On our European holiday, we focused on three exceptional destinations designated in the renowned “Best of the Alps” collection: Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the Bavarian Alps, the Kitzbuhel Alps in Austria, and Cortina in the Italian Alps. The local villages and towns in the collection are slightly off the beaten path, but we quickly learned that they are totally worth the trip.
These bucket-list travel destinations all offer spectacular outdoor activities, unforgettable hikes, and magnificent vistas. While pristine nature is a common thread that runs through the Best of the Alps destinations, they each embody their own unique cultural identity and modern yet traditional lifestyle. Exploring all of these varied circumstances in the Alps within one holiday made this trip one for the books.
When traveling with your family on a multi-destination trip like this during high seasons and holidays, it’s essential to make reservations for what you want in advance to make the best use of your time and finances. We flew into Munich for a two-day stay to get our bearings before our alpine hiking adventure. Then we boarded a train for the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria and checked into the Dorint Sporthotel. I highly recommend spending three to four days in Garmisch-Partenkirchen to really appreciate and enjoy this gorgeous area.
As Germany’s highest point, no trip to Garmisch-Partenkirchen is complete without visiting the 9,700-foot Zugspitze Mountain. We took the Zugspitze cable car up to the summit and walked around on a large observation deck, admiring panoramic views of alpine majesty at every turn. Soaking in these unrestricted views of myriad mountain peaks while feeling as close to the clouds as I could possibly be was elevated travel bliss.
Partnach Gorge is another highlight in this Bavarian town that boasts such awe-inspiring terrain that it’s almost incomparable to any other natural experience I’ve ever had. The 2,296-foot-long gorge is a geological marvel with two walking pathways framed between narrow limestone walls. We had so much fun hiking past trickling waterfalls, whitewater pools, and wild roaring rapids. Other outdoor activities in this region include the Kletterwald Climbing Park, a toboggan run in the summer, and Lake Riessersee.
To sample the region’s cultural highlights, we visited the historical Ludwigstrasse for a Bavarian evening in the Gasthof Fraundorfer. This family-run tavern is the perfect place to unwind after a day of hiking with some dinner and live entertainment that features young men performing traditional schuhplattler folk dances.
Next, we boarded another train and headed to Kitzbuhel in the Austrian province of Tyrol. This town and mountain area felt quaint, charming, picturesque, and super welcoming. With more than 600 miles of hiking trails—the first in the alpine region to be awarded a European hiking quality seal—Kitzbuhel is a hiker’s paradise. In addition to its impressive natural scenery, getting a chance to experience the traditional Tyrolean way of life made our time here truly remarkable. Due to Kitzbuhel’s small size, it’s also easy to navigate this area on foot.
Outdoor highlights from Kitzbuhel include hiking the Panoramaweg trail on Hahnenkamm Mountain, pedal-boating on Lake Schwarzsee, and visiting Wildpark Aurach. Our hiking adventure started with a ride up in the Hahnenkamm gondola to the mountaintop station. We had lunch in a rustic mountain hut called Hahnenkammstuberl and spent the rest of the afternoon hiking around and watching tandem paragliding.
I would definitely recommend spending a day walking amongst all the animals at Wildpark Aurach. This was hands-down the best family animal experience I’ve ever had. You can eat at the Branderhofstube and make a whole day out of watching free-roaming animals and visiting their petting stall.
In Kitzbuhel, we stayed right in the center of town at the Hotel Eggerwirt. As Kitzbuhel’s most historic hotel, the Eggerwirt has stayed in the same family for many generations and abounds with traditional Tyrolean charm. Who wouldn’t want to stay in a 16th-century hotel, and the Eggerwirt boasts brand-new renovated bathrooms. For some local flavor, I suggest having dinner at the Goldene Gams—the perfect spot right at the center of town to sit outside and watch the world go by.
From there, we went to the town of Cortina in northern Italy and checked in at the Parc Hotel Victoria. We spent a day hiking up in the otherworldly Dolomite mountain range, one of the most glorious natural settings I’ve ever seen in all my travels. With our skillful guide, David, we explored some via ferratas and the Lagazuoi Tunnels from World War I and reveled in the sensational panoramic views of Cortina’s valley. The chiseled 10,000-foot peaks of the Dolomites are truly in a league of their own.
We stopped for some coffee and lunch at Cortina’s glorious mountain hut, and I'll never forget that sensational feeling of being on top of the world. For a must-do of eating pizza when in Italy, I highly recommend dinner at Pizzeria Porto Rotondo.
