In spring 2025, two friends decide to cross the Alps together with their Aussie Emmi. We’ve already been able to follow their stories on Instagram — now they’re sharing their experiences with us in detail.
Crossing the Alps with a dog — our experience report
Crossing the Alps sounds pretty cool — at least that’s what we (2 friends + Aussie Emmi) thought when we booked our tour in spring 2025. Motivated as ever, we opted straight away for the unguided option without luggage transfer. I wonder if we would regret this decision later…?
Although we regularly travel in the mountains, we were quite nervous before our first multi-day tour with a dog, despite being well prepared:
- How is hiking with a heavy rucksack?
- Can we manage the many (altitude) meters?
- Can your back and feet take it?
- Have we thought of everything?
- And above all: how does Emmi cope with the tour?
With a dog, you simply have a lot more luggage. Especially the food for eight days quickly adds up. We divided Emmi’s equipment between both rucksacks and kept our own luggage as minimalist as possible. In the end, we were both carrying around 10 kg — Emmi didn’t have a rucksack, of course.
Day 1 — Arrival & run-in
The first stage gets off to a pleasantly relaxed start: We work until midday and then make our way to Gmund am Tegernsee, where our adventure begins. The Tegernseer Höhenweg welcomes us straight away with wonderful views — a perfect start! The weather is fantastic and all three of us are motivated!
In Tegernsee, we get our first stamp and a well-deserved ice cream (Emmi gets a snack too, of course 🦴) before crossing the lake on the last ferry. Our day ends at the dog beach in Bad Wiessee, where we splash around in the water before checking into our accommodation and enjoying our first cheese spaetzle.
Spoiler: We’ll be eating a lot more of these over the next few days!
Day 2 — Heat, altitude and Kaiserschmarrn pancakes
Today is the first “real” stage — and it’s a tough one: 30 degrees and an ascent of almost 900 meters. Fortunately, we start early and are able to cover most of the altitude before the midday heat.
Once at the top, we treat ourselves to Kaiserschmarrn, Emmi of course gets her snack again — and then it’s time for the long 800-metre descent. It drags on and we are glad when we finally make it. The highlight of the day: At our accommodation, we can even jump into the pool while Emmi relaxes in her room.
Day 3 — Narrow trail on Lake Achensee
Today’s stage leads along the western shore of Lake Achensee; fantastic, but challenging. The heat continues to accompany us, so we plan plenty of hydration breaks and a stop for a swim.
The path by the lake is narrow, exposed in places and requires surefootedness. Fortunately, no problem for Emmi. Alternatively, we could have shortened sections by boat. The later it gets, the more people come towards us and we always have to wait and let oncoming traffic pass. But before it gets too annoying, we have already completed the section and reward ourselves with a swim in the lake.
We travel the last stretch in a very full bus — funnily enough, Emmi probably has the most space in it.
Day 4 — Fan club, mountain railroad & a queasy moment
Thanks to our overnight stay in the valley, we start today with the cable car. We are the first in the gondola and it is still pleasantly cool at the top. By now we know some of the other hikers — and Emmi actually already has a small fan club.
A beautiful but very sunny stage awaits us at the top. The heat is clearly getting to Emmi, so we take lots of breaks and make slower progress than planned.
Then the scariest moment of the whole tour happens: a group of young bulls block the path and react to Emmi in an agitated manner. The animals stare at us, approaching menacingly. We take a wide swerve — across country and under a pasture fence. Fortunately, everything goes well, but our pulse remains high for the time being.
Day 5 — Sidanjoch & mountain panoramas
Today we head over the Sidanjoch. Although we are already on day 5, we are still fascinated by the variety of the landscape. Each stage offers something completely different — and each one is worthwhile.
We have become well accustomed to walking every day and are relieved that everything is going so well. Our rucksacks are getting lighter every day as Emmi’s food decreases. Rain gear? We haven’t needed them once so far.
Day 6 — Marmots, mountain lakes and the jump to Italy
The penultimate stage begins picturesquely at the Schlegeisspeichersee lake. We then follow the Zams stream uphill. Emmi is in heaven: water everywhere and a pleasant 18 degrees.
During a Kaiserschmarrn break, marmots watch us — Emmi doesn’t even notice them and prefers to devote herself to her bullwhip.
Shortly afterwards we reach the Pfitscherjoch — and suddenly we’re in Italy! The moment feels completely surreal.
After a quick dip in the mountain lake, we head downhill into the valley. The descent then drags on a little and Emmi’s concentration and ability to walk on a lead noticeably diminish. We are overjoyed when we finally reach the hotel and have our long-awaited Schlutzkrapfen in front of us.
Day 7 — Final spurt to Sterzing
Unbelievably, it’s already the last day of our crossing of the Alps! The route is rather relaxed compared to the previous stages. We hike through shady forest and along rushing streams. Part of the route runs along the road, which is why we skip this section by bus. The last few kilometers to the finish are of course on foot again!
When we arrive in Sterzing, a mixture of exhaustion and joy falls over us. We celebrate with pizza and Aperol — and collect our certificates. Emmi even gets one of her own!
Day 8 — Return journey & conclusion
The next morning, a coach takes us back to Tegernsee. It’s crazy how quickly it went: in just a few hours, we covered a distance that took us seven days.
Our conclusion: We are surprised and incredibly proud of how well we mastered the tour. Of course we were tired in the evening, had sore feet and a few blisters — but overall everything went much better than expected.
Emmi also did a great job. On long stages, you could tell from time to time that her concentration was waning and she was knocked out — completely understandable. Important to know: We took longer almost every day than indicated in the stage descriptions. Emmi wanted to sniff, roll around, take a break — and quite rightly so.
Our biggest challenge was the heat. With very heat-sensitive dogs, we probably wouldn’t do the tour in August.
But one thing is certain: we are ready for the next multi-day tour in 2026!
Our dog packing list for crossing the Alps
- Harness + collar (with telephone number)
- Belly strap + leash
- Flexi leash or drag line
- Dog tag
- Plenty of drinking water
- Paw protection (socks, ointment)
- Poop bags (extra many)
- Towel / blanket
- Foldable bowl
- Snacks & food in portions
- Tick tweezers
- First aid kit (iodine, bandages, tweezers)
- Dog passport (with vaccinations)
- Muzzle (compulsory in AT & IT in public transport)
If you would like to see even more impressions of our crossing of the Alps, take a look at our Instagram profile: @emmi_the_aussie_
There you will find many more photos, videos and little everyday moments from our tour in the story highlight “Crossing the Alps 2025”. We look forward to you joining us on our next adventure!
Thank you for the valuable contribution and for sharing it with us and our readers. Please tag and follow us @feuerundeistouristik