Adventure Travel ideas in Austria
Austria is a holiday mecca adventure travel and snow birds in the winter but what do you do during the other 9 months? I had a chance to travel to Hopfgarten im Brixental. It’s one of the biggest and popular skiing grounds in Austria’s Ski Velt (side note: I’m not a skiier and on more than one occasions I lost my snowboard down two separate ravines, but that’s a story for another day). This time I was looking for adventure travel. I found three awesome ways to experience in Austria off the slopes and outta the cold.
Adventure Travel in Austria
White Water Rafting
Hopfgarten is a tiny village of about 5,000 people and, like the rest of the Austrian Tirol, lies in the backdrop of 700 mountains. With the warmer temps, we tried our hand at white water rafting on the Inn River. The waters were supposed to be calm so we could cruise through and paddle, but the rapids were anything.
Riding the waves from the back.
Apparently you’re not supposed to do this if you can’t swim. Side note: I can’t swim. I can paddle but I’m far from an olympic swimmer. I asked to double up on my life jacket, but apparently it’s counterproductive? I’ve also never been someone to take no for an answer. I never believed in the mindset “I can’t”. Those words were just never in my vocabulary. So, I went for it and held on for dear life. Controlling the raft on rapid water is not easy and if you get bumped out of it you’ll have to try to swim back. I’m glad I didn’t listen to the rule gods because this was one of my favourite adrenaline rushes I’ve ever experienced. The rapids are generally low grade 2-3. You’re suited up with a full body wetsuit, boots, jacket, helmet, and an instructor to help guide you along.
Snow-capped peaks in the Tirol
The best part is that you’re in the Austrian Alps with massive mountains, snow-capped peaks, super-fresh air, and amazing scenery all around you making for the perfect adventure travel destination. White water rafting is a must in Austria.
Budget: 40€
Mountain Biking
We rented a bike in the picturesque valley of Windau and rode through a maze of lush green paths. There are 750 kilometres of trails, alpine paths, and roads to cycle or climb your way up, not to mention towering Alps, the local villages, and quaint countryside. I loved this part of the trip because I was finally getting the exercise I so desperately needed!
Budget: 20€ or less
Getting ready for the climb
Our view from the hilltop was Austria's colourful houses
Paragliding
Hopfgarten is only about 620m above sea level but you’ll get much higher paragliding over the Tirol. It’s by far the way to get the best views! The only skill you need is running fast for the take-off. If you can’t do that then you can get a lil’ help from your tandem instructor, who also adds some crazy air tricks and acrobats. It can be a bit pricey but the experience is well worth it. You’ll get amazing panoramic views of Austria’s Alps, hill tops and the colourful houses below. We lucked out – the morning rain cleared up for us just in time to fly!
Budget: about 100€
All geared up. Let's do it!
Paragliding with my instructor Wolfgang
View over the Tirol
Smooth landing!
Travel Blogger BIO…..
After spending $30,000 on a degree and joining the corporate world, Cristina realized life should be about experience more than destination. She is a 20-something Canadian traveller who now lives life by passion. When she’s not tracking down smurfs, she can be found at Travolution, inspiring others to travel more, live better and experience the world. You can also follow her on Twitter or Facebook.Comments
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Excellent post and very informative! Thanks for letting us know that Austria offers so many options for adventure travelers.
Glad you enjoyed it Miruna! I never thought of Austria as being so adventurous outside of Winter but there really is so much excitement even in the warmer temps!
Wonderful ideas for an energetic adventure! For some reason, the bike riding through the Alps really sounds good right now. Austria does offer exceptional scenery, doesn’t it?
Yes, a bike ride through the Alps sounds good to us too! Can’t wait to go there myself. We get to go to Switzerland in October, it would be wonderful to be able to hop over to Austria too.
Debbie it sure does! I wish we had more time to venture over to the Krimml Waterfalls near Salzburg. If you ever get a chance, the falls would be a great spot for hiking. It’s one of Europe’s highest falls and the photos I’ve seen look spectacular!
It all looks like so much fun!
Definitely, we haven’t been to Austria yet, but will make sure to do these when we get there.
D&D it would be exciting to see you tackle Austria
A great deal of great travel ideas are available for guests of Austria. It is a wonderful country that offers many good travel activities, great places to visit and interesting things to do.