The mountain summer is slowly turning into a golden autumn and our team has also been able to enjoy special vacation days on the mountain. Because we love what we do, a hiking vacation is of course the perfect opportunity to switch off and get to know the range of tours better at the same time. Katharina Eberl & Marina Unterreitmeier were out and about on various routes, crossing the Alps in the process. Magdalena Klawonn hiked from Kitzbühel to the Three Peaks and Stefanie Demmel explored the Tyrolean KAT Walk.
Whether staying overnight in mountain huts or comfortably in a hotel on a long-distance hike, with or without luggage transport — these Fire & Ice tours have left an impression.
The luxury Alpine crossing: from Tegernsee to Sterzing
Katharina Eberl’s favorite tour is the Alpine crossing from Tegernsee to Sterzing:
On this route through three different countries, you cross the impressive main Alpine ridge. Thanks to the particularly good hotels, this hiking tour is the perfect combination of an active trip and a relaxing vacation.
From beautiful Lake Tegernsee, the route leads via Lake Achensee and the Zillertal valley to Sterzing in Italy on easy to moderately difficult trails surrounded by breathtaking and diverse landscapes. A genuine, week-long pleasure hike over the main Alpine ridge.
Tip: in the CHARME version of this tour, you can relax in selected hotels in the 4*-4*S category — the finest pampering program. But the normal version with overnight stays in local 3/4 star inns / guesthouses and hotels also offers plenty of comfort. The luggage transfer offers maximum comfort.
On the E5 from Oberstdorf to Merano — the classic route
My favorite is the Alpine crossing from Oberstdorf to Merano. I particularly liked the varied landscape: from the green Allgäu to the increasingly rugged mountains of the Ötztal Alps — it’s very impressive. The length of the stages means you are challenged every day and in harmony with yourself. And then there’s the special atmosphere at the mountain huts, which for me are simply part of such a crossing of the Alps, enthuses Marina Unterreitmeier.
You should plan a week for the 80km long-distance hike on the E5 — from the steep grassy mountains of the Allgäu Alps to the Lechtal Alps with their striking rock formations. Continue through the Pitztal valley, with the three-thousand-meter peaks of the Central Alps in the Ötztal Alps in view. The highest point at 3,019 meters is reached at the Similaunhütte. Downhill, step by step to South Tyrol, until you reach your destination in Merano. This tour can be booked both as a guided long-distance hike and, of course, as an individual variant. For those who would like a little more comfort, it is even available with hotel accommodation in the valley.
Long-distance hiking from Kitzbühel to the Three Peaks
Magdalena Klawonn was On the pulse of the Alps on the road:
I really enjoyed the tour from Kitzbühel to the Three Peaks. The stage from Hintersee via the St. Pöltener Hütte to Matrei is particularly idyllic. On the way up, you pass countless marmots, a moorland landscape on a high plateau and crystal-clear mountain lakes. Once you reach the top of the hut, you can fortify yourself with traditional dishes. Another fantastic highlight follows on the descent: the view of the Venediger. Glacier feeling in the middle of summer.
The route leads from the Kitzbühel Alps into the Hohe Tauern National Park — where the terrain becomes rougher, the rock faces steeper and the ice-covered peaks of the three-thousand-metre peaks shine in the distance. Over the Gsieser Törl you cross from Austria into Italy — descending across lush alpine meadows and old huts into the Gsiesertal valley. At the end of the tour, the Three Peaks in the middle of the Unesco World Heritage Site await as a highlight! You always sleep in the valley in good 3* inns and hotels, your luggage is waiting there and makes your own rucksack a lot lighter.
For pleasure hikers: out and about on the KAT Walk Compact
Stefanie Demmel has completed the KAT-Walk Kompakt as far as Kitzbühel and shares her enthusiasm for the tour:
Varied on paths, climbs, hiking trails and through mountain meadows with magnificent panoramic views of the valley and the Wilder Kaiser. Both at the huts along the way and in the hotels, you will be spoiled with Tyrolean culinary specialties. In the hotels, you can relax in the garden, sauna or pool in the afternoon. If the day before was too strenuous, you can simply take the cable car uphill or downhill the next day.
Feast on regional delicacies, cross gentle grassy mountains and enjoy the panorama. Stress-free and with plenty of moments of pleasure — 4 out of 5 hiking stages can be shortened and legs can be spared thanks to the mountain railroad.
From Hopfgarten im Brixental to the highest pilgrimage church on the Hohe Salve, via Kirchberg on to Kitzbühel. The last and most challenging stage awaits in the legendary town — it leads over the Kitzbühler Horn with a 360° panorama to St. Johann in Tirol (including a narrow, spectacular rocky path). Here, too, the cable cars provide assistance on the ascent and descent. Finally, the idyllic Pillersee lake in the valley of the same name awaits, giving tired muscles a well-earned moment of relaxation.