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Hut to hut hiking in the Alps

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Right folks. Planning my annual trip to the Bavarian, Austrian alps For a bit if hiking. Normally go may/June time & stay in B&B's for a week. this time I fancy alpine hut to hut.

First research makes it look quite difficult to arrange booking wise. Anyone have experience of doing this? Anyone have any leads, tips, experience of doing this?

Thanks in advance

SA


Posted from the ARRSE Mobile app (iOS or Android)
 
Right folks. Planning my annual trip to the Bavarian, Austrian alps For a bit if hiking. Normally go may/June time & stay in B&B's for a week. this time I fancy alpine hut to hut.

First research makes it look quite difficult to arrange booking wise. Anyone have experience of doing this? Anyone have any leads, tips, experience of doing this?

Thanks in advance

SA


Posted from the ARRSE Mobile app (iOS or Android)

I have always done a lot of that both hiking and base to base for climbing, drop me a PM with what you are thinking of, I also have some recent reference books (in German).
 
A local tourist office will be able to give you a list of numbers and guide to locations. Maybe even call a few in the areas you are interested in. Some of the staff can be really helpful so put your best smile on and be cheerful with them and you'll probably get what you want/need. If you just expect them to sort you out you may be disappointed. Once you have the lists just choose your route and then select the appropriate hutte or whatever they are called. (I call them all Refuge or Refugio in the Dolomites.) Call and see if rooms/bunks are available. Sorted! Should be available at that time of year. Keep some extra numbers/plan Bs in case you choose a different route one day. Keep the numbers/details safe as you would your maps etc. Fantastically rewarding holiday. Gutte reisen (sp?)

Edited to add:
I would recommend this area: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karwendel
http://www.karwendelgebirge.com/

Very good film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ps5PbzyXuJc

Mittenwald might be a good place to start. Can go town to town there or hut to hut. Very pleasant Alpine scenery and a varied landscape.

Train goes direct from Munich to Mittenwald. Nice route and is only about 2 hours. (Beware work on the line sometimes... Deutsche Bahn rail website will tell you (if you read fine print) if you need to get a bus at any point. If you do is well-run. May add on 10/20 mins to journey. It is a very nice journey even if you need to do a few miles by replacement bus. Probably wont have to though.)
There is accommodation in the nice little town or I hiked out for several hours and got to this place.

http://www.jugendherberge.de/en/hostels/search/portrait/jh.jsp?IDJH=246

it was very suitable for the needs. amazing views and you can eat well there plus drink well. grab beers from the relax-room and just note down what you had and pay the next day. yes there may be children there too but is worth that for the location and views.



The German Alpine troops train there in that area. Quite a few targets set up and we found a lot of very fresh (used) 5.56 blank.
 
Twas a long time ago but I walked the Stubai Horseshoe hut to hut. A fantastic route with some interesting sidetracks if you want to climb some peaks along the way. It is a short drive from Innsbruck and is almost a circular route from Neustift. Walkopedia : Stubai Hohenweg

We joined the Austrian Alpine Club to get discounts on hut bookings and rescue insurance. Austrian Alpine Club (UK)
 
Good ideas Orgasmic. Going from Innsbruck is a possible next plan of mine. Alsacien had some good info about the horseshoe. Think he even knew of a good hut or two there and gave details. I start a thread about something similar many moons ago along the basis of getting into proper mountains within just one hour of touching down in a European airport.

I would also recommend doing the Via Ferrata walks. Start off in Bolzano in Italy. Easy to get there from Innsbruck. Very good local tourismo offices who are very helpful and will give you maps and books with addresses/telephone numbers of the refugios.
Personally I'd do that route as it is probably the finest. Well worth any bits of extra travel you may have to do. Go for it. The Dolomites was by far the best walking trip I have done. I wore out a pair of boots in a week but the work was worth it! Dream-like and unlike the German/Austrian alps you wont see anything man made for many hours unless you choose to. Total peace. Dont fuggin fall off though! Although some bits are steep and narrow we got some serious adrenalin going as well...but then again I always like surfing on scree myself!
The Italian huts are really fantastic.
I'm not gushing like a teenager. It really is cool as fook there and well wort the effort.
If the German/Austrian alps are the only option then they are not 'second best' just a bit different. Still fantastic.
 
Hut booking on your toddsome is a proper nightmare in season and out of season many of them are closed, bivvy bagging through the Italian dolomites is not something I would wish to repeat with increasing mileage on my bones.

I found it is much easier, and safer, to become the round peg in a square hole and join the local hitler youth smug alpine old bastards club.
 
A local tourist office will be able to give you a list of numbers and guide to locations. Maybe even call a few in the areas you are interested in. Some of the staff can be really helpful so put your best smile on and be cheerful with them and you'll probably get what you want/need. If you just expect them to sort you out you may be disappointed. Once you have the lists just choose your route and then select the appropriate hutte or whatever they are called. (I call them all Refuge or Refugio in the Dolomites.) Call and see if rooms/bunks are available. Sorted! Should be available at that time of year. Keep some extra numbers/plan Bs in case you choose a different route one day. Keep the numbers/details safe as you would your maps etc. Fantastically rewarding holiday. Gutte reisen (sp?)

Edited to add:
I would recommend this area: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karwendel
http://www.karwendelgebirge.com/

Very good film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ps5PbzyXuJc

Mittenwald might be a good place to start. Can go town to town there or hut to hut. Very pleasant Alpine scenery and a varied landscape.

Train goes direct from Munich to Mittenwald. Nice route and is only about 2 hours. (Beware work on the line sometimes... Deutsche Bahn rail website will tell you (if you read fine print) if you need to get a bus at any point. If you do is well-run. May add on 10/20 mins to journey. It is a very nice journey even if you need to do a few miles by replacement bus. Probably wont have to though.)
There is accommodation in the nice little town or I hiked out for several hours and got to this place.

http://www.jugendherberge.de/en/hostels/search/portrait/jh.jsp?IDJH=246

it was very suitable for the needs. amazing views and you can eat well there plus drink well. grab beers from the relax-room and just note down what you had and pay the next day. yes there may be children there too but is worth that for the location and views.



The German Alpine troops train there in that area. Quite a few targets set up and we found a lot of very fresh (used) 5.56 blank.

ImageUploadedByARRSE1360674505.510415.jpg ImageUploadedByARRSE1360674530.765054.jpg

As you can see, stayed in Mittenwald a couple of years back. Did the Karwendel, that's us on top. i can also confirm the laid on bus service between train stns is first rate. Train stops busses waiting. Buses stop. Train waiting. Proper german efficiency. Not like our shower.

Thanks for all the info going to go with the first reply. Looks like just the job.

SA


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Cool. Have a great trip.
Hope the info may be useful to others heading over that way. As much as I'd say 'spend your money in the UK' if just walking about...it is great to see what's out there.
 
I second Jumping Jack's suggestion about the Karwendelgebirge and Mittenwald being a good place to start. My mum is from southern Bavaria, and I spent a lot of time there as a child, and still have aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. spread out from Munich to Füssen to Mittenwald. However, the greatest number of huts can be found in the Allgäuer Alpen, thus it might be easiest to find accommodation there. Some of the huts listed under Allgäuer Alpen will be located in Austria due to the nature of the border.
This is one of my personal favourites: DAV Httensuche - Bayern - Allguer Alpen - Bad Kissinger Htte
it's called Bad Kissinger Hütte and is at roughly 1,800 metres.


The German Alpine Organisation (Deutscher Alpenverein) has a Website about routes and huts. I think it is only available in German, but if you need help translating anything feel free to send me a message. The site can be found here: DAV Httensuche
Many of these can be booked online, but most have very limited capacity. The one I mentioned above only has room for 8 people.

Good luck and pfiad di (Southern Bavarian/Austrian way of saying good bye)
 

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