tel 0043 (0) 5125 86160
email [email protected]
website www.goldene-krone.at
Nepomuk’s Backpackers’ Hostel Located just off the main square in the old part of the Alte Stadt.
tel 0043 (0) 6647 879197 or 0043 (0) 5125 84118
email [email protected]
website www.nepomuks.at
In Mayrhofen
Hotel Siegelerhof Opposite the tourist information office, 5mins walk from the railway station. The hotel is managed by the Hausberger family who provide good inexpensive bed and breakfast accommodation. You can also leave surplus bags there to pick up on your return.
tel 0043 (0) 5285 62493 or 62424
email [email protected]
website www.hotel-siegelerhof.at
In Matrei in Ost Tyrol
Hotels may be reserved at the tourist information office in the village square.
The Sport Hotel Located just off the main road opposite the bus station at the entrance to the Virgental valley and gateway to the Venediger.
tel 0043 (0) 4875 20104
email riepler.alois@utanet
website www.jugend-und-sporthotel.at
In Salzburg
Zur Post Hotel 5mins from the airport and 15mins from the fine old city centre.
tel 0043 (0) 6628 32339
email [email protected]
website www.hotelzurpost.info
Campsites
For those travelling by road and wishing to camp, there are good campsites throughout the region: in the Zillertal valley at Schlitters, Kaltenbach, Zell am Ziller; at Laubichl on the outskirts of Mayrhofen; at Matrei in Ost Tyrol, 300m to the south on the Huben road; and also at Pragraten in the Virgental valley. Groups intending to camp should enquire from the campsite warden about reduced fees while they are away. This is referred to as leeres zelt.
Visiting Innsbruck
Innsbruck is the capital city of the province of Tyrol, named after the river on which it stands. It is overlooked by the Karwendel group of mountains, and was made famous as a venue for the Winter Olympics Sports. The city is well worth a visit in its own right, having the right mix of city life and cultural history but with the mountains not far away.
See the map below for locations of
railway and bus stations
tourist information and post offices
main historical sites
the Alpine Museum
Hotels
OeAV Museum
Should you have time on your hands the Alpine (OeAV) Museum in Innsbruck is worthy of a visit. Located within the Hofburg Imperial Palace in the Old Town, it has many fine exhibits from alpinism’s golden era, perhaps the most notable being memorabilia of Hermann Buhl’s solo ascent of Nanga Parbat in the Pakistani Karakoram.
The museum is open Monday to Saturday during normal business hours.
Innsbruck’s mediaeval Alte Stadt with the Golden Roof, Stadt Turm tower and Karwendal mountains
Tourist Offices
In Innsbruck at the main railway station (Hauptbahnhof) there is a tourist information office on the lower level opposite the ticket booking hall. There is another at the entrance to the Old Town Square (Alte Statd) on Museum Strasse at the road junction of Burg Graben and Maria Therasien Strasse. This bureau is the only one in Innsbruck that is open on Sunday, and has a money exchange facility.
In Mayrhofen, the main tourist information office, the Europahaus, is located five minutes’ walk from the railway station, on Durster Strasse. There are other satellite offices located throughout the town.
In Matrei in Ost Tyrol, the tourist office is located in the village square adjacent to the post office.
General enquiries about visiting Austria in advance of your trip should be addressed to the Austrian National Tourist Office (see Appendix A, Useful Contacts).
Post Offices
Post offices are open Monday to Friday 08:00hrs to12:00hrs, then 14:00hrs to 18:00hrs. They have fax facilities and a foreign currency exchange service.
Innsbruck’s post office is located on the Mark Stainer Strasse near the entrance to the Alte Stadt, and on Maxillian Strasse near the Triumphal Arch.
Mayrhofen’s post office is located on the Pfarrer Krapf Strasse just off the main street through the town.
Matrei in Ost Tyrol’s post office is located next to the tourist information centre in the main square.
Post between Austria and the UK usually takes about five days. All the mountain huts sell postcards which can be purchased and mailed from their own postboxes. The mail is then taken down the valley, usually once a week, and deposited at the main post office. This means that post to the UK from the huts will take 10 to 14 days.
Places to Leave Luggage
There are luggage facilities at all the bus and railway stations. However for security reasons there may be restrictions on using the luggage lockers for longer than 48 hours. Leave a note with your belongings stating who you are, your passport number, where you are going, your mobile telephone number and details of when you will be back.
Alternatively, if you are staying at one of the hotels, most hoteliers are quite happy to store luggage until you return.
A group of well-equipped young teenagers
Health and Fitness
Taking children
I have been asked many times about the suitability of hut-to-hut touring for children.
Most children I know or have met love visiting the various huts and the sense of freedom it brings. The Austrian Alpine Club also actively encourages children to participate in mountain activities.
My own daughter traversed the entire length of the Venediger Rucksack Route and undertook the rigours of the Glacier Tour climbing several peaks along the way when she was 15 years old. If children are capable of ascending Ben Nevis, Snowdon or doing the round of Helvellyn then they will surely enjoy some of these tours. But only parents can decide, since some of the days’ outings are quite long. Children need to be fit, happy to be in the mountains for long periods at a time and easily entertained by reading books, playing Scrabble or simply chatting. The best thing, however, is to have a few friends with them for company.
Fitness
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