Best Alps Towns for Hiking Without a Car

Some of our best hiking trips in the Alps have been spent in a single destination for 1-2 weeks, exploring the surrounding trails at a relaxed pace. This kind of stress-free travel lets us get to know a place more deeply, build flexibility into our plans around the weather, and leave room for rest days. 

Here are the best base villages and towns in the Alps for hiking without a car. 

---

Ribčev Laz, Slovenian Alps

Ribčev Laz is a lakeside village on the eastern shore of Lake Bohinj, set within Triglav National Park. Stay here for hiking in the Julian Alps and immediate lake access, with refreshing swims, stand-up paddleboarding, and kayaking right at your doorstep.

From the village, hop on the shuttle to Planina Blato to hike to Seven Lakes Valley. With an overnight stay in a hut, experienced hikers can hike the 2-day Veliko Špičje Ridge & Seven Lakes Valley trail.

Ride the hop-on-hop-off Pokluka shuttle to Rudno Polje to summit Viševnik and Mount Triglav, a 2-day hike to the highest mountain in Slovenia with an overnight in Dom Planika pod Triglavom. 

We stayed in Hotel Bohinj, which has air-conditioned rooms, an on-site restaurant, garden with bar service, and spa. Find out more about the best accommodations in Ribčev Laz in my guide to where to stay around Lake Bohinj. 

---

Sexten, Italian Alps

Sexten (Sesto in Italian) is a village in Alta Pusteria, South Tyrol, wedged between the Northern Sexten Dolomites and the Carnic Alps. 

From the village, hikers can walk through Val Fiscalina to Talschlusshütte and onwards to Zsigmondyhütte, Büllelejochhütte, and Dreizinnen Hütte. In neighboring Val Campo di Dentro, the Torre dei Scarperi circuit trail (my favorite ascent route to the Three Peaks) starts at the Antoniusstein bus stop. 

Regular buses connect the village to Kreuzbergpass, the starting point of the exciting Vallon Popera Hike, Prati di Croda Rossa trail, and various Carnic Alps mountain pastures, which all command sweeping views of the Sexten Dolomites. 

In summer, we stayed in Hotel Dolomitenhof (4-star hotel at the Fischleintalboden bus stop), Bad Moos Dolomites Spa Resort (thermal spa hotel at the Rotwand bus stop). During our recent Sexten winter hiking trip, we stayed in ski-in ski-out Alpenwellness Hotel St. Veit (Read our Alpenwellness Hotel St. Veit review).

Plan your car-free trip to Sexten with my Sexten hiking guide, which also includes a sample itinerary.

---

Corvara, Italian Alps

Corvara, the largest of the Alta Badia villages in the Dolomites, is an excellent base for exploring UNESCO World Heritage Sites Puez-Odle Nature Park and Fanes-Sennes-Braies Nature Park. 

From the village, take the Col Alt gondola to Pralongià, a broad plateau ideal for leisurely walks and gourmet mountainside dining with sweeping views of Sassongher, Conturines, and many other peaks. I recommend eating lunch in Rifugio Ütia Bioch or Rifugio Alpino Pralongià. 

Hikers can use the local buses to access numerous hikes like Badia to Armentara Meadows, Passo Gardena to Sass da Ciampac, Sciaré to the Fanes Alp, Colfosco to Puez Plateau and the Colfosco High Trail. I’ve summarized must-do hikes in my Alta Badia Summer Guide. 

During our car-free stay in Hotel Col Alto, we took the bus to Passo Gardena to begin the Cima Pisciadù hike, then returned to the village on foot via Val de Mezdi.

If you’re traveling without a car, it’s best to visit between mid-June and mid-September, when bus service is more frequent. Autumn in Alta Badia is beautiful and quiet, but best explored with a car.

I recommend staying in one of these central accommodations: Berghotel Ladinia (guesthouse and excellent restaurant), Ciasa De Munt Lifestyle Living (4-star hotel), Hotel Marmolada (4-star hotel), or Residence Villa Trieste (apartments). We also recently stayed in the historic Hotel Posta Zirm (here’s my Posta Zirm review).

---

Pertisau, Austrian Alps

Pertisau is a lakeside village along the southwestern shore of Lake Achensee, Tyrol’s largest lake. Hikes around Pertisau trace side valleys, hug lakeshores, and ascend to dazzling ridges of the Karwendel and Rofan mountains. 

From Pertisau, follow the lakeside path north to Gasthaus Gaisalm for lunch, ascend to the panoramic Bärenkopf summit overlooking the L-shaped lake, and walk through Falzthurntal Valley to Sennhütte Falzthurn and Gramai Alm. Take the bus to Achenkirch and hike the exhilarating Seekarspitze – Seebergspitze Ridge Trail all the way back to Pertisau. Ride the Rofan cable car from Maurach to summit Hochiss, the highest peak in the Rofan Gebirge.

The only place that’s difficult to reach without a car is Gramai Alm, the starting point of the Lamsenjochhütte – Hahnkampel Circuit Trail. I recommend asking your accommodation to organize a taxi drop-off. At the end of the hike, you can either walk through Falzthurntal to Pertisau (2 hours), or get a taxi pick-up. If your accommodation rents out bikes, you could also bike to and from Gramai Alm. 

We’ve stayed in the lakefront Seehotel Einwaller with private lake access (read my Seehotel Einwaller review) and Hotel Auszeit (read my Hotel Auszeit review). Also take a look at Hotel Bergland (3-star hotel) and Entners am See (4-star hotel with private lake access and pool).

---

Appenzell, Swiss Alps

Appenzell, the darling capital of Appenzell Innerhhoden, is the gateway to the Appenzell Alps. 

The town of Appenzell is the best base in the area, because its pedestrian zone is filled with bakeries, shops, restaurants, accommodations, and museums. It’s also located on the Gossau–Wasserauen line of the Appenzell Railways, which is critical for reaching the most important trailheads. 

Here the most central accommodations, walking distance to the Appenzell train station: Hotel Appenzell (3-star hotel), Blattenheimat (apartments), Hotel Löwen (3-star hotel), Hotel Hecht Appenzell (3-star hotel), and Hotel B&B Stossplatz (B&B).

With a base in Appenzell, hikers can tackle the Marwees Ridge (thrilling ridge trail), Lake Seealpsee trail (family-friendly hike), Schäfler Ridge (easy-moderate hike to an extraordinary viewpoint), Berggasthaus Äscher (cliffside mountain inn), and Hoher Kasten – Saxer Lücke – Fählensee Hike (moderate hike with sensational views).

During our last visit to Appenzell, we hiked the 3-day Alpstein High Trail, a route we created to take in all the scenic highlights and difficult to reach paths without a car. 

---

Engelberg, Swiss Alps

Embraced by mountains on all sides, the charming Swiss town of Engelberg is a fantastic hiking destination in the Uri Alps. 

Connected to Lucerne by a direct train (45 minutes), Engelberg is easy to reach without a car. However, intrepid hikers can follow the 2-day Stanserhorn – Engelberg ridge trail, starting in Stans just south of Lucerne. 

For the most arresting landscapes, ride the Engelberg-Ristis Cableway and follow the Walenpfad Hiking Trail to Chrüzhütte. 

During our visit, we stayed in Hotel Bellevue-Terminus, located in the town center across the train station. I loved our stylish room, the delicious breakfast, and complimentary coffee and tea stations. 

Feel free to follow our Lucerne – Engelberg Itinerary, but I do recommend adding a few more nights in Engelberg.

---

Zermatt, Swiss Alps

Zermatt is, above all, a ski destination. As I note in my guide to Best Hikes in Zermatt, many of the area’s summer trails were developed largely to monetize the extensive cableway infrastructure during the off-season. 

With careful planning, it’s possible to plan a wonderful hiking trip to Zermatt. I recommend following our thoughtfully-created Zermatt Itinerary, which strings together the Edelweissweg Hike (best trail in Zermatt), Tufteren High Trail, Gornergrat Hike, and Charles Kuonen Suspension Bridge Hike. 

Read Where to Stay in Zermatt to find the perfect base camp for hiking.

---

Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavarian Alps

The Bavarian resort town Garmisch-Partenkirchen is located near Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain. This town itself is a worthy destination, filled with atmospheric Bavarian restaurants like Zum Wildschütz and Gasthaus zur Schranne, cafés, shops, and parks.

I particularly love how well-connected Garmisch is to the surrounding mountains. Many hikes don’t even require the use of transit. 

During your stay, prioritize the Partnachklamm Gorge Hike, Kreuzeck – Höllental Gorge Hike, the Lake Eibsee Circuit Trail (wonderful for swimming), and Alpspitz Via Ferrata equipped with via ferrata kit.

Stay in Garmisch rather than Partenkirchen. While Partenkirchen has the more picturesque street, it lacks the energy and liveliness you’ll find in Garmisch: Quartier – Lodges Biohotel, Bader Suites, moun10-urlaubswohnen (apartments), or Boutiquehotel Werdenfelserei (4-star hotel).

---

Car-Free Travel Guides

Car-Free Travel Guides:

• Europe Travel Itineraries Without a Car
• Portugal Itinerary
• Marseille Calanques Itinerary
• Dolomites Without a Car
• Slovenia Without a Car
• Hiking Austria Without a Car

---

---