Hiking in Vorarlberg: Montafon, Bregenzerwald and Kleinwalsertal

If you're weighing up Tyrol against the Allgäu, Vorarlberg offers something of its own: more compact than Tyrol, more alpine than the Allgäu. The region drops steeply from Lake Constance and the Rhine Valley into glacier and limestone terrain within just a few valley kilometres. It's this dramatic change in elevation that makes hiking in Vorarlberg so varied.

In the Bregenzerwald, foothill meadows, cheese-making alpine pastures and timber architecture set the tone. In the Rätikon, limestone walls and rock towers line the border with Switzerland. The Silvretta massif in Montafon is glacier country: high-altitude lakes, glaciated three-thousand-metre peaks, and views towards the Piz Buin. In between lie flower meadows, Walser villages and the remote Lechquellengebirge.

What makes the network so dense: staffed alpine huts spaced closely together, cable cars that save you height metres, and a well-developed bus network connecting the valleys. Vorarlberg's hiking routes can be combined so that you arrive at staffed accommodation every evening without needing your own car. Arrival by train via Bregenz in the west and Bludenz in the south works reliably.

The right question at the outset isn't where Vorarlberg is, but which gateway leads into which valley.

Bregenz and Dornbirn in the Rhine Valley are the rail gateway to the Bregenzerwald. From Dornbirn, buses run along the Bregenzerwaldstraße to the villages of Bezau, Mellau, Damüls, Au and Schoppernau. Bludenz, on the Arlberg railway line, is the hub for three directions: into Montafon towards Schruns, Gaschurn and Gargellen, into the Brandnertal towards the Rätikon, and via the Klostertal towards the Arlberg. Lech, Zürs and Warth open up the Arlberg area and the Lechquellengebirge. Oberstdorf in the Allgäu is the sole gateway into the Kleinwalsertal. The valley is only reachable by road from Germany, even though the villages of Riezlern, Hirschegg, Mittelberg and Baad lie on Austrian territory.

Vorarlberg is a short journey from southern Germany, eastern Switzerland and Tyrol. Stage destinations remain reachable by train and local bus, which matters: point-to-point routes, where you end the day somewhere different from where you started it, don't suit travelling by your own car. Bus and train solve this reliably.

The Allgäu is the German neighbour to the north, the Lechtal the Tyrolean neighbour to the east. Both border Vorarlberg but are hiking regions in their own right.

Which valley suits you? Here are Vorarlberg's five faces, side by side.

Montafon: Silvretta, Lünersee and the great high-level routes

Montafon is Vorarlberg's most alpine valley. Three mountain ranges meet here: the rugged Rätikon, the glaciated Silvretta, and the unspoilt Verwall. The Silvrettastausee reservoir on the high alpine road, the Lünersee in the Brandnertal, and the lakes around the Bielerhöhe are the best-known bodies of water in this landscape.

Hiking in Montafon means high-level routes with glacier views towards the Piz Buin, multi-hour ascents and descents between valley and alpine pasture, and ibex on the ridges. A hiking holiday in Montafon suits anyone wanting genuine alpine character without being tied to via ferratas. The bases of Schruns, Gaschurn and Gargellen are easily reached. For beginners wanting to go alpine, Montafon is more demanding than the Bregenzerwald, but manageable. Compared with the Kleinwalsertal: Montafon goes higher, is rougher, and feels more remote.

Bregenzerwald: cheese pastures, timber villages and the Kanisfluh

The Bregenzerwald is the gentlest of Vorarlberg's major hiking valleys. Here you walk through foothill landscapes, past staffed cheese-making alpine pastures, and through villages renowned for their timber architecture: Bezau, Schwarzenberg, Mellau, Damüls, Au and Schoppernau.

A hiking holiday in the Bregenzerwald often follows the Cheese Road, a network of paths linking dairies, alpine pastures and villages. The Kanisfluh above Mellau and Au is the valley's landmark: a long rocky ridge offering views across the entire Bregenzerwald. Hiking in the Bregenzerwald means good huts and guesthouses, shorter ascents and descents than in Montafon, and more green, less rock. For anyone wanting their first multi-day hike in more alpine terrain, the Bregenzerwald is the gentler introduction.

Kleinwalsertal: Walser villages in a dead-end valley

The Kleinwalsertal is an Austrian enclave accessible only from Oberstdorf. The villages of Riezlern, Hirschegg, Mittelberg and Baad sit in a narrow valley that ends at the Widderstein and the Walmendingerhorn in the south. The Walsers, a group of medieval settlers from Valais, built villages here and preserved their independence.

Hikes in the Kleinwalsertal thrive on flower meadows in early summer, high-level routes between the Ifen, Widderstein and Walmendingerhorn, and straightforward access from the Allgäu. The valley suits anyone wanting to go alpine without travelling far. It's more alpine than the Bregenzerwald but not as rugged as the Silvretta. More on this in section 5.

Arlberg and Lechquellengebirge: wild and little-walked

Lech, Zürs, Stuben and Warth are a ski region in winter and quiet starting points for one of Vorarlberg's least-known hiking areas in summer. The Lechquellengebirge between the Formarinsee, the Rote Wand and the Klostertal is rugged, steep and rarely walked. Here, you'll often have the paths to yourself.

The Formarinsee near Lech is one of Vorarlberg's most beautiful mountain lakes and also a starting point for demanding high-mountain routes. A crossing into the Lechtal in Tyrol is possible. The Arlberg area isn't suited to a first alpine trip, but it's ideal for anyone who has gained experience in Montafon and the Bregenzerwald and is looking for something quieter.

Rätikon and Brandnertal: limestone walls on the Swiss border

The Rätikon lies in south-western Vorarlberg, right on the border with Graubünden. Pale limestone walls, towers and ridges such as the Schesaplana, the Drei Türme and the Zimba define the scenery. The Brandnertal, with the Lünersee, is the best-known access point: from the Lünerseebahn cable car, broad high-level paths lead on with views of the rock walls.

Routes in the Rätikon are technically more demanding than in the Bregenzerwald or Kleinwalsertal, but the scenery rewards the extra effort. Anyone familiar with the limestone walls of the Dolomites will feel instantly at home in the Rätikon. Compared with Montafon: here rock and limestone dominate, rather than glaciers and shale.

The principle is the same on all three tours: a different place each evening, accommodation booked in advance, and your suitcase waiting at your destination via luggage transfer wherever the route allows. You carry only a day pack. In the evening you arrive at accommodation with dinner included, and in the morning you set off refreshed.

Montafon beginner tour (4 days): The Beginner's Fun Hike in Montafon is the most alpine of the three tours, and is designed for anyone heading into genuine mountain terrain over several days for the first time. It starts in Tschagguns, passing the Gauenhütte to reach the Lindauer Hütte on the first day, before continuing for four days through the heart of Montafon. According to our route data, stages range from 7 to just under 11 kilometres a day, with ascents and descents that are always noticeable in Montafon. You get glacier views without glacier contact.

Bregenzerwald pleasure tour (6 days): The Hiking and Indulgence in the Bregenzerwald tour is the gentlest and longest: six days from Bezau via Andelsbuch, Schwarzenberg and Egg to Hittisau, covering 50 kilometres in total, with the longest daily stage just under 15 kilometres. Cheese pastures, timber villages, regional cuisine. Ideal for anyone wanting to walk in the mountains without battling hundreds of metres of ascent every day.

Kleinwalsertal tour (4 days): The Kleinwalsertal Hike (4 days) starts in Riezlern and leads over four days through flower meadows and Walser villages, with a medium difficulty level between the Bregenzerwald and Montafon. Access is straight from Oberstdorf, ideal for anyone travelling from southern Germany.

For classic hut-to-hut tours in Montafon or the Rätikon, which we don't offer as a dedicated package, we recommend taking a look at the 5 most beautiful hut-to-hut tours in Austria for beginners. An overview of all of Austria's major trekking routes is given in our Hiking in Austria blog. Bookatrekking's full range of Austrian offerings can be found on the Austria walking holidays overview page.

The Kleinwalsertal is Vorarlberg's most sought-after hiking destination, because from Oberstdorf it works like an extended piece of the Allgäu: short journey, good infrastructure, alpine terrain without a long drive. Hiking in the Kleinwalsertal is above all about high-level routes between the Ifen, Widderstein and Walmendingerhorn, many of them with a cable-car start. It's an attractive option for anyone coming from the Allgäu or Bavaria who doesn't want a long journey to Tyrol or Salzburg.

A multi-day hike through the Kleinwalsertal can also take the form of hut-to-hut routes that cross the Austrian border into the Allgäu, showing the valley from a different perspective. This hut-to-hut option in the Kleinwalsertal is more alpine than the valley paths and makes a good next step after some initial hut experience.

Our bookable option is the four-day Kleinwalsertal tour. A detailed Kleinwalsertal guide covering all the classic routes and huts will follow as its own page.

For anyone who doesn't want to be on the move for several days in a row, or who prefers a fixed base, Vorarlberg works particularly well: cable car up, a high-level circuit or panoramic path at the top, and back down by evening. This is exactly why so many people search for the most beautiful hikes in the Kleinwalsertal or hiking routes in Montafon: these regions are ideal for the day-trip approach.

Some examples, with no invented distances but plenty of character: the Lünersee circuit in the Rätikon is a broad, easily walked path around one of Vorarlberg's most beautiful mountain lakes. The high-level circuit from Gargellen in Montafon leads into quiet ridge terrain with views of the Rätikon and Silvretta. The Kanisfluh from Mellau or Au is the classic Bregenzerwald route: a long rocky ridge, wide views. The lakes at the Bielerhöhe form the Silvretta's high-alpine lake district. The Formarinsee on the Arlberg is a peaceful counterpoint. The Ifen circuit in the Kleinwalsertal is the panoramic route many begin by cable car.

Hiking in Vorarlberg with children: The system of cable car up, short circular walk at the top, and a meal to finish works well with children too. Themed trails in the Bregenzerwald and lakes in Montafon offer variety. Our Bregenzerwald pleasure tour (6 days) can serve as a benchmark for capable children: gentle ascents, village accommodation, no exposed sections.

Hut-to-hut route in the Kleinwalsertal: For anyone wanting to experience the Kleinwalsertal with a hut-to-hut feel, high-level routes cross the border into the Allgäu. This option is more alpine than the valley paths but offers good orientation thanks to reliable waymarking. A day pack is enough, provided hut places are booked in advance.

Insider tips: Anyone seeking the quieter side of Vorarlberg will find it in the Lechquellengebirge between Lech and the Klostertal, in the Klostertal itself on the way to the Arlberg, and in the far reaches of the Bregenzerwald around Schoppernau. These areas rarely feature in the usual route recommendations, are well waymarked, and are noticeably less busy than Montafon and the Kleinwalsertal.

The range is wide. A foothill trail in the Bregenzerwald and a high-level route in the Silvretta lie within the same region but are built for entirely different hikers.

None of our three tours involves climbing, glacier contact or via ferratas. Sure-footedness is needed in Montafon, though: the paths are well waymarked but can become slippery on meadow and root sections after rain. The real challenge of hiking in Vorarlberg comes less from technical sections than from the long ascents and descents between valley and alpine pasture, fast-changing mountain weather, and exposed sections on the alpine high-level routes.

Pitfalls that catch hikers out: slippery meadows after rain, afternoon thunderstorms in high summer, lingering snow at higher elevations well into early summer, and fog in the Bregenzerwald that can persist for a long time.

Who are the tours for? Beginners to multi-day alpine hiking are well catered for in the Bregenzerwald and Kleinwalsertal. Families with children can use the shorter stages of our tours as a benchmark from around age ten, though individual fitness levels are decisive. Leisure hikers with experience on mountain trails will find a suitable tour in all three valleys. Experienced alpine hikers looking for more demanding high-level routes will find what they're after in Montafon and the Rätikon.

Difficulty ranking of our three tours: the Bregenzerwald pleasure tour is the gentlest, the Kleinwalsertal tour sits in the middle, and the Montafon beginner tour, despite its beginner label, is the most alpine.

The alpine pasture season is the benchmark. Once the alpine huts and pastures open, overnight hiking in Vorarlberg becomes plannable. Outside this season, many access points and lodgings are closed.

May and early June: Already good in the Rhine Valley and on the lower Bregenzerwald paths. Old snow still lingers at higher elevations, and many alpine pastures and huts remain closed. Early tours only make sense for experienced hikers with the right equipment.

Mid-June to early July: Alpine pastures gradually open. Flower meadows in the Kleinwalsertal are particularly lovely at this time. Days are long, and the weather is calmer than in high summer.

July and August: Peak season. All accommodation is running, it's the warmest time, and afternoon thunderstorms are common. Accommodation can fill up quickly at weekends, so booking early is worthwhile.

September to early October: The best time for most people. Weather is more stable, views of the Silvretta are often clearer than in August, and the alpine cattle drive down in the Bregenzerwald is an experience in itself. It gets quieter, but alpine pastures and huts close gradually.

Mid-October to May: Multi-day tours aren't possible. The region switches into winter-sports mode.

Our multi-day tours run exclusively during the alpine pasture season. For up-to-date weather at each stage destination, the Bookatrekking app shows the forecast for the exact coordinates of the accommodation, not just for the valley below.

Types of accommodation vary considerably between valleys. In the Bregenzerwald and Kleinwalsertal, you'll mostly stay in villages or on alpine pastures with rooms and showers, often in family-run houses. In Montafon and on the high-level routes in the Rätikon, alpine club huts with dormitories come into the mix.

This variety increases the planning workload: small alpine pastures have few beds, and accommodation fills up fast in peak season. That's why we book all overnight stays in advance, before you book.

Luggage transfer means: wherever the route runs from place to place and transfer is possible, your suitcase is waiting at your destination in the evening. You carry a day pack. On stages that run via huts, you carry your own luggage — that's the honest truth.

Bookatrekking's service package includes accommodation with breakfast, luggage transfer wherever possible, a detailed route description, and the app with offline map, GPX track and up-to-date weather forecast for each place you stay.

If you're looking for a pure hut-to-hut tour as an introduction and want to get to know hut life, you'll find good alternatives in our guide to the most beautiful hut-to-hut tours in Austria for beginners.

Current prices, dates and service details can be found on the respective trip page.

Help choosing: Want alpine terrain and glacier views? Choose Montafon. Is indulgence, cheese pastures and gentler paths more important to you than summits? Choose the Bregenzerwald. Are you travelling from southern Germany and want a straightforward start? Choose the Kleinwalsertal. Looking for day hikes only, without a multi-day itinerary? A fixed base in Schruns, Bezau or Riezlern works well. Looking for a classic hut-to-hut tour with dormitories and alpine club huts? Take a look first at our hut-to-hut tour recommendations for Austria. If you want to continue on from Vorarlberg into Tyrol, the Adlerweg in Tyrol is one of the country's best-known long-distance routes.

All routes are reliably waymarked. The Bookatrekking app also provides a GPX track and offline map, so you never have to navigate on your own. Bookatrekking's full range of Austrian hiking holidays can be found on the overview page.