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Winter Solo Trip to Tirol

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Dear All,
I’m planning a solo trip to Austria & Hungary in Feb’20 majorly to experience snowfall and winter wonderland esp. in Austria. This is my second trip to Austria; having visited in summer previously in 2015, I’m certain winters will be starkly different and beautiful in Alps. I plan to visit 2-3 ski resorts, not to ski (never done skiing) but to take gondolas and admire the views form mountain tops. I have included other winter activities like light hiking, tobogganing and visiting small pretty towns during the day (which unfortunately will be v short in winter). I have more or less finalized my itinerary given so few days left to the trip, but I need to know your suggestions as well so that I further improvise on my plan. So here it goes:
Day 1: Fly into Munich, take a train to Innsbruck and reach by evening. Stay Overnight in Innsbruck
Day 2: Take the Nordkettenbahnen to Hafelekar and Seegrube. Squeeze a quick visit to Kitzbuhel for a pub/ nightlife experience. No cable car rides or any other activity planned in Kitzbuhel. Stay Overnight in Innsbruck
Day 3: Train to Maurach and take Rofan cable car. Do skygliding. Come back to Maurach and walk around Achensee. Take a train to Alpbach (have visited in 2015) in noon and do alpine coaster ride. Stay Overnight in Innsbruck
Day 4: Quick Morning visit to Hall in Tirol (have visited in 2015). Leave for Ischgl. Take a cable car. Try Ice skating. Enjoy Nightlife. Stay Overnight in Innsbruck
Day 5: Visit Seefeld. Take Rosshütte Funicular. Moserer Valley/ Wildsee Walk. Leave for Mittenwald/ Garmisch Partenkirchen (have visited in 2015) in the noon for a quick visit. Should I consider Reutte instead? Is there anything interesting to do there in the evening?
Day 6: Reach Vienna (have visited in 2015) by noon. Kunsthistorisches Museum and Innere Stadt in the evening. Overnight in Vienna
Day 7: Day trip to Brno. Should I consider Bratislava instead? Overnight in Vienna
Day 8,9,10: Budapest

I will be taking the Tirol Pass which covers all public transport in the Tirol region. The cable car rides etc. itself is costing me ~EUR 150 which excludes skiing (in case I wish to try!). I’d love to try skiing at least once in the entire trip even if it stretches my budget. Out of all the ski resorts I’m visiting, which one do you think is the best for beginners?
Also, Pls pour in your suggestions on the overall plan. I’m so excited to take this trip & want to make it perfect, based on your recommendations!

Posted by
1289 posts

Go to Kronplatz and Bruneck Suedtirol this year (Italy). Surrounded by snow caped peaks to over 3000m and full bore sking, but by foot on top no problem. Snow is in short supply this year. World Cup Biathlon 12-23 Feb at Rasen Antholz.

Posted by
76 posts

Thanks for your suggestion, should I still make Innsbruck my base? I’m not renting a car..will be taking buses or trains so how easy it is to commute to and within south Tirol?

Posted by
1289 posts

Innsbruck is a nice city with plenty to do and surrounded by snow peaks too in the Inntal. Don't think Suedtirol Italy would be covered with the Tirol Pass? Not sure you could walk around the whole Achensee with your time allowed, and some parts may be closed due to snow and ice. Reutte did not impress me my short visit there years ago.

Posted by
864 posts

I can't imagine going to Kitz or Ischgl and not skiing if there's snow.

You're giving 3 days to Budapest and only half a day to Vienna? I have not been to Bratislava, but I like Brno. Still I'd spend more than half a day in Vienna. I can't think of anything that would make me chose a day trip vs. what's available in the city.

Posted by
76 posts

Hi KGC,
This will be my second trip to Vienna hence I’m using it just like a pit stop...I’ve spent 3 days there previously and loved it but I’d rather spend more time in a new place than spending more days in Vienna.
As far as not skiing in ski resort goes, I’ve been researching and trying to find hiking trails/ other activities to do..however, I may also try a beginners lesson in ski either in kitzbuhel or ischgl..do you have a personal preference between the two?

Posted by
864 posts

If you don't ski you may want to try one of the snow bikes they have, basically skis instead of tires, and made for going downhill. Ischgl is small town, and I used to ski that with my German ski club because it's small and friendly. Kitzbuhl is considerably larger with more international tourists; it has a better night life. I don't think there's much chance of hiking either if there's enough snow for skiing. If you want to try skiing, I'd recommend Kitz, because they have more modern equipment (no rope tows) and a much bigger bunny slope.

Posted by
24 posts

Bratislava over Brno, IMHO, unless there is something specific you are looking to discover or experience in Brno. Bratislava is closer and very easy to get to by train from Vienna Central Station (Wien Hauptbahnhof).

Posted by
1901 posts

If you are interested in architecture and design, then there is the "Villa Tugendhat" in Brno, a landmark created by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, having gotten unlimited funds to build it.

Posted by
5835 posts

As far as not skiing in ski resort goes, I’ve been researching and trying to find hiking trails/ other activities to do..

We were in the PillerseeTal area of the Kitzbühel Alps in Tyrol for cross country skiing. The area grooms both walking trails and cross country ski trails. The walking trails are packed such that walkers can hike the walking tracks with regular boots and did not need snowshoes. https://www.kitzbueheler-alpen.com/en/pillerseetal/winter/hiking-routes.html

A number of other areas of the Kitzbühel advarise winter hiking opportunities: https://www.tyrol.com/regions/a-kitzbuehel-alps/winter-hiking

You could check out a cross country ski lesson. https://www.kitzbueheler-alpen.com/en/winter/cross-country-skiing-schools.html

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