Via Alpina (Austria Section)

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Via Alpina (Austria Section): A High-Alpine Traverse

Published 17 July 2025 Updated 5 June 2026

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Ranked #620 of 974

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HikeList Score

Via Alpina (Austria Section) scored 78/100 on HikeList's trail-quality metrics.

Very Good

See score breakdownHide breakdown

Ideal length 60
Balanced challenge 84
Scenery & wildness 78
Varied terrain 71
Accommodation 83
Food & support 88
Path quality 98
Season flexibility 63

Computed from length, challenge, scenery & wildness, terrain variety, accommodation, food & support, path quality and season flexibility.

The Via Alpina Austria section is the Austrian part of the wider Via Alpina network across the Alps, not one separate waymarked trail. Framed as linked Red Trail and Purple/Violet Trail stages, it covers roughly 520 km over about 28 days through Austria. This is a hard, point-to-point mountain trek for experienced hikers: expect rocky high passes, sustained ascent, hut-to-hut logistics and long days through the Karawanken, Dachstein, Karwendel, Tux and Lechtal Alps.

Route Overview

The Austrian stages enter from the Slovenia/Italy side in the south-east around the Karawanken and Carinthia, then work west through Salzburg and the Dachstein area before crossing Tyrol via Innsbruck, the Nordkette, Karwendel and the Lechtal Alps. The route eventually exits towards Germany around the Allgäu and Oberstdorf, with the wider network also continuing towards Liechtenstein. Key Austrian places include Bad Goisern, Gosau, Werfen, Maria Alm, Schwaz, Scharnitz and Innsbruck. This is a point-to-point hut-and-valley traverse, best planned stage by stage rather than as a fixed single trail. For other Austrian long-distance options, compare the Eagle Walk, Dachstein Rundwanderweg and Carnic High Trail.

How the Via Alpina Developed

The Via Alpina was created in 2000 by public and private partners from the eight Alpine countries, following an initiative by the Association Grande Traversée des Alpes in Grenoble. It received EU funding from 2001 to 2008 and was designed as five colour-coded trails: Red, Purple, Yellow, Green and Blue. Austria has been part of the network from the beginning. Since 2024, the project has focused mainly on the principal Red route.

Notable highlights

Karwendel Nature Park: Austria’s largest nature park forms the rugged limestone core of the Tyrolean stages. Hikers cross it via high huts such as Lamsenjochhütte, Falkenhütte and Karwendelhaus.
Innsbruck and the Nordkette: The Tyrolean capital sits directly on the route. The Nordkette cable car gives access from the city to the Karwendel ridgeline.
Dachstein and the Gosau valley: The Purple Trail passes Bad Goisern and Gosau below the glaciated Dachstein massif. This area lies within the Hallstatt-Dachstein UNESCO World Heritage region.
Werfen and the Tennengebirge: Stages around Werfen pass beneath Hohenwerfen fortress and the Tennengebirge plateau. The area is also associated with the Eisriesenwelt ice caves.
Lechtal Alps: The Red Trail continues through the quieter Lechtal Alps, trading the bare rock of the Karwendel for alpine meadows around the upper Lech valley.

Challenges to expect

This is demanding high-alpine walking, not a casual valley route. Expect sustained climbs, rocky and gravel mountain paths, exposed passes and long hut-to-hut days. The Karwendel stages require sure-footedness and a head for heights. Snow can linger outside the main summer window, and staffed huts may be full in July to mid-September, so book ahead and keep weather alternatives in mind.

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Ranked #620 of 974

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