The Lech River Trail (8 Days & 7 Nights)

This inn to inn walking holiday is perfect for those looking to sample a section of one Europe’s best long distance trails. No Alpine experience is necessary and the overall trip is rated moderate with walks being between 14-24km . Stay in 3 and 4* hotels and guesthouses, most complete with small spas and saunas; the perfect end to a day on the trails. Those looking to complete the full trail should refer to our ‘Complete Lech River Trail’ itinerary.

Classic Routes | If you’re the active, outdoorsy type, who’s interested in taking on the great routes of the world or looking for a challenge, then our Classic Routes are for you. We’re talking the West Highland Way, Tour Du Mont Blanc and the Passau to Vienna Danube Cycle Path, to name but a few!

Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&Bs, inns, and guesthouses.

Solo Travellers

The minimum age for this tour is: 12 Years

This trip is graded ‘moderate’ overall, as some days are easy, others can be more difficult in terms of distance and ascent/descent. You spend most of the time at elevations between 800 and 1,600 meters. The trail builders have created a beautiful, perfectly signposted long-distance route on which you can discover a fascinating mountain landscape along close-to-nature paths. Although the trail itself leads downhill, each daily stage still involves frequent smaller and larger ascents. There are no noteworthy technical challenges on this tour.

You can walk the Lech River Trail (8 days & 7 nights, our valley variant) even as an inexperienced walker, but you should have a basic level of fitness, as all but one of the stages are over 20 km long. The last day, at a solid 25 km, is the longest. You will be walking between 5 and 8 hours each day. The elevation differences range between +220/+830 m and –200/–1000 m. However, you do not need any alpine experience. The character of the Lech River Trail “easy long-distance hiking through an Alpine region” guarantees a wonderful experience and has earned it recognition as a Quality Trail, a Top Trail of Austria, and a Leading Quality Trail of Europe.

Stay in high-quality, friendly 3 and 4* hotels and guesthouses. Most come complete with a small ‘wellness’ area with pools and various kinds of sauna. A list of our preferred/usual accommodation choices is given below, however, these are subject to availability and particularly in peak season can be very much in demand. If unavailable then we will book you into accommodation of the same or a higher standard. Due to high demand, you can stay at alternative locations or at the same location for two nights during the summer months. Please be aware that twin & double rooms in Austria (Doppelzimmer in German) are typically 2 single mattresses side by side in one double bed frame with two separate duvet covers and pillows.

Single Rooms & Solo Walkers

This trip is available to solo walkers, and a supplement is payable as some of the costs are not shared. Single rooms are available should some of your party wish to have their own room and a single supplement is again then payable. 

Meals

Continental breakfasts are included. This is usually in buffet form and there are many filling breakfast items available which are perfect for hikers; e.g. boiled eggs, ham, cheese, fresh bread and muesli. Lunch and dinner are not included so you are free to choose from the available options each day. Lunch can be picked up at local supermarkets or ‘Backerei’ along the way. Most accommodations will also be able to provide you with a packed lunch for the day, ask upon arrival (payable locally). Food in Austria and Bavaria is hearty and traditional, with meat and cheese being some of the dominant ingredients! Tiroler specialities include ‘Tiroler Gröstl’, a bacon, onion and potato fry-up topped with a fried egg, or ‘Kiachl’ a fried yeast dough pastry that can be served sweet or savoury. In Bavaria, sausage is king so be sure to try one of their specialities like ‘Weisswurst’. ’Käsespätzle’ is a kind of eggy pasta topped with melted cheese and sometimes crispy fried onion– it’s the ultimate comfort food! If you have any dietary requirements, please let us know at the time of booking.

The Lech River Trail is very well way-marked, and together with the Macs Adventure Smartphone App enabling you to follow the route using your phone's GPS,  you will have no problems finding the way.

This walk is available to start on any day of the week between the end of June and October. At the start of the season and towards the end, there may be some early/late  snow on the trail. This won't require specialist equipment like crampons, but we will always keep you informed of any unusual weather conditions.

The Alps have generally warm and sunny summers and cold and snowy winters. Storms can develop rapidly in the Alps and hiking trail becomes prone to landslides, or floods due to the swelling of nearby water sources. You should be prepared for all weather eventualities as even snow can fall in the summer in the mountains, regardless of the time of year.

Fly into Innsbruck or Zurich airport and then take a train to Langen am Arlberg (1hr 20 or 2hr 15), then a bus to Holzgau (1 hr 50 mins). We can also organise direct transfers from Innsbruck airport to Holzgau (1 hr 40mins) upon request.

In Füssen there is a train station and there are many connections to various other stations in South Germany, such as Munich (duration approx. 2 hrs) or Augsburg (duration 1h40) where you can continue your journey throughout Europe or to Munich Airport. Check the German Rail site for more info on trains: www.bahn.de.

Your bag will be collected from your accommodation each day and moved onto your next accommodation. Please limit your luggage to one bag of up to 20kg per person. On this tour the baggage limit must be strictly adhered to. Overweight and additional pieces of luggage MUST be registered and paid for in advance (€10 per transfer per bag). Otherwise the luggage will not be transported by our supplier and will get left behind, and no one wants to get to the end of a long walk and find out their bags still back where they started from. If you would like to book an additional bag or extra weight then just let us know and we can assist you in aranging this.

At Macs Adventure, we work in partnership with many luggage transfer providers who set a limit on how many bags/suitcases they will transfer per person, and also the weight of the bag/suitcase. Your booking includes the transfer of 1 bag per person and the weight of your luggage allowed is specific to the destination you will be travelling to. This is why it’s very important that you read the luggage information specific to your tour before departure. This limitation can be a challenge, especially as airlines generally have limits that are higher. However, our luggage providers have reasons for these limits (usually due to the Health and Safety of their employees), which we must respect.