Tirol – Austria Travel Tips

Updated: April 2020

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The most famous region in Austria is probably Tirol, which is not a surprise considering the absolute beauty of the area. However, Tirol can also be quite an expensive Austrian region, as its beauty attracts many wealthy visitors. Consequently, we had to find a town in Austria that wouldn’t be as expensive since we aren’t rich, unfortunately. On top of that, the town had to be accessible by train and a perfect starting point for hiking trails. These criteria led us to a town called Kufstein. We’re going to jump right into our tips for visiting Kufstein in Tirol, Austria.
Mountains in Kufstein
Mountainview Kufstein Tirol Austria

Tips & Tricks

Must-Try Foods & Best Restaurants

Dishes you need to try:

  • Tiroler Gröstl (a style of fried potatoes that is specific to Tirol)
  • Schnitzel with Erdäpfel Salad and Cranberries (cutlet (pork or veal) with potato salad and cranberries)
  • Schweinsbraten (roasted pork)
  • Knödel (potato dumpling)
  • Spätzle with Cheese
  • Kaiserschmarrn

(Some of the names are just not translatable which is why they will also appear like that on the menu)

  • The best restaurant in Kufstein for Austrian food is definitely the Weinstadl. It’s a very pretty restaurant with fairly reasonable prices. If you’d like, you can choose to sit outside under the shade of the grapevines from which they produce their own wine. We paid around 35 Euros for two large beers and two very filling dishes of super delicious Austrian Schnitzel and Braten. The food we ordered was incredible and we will definitely eat there again if we ever go back. The quality of the food was simply outstanding.
Weinstadl Kufstein Tirol Austria
Schnitzel in red wine sauce with spinach spätzle (top) and schweinsbraten with knödel and sauerkraut (bottom)
  • Another restaurant we’d like to mention is the Bräustuberl right in the city center of Kufstein. It probably has the best prices considering the location and they also offer a good selection of Austrian and German dishes. We paid around 25 Euros for two large beers and two meals (Schnitzel and Tiroler Gröstl).
Bräustuberl Kufstein Tirol Austria
Tiroler Gröstl (top) and schnitzel with potato salad and cranberries (bottom)
  • While hiking up the mountains into the Kaisergebirge, we discovered two restaurants that we really liked: Pfandlhof and Weinbergerhaus. Both of them have breathtaking views. While you look up at the mountains from Pfandlhof, you look down into the valleys and over the mountains of the Kaisergebirge from the Weinbergerhaus.

Where to Stay

We tried to find something cheap yet nice AND we did!

View from Widauer in Ebbs Kufstein Tirol Austria
View from our room!

We stayed at a place called Widauer. We’d describe it as a mix between an AirBnB and a hotel. However, you can’t book it on AirBnB, so you’ll have to go through booking dot com. It’s a private house and a hotel at the same time. You have your own room + balcony and bathroom. An awesome breakfast is included! We didn’t need to have any other meals at Widauer since we were gone all day anyway and would eat snacks during our hikes and dinner at a restaurant before going back to our room. Moreover, the host is very nice and gave us many tips for the best restaurants and hiking trails. Another advantage of Haus Widauer is that you don’t need a car to get anywhere. You can easily reach it by bus and all hiking trails start within a short walk.

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Things to Do and See

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Please note that the following activities refer to the summer months (May-September)

  • See the castle on the hill in the Kufstein city center. You really can’t miss it. It’s beautiful and will make for some really nice pictures! If you want to go inside, it’s 12 Euros per person which was too much for us. We’ve seen so many castles from the inside that we just skipped this one. 😀

Kufstein Castle Tirol Austria

  • An obvious Tirol, Austria travel tip is to go hiking. If you don’t like hiking, you should probably not visit Austria because it will be difficult to get the full experience. We found three hiking trails that are particularly pretty and that you should definitely take!

Hiking Map for the Kaisergebirge in Kufstein Tirol Austria

  1. Hike to the Weinbergerhaus/Adlerblick (including the Panoramaweg and Schneerosenweg). You can also take the lift up there! (She was too scared, but her excuse is that she preferred to hike).
    If you want to take this trail, hike like this and take a look a the map above : Kufstein – Berggasthof Hinterdux – Duxer Alm – Lebensquelle – Adlerblick – Weinbergerhaus – Panoramaweg – Schneerosenweg – Duxer Alm – Berggasthof Hinterdux – Kufstein
    The views as well as the food at the Weinbergerhaus and Adlerblick are absolutely amazing!

2. The Sonnseitwanderung Kaisertal is considered one of Austria’s most beautiful hiking trails, providing incomparable views of the Wilden Kaiser and the Zahmen Kaiser (the two largest mountains forming the Kaisertal (Kaiser Valley).
If you want to take this trail, hike like this and look at the map above: Kufstein – Veitenhof – Ritzau-Alm – Hinterkaiserhof – Antoniuskapelle – Pfandlhof – Veitenhof – Kufstein

Sonnenseitwanderung Kufstein Tirol Austria

3. The 4 Seen Wanderung is a much easier hike that takes you to 4 lakes (Phrillsee, Längsee, Hechtsee, Egelsee) on the Northwest side of Kufstein. Be careful, though. We got lost! If you want to take this trail, take a close look at the hiking map above. It’s best to use GPS when hiking this trail. We loved the Hechtsee the most!

Blue water at Hechtsee in Kufstein Tirol Austria

  • Visit the Thierbergkapelle above Kufstein for spectacular views of the mountains.

Mountain view from Thierbergkapelle Kufstein Tirol Austria

  • Drink enough beer (at least 1 liter per day) and eat lots of good food. 😉

Cheers and Prost from Weinbergerhaus Kufstein Tirol Austria

General Tips for Kufstein in Tirol

  • Bring sportswear or hiking clothes since you’ll be walking and sweating a lot. Especially if you’re there during a freak summer heat wave like we were!
  • Bring hiking shoes or running shoes since you will be walking for 6-8 hours every day if you decide to take one of the hiking trails.
  • Please do go hiking, even if you hate it. We’ll promise you won’t regret it! The views from the trails are breathtaking and you really don’t want to miss them!
  • Don’t make the same mistake like us: Bring a hat or a cap to protect your head from the sun. It is way stronger up there and can easily lead to a heatstroke.
  • Bring sunglasses.
  • Bring enough water and food on your hikes. You never know when you’ll reach the next restaurant (we had this problem two times!)

Drink enough water while hiking the Sonnenseitwanderung in Kufstein Tirol Austria

  • Go to Hechtsee if you don’t plan on going on the 4 Seen Wanderung. It’s really beautiful with clear blue water and stunning mountain views.

Hechtsee Kufstein Tirol Austria

  • When traveling from Germany, you can get to Kufstein by train with the day ticket or if you’re already in Bavaria, you can also buy the regional ticket which is even cheaper. We traveled from Trier to Kufstein (600 km) and only paid 50 Euros for both of us!

So those are our main tips for visiting Kufstein in Tirol, Austria. Please feel free to ask us if you want more detailed tips and tricks about the region or Austria, in general.

Old Town Kufstein Tirol Austria

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About the Authors

Authors Ryne Cook and Denise Braun from He Said or She Said

Ryne Cook and Denise Braun: We have both been to Austria many times throughout our lives. The fact that we’ve both lived so close to Austria and share cultural characteristics gives us unique insights into the Austrian way of life. Our experiences in Austria inspired us to write this article on Tirol, one of the most popular travel destinations in the country.

2 thoughts on “Tirol – Austria Travel Tips”

  1. I love visiting the Tirol, but I have only been to the Italian side. My grandparents moved to New York State from small villages there so I traveled to see trace my roots. You’re absolutely right about going hiking, even if you don’t like to hike it’s one of the best areas in Europe to start – so beautiful.

    1. That’s really cool! We haven’t been to the Italian part of Tirol, but it’s definitely on our list 🙂

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