Active Vacations in Austria

Austria is a diverse country with a rich history and a passion for the outdoors. Its cities are glorious, baroque and intricate, filled with music and life. This contrasts beautifully with the majestic and wild Alpine landscapes of the Tyrol. There are few countries more spectacular than Austria.

Discovering the best of Austria is easy, it is very well connected via public transport allowing you to access the most remote regions hassle-free and even inexperienced hikers can easily follow the paths as they are clearly and consistently marked along the way. Cycle Europe's most popular route, the Danube Cycle Path as it meanders along the banks of this great river, allowing you to visit Vienna, Austria's crowning glory. If hiking is more your speed, you can explore the high alps on our E5 Alpine Crossing trip, or take it easy and walk around the deep-blue lakes of Salzburg, framed by the towering Salzkammergut Mountains

Since 2008 we have been assisting our customers to explore the wonders of Austria on foot and by bike. You can trust that the holiday you take will be meaningful and authentic with hand-picked accommodations, following the best walking and cycling routes available. Whether you are following in the footsteps of Otzi, an alpine mummy, along the Otztal Trail or cycling through the wine-growing regions of Spitz and Durnstein on our Passau to Vienna trip, our experts in the office are on hand to help choose the right adventure for you.

Our Tour Types

Walking
Biking

Walking in Austria

Walking in Austria is mainly about accessing one of the most spectacular parts of the Alps. Snow-capped, jagged peaks surround you as you walk on incredibly well-marked paths, choosing to make it a tough trip or an easier hike. Take on the dramatic Kitzbühel Alpine Trail (KAT Trail) with stunning views, quality spa hotels and baroque towns. Or, take on the E5 Alpine Crossing, a long-distance trail with epic views and rewards to match.

Cycling in Austria

Austria plays host to two of the most popular cycling routes in Europe, The Danube Cycle Path and Lake Constance Cycle Path. Austria is a perfect place to cycle, no matter your fitness level. You can take to the mainly flat routes and ramp up the daily miles, or take a Bike & Boat trip to make the cycling that little bit easier. Idyllic scenery, great food and wonderful, historic towns and cities in Austria make it the perfect place for a cycling holiday.

Discover Austria

Why choose Macs Adventure to book your walking or cycling holiday in Austria

Macs Adventure has been running self guided walking and cycling holidays in Austria since 2008. Our extensive research in partnership with our German sister company, lead us to seek out more and more areas where we could help people discover Austria on foot.

From humble beginnings, we now send over 300 walkers and cyclists to Austria every year, each walking the route that excites them the most. We provide the freedom to choose your route, itinerary and travel companions and discover Austria at your own pace.

We know how daunting it can be, setting off on an adventure of this scale and we quickly realised how important it was to have amazing partners on the ground in Austria to deal with any issues that you might come across. We are proud to say that we work incredibly closely with all our accommodation suppliers and luggage transfer teams and should you have the slightest issue, they will fall over themselves to help you out.

We offer flexible hiking and cycling experiences that get you in comfortable, friendly overnight accommodation in local B&Bs and guesthouses. We carry your bags to lighten your load so you can concentrate on simply putting one foot in front of the other and enjoying the unique culture, food and scenery of Austria. No hostels, no leaky tents, no heavy bags on your back just a straightforward active holiday that you can book with confidence that we have it all covered for you.

We want to showcase our expertise, by giving you all the resources you will ever need. In the planning stage, we have free guides and a host of staff with their own Austrian experiences, waiting to answer your questions. On the route, we use high-quality digital mapping as well as the best maps and guidebooks to make sure you find your way.

We love the alpine scenery of walking in Austria and cycling along the Danube and our main aim is to make sure that you do too.
Why Visit Austria

Mountainous landscapes, charming villages, and a passion for coffee and cake are just a handful of reasons why visiting Austria is a must. Here are a few more reasons for those who need a bit more convincing:

Dramatic Alpine Peaks
The great outdoors beckons in Austria, and you will adore what the countryside has to offer. Walking through Tyrol will take you around some of the most striking landscapes with dramatic peaks and sweeping meadows. The Adler Weg (the Eagle Trail) is one of the most famous routes and should be added to every bucket list.

Memorable Cities
Vienna has been named the ‘city with the best quality of life’ 8 times in a row and can be discovered on our Danube Cycling trips. Visit cultural behemoth, Salzburg where you can visit the birthplace of Mozart on our Salzburg Lakes trip. Innsbruck is not to be overlooked and offers a unique combination of nature, history, and culture.

Sweet Treats and Coffee
Sweet-toothed visitors, beware. Virtually every street in Austria contains at least one bakery. The self-proclaimed capital of cake, Austrians are so passionate about their confectionery that legal battles have ensued over the right claim the title of ‘The Original Sacher Torte.‘ Café Demel and Hotel Sacher were embroiled in a spat over the chocolate sponge, both wanting to call their version ‘the original.’ They eventually settled the case out of court with Sacher winning. Be sure to try a slice in one of the coffee houses.

Art, Music, and Culture
Throughout the 19th century, Vienna was a powerhouse of art, music, and culture. The legacy from those golden years still lives on. Klimt, Mozart, Wagner, Schubert, and Strauss are just a few of the creative names that Austria has produced, and their lives and works are preserved in some of the finest museums and galleries in Europe.

History
Austria’s past is complex and at times, dark. From the Austro-Hungarian Empire to WWII Austria has been filled with palaces, gardens, and castles that once belonged to the ruling emperors which the Austrian government acquired and turned them into public spaces and museums that act as amazing relics and remnants for you to visit.

Beautiful Villages
Providing wooden-alpine-style houses, lush meadows, and glittering lakes, Austria offers much to explore beyond Vienna. Hallstatt is a favourite and must-visit for many. Located directly by a lake in the mountainous UNESCO World Heritage region of Salzkammergut.

Location
Located right in the middle of Europe, Austria borders Slovenia, Slovakia, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Germany. It is also a relatively easy bus or train ride to the sunny shores of Croatia and Italy, why not add a detour into Austria on your next trip?