Experience A Culinary Hike in Bregenzerwald, Austria

Spend an unforgettable day in Austria’s westernmost province of Vorarlberg on a self-guided culinary hike in Bregenzerwald, where you walk from one meal to the next through rolling alpine pastures.

There are culinary hikes throughout the Bregenzerwald, and we selected the approximately 13 km route from Warth to Schröcken, where cows graze in fields knee-deep with alpine flowers, and quick-footed marmots scurry through the rocky meadows. 

Alpine Breakfast at Hochalphütte

After a short ride up the Steffisalp Express chairlift from Warth, it takes around thirty minutes to hike to Hochalphütte for a traditional alpine breakfast. Choose from fresh fruit, homemade preserves, alpine cheeses, and assorted baked goods.

Lunch at Hotel Körbersee

After fueling up on breakfast, continue for another ninety minutes or so to Hotel Körbersee for lunch. Along the way, you can stop at Saloberkopf (2030 m) and take in the panoramic views before descending through a striking limestone landscape. Along this part of the trail, it seems possible that Bilbo Baggins and friends may appear at any time.

Lunch at Hotel Körbersee can be enjoyed outside on a terrace overlooking an alpine lake. From here, the views of Braunarlspitze – the highest mountain in Bregenzerwald (2649m) – are impressive.

A Sweet Ending at Hotel Tannberg

On the trail from Hotel Körbersee, you may have the opportunity to visit the Batzenalpe, an alpine museum – it is open Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday afternoon. Here you can learn about life in the early days in Austria’s high mountains.

After descending through the spruce-scented forest, you arrive at Hotel Tannberg in the tiny village of Schröcken just in time for a mid-afternoon treat. Here you can indulge in a delicious dessert on the final stop on the culinary hike in Bregenzerwald.

Travel Tips

• Although the approximately 13 km self-guided hike from Warth to Schröcken takes six to seven hours, the actual hiking time is around three hours. There is a 160 m elevation gain from the Steffisalp Express and an elevation loss of 780 m on the descent to Schröcken.
• We hiked as a family, and everyone enjoyed the experience. Highlights, according to the kids – walking along the trail through the limestone karst area where it felt very ‘Lord of the Rings’, chopping wood into shingles using traditional tools at the Batzenalpe (alpine museum), and all of the delicious food.
• The culinary hikes typically operate from May to October. Choose and book your culinary hike at the Bregenzerwald Tourism Site.

Our visit to Vorarlberg, Austria was in collaboration with the Vorarlberg State Tourist Board. Although we were invited to join the culinary hike in Bregenzerwald on a complimentary basis, I will repeat the experience on my own. As always, if I don’t enjoy a destination or experience, I won’t recommend it.