Couch potato? That was yesterday! Lazing around all day is not for you. You need action and movement. If not at home, then at least on holiday. It's a good thing that in Austria we have the playground of nature right on our doorstep! If you're in the mood for a sports and active holiday, pack your sports gear and head for the mountains! Breathe in the fresh air, race the chamois and cool off in the ice-cold mountain lake after a strenuous hike.

We tell you the best sports activities in the mountains and where you should go for them:

On foot over all mountains

To have fun on the mountain, you don't need much more than two healthy legs. Lace up your hiking boots, pack your snack in your rucksack and off you go! Whether it's an enjoyable hike to the first alpine hut or a hardcore summit tour from sunrise to sunset: the Alps are a true paradise for hikers. Head up high on one of the high-altitude trails, for example on the Karwendel High Trail in Tyrol, which stretches from the Seefeld plateau to Scharnitz. If you also want to learn more about the country, its people and customs during your hike, one of the more than 300 themed hiking trails throughout Austria is the right place to go. Along the Tauerngold Adventure Trail in the Rauris Valley, for example, you can immerse yourself in the wild gold rush times and even try your luck panning for gold in the stream yourself. 

The best place to start your hiking holiday is one of the currently 58 Hiking villages of Austria: Regions that bear the Wandergütesiegel have proven varied and well-signposted hiking routes and offers unique natural places that have been specially staged for hikers. Hiking villages include, for example, Ellmau and Scheffau in Tyrol, Großarl, Bad Hofgastein and Maria Alm in Salzburger Land, Kals am Großglockner in East Tyrol, etc.

By the way: Trail runners also get their money's worth in the Austrian mountains. There are a total of 1,443 designated trail running routes throughout the country - most of them in Tyrol, followed by Vorarlberg. If you are looking for a challenge and want to measure yourself against others, take part in the Innsbruck Alpine Trailrun Festival 2020 which has been rescheduled for 10-12 September 2020.

Hanging by a thread

For big and small climbers, the mountains of Austria are a land of milk and honey. Rugged rock faces, challenging bouldering and of course popular via ferratas invite you to adventure at dizzying heights. Whether you are a climbing pro or a complete beginner, on a climbing wall or in the high mountains: Austria is a true paradise for climbing freaks and those who want to become one.

Especially Tyrol is known as a holy climbing country: World-class granite for bouldering and sport climbing as well as climbing areas with promising names like "eternal hunting grounds" await you in the Zillertal. Also a bouldering paradise with about 160 boulder is the at 2000 meters at the end of the Paznaun valley. "Silvapark Galtür". At the Chinese Wall in Leutasch, strong climbers in particular get their money's worth, while the Ötztal in turn offers a huge selection of routes for every ability.

If you want to get out of Tyrol for a while, but still want to spend a fine climbing holiday, you can go to the Maltatal to Carinthia. After you have exhausted yourself in the climbing garden, you can relax at one of the beautiful bathing lakes in the area, for example at Lake Millstätter See. There are also plenty of via ferratas in the Malta Valley, such as the Fallbach via ferrata or the Bella Vista via ferrata. So, what are you waiting for? Allez!

Mountain biking in a class of its own

Whether leisurely through the valley, steeply uphill or rapidly downhill: cycling is currently experiencing a real boom. And rightly so! Get in the saddle and discover Austria's mountains by road bike or mountain bike. If your physical condition is not sufficient to move mountains, an e-bike will give you the necessary momentum for your tour. The very brave dare to take on the challenge of downhill biking.

With more than 400 mountain bike trails, challenging freeride parks and many gondolas that also transport bikes, this is Saalbach-Hinterglemm probably the best known bike paradise in Austria. Not far away from it lies the Bike park in Leogangwho is also internationally one of the best and makes the heart of the freeride elite stand still for a short time.

If you are looking for endurance, you will find it in the Kitzbühel Alps. With the Fleckalm Trail the longest trail descent in Tyrol is located here with 7 km. And the Ötztal valley has also developed into a true biking mecca: 900 km of mountain bike trails around Sölden invite you to discover and enjoy. In the bike park BIKE REPUBLIC SÖLDEN 16 natural trails, 11 built lines and signposted enduro routes await adventure seekers. And in Oetz the 1st eBikepark of Tyrol including uphill flow trail opens in summer.

Adrenaline? High!

If you are looking for an adrenaline kick, downhill biking is not the only way to get your money's worth. Water rats plunge down raging rivers in a kayak or rafting, cave explorers abseil down gorges in canyoning and those who want to fly high, soar through the air with a paraglider or test their courage in the high ropes course.

Want to have the adventure of a lifetime this summer, but don't quite know where to start? Then you'd best head off to the Area 47 in the Tyrolean Ötztal! In the largest outdoor leisure park in Austria, there is a 20,000 m² huge water park with the fastest water slide in Europe, blobbing, cannonball, wakeboard facility and much more, also the highest high ropes course in Austria and the opportunity to go rafting or canyoning. Pure thrills!

It's "TEE" time

You want to try your hand at the driving range or improve your handicap in between all the mountain tours? Many of the TOP hotels we recommend for your sports and activity holiday in the mountains are just around the corner from one or more of the country's best golf courses. Dare to tee off, but don't be distracted by the stunning mountain scenery all around you!

By the way, those who want to spend a pure golf holiday can look forward to the end of May. On 29.05. we will tell you more about the most popular golf regions in Austria and present the top 10 golf resorts in the country!

From the happiness of the earth & more

As you can see, the list of all the activities you can do on your sports and activity holiday in the mountains is long. And it's far from over! Horse girls (and boys) can explore the Alps from horseback, for example in Salzburger Land or in Austria's largest equestrian village in Ampflwang in Upper Austria. If you want to bring your ying and yang back into balance, take part in a yoga class. And on very hot summer days, we also let the lap swimming in the nearby natural swimming lake pass as sport...

But the best thing to do is simply explore for yourself what the Austrian mountains have to offer in summer for power women and men like you. So that nothing stands in the way of your adventure holiday in the mountains, we have selected the most beautiful sports and active hotels for you right away!

The most beautiful sport & activity hotels in the mountains!

=> Click here!

Picture credits: area47.at; bergfex.com; bergwelten.com; galtuer.com; karwendel-hohenweg.com; maltatal.rocks; saalbach.com; saalbach-leogang.com; Unsplash (Linus Mimietz; Court Cook; Rune Haugseng; Yannic Laderach); Shutterstock