winter hiking trails

Going for a stroll or hike to visit a nativity scene or two is a popular pastime in Tyrol. Oberperfuss is a very well-known nativity scene location that is home to outstanding woodcarvers. Every festive season, numerous visitors flock to the village to admire the stunning works of art in local homes and buildings. The walk starts in the car park next to Oberperfuss Parish Church, where you can park for free. In front of the parish church you will see the beautiful village nativity scene by Konrad Spiegl, a grandson of Oberperfuss' famous woodcarver Josef Spiegl, who carved thousands of sheep that can now be admired in many of Tyrol's nativity scenes. When you enter the church, be sure to check out the baptistery on the left, where you can view the stunning old church nativity scene, a mountainous crib scene created by Karl Triendl, featuring figurines made by Giner, Seisl, Mundi, etc. and a background by Pögl Alois. Other attractive highlights of the Baroque parish church include the tomb next to the church wall and the sundial by the famous cartographer Peter Anich on the south side of the church. After leaving the parish church, continue west for a few minutes until you reach the Hotel Krone, home to the Niederkircher family's inn nativity scene. At the reception desk, you will see a sign reading "zur Krippe". Follow the signs directing visitors through the hallways to the "Steincafé" and it won't be long until you're suddenly standing in front of a true work of art so large that it needs its own room: Tyrol’s largest private nativity scene with a width of 5.2 metres and depth of 2.4 metres. The scene contains hundreds of figurines depicting various stories from the Bible, for example the Annunciation, Mary and Joseph's search for a room, the birth of Jesus in the stall, the shepherds in the field and the visit of the Three Wise Men. The painted background of the nativity scene has a genuine oriental feel to it. Hundreds of the figurines in the scene date back to a period lasting two centuries and are believed to be connected to the late-Baroque Giner school from the end of the 18th century. This nativity scene takes an impressive total of two weeks to install. It is a truly fascinating original replica of Jesus' birthplace, Jerusalem, the landscape, the shepherds' clothes and the animals. Back when the scene was created, a number of local residents embarked on what were extremely difficult pilgrimages to the Holy Land in order to be able to realistically recreate what happened in the nativity. The Niederkircher Nativity Scene at the Hotel Krone in Oberperfuss is truly tremendous and well worth a visit. After admiring this work of art, you can bring your nativity scene tour to the perfect close at the neighbouring M1 café and restaurant. The car park next to the parish church is only a short walk from the restaurant, or you can choose to go on a longer walk starting at the Hotel Krone and leading you through the village before following the Blasius-Hueber-Weg path back to the car park. You can, of course, also enjoy this very sunny route before setting out on your nativity scene tour.  

A wonderfuil winter walk along the Inn to Martinsbühel. On cold winter days, you'll pass bizarre ice sculptures at the water and frozen plants. A special experience for those wintry days! Return is via the meadows and fields back to the starting point.

The walk starts at the town hall in Völs and leads towards Bahnhofstraße road. When you come to the butcher's called Metzgerei Singer, head west towards Seestraße road and past the sports ground in the direction of Völser Teich pond. Then continue along Aflingerstraße road towards Afling until you reach the Maria Schnee Church. From there, follow the same route back to the town hall in Völs. Alternatively, you can walk from Afling towards the village of Kematen and return to Völs via Michelfeld. If you would like to take a break along the way, you can stop at Restaurant Blockhaus, www.restaurant-blockhaus.at, Michelfeldarena.

A winter walk along the toboggan run from the DreiSeenBahn cable-car valley station to the Graf-Ferdinand-Haus alpine hut. This moderate walk, taking in 200m in altitude difference, offers wonderful winter impressions, and should be taken at a leisurely pace. Refreshments at the hut are still fully deserved.

From the church in Barwies, head south along a little-used path and down to the lake. From here, turn right at the first junction and follow the signs for Mötz and Burg Klamm (castle). The path here is well-maintained and, after the underpass, turn left before following the signposts towards Zein. Here, it's steadily along the edge of the forest and down to the Brunnigkapelle chapel, before heading uphill again to Zein. The route passes the bathing lake towards Untermieming. Head through the village and, at the final houses, turn right and follow the path up to Obermieming and the Georgskirchlein church. From here, it's back into the village and on to Barwies and the starting point.

This short winter walk doesn't require much time or fitness. The route takes a 10km-long even path from St Sigmund im Sellraintal through wintery landscapes. Along the way, you'll have a wonderful view of the Gleirschtal valley and the village.

Path number 7 heads from the cable-car car park back through the neighbourhoods of Aigen and Huebe around the Hueber Fields. it then continues across the country lanes to the hamlet of Dickicht and back to the car park.

This walk begins at the car park at St Sigmund (payment by coin necessary). The first section of the route goes along the toboggan run (forest path) to the Gleirschbrücke bridge, before continuing along the footpath through the winter forest to the Gleirschalm alpine hut. This hut has a sunny terrace and a small yet cosy interior. Tyrolean delicacies are served. This winter walk is also possible with children, and the descent is perfect for tobogganing.

This tour starts at the Marmota car park in Gries (free parking) and then passes by the fire department and crosses the bridge before bearing left along the toboggan run to Juifenau. From there, it is possible to continue up to the Juifenalm mountain hut. The climb up to the start of the Juifenalm toboggan run is approximately 200 metres long and quite steep.

At 2,300m above sea level, Hafelekar offers a simple winter walk for the whole family with fantastic views of Karwendel on one side, and Innsbruck on the other. It's here where lovers of extreme sports begin their free-riding, downhill and many other adventures, but this walking route acts as a viewing area from which to watch the skiers, while allowing a wintery insight into the nature of the high Alps. Along a simple, secure and fully-accessible winter walk, you'll discover the area surrounding the Hafelekar alpine hut. The best thing is, it is not necessary to get here on foot as the Nordkettenbahn cable cars will transport the whole family from the centre of Innsbruck right to the top. Enjoy the views of the wildly romantic Karwendel range or simply watch the free-riders conquering the steep Seilbahnrinne (cable car gully run).