The Oberst­dorf-Meran crossing of the Alps (E5)

Crossing the Alps from Oberst­dorf to Mer­ano — Feu­er und Eis Tou­ris­tik — Natur aktiv erleben

Bet­ween end­less gla­ciers and rustic huts from Oberst­dorf to Mer­ano. Per­fect­ly plan­ned and organized. 

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This varied and spec­ta­cu­lar crossing of the Alps on foot has beco­me a clas­sic. The hiking trail is a stage of the “E5” long-distance hiking rou­te. It runs through the heart of Euro­pe from Ger­ma­ny via Aus­tria to Ita­ly. The attrac­tion of this tour lies in the chan­ge and con­trast of the many land­scapes and vege­ta­ti­on zones that we hike through in a week from north to south. Colorful flower mea­dows and gras­sy moun­ta­ins in the All­gäu Alps, fasci­na­ting pan­o­r­amic views of the striking rocky peaks in the Lech­tal in Aus­tria, the end­less gla­ciers and moun­tain giants in the Ötz­tal and final­ly the sun­ny fina­le in South Tyrol. 

from 1.099,- per person

from 1.525,- per person

from 725,- per person

from 1.195,- per person

from 1.359,- per person

from 1.749,- per person

Small gui­de for hikers 

For many hikers, crossing the Alps is a lifel­ong dream. The clas­sic crossing of the Alps on the E5 long-distance hiking trail from Oberst­dorf to Mer­ano crea­tes the best con­di­ti­ons for this in just 6 days. Nevert­hel­ess, a good level of fit­ness, a head for heights and sure­foo­ted­ness are requi­red. From gent­le alpi­ne pas­tu­res to rug­ged peaks, the E5 offers what feels like an hour­ly chan­ge in its vege­ta­ti­on. You reach the hig­hest point of the E5 long-distance hiking trail at the Similaun hut. This refu­ge is loca­ted at 3019m. Enjoy dif­fe­rent cul­tures and varied pan­ora­mas that will make your hiking heart beat fas­ter. To make your hike on the long-distance hiking trail even bet­ter, the­re is the opti­on of exclu­si­ve lug­ga­ge trans­port from hotel to hotel. This means you don’t have to worry about your lug­ga­ge and can hike along the long-distance hiking trail in com­ple­te relaxation. 

The E5 long-distance hiking trail is cer­tain­ly one of the most chal­len­ging hut-to-hut trek­king tours across the Alps in Euro­pe. The dai­ly hiking times are bet­ween 3 and 8 hours. A good level of fit­ness is the­r­e­fo­re essen­ti­al. As you will be moving a lot in alpi­ne ter­rain on the tour, expe­ri­ence in the moun­ta­ins and the use of maps and rou­te descrip­ti­ons are high­ly recom­men­ded. You will also hike on good forest and hiking trails, but some­ti­mes also along nar­row moun­tain paths. Sure­foo­ted­ness and a head for heights are required. 

The E5 hiking trail is one of the most popu­lar hiking trails in the Alps. Some of the most famous huts in the Alps are loca­ted along the 6 stages of the E5 long-distance hiking trail. 

  • Kempt­ner Hüt­te: The Kempt­ner Hüt­te refu­ge belongs to the All­gäu-Kemp­ten sec­tion of the DAV and is one of the lar­gest huts in the Alps.
  • Mem­min­ger Hüt­te: The Mem­min­ger Hüt­te is an alpi­ne club hut of the Mem­min­gen sec­tion of the DAV in the Lech­tal Alps.
  • Braun­schwei­ger Hüt­te: The Braun­schwei­ger Hüt­te is loca­ted in the Ötz­tal Alps near Mit­tel­berg at the far end of the Pitz­tal Valley.
  • Mera­ner Hüt­te: The Mera­ner Hüt­te was built by the South Tyro­lean Alpi­ne Asso­cia­ti­on and is loca­ted on the Schart­bo­den below the Klei­ne Mit­ta­ger at 1,960m abo­ve sea level. 
  • Mar­tin-Busch Hüt­te: The Mar­tin-Busch-Hüt­te is an Alpi­ne Club hut run by the Ber­lin sec­tion of the Ger­man Alpi­ne Club in the Tyro­lean Ötz­tal Alps. 

Some of the packa­ges we offer for the E5 long-distance hiking trail include over­night stays in huts along the rou­te and also in sel­ec­ted hotels, e.g. for an exten­si­on in South Tyrol — details can be found in the respec­ti­ve tour description.

We will pro­vi­de you with detail­ed maps inclu­ding GPS data and tour information. 

Our recom­men­da­ti­ons for your pack­ing list:

  • Repla­ce­ment shoes
  • Sun­screen, sun­glas­ses and a sun hat/cap
  • Rain cover
  • First aid kit 
  • Blis­ter plaster
  • Hiking poles
  • Digi­tal came­ra and smart­phone with char­ger or power bank
  • Lug­ga­ge tag (so that lug­ga­ge can be trans­por­ted to the next hotel/hut)

Alter­na­ti­ves to the hike:

The­re are seve­ral ways to cross the Alps to Ita­ly. At Spor­ti­ve-Rei­sen, we offer you the opti­on of crossing on foot along old hiking trails or you can ride your bike, racing bike or trek­king bike on quiet side roads or trails. 

Plan an alter­na­ti­ve or fol­low-up tour. You can find our tour sug­ges­ti­ons here: 

from 1.099,- per person

from 1.099,- per person