Motorhome travel: Paradise in Austria

Helen Werin discovers a version of paradise in Austria’s spectacular Tiroler Zugspitz Arena…

I emailed a friend saying we had just arrived in paradise. I quickly sent pictures of our extraordinarily beautiful Alpine surroundings. “Wow! I see what you mean,” came the reply.

And the name of this Austrian eden? The Tiroler Zugspitz Arena. Since it sounds more like a sports stadium than a marketing ‘tag’ for a group of charming villages, I wasn’t sure what to expect when an acquaintance urged that we “absolutely had to go” there as part of our two-month summer tour in Europe.

Her recommendation turned out to be among the best advice I’ve ever been given.

Even more rhapsodies found in internet ads couldn’t prepare me for the gorgeous reality of the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena: ‘dream destination’, ‘mountains as far as the eye can see’, ‘a paradise for hikers with 150 trails’, copywriters gushed.

As someone who hates flat landscapes, loves walking and gets a thrill from gliding up mountains in cable cars, I could almost feel the magnetic pull of the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena dragging me away from my desk. I had to see if all these superlative claims were true.

My teenage daughter, Sophie, was inspired by pictures of the longest summer toboggan run in Austria and of mountain carts and scooters. Leaning over my shoulder as I investigated further, she enthusiastically pointed out that, with the free guest cards, buses are free within the region. We could save more money by buying Z-Ticket summer cards to include the cable cars, carts and other activities that she was so keen to enjoy…

Springing out of Roly onto our roomy, terraced pitch at the Zugspitz Resort, I took in the view of the Wetterstein range – including the Zugspitze – plus the pointy Sonnenspitze (2,417m/7,930ft), the Grubigstein (2,233m/7,326ft) above Lermoos and the Daniel (2,340m/7,677ft).

Behind me, gondolas glided up the mighty Zutspitze. This is neighbouring Germany’s highest mountain at 2,962m (9,717ft) but, on this Austrian side, the Zutspitze looms over the campsite and a string of picture-book-pretty villages of timber chalets and onion-domed chapels down in the valley below.

Half an hour or so before, on our way to the site, I’d been lounging in the back of our hired motorboat on Heiterwanger See. Enveloped by mountains, I was dazzled by the sparks of the sun’s rays glinting off the sharp peaks and bouncing off the smooth surface of the lake. With Sophie steering, we’d floated under the bridge to Plansee. It felt blissful and, with hindsight, could not have been a better introduction to our new-found paradise.

We’d come here from Schwangau in Germany with the scenery quickly becoming lusher and greener, then far more mountainous. Families played around Heiterwanger See. Gently rocking three-seater swing chairs with canopies invited a snooze in the afternoon heat. As we drove up to the campsite just below the Zugspitzbahn cable car station, the sense of anticipation was exhilarating.

At night, what looked rather like a string of fairy lights indicated the gondola going up the Grubigstein on the other side of the valley. The beautifully clear sky, canopy of stars and the only sound that of owls hooting, added to the magic.

Challenging fun on the Zugspitzbahn

It’s just a few minutes’ walk from the pitches to the Zugspitzbahn. Only a few other tourists were in the 100-seater car as we sailed up to the summit station in about seven minutes with our ears popping over and over. My eyes almost popped out at the sight of the challenging path up the mountain.

Sophie and her dad joined a few other far more surefooted souls than I to climb to the summit (on the German side) and to pose by the cross at the top. My legs turned to jelly just watching as Sophie and Robin negotiated a rope ladder and a vertical ladder across the shaly limestone.

We returned to the bottom station by the gondola. However, our next activity was not nearly so smooth. While Sophie shot confidently on a mountain cart down the scenic Marienberg in Biberwier I had to ask Robin to follow me down the winding track in case I got stuck, rolled over and/or took a short cut through the bushes.

I didn’t achieve either of the latter two, but I did manage the first – embarrassingly so, several times over. Nearly 20 minutes after whizz-kid Sophie’s arrival in one piece and having had to have quite a few pushes from Robin (and several other people who had taken pity on me after my unconcerned husband had shot past me in a cloud of dust), the cart operator diplomatically said, “We missed you.” As she pulled my creaking body from the cart, I stumbled out, laughing and exhilarated.

Taking the cable car up the Ehrwalder

Rain beat down overnight and we were worried that our plans to go up the Ehrwalder Almbahn would be ruined.

By mid-morning the clouds had lifted, the sun flickered through and we rode a small cable car up the Ehrwald, soaring above pine-covered slopes, to the top station at 1,500m (4,921ft).

What has now become my favourite Austrian lunch – goulash soup and chunky bread – at the Tirolerhaus next to the mountain station set us up for a three-hour-long hike on a good path to Seebensee and back.

This is the lake seen on umpteen postcards, with the Zugspitze as its glorious backdrop. It’s renowned as one of the Tirol’s prettiest places and it is strikingly lovely, but so is almost everywhere in these parts.

Whilst Sophie and Robin explored higher up, I walked 10 minutes down from the Ehrwald Almbahn’s top station to Almsee. It may be a very small man-made reservoir around which I could stroll in just a few minutes, but it opens up a delightful vista towards the Sonnenspitze.

I embarked on the Wassererlebnisweg Zugspitzi, described as a one-hour, child-friendly, waterfall trail. It took me far longer as I lingered.

All the trails are clearly marked and I followed the Gaisbach stream tumbling over rocks through a shady route with features designed to encourage youngsters to explore, including a water wheel and barefoot walk.

Passing the Shepherd’s Rock I reached the Immen Spring, where a tunnel collects water from the small springs on the mountainside. The water is crystal clear as it bubbles out of the earth.

I arrived at a lookout towards one of the highest free-falling waterfalls in the Tirol, passing a wooden recliner in which I was tempted to lie and regard the tall canopy of maple, beech and spruce.

Guessing that I would succumb to the relaxing atmosphere a little too much, I followed the rough path criss-crossed by gnarled tree roots to a postcard-style frame of the waterfall and a seat in just the right place to contemplate the beauty of the landscape.

Planning a return to the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena

We were amazed by the diversity of the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena: stark mountains one side and lush pastures on the other, typically Tirolean villages, hiking for all levels, a wonderland for climbers like our daredevil daughter, cable car and chairlift rides, superb local produce, lakes and waterfalls, woods, lots of activities (a golf course, climbing wall, tennis courts and mountain biking, to name a few).

The Zugspitz Resort campsite is open all year and the shiny, top-notch facilities are really warm and cosy, with even TVs and comfy seats in the superb shower blocks.

Sophie’s going to have to find another mode of transport if she wants to visit in the snow as Roly would need special winter tyres, an expense I’m not prepared to splash out on.

No, I’m saving that money for a return in mid-summer for the Mountains on Fire spectacle and all the runs that I plan to make down the mountainsides – on the toboggans and mountain carts, you understand.

This feature was published in the March 2019 issue of MMM magazine - to read the full version, buy a digital copy here. 

Photos in this feature courtesy of Robin Weaver