Austrian Mountain Huts: Everything You Need to Know (original) (raw)

Visiting mountain huts is an integral part of the hiking experience in Austria.

Austrian Mountain huts (Hütte, Hütten) provide room and board for hikers and climbers embarking on hut-to-hut hiking trails and/or mountaineering adventures.

During the day, huts also function as mountain restaurants, serving food and drinks to all passerby.

Whether you’re a day hiker, or a multi-day hiker, you can enjoy the unique atmosphere and food of Hütten. In this guide, you’ll find trail inspiration for day hikes (leading to huts) as well as multi-day hut hikes.

You’ll also learn about what food and drinks are typically served in Austrian huts. Most refuges do not have English menus, which is why we provided a translation for the most common beverages and dishes.

Finally, we’ve explained how to make overnight reservations for mountain huts in Austria.

Württembergerhaus Mountain Hut, Lechtal Alps, Tyrol, Austria

When to Visit

Berlin Mountain Hut, Tyrol, Austria

Mountain Huts (Hütten) usually open up for the summer season in mid/late June. And, they typically close in mid/late September. Some huts may stay open until early/mid October if the weather is stable.

Mountain huts publish their opening dates on their websites. If the dates are not published, you can email the hut directly.

Day Hikes to Austrian Mountain Huts

Hiking to Riemannhaus and Breithorn Peak, Salzburg, Austria

The Austrian Alps are studded with mountain refuges. You don’t have to embark on a hut-to-hut hike to experience the charm and atmosphere of a Hütte. Here are some day hikes that lead to mountain huts in Austria.

Salzburg

Visit Tappenkarseehütte in the Radstädter Tauern along this Lake Tappenkarsee Hike.

Visit Erichhütte in the Hochkönig Mountains along the Mühlbach High Trail or the Taghaube Peak Hike.

Visit Hofpürglhütte in the Dachstein Mountains along the Hofpürgl Hut to Sulzenalm Circuit Hike.

Related: Best Hikes in Salzburg and Filzmoos, Salzburg: Summer & Fall Guide

Styria

Visit the Giglachseehütte and Ignaz-Mattis-Hütte in the Schladminger Tauern along the Ursprungalm to Giglach Lake hike. Learn more: Schladming Hiking Guide.

Visit the Dachstein Südwandhütte in the Dachstein Mountains along the 5 Huts Trail.

Tyrol

Olpererhütte, Zillertal Alps, Berlin High Trail, Austria

Visit the famous Olpererhütte in the Zillertal Alps along the Olpererhütte Circuit Trail.

Visit the lakeside Coburger Hütte in the Mieming Chain in the Lake Drachensee Hike.

Visit Wettersteinhütte in the Wetterstein Mountains along the Rotmoosalm – Wangalm – Wettersteinhütte Circuit Trail.

Visit Erfurter Hütte in the Rofan Mountains on the way up to Hochiss Peak.

Visit Lamsenjochhütte along the Hahnkampl Hike starting at Gramai Alm, near Lake Achensee.

Related | Innsbruck Hikes

Vorarlberg

Visit Douglashütte in the Rätikon Alps when hiking around Lünersee and Schafgafall Peak.

Visit Totalhütte in the Rätikon Alps when hiking to Schesaplana Peak.

Visit Freiburger Hütte in the Lechquellen Mountains along the Lake Formarinsee to Lake Spullersee hike.

Visit Göppinger Hütte in the Lechquellen Mountains along the Oberlech – Göppinger Hütte Hike.

Visit Stuttgarter Hütte in the Lechtal Alps along the Rüfikopf – Stuttgarter Hütte Hike.

Visit Ravensburger Hütte in the Lechquellen Mountains along the Spuller Schafberg Peak Hike.

Visit Wiesbadener Hütte in the Silvretta Alps along the Hohes Rad Circuit Trail.

Related: Vorarlberg Hiking Guide

Hut to Hut Hiking Trails

Multi-day hiking in Austria requires planning. We recommend following an established hiking trail and booking mountain huts in advance. Read our guide to hut to hut hiking in Austria for more pertinent information.

Multi-Day Hut Hikes

2-Day Hikes

Self-Guided Hikes

If you need support booking huts, you can work with a self-guided hiking company like Alpenventures UNGUIDED. These companies make reservations on your behalf and provide additional support so that your hiking trip is seamless.

Food and Drinks

Kaspressknödel at Walderalm, Tyrol, Austria

Whether you’re a day hiker, or a multi-day hiker, eating and drinking in an Austrian mountain hut is part of the experience of hiking in Austria. Remember to bring sufficient cash, as credit cards are not always accepted.

Here are the standard dishes you’ll likely encounter. Don’t assume that there will be an English menu.

Note: While most huts are vegetarian-friendly, only a few are vegan-friendly.

Suppen: Soups

Kaspressknödelsuppe: cheese dumpling soup. One or two large flat-pressed dumplings, made with bread, eggs, and cheese, are served in a clear broth soup.

Frittatensuppe: Sliced pancake soup

Grießnockerlsuppe: Semolina Dumpling Soup

Leberknödelsuppe: Liver dumpling soup

Nudelsuppe: noodle soup

Tiroler Speckknödelsuppe: tyrolean bacon dumpling soup

Gemüsesuppe: vegetable soup

Gerstensuppe: barley soup

Linsensuppe: lentil soup

Gulaschsuppe: goulash soup

Hauptspeisen: Main Dishes

Tiroler Gröstl: pan-fried potatoes combined with beef or pork (or both), onions, and butter. A fried egg is served on top.

Wiener Schnitzel: Thin, breaded and pan fried cutlets of veal. Often, huts only serve Schnitzel vom Schwein (pork), Schnitzel von der Pute (turkey), or Schnitzel vom Huhn (chicken). Schnitzel is typically served with a side of potato or mixed salad.

Gulasch: beef goulash

Schweinsbraten mit Kraut und Knödel: roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut (cabbage)

Geselchtes mit Kraut und Knödel: cured meat with dumplings and sauerkraut (cabbage)

Blunzengröstl: blood sausage mixed with onions and potatoes

Zwiebelrostbraten: roast beef with onions, topped with gravy

Faschierte Laibchen mit Kartoffelpüree: minced meat patties served with mashed potatoes

Grammelknödel: greaves dumplings

Fleischknödel: meat dumplings

Hühnergeschnetzeltes mit Reis: chicken stripes in a rich, creamy sauce, served with rice.

Rindsrouladen: beef roulade

Brettljause: meat and cheese board, with spreads and toppings

Wurstsalat: salad made of strips of sausage, onions, gherkins, and oil and vinegar dressing

Bratwurst: fried sausage (pork)

Vegetarische Gerichte: Vegetarian Main Dishes

Käsespätzle: soft egg noodles sautéed with a variety of pungent mountain cheeses and garnished with fried onions and chive.

Eiernockerl: egg dumplings usually served with green salad

Geröstete Knödel mit Ei: dumpling with eggs

Eierschwammerl Gulasch: mushroom goulash

Nachspeisen: Desserts

Kaiserschmarrn, Sulzenalm, Filzmoos, Austria

Kaiserschmarrn: Shredded Pancakes topped with powder sugar and rum-soaked raisins. Traditionally, it’s served with a side of plum sauce. However, it’s common to eat Kaiserschmarrn with a “Preiselbeeren” (cranberry) or an “Apfel” (apple) sauce.

Marillenknödel: apricot-filled dumplings

Germknödel: fluffy yeast dough dumpling filled with spiced plum jam and served with melted butter and a mix of poppy seeds and sugar on top

Apfelstrudel: apple strudel

Topfenstrudel: cream cheese strudel

Palatschinken: Austrian pancakes – usually filled with jam

Mohnnudeln: thick noodles of a potato dough topped with ground poppy seeds and sugar

Buchteln: oven-baked yeast dumplings, often filled with jam

Salzburger Nockerl: sweet soufflé

Nonalcoholic Beverages

Wasser: water

Soda: sparkling water

Mineralwasser: mineral water (sparking, mild, or still)

Leitungswasser: tap water

Apfelsaft: apple juice

Apfelsaft gespritzt: apple juice mixed with mineral water (very refreshing)

Johannisbeersaft gespritzt: black currant juice mixed with sparkling water

Marillensaft / Pfirsichsaft / Erdbeersaft: apricot juice / peach juice / strawberry juice

Soda Zitrone: sparkling water with lemon juice

Almdudler: carbonated lemonade drink flavored with natural alpine herbs.

Tee: tea (Kräuter: herbs, Pfefferminze: peppermint, Schwarztee: black tea, Früchtetee: fruit tea,…)

Alcoholic Beverages

Bier: beer

Helles Bier: Lager

Weizenbier/Weißbier: wheat beer

Weisswein: white wine

Rotwein: red wine

G´Spritzter weiß (Weißer Spritzer): White wine wine mixed with sparkling water

G´Spritzter rot (Roter Spritzer): Red wine wine mixed with sparkling water

Kaiserspritzer: white wine, soda mixed with elderberry juice

Almdudler weiß: white wine mixed with Almdudler (lemonade)

Almdudler rot: red wine mixed with Almdudler (lemonade)

Dreiermischung rot / weiß: usually a mixture out of wine (red or white), water and Almdudler

Schnaps: distilled spirit. Huts usually have a collection of different flavored Schnaps: Zwetschken Schnaps (plum), Nuss Schnaps (nut), Enzianschnaps (gentian flower), Zirbenschnaps (stone pine), Marillenschnaps (apricot), Williams-Birne “Willi” (pear)

Jagatee: black tea with rum

Austrian Mountain Hut Overnight Reservations

Leutkircher Hütte, Lechtal Alps, Austria

There is no uniform system for booking mountain huts in Austria. Some huts can be booked online, while others are best booked over email, or by phone.

Though it’s no longer mandatory to make reservations in advance, it’s imperative. Space is limited and hikers book huts months in advance to secure a bed/mattress.

Regardless of how you book (online, phone, email), you’ll pay for your stay and everything you consume in person. Each hut manages their own finances/payments. Most Austrian mountain huts are still cash only, though some do accept credit cards. We always recommend having enough cash for the duration of your trip, because credit card payment is never a guarantee.

Online Reservations

Many huts in Austria, managed by the Austrian Alpine Club (ÖAV) and the German Alpine Club (DAV), can be reserved online using the Alpsonline.org platform.

To find out if a mountain hut is on Alpsonline, just google “Alpsonline” along with the name of the hut. Alternatively, you can usually navigate to the specific Alpsonline hut page from the website of a mountain hut.

Note: you don’t need to be a member of the Austrian Alpine Club to use Alpsonline. Anyone can use the platform.

Find the Mountain Hut Page on the Alpsonline Reservation Platform

When you navigate to the specific hut reservation page on Alpsonline.org (e.g. Pfeishütte), select your date of arrival. Here, you’ll see the exact availability for any given date. In the top right corner, you can change the language to French, Italian, or English.

Alpsonline Reservation Platform

Step 1

Step 1 (Accommodation). After selecting the date, you’ll be directed to the reservation form, where you can fill out number of nights (usually just one), number of beds, group name, etc…

Alpsonline Reservation Platform - Step 1

Step 2

Step 2 (Identification). Next, select Guest (no login) if you’ve never reserved a hut before on Alpsonline.

Alpsonline Reservation Platform Step 2

Step 3

Step 3 (User Information). After filling out your personal data (name, address, phone number, email), make sure to select “Save my personal data for future reservations,” before continuing to the next step.

Alpsonline Reservation Step 3

If you selected “Save my personal data for future reservations,” the next step will prompt you to create a username (your email) and password.

Alpsonline New User

Now that you’re a user, you can make reservations for huts more efficiently. You won’t have to fill out your personal data each time you make a reservation.

Step 4

Continue to Step 4 (Summary), where you can review your reservation once more, before making your reservation.

Alpsonline Mountain Hut Reservation Step 4

You’ll receive an email confirming your reservation. If you need to cancel your reservation, go to this email and click “diesen Link” in the sentence: “**Falls Sie die Reservierung ändern oder stornieren möchten, benutzen Sie diesen Link oder loggen Sie sich im Hüttenreservierungssystem ein.**“

Email / Phone Reservations

Württembergerhaus, Lechtal Alps, Austria

However, not all Austrian huts are on that platform. If you can’t reserve a hut online, you can either email, or call the hut directly.

When reaching out to a hut directly, make sure to inform them of the following:

Reservation Name

How many beds you want to reserve. You can usually choose between reserving places in the Matratzenlager (dormitory), Mehrbettzimmer (rooms with multiple beds), or Zweitbettzimmer (room with 2 beds).

Date of Arrival

Number of nights you wish to stay

Alpine Club Membership: Are you a member of an Alpine Club?

Half-Board or À la carte. When you make a reservation, the hut manager (or the online form) will ask you if you want Halbpension (half-board: breakfast and dinner). Depending on the hut, you may want to opt for half board, or you may want to order À la carte**.** Some huts only offer half-board.

Dietary Restrictions. When you make a reservation, it’s important to communicate any dietary restrictions you have. In Austrian huts, there will always be a vegetarian option. However, it’s rare to find vegan or gluten-free meals on a menu. In most cases, Austrian mountain huts will be able to accommodate you, with enough notice.

If you can’t make a reservation by email, you can call the hut directly. To make international calls, we recommend using Skype. You can purchase Skype credits and then make international calls until your credit runs out.

Cancelling Mountain Hut Reservations

Lindauer Hütte mountain hut, Rätikon Alps, Austria

If your hiking plans have changed, make sure to cancel your hut reservations.

If you don’t cancel your reservation in advance, huts reserve the right to charge you. When booking huts online (Alpsonline), the cancellation policy will be clearly stated.

Additional Info:

Some huts are dog-friendly, but not all. If you want to stay overnight in a hut with your dog, check the hut’s website, or contact them directly to see if dogs are allowed.

Some huts in popular regions require a deposit for reservations.

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Austria Trip Planning Essentials

Use our Austria Travel Guide and Austria blog archive to plan a unique and memorable trip to Austria.

When to Visit Austria

We recommend visiting Austria between June and October for hiking and between December and March for skiing and winter adventuring.

Summer Travel | Summer in Austria

Autumn Travel | Autumn in Austria

Winter Travel | Winter in Austria, Salzburg in December, Vienna in December, Vienna in January, Skiing in Schladming

Getting around Austria

Austria has an excellent public transit system. We’ve used it extensively to travel throughout the country. We highly recommend using transit if you’re visiting cities (Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Graz, etc…), and/or doing hut-to-hut hikes.

Some areas like Mayrhofen, Schladming and Lech am Arlberg have wonderful seasonal transit systems in place (e.g. summer hiking buses). However, if you’re not visiting during the high season, bus frequencies are significantly reduced and it’s far easier to get around with your own vehicle.

If you’re planning on visiting multiple destinations across Austria, we recommend renting a car.

Use these road trip itineraries for trip planning inspiration:

Start in Vienna | 2 Week Austria Road Trip

Start in Salzburg, or Munich | 1 Week Austria Road Trip

Start in Munich | 10-Day Bavarian Alps & Tyrolean Alps Road Trip

Car Rental

We recommend using the Discovercars.com car rental reservation platform to search for and book car rentals. This easy-to-use booking platform compares car rental deals from 500+ trusted providers, so that you can choose the best option for your trip.

Check car rental rates here.

If you’re driving into Austria from a neighboring country, don’t forget to purchase a vignette at/near the border.

Hiking in Austria

Where to Hike in Austria

Read Austrian Alps Hiking Destinations for an overview of where to hike in Austria, with tips on specific trails and where to stay. Also check out Best Day Hikes in Austria and these region-specific hiking guides:

Tyrol | Innsbruck Hikes, Lake Achensee Hikes

Salzburg | Salzburg Hikes, Filzmoos Hikes

Styria | Schladming Hikes

Vorarlberg | Vorarlberg Hikes, Lech am Arlberg Hikes

Lower Austria | Vienna Mountains Hikes

Hut to Hut Hiking in Austria

Austria is a premier hut-to-hut and long-distance hiking destination. The quality of the mountain huts are superb. We particularly love the high-alpine trails, which are called Höhenwege in German. We’ve summarized our favorite multi-day hikes in Trekking Austria. If you’re new to hut hiking, read this in-depth guide to Hut to Hut Hiking in Austria.

Hiking Essentials

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