Sustainable holidays done right: Certified for its eco-friendly travel strategy, the Tyrolean Kufsteinerland region (which includes the town of Kufstein plus eight surrounding municipalities) offers a wide range of sustainable summer and winter travel activities.
Especially in winter, when measured against the ski circus in the Alps, you may question yourself: Can winter holidays be sustainable at all? The Kufsteinerland has some interesting answers to this. You can also read more about their strategy for sustainable, responsible tourism in their road map Kufsteinerland 2030+.
View of the Kufsteinerland region in winter on our way to the Aschinger Alm hut just north of the town of Kufstein.
Sustainable travel in Kufsteinerland: experiencing “soft” winter activities using public transport options.
Kufstein is clearly one of the winners when it comes to sustainable travel to and from the city. It is very well located thanks to its international railway station, with trains travelling on to Tyrol and/or Germany every hour. My journey from Vienna to Kufstein in less than four hours is by no means possible by car – everything speaks in favour of travelling to and from Kufstein by train instead.
Within the region, my blogger colleagues Angelika Mandler, Christina Leutner and I were given the option to use a so-called BeeCar, an e-car sharing model run by the local city government. The Kufstein BeeCars have a fixed parking space with a charging station in the underground car park Am Fischergries Kufstein; from a traveller’s point of view, you don’t have to worry about anything within their travel range of almost 300 kilometres. Great!
As with ÖBB Rail & Drive, registration to use the BeeCars is required prior to travel. Due to an increased tourist use of the BeeCars, access to them is to be made even easier in future.
Get in and drive off: Our BeeCar rolls smoothly and quietly from one place to the next, even in temperatures well below zero.
Winter walk with herbs led by local guide Maria Bachmann in Bad Häring.
On the very first day of our stay in the Kufsteinerland region, we take our BeeCar from Hotel Sattlerwirt in Ebbs via Kufstein to Bad Häring, one of the eight municipalities that form the eco-certified Kufsteinerland region together with the town of Kufstein. If you don’t have a car with you, you can of course get there by bus, too: public transport is included for free in the Kufsteinerland GuestCard.
In Bad Häring, we meet phytotherapist Maria, who talks to us enthusiastically about gemmotherapy, i.e. the science of buds. The gentle winter hike we’re on takes advantage of the plateau location of the internationally recognised spa town of Bad Häring; we meet many other walkers, including a number of spa guests.
Along the trail, Maria takes us to the Hildegard Chapel, named after Hildegard von Bingen. In winter, a four-part Nativity Scene can be admired in the nearby Antonius Chapel. Maria impresses me with all her knowledge of plants, medicinal herbs and nativity scenes; it’s really worth taking a tour with her!
Winter hike with Maria in Bad Häring: “Everything is already laid out in the buds for the coming spring.”
The Hildegard Chapel is an extremely inviting (energising) place to pause for a moment …
… before continuing past the nearby herb garden towards St Anthony’s Chapel. The mining history of the former mining village of Bad Häring is also clearly visible here.
Group picture with the last rays of sunlight on this bright winter’s day.
“Kaiserweis” cheese area, plus a cheese fondue at Aschinger Alm hut.
Our second trip exploring the Kufsteinerland region is accompanied by two other local experts: Albert Schmider, a local hiking guide and tour expert, and Evi Lechner from the Kaiserweis association of local cheese farmers.
Evi tells us all about the cheese area in the Kaiser Mountains nature reserve, which has become famous for its hay milk cheese. With over 30 alpine pastures, there is a particularly high density of managed alpine huts here. Albert and Evi take us to the Aschinger Alm hut, where the famous mountain hay milk cheese has been produced for 24 years. We can savour its quality in winter with a particularly good cheese fondue. Delicious, to say the least!
These cheese fondue laid out at Aschinger Alm hut …
… has everyone take out their cameras in delight!
Cheese, bacon and much more is also available to take away. If there is enough snow, the toboggan run right next to the hut is open: Toboggans are available for hire directly on site.
Thank you Evi Lechner and Albert Schmider for taking us out here!
World centre of Haflinger horses: We explore the foal farm Ebbs.
What beautiful animals, I think again and again as we stroll through the freely accessible grounds of the Fohlenhof Ebbs foal farm (admission is also free here with the Kufsteinerland Card). Here, very close to Kufstein, you may visit one of the world’s leading centres for Haflinger horse breeding.
In addition to the extremely peaceful sight of the beautiful animals, we learn curious things, such as the fact that the young stallions are fuelled with strength and testosterone by eating silver thistle roots on the nearby summer pastures – and thus grow into excellent breeding horses!
Peaceful morning walk on the grounds of Fohlenhof Ebbs. In addition to personal guided tours, there are QR codes everywhere with lots more information about the Haflinger horses here.
Kufstein town and fortress.
I visited Kufstein for the first time many years ago as part of a wedding. During my first “real” stay here, I blogged about the arte Hotel Kufstein: Urban Lifestyle goes #LoveTirol ! However, on either occasion, there was no time for a city tour including a visit to Kufstein Fortress. I’m glad I managed it this time. After all, the history of the town is moving, to say the least. Free admission to the fortress is once again included with the Kufsteinerland GuestCard.
“Once you had to wage wars to get in here”: right from the start, it’s clear just how fortified and at the same time coveted the rule over the fortress and the town connected to it was. The fact that Kufstein was completely burnt down at least once in the course of its 800-year history and was besieged for a long time by the later Emperor Maximilian, makes you shudder all while looking at the fortress prisons and defences. With this prominent fortress high above the Inn Valley, nothing was left to chance!
Visiting Kufstein on a bright winter’s day.
Be sure to check out Kultur Quartier Kufstein for local cultural events and theatre performances.
From the town’s prominent fortress …
… you get this rather superb view of the river Inn Valley, once the main trade route before the railway line came along …
… not always did Kufstein greet its visitors as friendly as today!
Where to for great food, drinks and lodging in or near Kufstein?
Angelika, Christina and I stayed at the Hotel Sattlerwirt, certified under the national sustainable travel brand just as the entire Kufsteinerland region. For your reference, you can find the complete overview of all Kufsteinerland accommodation certified with the Austrian Ecolabel here.
Hotel & Restaurant Sattlerwirt in Ebbs near Kufstein.
Around ten minutes north of the town of Kufstein lies the Sattlerwirt. In addition to its restaurant and hotel rooms, the family-run hotel offers modern seminar rooms, too. Interestingly, it was the seminar guests who suggested the Sattlerwirt be certified with the Austrian Ecolabel: “We have been awarded this label now since 2023, partly due to the demand from guests, especially in the seminar sector”, says Birgit Astner, who runs the traditional family business together with her sister, focusing on homemade, regional specialities in all areas of the business.
Guests have been staying and dining at the Sattlerwirt for 125 years, and the two ladies are confident about the future: “Above all, we want to keep up what we have: Satisfied guests who return to us often.”
Traditional food served at the Sattlerwirt: Cordon Bleu filled with regional bacon and grey cheese from Tyrol.
Breakfast, too, has many local specialties on offer, such as these free range eggs from a nearby farm.
Thank you very much for making us feel at home here!
Foodie tips for downtown Kufstein: Panorama 1830 Sky Bar, Tapas Atelier & Zum Chiligen Eck.
In the town of Kufstein, we’ve discovered several great foodie tips for you. Among other things, we were shown the smallest bridge restaurant in the world (fully booked for months ..!), a stylish sundowner on the historic fortress wall and a few really nice pubs and restaurants.
The world’s smallest bridge restaurant in the Auracher Löchl offers space for “five courses, four eyes and two seats”. Book well in advance!
Must-do: Cocktails at sunset over the Inn Valley in the Panorama 1830 Sky Bar in Kufstein, located right above the historic fortress wall.
Top tip for foodies: Zum Chiligen Eck in Kufstein takes you all the way to … Thailand!
Tapas Atelier Kufstein, a cosy place to unwind with local and international food and drinks.
Check out even more impressions from our trip in my Flickr photo gallery about Kufsteinerland.
Disclaimer: I have been invited by the Kufsteinerland regional tourism association. All opinions are my own.