Alpine Summer Roadtrip, Part II. Sky Walks and Spa Days in Austria

Welcome back to part II of my Alpine Summer road trip series. After a few days exploring Germany, we drove south into Austria, where the landscape shifted again, with taller peaks, quieter towns, and that kind of stillness you only get in the mountains. This post details exhilarating walks along narrow bridges suspended high above beautiful gorges, an affordable mountain stay with the most beautiful and serene natural pool, and a luxury alpine mountain-view spa that ranks among my top spa experiences to date.

The morning after we left the beautiful small town of Grainau, we made our way through the chocolate box town of Garmisch and towards Leogang in Austria, where we had booked a small alpine accommodation in the mountains with plans to visit a beautiful spa. The weather didn’t go quite to plan, but after three lovely days of sunshine, we were happy to accept a rainy day to enjoy some walking activities. The thing about choosing a destination in the Alps is that, regardless of the weather, the walks and outdoor activities are still outstanding.  As we were new to hiking, we decided that all the activities we planned needed to be as beginner-friendly as possible. I want to note that if you are not new to this, the world is truly your oyster here. The hiking opportunities are endless, and there are multiple options for hikes between Austria and Germany, which you can do:

Hikes we came across in our research:

Wolfsklammn - had we had more time, we would have opted for this over the walk we chose. Our research showed that this trail takes you through gorges lined with emerald waters, moss-covered cliffs, wooden bridges, and narrow canyons. The entire walk takes between 3 and 4 hours, and there are multiple steps which might not make it accessible. Still, it definitely has an adventurous wow factor, including some outstanding and powerful waterfalls, so waterproofs are a must. 

Tiefenbachklamm (Alpbachtal, Tyrol) - If you want to avoid crowds and go for a simpler, no-fuss but equally beautiful walk, this comes highly recommended.