trails that have helped build Mayrhofen’s reputation as a hiker’s paradise.

Each Monday evening at 6 p.m. at Mayrhofen Information, Hueber will give a talk about hiking in the Mayrhofen area and the walks that he will guide that week.

Since dining out is expensive, arrangements can be made for accommodations, with breakfast, in a private home for $13 per person, per night. Mayrhofen Information will assist in locating accommodations, and can also offer details on staying overnight in mountain huts and farmhouses.

Visitors who are interested in mountain climbing can investigate a one-week climbing course offered by the Zillertal Alpine School, A-6290 Mayrhofen, operated by local resident Peter Habeler, who was the first to conquer Mt. Everest without oxygen apparatus.

Weekly beginner courses, as well as more advanced instruction, are available from $375 to $445 per person, including accommodations, food and equipment. Reservations should be made in advance.

For more information, contact the Austrian National Tourist Office, 11601 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 2480, Los Angeles 90025, (213) 477-3332.