Austria

A strong contender for the quintessential Alpine country, Austria is a country fully in touch with the mountains. The peaks here may not be the highest in the Alps but that makes them all the more accessible, and therefore a walker’s paradise. But that’s not to say the Austrian Alps are any less spectacular - green, rolling foothills give way gradually to high, glaciated summits, whilst glistening lakes and forests sit in valleys below.

A country with a long tradition of hiking, there are countless mountain huts dotted alongside well-marked trails, and regular trains and buses connect the valleys in between. Stay in huts which have served traditional Austrian mountain food (our favourite is Käsespätzle, a sort of cheese egg noodles) to walkers for decades, if not centuries - the best way to really dive into the local culture, we find!

Our walking holidays visit the southern Austrian state of Carinthia, on the border with Slovenia and Italy, where the Karnischer Hohenweg (Carnic Peace Trail) follows the crest of the Carnic Alps.

The Karnischer Höhenweg (also known as the Carnic Peace Trail) is a classic Alpine ridge walk, running along the border of Austria and Italy, on the crest of the Carnic Alps. Unlike many other hut-to-hut walks, this trail stays high above the treeline, crossing just a single road along the way. Enjoy the slow pace and feeling of remoteness that can only be found far from bustling mountain resorts and cable cars!