Visiting Austrian Mountain Huts: What You Need to Know

Visiting mountain huts is an integral part of the hiking experience in Austria.

Austrian Mountain huts (Hütte, Hütten) provide room and board for hikers and climbers embarking on hut-to-hut hiking trails and/or mountaineering adventures.

During the day, huts also function as mountain restaurants, serving food and drinks to all passerby.

Whether you’re a day hiker, or a multi-day hiker, you can enjoy the unique atmosphere and food of Hütten. In this guide, you’ll find trail inspiration for day hikes (leading to huts) as well as multi-day hut hikes.

You’ll also learn about what food and drinks are typically served in Austrian huts. Most refuges do not have English menus, which is why we provided a translation for the most common beverages and dishes.

Finally, we’ve explained how to make overnight reservations for mountain huts in Austria.

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When to Visit

The hiking season in the Austrian Alps runs from June until September, or even October, if the weather is stable.

The hut-to-hut hiking season is far shorter: July to early September. As a rule, we don’t recommend embarking on a high-alpine trek earlier than July, even if the huts are open, because of the lingering snow.

Mountain huts usually open in June and close in September. However, there are certainly some exceptions. Huts at lower elevations may open earlier and/or close later.

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Day Hikes to Austrian Mountain Huts

The Austrian Alps are studded with mountain refuges. You don’t have to embark on a hut-to-hut hike to experience the charm and atmosphere of a Hütte. Here are some day hikes that lead to mountain huts in Austria.

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Salzburg

Visit Tappenkarseehütte in the Radstädter Tauern along this Lake Tappenkarsee Hike.

Visit Erichhütte in the Hochkönig Mountains along the Mühlbach High Trail or the Taghaube Peak Hike.

Visit Hofpürglhütte in the Dachstein Mountains near Filzmoos along the Hofpürgl Hut to Sulzenalm Circuit Hike.

Learn More: Best Hikes in Salzburg

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Styria

Visit the Giglachseehütte and Ignaz-Mattis-Hütte in the Schladminger Tauern along the Ursprungalm to Giglach Lake hike. Learn more: Schladming Hiking Guide.

Visit the Dachstein Südwandhütte in the Dachstein Mountains along the 5 Huts Trail.

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Tyrol

Visit the famous Olpererhütte in the Zillertal Alps along the Olpererhütte Circuit Trail.

Visit the lakeside Coburger Hütte in the Mieming Chain in the Lake Drachensee Hike.

Visit Wettersteinhütte in the Wetterstein Mountains along the Rotmoosalm – Wangalm – Wettersteinhütte Circuit Trail.

Visit Erfurter Hütte in the Rofan Mountains on the way up to Hochiss Peak.

Visit Lamsenjochhütte along the Hahnkampl Hike starting at Gramai Alm, near Lake Achensee.

Related: Innsbruck Hikes

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Vorarlberg

Visit Douglashütte in the Rätikon Alps when hiking around Lünersee and Schafgafall Peak.

Visit Totalhütte in the Rätikon Alps when hiking to Schesaplana Peak.

Visit Freiburger Hütte in the Lechquellen Mountains along the Lake Formarinsee to Lake Spullersee hike.

Visit Göppinger Hütte in the Lechquellen Mountains along the Oberlech – Göppinger Hütte Hike.

Visit Stuttgarter Hütte in the Lechtal Alps along the Rüfikopf – Stuttgarter Hütte Hike.

Visit Ravensburger Hütte in the Lechquellen Mountains along the Spuller Schafberg Peak Hike.

Visit Wiesbadener Hütte in the Silvretta Alps along the Hohes Rad Circuit Trail.

Learn More: Vorarlberg Hiking Guide

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Food and Drinks

Whether you’re a day hiker, or a multi-day hiker, eating and drinking in an Austrian mountain hut is part of the experience of hiking in Austria. Remember to bring sufficient cash, as credit cards are not always accepted.

Here are the standard dishes you’ll likely encounter. Don’t assume that there will be an English menu.

Helpful things to know:

Diet Restrictions | While most huts are vegetarian-friendly, only a few are vegan-friendly.

Self-Catering Facilities | Austrian huts do not have self-catering areas, where you can cook your own food. It’s considered rude to cook for yourself. Hut managers only make money from gastronomy. The money generated from overnight stays is sent to the Alpine Club.

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Suppen: Soups

Kaspressknödelsuppe: cheese dumpling soup. One or two large flat-pressed dumplings, made with bread, eggs, and cheese, are served in a clear broth soup.

Frittatensuppe: Sliced pancake soup

Grießnockerlsuppe: Semolina Dumpling Soup

Leberknödelsuppe: Liver dumpling soup

Nudelsuppe: noodle soup

Tiroler Speckknödelsuppe: tyrolean bacon dumpling soup

Gemüsesuppe: vegetable soup

Gerstensuppe: barley soup

Linsensuppe: lentil soup

Gulaschsuppe: goulash soup

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Hauptspeisen: Main Dishes

Tiroler Gröstl: pan-fried potatoes combined with beef or pork (or both), onions, and butter. A fried egg is served on top.

Wiener Schnitzel: Thin, breaded and pan fried cutlets of veal. Often, huts only serve Schnitzel vom Schwein (pork), Schnitzel von der Pute (turkey), or Schnitzel vom Huhn (chicken). Schnitzel is typically served with a side of potato or mixed salad.

Gulasch: beef goulash

Schweinsbraten mit Kraut und Knödel: roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut (cabbage)

Geselchtes mit Kraut und Knödel: cured meat with dumplings and sauerkraut (cabbage)

Blunzengröstl: blood sausage mixed with onions and potatoes

Zwiebelrostbraten: roast beef with onions, topped with gravy

Faschierte Laibchen mit Kartoffelpüree: minced meat patties served with mashed potatoes

Grammelknödel: greaves dumplings

Fleischknödel: meat dumplings

Hühnergeschnetzeltes mit Reis: chicken stripes in a rich, creamy sauce, served with rice.

Rindsrouladen: beef roulade

Brettljause: meat and cheese board, with spreads and toppings

Wurstsalat: salad made of strips of sausage, onions, gherkins, and oil and vinegar dressing

Bratwurst: fried sausage (pork)

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Vegetarische Gerichte: Vegetarian Main Dishes

Käsespätzle: soft egg noodles sautéed with a variety of pungent mountain cheeses and garnished with fried onions and chive.

Eiernockerl: egg dumplings usually served with green salad

Geröstete Knödel mit Ei: dumpling with eggs

Eierschwammerl Gulasch: mushroom goulash

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Nachspeisen: Desserts

Kaiserschmarrn: Shredded Pancakes topped with powder sugar and rum-soaked raisins. Traditionally, it’s served with a side of plum sauce. However, it’s common to eat Kaiserschmarrn with a “Preiselbeeren” (cranberry) or an “Apfel” (apple) sauce.

Marillenknödel: apricot-filled dumplings

Germknödel: fluffy yeast dough dumpling filled with spiced plum jam and served with melted butter and a mix of poppy seeds and sugar on top

Apfelstrudel: apple strudel

Topfenstrudel: cream cheese strudel

Palatschinken: Austrian pancakes – usually filled with jam

Mohnnudeln: thick noodles of a potato dough topped with ground poppy seeds and sugar

Buchteln: oven-baked yeast dumplings, often filled with jam 

Salzburger Nockerl: sweet soufflé

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Nonalcoholic Beverages

Wasser: water

Soda: sparkling water

Mineralwasser: mineral water (sparking, mild, or still)

Leitungswasser: tap water

Apfelsaft: apple juice

Apfelsaft gespritzt: apple juice mixed with mineral water (very refreshing)

Johannisbeersaft gespritzt: black currant juice mixed with sparkling water

Marillensaft / Pfirsichsaft / Erdbeersaft: apricot juice / peach juice / strawberry juice

Soda Zitrone: sparkling water with lemon juice

Almdudler: carbonated lemonade drink flavored with natural alpine herbs.

Tee: tea (Kräuter: herbs, Pfefferminze: peppermint, Schwarztee: black tea, Früchtetee: fruit tea,…)

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Alcoholic Beverages

Bier: beer

Helles Bier: Lager

Weizenbier/Weißbier: wheat beer

Weisswein: white wine

Rotwein: red wine

G´Spritzter weiß (Weißer Spritzer): White wine wine mixed with sparkling water

G´Spritzter rot (Roter Spritzer): Red wine wine mixed with sparkling water

Kaiserspritzer: white wine, soda mixed with elderberry juice

Almdudler weiß: white wine mixed with Almdudler (lemonade)

Almdudler rot: red wine mixed with Almdudler (lemonade)

Dreiermischung rot / weiß: usually a mixture out of wine (red or white), water and Almdudler

Schnaps: distilled spirit. Huts usually have a collection of different flavored Schnaps: Zwetschken Schnaps (plum), Nuss Schnaps (nut), Enzianschnaps (gentian flower), Zirbenschnaps (stone pine), Marillenschnaps (apricot), Williams-Birne “Willi” (pear)

Jagatee: black tea with rum

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Austrian Mountain Hut Overnight Reservations

There is no uniform system for booking mountain huts in Austria. Some huts can be booked online, while others are best booked over email, or by phone.

Some huts in popular regions require a deposit for reservations. 

That being said, more and more huts are joining the Austrian Alpine Club’s hut-reservation platform, formerly called Alpsonline.

Though it’s no longer mandatory to make reservations in advance, it’s imperative. Space is limited and hikers book huts months in advance to secure a bed/mattress.

Regardless of how you book (online, phone, email), you’ll pay for your stay and everything you consume in person. Each hut manages their own finances/payments.

Most Austrian mountain huts are still cash only, though some do accept credit cards. We always recommend having enough cash for the duration of your trip, because credit card payment is never a guarantee.

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Online Reservations

Many huts in Austria, managed by the Austrian Alpine Club (ÖAV) and the German Alpine Club (DAV), can be reserved online using the hut-reservation platform, formerly called Alpsonline.

You don’t need to be a member of the Austrian Alpine Club to use the hut-reservation platform.

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Find the Mountain Hut Page on the Hut Reservation Platform

Step 1 | When you navigate to the specific hut reservation page (e.g. Pfeishütte), select your date of arrival–departure (usually just one night) and number of hikers. The calendar displays the exact availability for each date. Type in the number of beds needed. In some huts, you’ll have a choice between “Matratzenlager” (mattress dormitory) and “Mehrbettzimmer” (bunk bed dormitory rooms).

Step 2 | Select Halbpension (breakfast and dinner) and specify how many in your hiking group are vegetarian. If anyone in your hiking group is vegan, or gluten-free, confirm with the hut (by email) whether they can accommodate the restricted diet.

Step 3 | Login to your Alpine Club account, or create a hut-reservation account (register). If you’re creating an account for the first time, fill out your personal data and accept terms and conditions (AGB).

Step 4 | After submitting your information (“Absenden”), the platform will send you an email to confirm your hut reservation (“Bitte bestätige die E-Mailadresse für deine Reservierung.” If you don’t click the link in your email within 2 hours, the reservation will be cancelled.

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Email / Phone Reservations

However, not all Austrian huts are on that platform. If you can’t reserve a hut online, you can either email, or call the hut directly. 

When reaching out to a hut directly, make sure to inform them of the following:

Reservation Name

How many beds you want to reserve. You can usually choose between reserving places in the Matratzenlager (dormitory), Mehrbettzimmer (rooms with multiple beds), or Zweitbettzimmer (room with 2 beds).

Date of Arrival

Number of nights you wish to stay 

Alpine Club Membership: Are you a member of an Alpine Club?

Half-Board or À la carte. When you make a reservation, the hut manager (or the online form) will ask you if you want Halbpension (half-board: breakfast and dinner). Depending on the hut, you may want to opt for half board, or you may want to order À la carte. Some huts only offer half-board.

Dietary Restrictions. When you make a reservation, it’s important to communicate any dietary restrictions you have. In Austrian huts, there will always be a vegetarian option. However, it’s rare to find vegan or gluten-free meals on a menu. In most cases, Austrian mountain huts will be able to accommodate you, with enough notice.

If you can’t make a reservation by email, you can call the hut directly. To make international calls, we recommend using Skype. You can purchase Skype credits and then make international calls until your credit runs out. 

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Cancelling Mountain Hut Reservations

If your hiking plans have changed, make sure to cancel your hut reservations. 

If you don’t cancel your reservation in advance, huts reserve the right to charge you. When booking huts online, the cancellation policy will be clearly stated. 

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Dogs, Infants and Children

Dogs | Some huts are dog-friendly, but not all. If you want to stay overnight in a hut with your dog, check the hut’s website, or contact them directly to see if dogs are allowed. 

Infants | Over the years, readers have asked us if hut hiking in Austria is possible with an infant. Hut hiking is not a suitable activity for parents with infants.

Children | Some trails are well-suited for active families with children, who routinely hike. Check out this self-guided Hut to Hut Light in the Austrian Alps.

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Austria Trip Planning Essentials

Seasonal Travel:

• Summer in Austria
• Autumn in Austria
• Winter in Austria

Austria Road Trip Itineraries:

• 2-Week Austria Road Trip starting in Vienna
• 1-Week Austria Road Trip starting in Salzburg, or Munich
• 10-Day Bavarian Alps & Tyrolean Alps Road Trip starting in Munich