Tour of the Emperor’s Mountains in the Kaisergebirge

Intermediate. From 4 to 7 hours of walking and/or 300 to 1250m of ascent and 600 to 1100m of descent per day. Few technical difficulties, but substantial walking days with some short sections in distinctly mountainous terrain. A few high-altitude passes, such as the Stripenjoch.

Hotels and/or traditional inns (Gasthof), in rooms for 2, with Austrian standards of comfort and duvets. Showers and toilets are sometimes on the same floor, but are generally in the rooms. Please note! In Germany and Austria, few rooms have 2 separate beds; instead, they usually have 2 twin beds pushed together, with 90 cm mattresses and individual sheets and duvets.

For the nights of Days 2 and 3, you will stay in a double room at a very comfortable, family-run 4* “Sun Spa” hotel and restaurant, set in natural surroundings facing the “Zahmer Kaiser” and 20 minutes' walk from the lake and the village of Walchsee. Decorated in a traditional Alpine style, the spacious rooms have cable TV, a seating area and a bathroom with bathrobes and a hairdryer. Free Wi-Fi is available in the communal areas. The garden has a sunny terrace.

The Wildenauer family will welcome you and do everything they can to ensure that all you need to think about is relaxing. Rest, relaxation, well-being, hiking and fine food await…

You have free access to the hotel’s “Sun Spa” fitness and wellness area:

• Heated indoor pool, 12 × 6 heated to 28°
• Steam room
• Finnish sauna and sauna scented with floral essences
• Fountains
• Infrared cabin
• Salt grotto
• Relaxation room and sunny terrace with mountain views.

On Day 4, you will stay at the Griesner Alm mountain inn, a new establishment with spacious rooms and a very good standard of comfort.

Breakfasts and dinners (except on Days 1 and 6) are included.

Picnic lunches are at your own expense. You can buy supplies in town or order a picnic lunch from your accommodation the evening before. You can also have lunch at the many mountain inns you will pass during your trip.

Please let us know about any food allergies or special dietary requirements when booking; we will do our best to adapt your meals.

No luggage to carry: you only carry a small daypack with your picnic lunch and the things you need for the day. Your luggage will be waiting for you at your accommodation each evening.

Support

We provide a digital travel pack that includes access to our smartphone navigation app, a list of your accommodation, any vouchers required and all the information you need for your trip to run smoothly.

If you wish, we can provide a printed version of the travel pack with maps, a route guide and a travel wallet, for a supplement of 35 € per additional pack.

For requests for a printed travel pack made less than 45 days before departure, and for travellers living abroad, the packs will be sent to your first hotel.

From 2 people.

Start

On Day 1 in Kufstein in the afternoon.
You can arrive earlier and take the opportunity to explore the beautiful town of Kufstein.

Finish

On Day 7 in Kufstein in the afternoon.

From June to September.

Direct flights from Paris to Munich, then a train to Kufstein.
For timetables and tickets:

• Air France: 0892702654 or visit www.airfrance.fr/
• Lufthansa: 0892231690 or visit www.lufthansa.com/fr
• Vueling: 0034931518158 or visit www.vueling.com/fr

Sample outbound flight times from Paris to Munich (for guidance only – check before departure):
Outbound Paris – Munich:
Lufthansa flights – Depart Paris CDG 08:20 > Arrive Munich 09:45
Transfer from Munich Airport to Munich railway station on the Lufthansa Express Bus.
The journey takes approximately 45 minutes (cost approximately 10,50 €).
For more information, visit www.airportbus-muenchen.de/en

Return Munich – Paris:
Lufthansa flights – Depart Munich 18:15 > Arrive Paris CDG 19:50

Train from Paris to Kufstein via Munich.
For timetables and tickets:

• SNCF: 3635 or visit www.oui.sncf
• German Railways: 0170385098 or visit www.bahn.com/fr
• Austrian Railways: visit www.oebb.at/en

Sample timetables (for guidance only; check at www.oebb.at):

Departing from Paris (times subject to change; check online)

• Outbound:

Paris Est 09:05 – Mannheim 12:16 / 12:30 – Munich 16:10 / 16:43 – Kufstein 17:58

• Return:

Kufstein 14:02 – Munich 15:15 / 15:48 – Stuttgart 17:59 / 18:32 – Paris Est 22:13

Departing from Lyon (times subject to change; check online)

• Outbound:

Lyon Part Dieu 11:38 – Mulhouse 14:54 / 15:06 – Zurich 16:26 / 16:40 – Kufstein 20:51

• Return:

We recommend spending 1 additional night in Kufstein and taking the train the following morning:
Kufstein 07:09 – Zurich 11:20 / 11:34 – Belfort 13:18 / 14:21 – Lyon Part Dieu 16:56

Bus from Paris to Munich, then train to Kufstein.
Check timetables and tickets:

• Flixbus: 0176360412 or visit www.flixbus.fr
• Eurolines: 0892899091 or visit www.eurolines.fr/fr

Sample timetables are provided for guidance only – check before you travel:
Outbound Paris – Munich:
Flixbus: Departs Paris Bercy at 07:15 > Arrives in Munich at 19:10.
Return Munich – Paris:
Flixbus: Departs Munich at 05:20 > Arrives at Bercy at 17:25.

Check your route on www.viamichelin.fr.

• Kaiserlift (at the foot of the cable car)

Outside the town, on the route of the trip’s first walk (Day 2)
10 min by car and 30 min on foot from Hotel Gisela
4€/day
Open, unattended car park, where you can leave your car for 1 week free of charge, according to information from the Kufstein Tourist Office.
Prices are provided for guidance only, and Grand Angle accepts no responsibility for them. We do not make parking reservations.

Member of Agir pour un Tourisme Responsable (ATR)

Since 2012, Grand Angle has been a member of ATR, the leading association for more responsible tourism. We design our trips – on foot, by bike and on snow – to encourage everyone to discover the world differently: with curiosity, respect and kindness.

As a member of the board of directors since 2018, we actively help the industry adopt more meaningful practices. In practical terms, we focus on:

• Transparency in our practices and pricing
• Respect for our partners and local communities
• Protecting the environment on every trip

We also share the values of the Traveller’s Ethical Charter, which encourages everyone to take simple steps to protect the places they visit and make meaningful connections with the people they meet.

Travelife Partner

Since 2025, Grand Angle has been recognised as a Travelife Partner, an international label that certifies our responsible environmental, ethical and sustainable management practices, both within our company and in our work with partners and the organisation of our trips.

This label, the second level of a rigorous international certification scheme, recognises our practical actions in support of responsible tourism. We are actively working towards the next level, Travelife Certified, in line with our sustainable development policy

A number of our trips offer opportunities to swim, either along the day’s route or at the end of the day. It would be a shame to miss out. However, we stress that you alone must decide whether it is appropriate to swim; any swimming is therefore your own responsibility and undertaken at your own risk.

In this section, you will find links to products from our partner Alpinstore, a French online retailer specialising in outdoor equipment, based in Annecy.

To carry your belongings

• A comfortable 30 to 50 L backpack with a hip belt to carry your personal belongings and picnic lunch during the day
• Luggage for transfer: a backpack, a travel bag in good condition, or a suitcase that is not too bulky. One bag per person, limited to 15kg

Find out how to pack your hiking backpack in our magazine.

For hiking

For maximum comfort, choose a layered clothing system: warm base layers (leggings + top) such as “Carline” or “Capilene” (hollow fibres that wick away perspiration) + a sweatshirt or fleece jacket + a mountain jacket and overtrousers with a waterproof, breathable membrane (such as Gore-Tex or equivalent) for bad weather. In general, except in hot climates and countries, avoid cotton, which holds moisture close to the body (and takes a long time to dry), and choose suitable synthetic fabrics instead.

• Hiking boots with ankle support, a well-treaded sole, a supportive heel counter and good waterproofing
• Comfortable hiking socks (at least 3 pairs)
• A fleece
• Comfortable walking trousers (quick-drying technical fabric)
• Comfortable shorts in technical fabric
• T-shirts or technical base layers (quick-drying fabric)
• A long-sleeved shirt
• Walking poles (telescopic), which are very important for making walking easier. Discover all the benefits of hiking poles in our dedicated article, or how to choose your hiking poles

Note: synthetic technical clothing performs very well. New merino wool clothing is also available; it performs very well, is comfortable to wear and has the advantage of resisting perspiration odours!

For your picnic lunch

• Your eating kit: a plastic bowl, container or plate, and cutlery (spoon, fork, knife)
• 1 or 2 water bottles (at least 1,5 L in total) – required –; an insulated flask for winter

Protection from sun and rain

• Sunscreen (high protection)
• Sunglasses
• A hat, cap or bucket hat
• A rain poncho or a waterproof jacket such as a softshell or Gore-Tex jacket, and possibly waterproof trousers

After your hike

• A pair of running shoes for the evening
• A change of clothes and underwear
• A toiletry bag and a small towel
• Swimwear and a towel for wellness facilities (where specified) or swimming
• A small first-aid kit: personal medication, surgical masks, hand sanitiser, plasters, sterile dressings and a bandage, gauze, disinfectant, arnica pellets, aspirin, etc. (Please note that this list is not exhaustive and should be adapted to your own medical needs.)

Find these tips in our article “What to take on a hike”.

This list is intended as a guide and should be adapted to your trip and the season in which you travel.

Austrian National Tourist Office in Paris
6 avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie – 75015 Paris
Tel. 0811601060
www.austria.info/fr

A valid French, Belgian or Swiss identity card or passport. Canadians must carry their passport but do not need a visa. Since 2012, children have been required to carry their own identity card or passport.

Obtain a European Health Insurance Card from your social security office (or visit its website), which will send it to you within about two weeks. It is a blue plastic card, the same size as the French Carte Vitale health insurance card. It is valid for one year, free of charge and issued individually (each family member must have their own, including children). This card confirms your entitlement to health insurance and allows you to receive coverage for medically necessary treatment during a temporary stay in Europe, regardless of the reason for your trip, provided you follow the procedures applicable in the country you are visiting. Please note that the card does not cover treatment provided in private facilities.

Austria experiences a variety of climatic influences: a continental climate in the north, and an alpine climate in the high mountain ranges of the west, with very large temperature variations and heavy snowfall. The east, which borders the Hungarian plain, is characterised by a short spring and a dry, pleasant autumn. In Vienna, temperatures can exceed 35 °C during a heatwave.

The euro

Currency exchange and payments
The best option is to withdraw cash from ATMs using an international payment card as you need it. ATMs are widely available. For Swiss and Canadian travellers, currency exchange offices can be found at airports, border crossings and railway stations in major cities. In principle, there are no longer any fees for euro withdrawals from ATMs if your account is in the eurozone; check with your bank if this is not the case.

The same time as in France

From France to Austria: 00 + 43 + city code + the recipient’s number. From Germany to France: 00 + 33 + the recipient’s 9 -digit number (omit the 0).

• “Le Grand Guide de l’Autriche”, Bibliothèque du Voyageur, published by Gallimard.
• “Guide Bleu”, Austria, published by Hachette.
• “Impression d’Autriche”, published by Pingin.
• “L’Autriche”, Minerva Guide.

Kufstein, Kaisergebirge, Kitzbühel, published by Freytag, scale 1/50000