UKC

Hi all 

I've had some great holiday ideas from here in the past so back to pick the hive mind again. 

I have a week's leave at the end of July and am looking to book a holiday somewhere Alps or adjacent (yes, I know I'm booking it late). Due to ill health I'm looking for a town (rather than city) with easy access up into the mountains by cable car, so I can do some short but pretty potters, possibly with scenic cake, and maybe the odd short valley walk too. Will likely be on public transport.

But we're completely stumped on where to go. 

Last year we went to Ortisei and had a fabulous time (my first time in the Dolomites) as the number of lifts meant we could do various little potters and one simple via ferrata (Gran Cir), though my health has since worsened so a short VF may or may not be on the cards this year. 

I've previously been to Mittenwald, Oberstdorf and Zermatt, but many years ago. Otherwise we're not super fussed as long as we can get around on public transport and it meets the above criteria. Slight preference for German rather than French speaking but that's not crucial. 

Would love to go to Switzerland but I'm not sure we can afford the Airbnb prices. Have looked at Garmisch, but don't know much about it. Not really familiar with Austria at all. Would consider Dolomites again if somewhere different, and not Cortina.  

Very much welcome any ideas!

Thanks all.

In reply to Queen of the Traverse:

What about the Austrian Dolomites? Base yourself somewhere like lienz where there are a  few lifts but loads of little busses to take you high. Excellent public transport and tons good things to do in the valley if you can't manage a walk.  Can't remember any specific walks but I spent a lot of time there as a child and mu folks still live there. They are into their late 70s and still get stuff done.

In reply to Queen of the Traverse:

Höllental, Austria ... just an hour from Vienna by trainy cable car / toy train to Rax / Schneeberg, a wonderful river valley with walks, and day trips to Vienna should the weather be less than friendly 

In reply to Queen of the Traverse:

Mayrhofen has plenty of ski infrastructure to get you up the hill and good public transport. Been a few times.

In reply to Queen of the Traverse:

Second Mayerhofen suggestion. We had a great fortnight there last year. On ticket give you access to all the local buses, trains and lifts. Fantastic walking of all levels. Nice town and great cakes. 

In reply to Matt Podd:

And great beer made just down the valley. (I like to get my priorities)

In reply to Queen of the Traverse:

Slovenia, somewhere like Lake Bohinj, there's cable cars and nice walks up to refuges and stunning scenery

In reply to Queen of the Traverse:

Maybe Innsbruck? Lifts straight out of the town, plus really good bus/rail connections to Zillertal, Stubaital, Ötztal, Lechtal … also culture, museums and plenty of restaurants for a rainy day, and one of the world’s biggest and best climbing walls.

We've had two chilled holidays in the Alps in Solden in Ortzal in Austria.  We've camped on both occasions, but it's a skiing centre so should be plenty of accommodation available.

Good bus service, including postal buses to get to the remoter valleys. Easy VF. Easy to get to glaciers for a stroll.  Friendly people, much more relaxed than the Swiss and Germans. 

Nearest station in Ortzal Bahnhof , about an hour by bus (Rail access to Innsbruck) 

We used the Rother Hiking Guide: Ötztal by Mark Zahel

Phil

In reply to Queen of the Traverse:

Thanks for posing the question. looking for the same for next year (May/June) so all the replies are double appreciated!

In reply to Queen of the Traverse:

Andorra, Slovenia ( bovec ) and France ( Serre Chevalier/ briancon) all spring to mind. 

In reply to Queen of the Traverse:

Thanks all! 

Does anyone have experience of whether Garmisch fits this bill? 

Will look into the above solutions, thank you. Probably just end up where we can get accommodation. 

In reply to Queen of the Traverse:

It certainly has decent lift infrastructure, and you could go on some potters but the valley probably isn't necessarily the prettiest and can get busy. However, you could easily get buses or trains further afield - train north to Murnau then west to Bad Kohlgrub / Oberammergau for the Hoernle / Laber area, or train /bus west towards Reutte / Fussen, or bus south to Biberwier, or north east to the Walchensee.  There are quite a few "local's lifts" in that part of the Bavarian alps - chairlift or small gondola with a hut at the top and a couple of ski runs and paraglider launch slope, with paths off the back. You've been to Mittenwald so have a reasonable idea what I'm on about.  I've done a reasonable amount of walking / snowshoeing in the area if you need to know more.   Garmisch has the advantage of being easy to get to by train from Munich. You can fly there from Gatwick with Easyjet, or Manchester with Lufthansa.

In reply to McHeath:

Innsbruck also gives access to Kemater Alm. The Austrian 'dolomites'. Lovely.

In reply to Toerag:

Thank you! 

Yeah really looking for somewhere where we can do a decent amount without first having to get buses places. Thanks. 

In reply to Queen of the Traverse:

A few more words about Garmisch. It has several cable cars as well as the funicular railway up the Zugspitze and has train connections in three directions: towards Munich, with a few stops which can serve as the starting point of walks, towards Mittenwald and Innsbruck, and towards Ehrwald and onwards to Reutte.

My suggestions for some cable car walks:

• Up with the Kreuzeckbahn, and then traverse downwards to the right (good views) towards the Höllentalanger Hütte for lunch. From here descend the Höllentalklamm (a ravine with a path through it) back to Garmisch.
• Up to the halfway station of the Wankbahn, then traverse the mountain clockwise as far as the Estergebirgalm (hut/restaurant) for lunch. Afterwards continue around clockwise, descending via the Gschwandtner Bauer for late afternoon refreshments and thence back to Garmisch. Mainly wooded but with some nice views.
• From next to the Olympic Stadium (this is worth a visit in its own right) take the - sadly now modernised - Eckbauer cable car, then traverse over to the Elmauer Alm, a somewhat posh mountain café belonging to the Hotel Schloss Elmau, the one which has twice hosted the G7 summit. From there down to Klais and thence by train back to Garmisch. A gentle walk mainly through woods but with some nice views.
• If you are up to a VF: Alpspitze Klettersteig, accessible from the top station of the Alpspitzbahn.

Another popular cable car walk in the region starts from the side of the Walchensee and takes the Herzogstandbahn. From there first visit the summit of the Herzogstand and then traverse a narrow ridge (it's a footpath, I don't mean Aonach Eagach narrow) to the Heimgarten. Lunch possible in the hut just below the Heimgarten summit. Super views. Either retrace your steps to go down again with the cable car, or (in my view better) descend by foot to the Walchensee. Getting to the Herzogstandbahn by public transport is possible from Garmisch, but it looks like a hassle, involving a bus journey with a change in the middle.

Some pleasant valley walks or walks with moderate height difference without cable car also possible. PM welcome if you would like to know more.

One last word, however: you're not going to be alone for any of this, particularly on the Alpsitze VF.

In reply to Graeme G:

What Lrunner referred to above as the "Austrian" Dolomites are known, at least in German, as the Lienz Dolomites (Lienzer Dolomiten) and are in eastern Tirol above the city of Lienz.

What you have above the Kemater Alm near Innsbruck is a sub-group of the Stubai Alps known as the Kalkkögel, with summits such as the Ochsenwand, the Riepenwand or the Steingrubenkogel which look very much like the "real" Dolomites and are apparently from the same rock. Before anyone gets too excited: the rock is apparently loose and the climbing routes there are visited mainly by local connoisseurs.

In reply to alex_th:

Thanks. Is Lienz itself the best base? Don't really have a sense of how big it is and I'm probably looking for that magic combo of decent infrastructure (public transport and lifts, and somewhere to buy food) without it just feeling like you're staying in a big, ugly city. 

Same question re Kemater Alm etc! 

In reply to Mike-W-99:

The local wine is rather fine as well!

In reply to Queen of the Traverse:

For the lienzer dolomites lienz is a great base (not referred as the austrian dolomites as I said earlier, my family are from their and would described themselves as tyroleans!) Good public transport, cycle paths, trains. There some lifts but it's not that kind of a mountain town.

It's a town of about 5000 I think, shops restaurants etc I've never had a car when I've visited and there are buses up to the bigger huts where you can start walks and get a nice lunch. 

Some very interesting history too. I'll ask my folks to recommend some walks if you'd like.

In reply to Lrunner:

Thanks. Will have a bit more of a think first. Cheers for your help. 

In reply to Queen of the Traverse:

Better to ask Graeme G about the Kalkkögel rather than me. As a climber you almost never hear about them, and if you do, then the first thing you learn is to avoid them 😀 I've only ever seen them from afar.

In reply to alex_th:

I only visited Kemater Alm for lunch on a crap day when I was staying in Mayrhofen. Couldn’t comment on the climbs. Wished I could’ve stayed and walked there. It rained most of the day so we just treated it as a ‘car’ day.

OP you should get Komoot. It’s a great App for sourcing ideas for walks. 

In reply to Queen of the Traverse:

Somebody linked to this on another thread:

https://www.tyrol.com/activities/sport/hiking

My in-laws live near Innsbruck, so I kind of know the area. You can get a cable car from near the city centre (but up hill from there so get a bus up) all the way to the top of the Nordkette mountains, or get off half way up. 

https://www.tyrol.com/activities/sport/hiking/hiking-tours/along-the-goethe...

This one, on the other side of the valley, might also fit the bill:

https://www.tyrol.com/activities/sport/hiking/hiking-tours/the-zirbenweg-tr...

I wouldn't describe Innsbruck as a "big, ugly city".

In reply to fimm:

I thought I'd heard of Kemater Alm - I've walked up there from a bus to Grinzens. There's pleasant easy walking on the ridge to the west (Grieskogel).

(Like this; but seeing the route we did reminds me that we got a lift there and a bus back.

https://www.strava.com/activities/6169254550 )

We ended up in the Kalkkögel by "accident" longer ago and backed off the path due to it being loose and dangerous.

In reply to Queen of the Traverse:

Hi, Garmisch would be perfect for what you want. My neighbour has a lovely apartment there: he rents it out, and the cost is very reasonable (compared to here). If you are interested, and want to check availability, drop me an email and I will give you his details. 

In reply to Queen of the Traverse:

Thanks again all for your help. We've settled on either Garmisch or Mittenwald due to limited accommodation options and trying to reduce travel times from Munich airport. Sounds like either should give us a good trip. Cheers.