Salzburger Almenweg: Hiking Alpine Meadows

The best season for the Salzburger Almenweg, like all hut-to-hut tours in Austria, is from mid-June to late September. During this period of time, you will enjoy good weather and most of the huts along the trails will be open. At the end of September, beginning of October, the weather starts to get colder and there isn't enough grass for the cattle. For that reason, the hut hosts have to get down to the valleys with their animals to feed them until the next season!

Each stage on the Salzburger Almenweg has it's own starting and ending point, which allows you to start and end the trek when and where you want to. The starting points of the 31 Salzburger Almenweg stages can be easily reached in many ways, by car, train, or plane.

By plane

There are flight connections from many European cities directly to Salzburg. More than 25 airlines connect Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne, Dublin, Amsterdam, London, Istanbul, and many other European cities directly to W.A. Mozart Airport in Salzburg. From the Airport, you can continue your journey by cab, public transport, or rental car to the starting point of your Salzburger Almenweg.

By car

If you live close to Salzburgerland or you enjoy road trips, you can easily access the stages' starting points by car. For example, if you come from the north (Munich/Salzburg) to Werfen (starting point stage 31), you should take the A8 and A10. Coming from the east (Liezen) to Radstadt, you can reach the starting point of stage 27 via the B320. From the south (Villach) to Flachau, the A10 will take you to stage 21. The wide net of roads makes it very easy to move around Salzburgerland, from one stage to the next, without any stress.

By train

Traveling by train is always a good idea in Austria. The wide and well-designed network of railroads allows you to travel in a relaxed and easy manner while enjoying the mountain views. Within the country, the Austrian Federal Railways take you comfortably to the starting points of the Salzburger Almenweg's stages. At the ÖBB website, you can easily find the trains' timetables and the best combination to get to your next adventure!

At the end of your trek, you will find several buses, shuttles, and hiker's taxis that will take you to your next destination. The region welcomes thousands of hikers every summer and has a good infrastructure when it comes to connecting each stage to the next.

The Salzburger Almenweg includes 31 stages, each with its own highlights and beauty. Depending on whether you are traveling alone or with your family, and whether you are a beginner or an experienced hiker, there are different options for you to choose from. The Salzburger Almenweg is pretty much a "choose your own adventure" kind of path. It is possible to just do day-hikes and then return to the valley below and drive to the next starting point, or you can choose to stay in the mountains for several days, going from one hut to the next. You can learn more about these routes below.

Trekking with children, of course, depends on the age of the kids and how used they are to spending hours walking in the mountains. If you are planning a family trekking trip, the Almenweg is a great option. The Salzburger Almenweg is divided into several stages of different difficulty levels, some of them categorized as "family-friendly".

If you are going with kids, it is always advisable to choose easy trails with wide paths. Along some of the stages, you can also find some attractions aimed at keeping kids interested in the adventure, such as hanging bridges, themed paths, swings, and climbing stations.

The second stage, "Majestic Panoramic Views", is highly recommended for families with kids. This section of the Almenweg is an easy trail that has several points where you can jump on a bus and return to the starting point of the trek if needed. Stages 16 – 19, 20, 22, and 26 are equally family-friendly.

Hiking with kids can be challenging, especially when it comes to keeping them interested in the adventure. We advise planning the trek in advance, choosing wide paths where they can run and jump freely without any dangers, and choosing realistic goals for each day. It is also a good idea to play some games along the way to keep them interested and motivated. If you are taking babies, a baby-backpack is advisable.

On the Salzburger Almenweg, there are around 550 huts that offer accommodation and food to hikers and mountaineers. While staying in traditional mountain huts you will spend your nights away from the hustle and bustle of cities and towns below. Although booking the huts in advance is not compulsory, we highly advise doing so, especially if you are trekking with several other people. The huts usually provide bedclothes in their rooms and dorms, but if you want to carry your own sleeping bag, you can also do so.

At the huts, you will be able to get to know the hosts, their lives in the mountains, and enjoy delicious home-made meals, mostly with ingredients from their own farms. You could do daily hikes and then spend the night at a fancy hotel in one of the towns on the Almenweg, but we advise spending at least one night in one of the many options available in the mountains. Enjoy the peace and quiet of nature, far away from the crowded and loud cities below!

During your Salzburger Almenweg, you will have the pleasure of tasting some of the most delicious local dishes of Salzbugerland. Every hut offers a typical rettljause, a country dish including cheese, bacon, sausage, butter, and bread. On the huts, you can also find a wide range of local specialties, likeFleischkrapfen, Blattlkrapfen with sauerkraut, Bauernkrapfen, Wetzstein noodles, pressed-cheese dumpling soup, cured beef, pork roasts cooked in a charcoal oven, a wide variety of cheeses, Kaiserschmarrn, and homemade pastries. The huts also offer fresh milk, homemade fruit juices, and home-distilled schnapps!

While trekking on the Salzburger Almenweg, you can track your progress on your Guest Card, which you can get at anytourist office in the Pongau region. At any of thealpine huts located along each stage of the Almenweg, you can get the stamp corresponding to that stage. At the end of the trek, you can make your way to the closest tourist information office where you will be able to get the Hiking Pin corresponding to the number of stages that you have completed!

• Bronze Pin: 1 stage
• Silver Pin: 5 stages
• Gold Pin: 10 stages
• Diamond Pin: 31 stages

The Salzburger Almenweg has different difficulty levels so that everybody can enjoy the trails depending on their experience and physical state. From experienced mountaineers to families with small children, the Almenweg in Salzburgerland has options for everybody! On the Pongau region, you will find clear paths with well-signposted intersections. On each sign, you will find the trail number, the difficulty level, and the kilometers and walking time to each destination.

Color codes for the difficulty levels on the Salzburger Almenweg:

• Beginner
• Moderate
• Mountaineer