Why head to East Tyrol this summer for some high-level action and deep relaxation? It’s the perfect place for an unforgettable family holiday.
Advertising: The article ‘East Tyrol with children’ was produced in co-operation with the Tourismusverband Osttirol.
In these times when seclusion is seen as a real treat, when families are longing to slow down and enjoy a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and when the true value of spending time together is once again clearly visible with the beauty of nature right in front of our eyes, we couldn’t be in a better place here in East Tyrol with children!
The region is perfectly situated between Carinthia, Salzburg and South Tyrol, and it’s to the south of the main Alpine ridge, which separates it from the rest of Tyrol. This means it has an amazing landscape of unspoilt nature just waiting to be explored! There are so many ways to discover and experience this unfiltered landscape, and it’s perfect for all the family! With over 266 peaks over 3,000 metres high, deep gorges, dense forests, crystal-clear lakes and idyllic mountain villages, there’s so much to explore. And the best part is that these adventures are authentically in harmony with nature, which makes them really special. They’re the perfect way to create lasting memories as a family and take home the most beautiful souvenir!
Ah, the magic of summer in East Tyrol! Buttercups, barefoot paths, and a mountain world straight out of a picture book – it’s a dream come true for children.
Get up close and personal with adorable animals in beautiful East Tyrol with your little ones!
Our adventure begins in Munich, where we’ll make our first stop at the charming Assling Wildlife Park. As we start our family summer in the mountains, we are reminded of the wonderful things we can learn from nature. We can learn to appreciate the beauty of the world around us and to be amazed by the wonders that nature has to offer.
The lovely 1.5-hour tour is not just a great way to stretch our legs after the trip, but it’s also a real treat for the whole family, as we get to enjoy the adorable newborns together. There are 35 different native animal species here, living happily between the forest and the meadow. It’s a great way to get ready for the wonderful creatures we’ll meet in the wild during our time in East Tyrol!
Where happiness is at home at 1400 metres
Just a short, sweet half-hour drive away, we reach our family home for the weekend: the Hotel Tillga Glück in the wonderful, listed mountain village of Obertilliach on the border with South Tyrol. We all know that happiness is a very personal thing, but up here at 1400 metres, we all agree on one thing: it’s a place to feel good, it’s a delicious breakfast, and it’s time to be and experience things together.
In the bright, wooden rooms or flats with lovely details, such as a table with an integrated playing field for ‘Mensch ärgere Dich nicht!’ or a hanging swing on the balcony with a panoramic view, you can relax your body and your soul. The sauna and pool area is perfect for the family after lots of outdoor action, with its cosy hanging loungers and lightness of being, and is particularly popular with children.
The magic of peace and quiet in the East Tyrolean mountains
‘Everything simply tastes better in the mountains’, we agree with a smile and set off well-fuelled after our first restful night under the starry sky that you only get up here. From the lovely village of Obertilliach, which has a name that sounds like it belongs in a fairy tale, we hop on a mountain railway and head up to the starting point of the Kindermeile.
As we gaze at the mountains on the ascent, we remember the exciting stories told by the night watchman last night. He guided us through the historic village and we couldn’t tell the difference between truth and fantasy! Maybe you don’t have to up here, in this magical world where time seems to stand still and silence is loud!
The Kindermeile is a wonderful experience for all the family!
There’s so much to enjoy, from fun games to delicious refreshments, all the way to the beautiful Jochsee lake. The Kindermeile is an adventure trail (also suitable for pushchairs) that leads from the Golzentippbahn mountain station to the Jochsee lake. At 13 lovely stations, you can test your dexterity on a marble run, refresh yourself and splash around in the watercourse, practise your balance while climbing on wooden logs, keep your bearings in a labyrinth and feel the texture of the mountain floor barefoot. You’ll want to allow about an hour for the leisurely ascent up to 2,200 metres. It might sound like a lot, but it’s only 140 metres uphill and downhill from and to the Begstation. The same hiking time is recommended for the way back.
You’ll be hungry after all that exercise, and luckily Conny’s Alm is waiting halfway through the 5.6-kilometre easy hike for you to stop for a bite to eat. With such a wide choice of specialities from Italian and Tyrolean cuisine, it’s hard to decide! But with the view in front of us and the delicious aroma of cheese spaetzle and dumplings in our nostrils, we’re in no hurry. We still have a lot to do and are really happy to have this refreshing break before the second part of our day in the valley.
A journey through time at Heinfels Castle
Just a 20-minute drive from Tillga Glück, we reach the village of Heinfels with its castle at an altitude of 1130 metres. We immediately feel like we’ve travelled back in time and our kids feel like knights and damsels anyway. If these old walls could talk, they would probably tell us much of what we learn during the creatively designed tour, which invites us not only to listen, but also to experience history. Piece by piece – in the truest sense of the word – we build the history of the castle together until the whole work becomes visible at the end.
Old doesn’t always have to be boring – this becomes clear here in Heinfels, in a place that is happy to open its old walls to children (Museum Days of Amazement and Discovery), art (international choir festival) and culinary delights (castle tavern).
Community and tradition in Obertilliach
The mountains and their residents here in Obertilliach are a tight-knit bunch! They’re committed to preserving their shared tradition and monument, and they’re also dedicated to supporting their local economy. The lovely Hotel Tillga Glück , for instance, only offers breakfast to its guests so that the local inns, such as the Hotel Weiler or Unterwöger, where we’re lucky enough to stop for dinner, can also benefit from tourism as an important part of their livelihood.
One last taste of nature in the Galitzenklamm
Bye-bye mountains! That’s what we say as we head off the next morning after a wonderful summer weekend in East Tyrol with the kids. But before we head back to the city, we like to take some time to enjoy the beauty of nature and recharge our batteries for everyday life. On our way to Lienz, the lovely capital of the state, we stop to admire the incredible Galitzenklamm gorge. Its waterfalls and amazing rock formations show us the awesome power of nature, which we can experience for ourselves on the hiking trails and via ferratas.
We think the interactive water viewing path is great for families, and for those who want more action and adventure, the adventure climbing park at the entrance to the gorge with various courses that challenge parents and children is fantastic!
Before we say goodbye to East Tyrol for good, we thought we’d make a quick detour to the Vitalpinum, just to say hello! This wonderful garden is all about embracing the healing power of plants and letting them work their magic all over your body. On our way back to Munich, before the first family members drift off in the back seat, we all agree, looking back on the weekend, that the mountain summer in East Tyrol is even more beautiful than in the picture books. At home, we’ll paint our very own pictures of memories and are so grateful that nature has once again reminded us of what really matters: spending time with our loved ones in nature.
