Zillertal & Mayrhofen
Tyrol's most popular ski valley, with Mayrhofen at the centre of several linked ski areas and the Hintertux Glacier open for skiing all year, plus alpine reservoirs and hiking in summer.
The Zillertal is an Alpine valley about 50 km long in the Austrian state of Tyrol, branching south off the Inn valley. Its entrance at Jenbach/Strass is about 40 km east of Innsbruck. Along the valley floor lie villages such as Fügen, Kaltenbach and Zell am Ziller, and at its head is Mayrhofen, the largest resort, beyond which side valleys such as the Tuxertal and Zemmgrund branch off; at the southern end rise the 3,000-metre glaciated peaks of the Zillertal Alps. It is one of Austria's most popular ski valleys: from December to April, the Penken, Ahorn, Hochzillertal and Zillertal Arena ski areas are linked by a single Zillertal ski pass covering about 500 km of slopes, while the Hintertux Glacier offers skiing 365 days a year and has a natural ice cave inside the glacier that you can visit. June–September is hiking season: the Schlegeis reservoir and the suspension bridge by the Olperer Hut are the most popular sights, and the Zillertal High Road and the Gerlos Pass are great for driving. In summer, accommodation often includes a guest card giving free rides on most cable cars and buses. Getting there: Mayrhofen is about an hour's drive from Innsbruck Airport; by train, go to Jenbach and change to the Zillertal narrow-gauge railway for the roughly 1-hour ride to Mayrhofen, with vintage steam trains running in summer too. Buses and ski buses run frequently throughout the valley. Plan on 4–7 days in winter for a dedicated ski trip, or 3–4 days in summer; Mayrhofen is the most convenient base. Note that high alpine roads are mostly closed from late October to May, and the glacier is cold with strong UV; accommodation is tight during the "Snowbombing" music festival in April, so book early.
Top sights
- Hintertux Glacier – Austria's only glacier ski area open all year. Cable cars climb to 3,250 meters, with views of the Olperer peak and the surrounding mountai…
- Penken & Harakiri Slope – Home to Mayrhofen's largest ski area. The Harakiri is Austria's steepest groomed piste, with a gradient of 78%.
- Schlegeis Reservoir – A jade-green high-mountain reservoir at 1,782 meters, surrounded by glaciers and 3,000-meter peaks. It is the valley's most popular summer…
- Natur Eis Palast – A natural ice cave inside the Hintertux Glacier, with ice stalactites and an ice lake, and kayaking on the lake in summer.
- Spannagel Cave – One of the highest show caves in Europe, hidden within marble rock layers beneath the Hintertux Glacier.
- Ahorn – One of the largest cable cars in Austria runs straight to a mountaintop plateau, great for beginner skiers and for taking in views of Mayrh…
- Olpererhütte – A mountain hut overlooking the Schlegeis Reservoir, with a nearby suspension bridge that has become a famous photo spot on social media.
- Zillertalbahn Steam Train – A narrow-gauge railway opened in 1902, where vintage steam trains chug slowly from Jenbach into the valley in summer.
- Zillertal Arena – The largest connected ski area in the Zillertal, spanning Tyrol and Salzburg states and skiing from Zell am Ziller all the way to Gerlos.
- Hochzillertal-Hochfügen – A large ski area in the middle of the valley with good sun exposure and stable snow, plus off-piste terrain and a snowpark in Hochfügen.
- Spieljoch – A family-friendly mountain at the valley entrance in Fügen, with a cable car offering views over the junction of the Inn Valley and the Zil…
- Zillertal High Road – A toll scenic road winding along the western hillside of the valley, reaching about 2,020 meters and offering views over the entire Zillert…
- Gerlos Pass & Alpine Road – A scenic road from the Zillertal over the Gerlos Pass to Salzburg State, with views of a reservoir and the Krimml Falls in the distance.
- Erlebnissennerei Zillertal – A glass-walled cheese dairy in Mayrhofen where you can watch alpine cheesemaking and taste milk and cheese.
- Mayrhofen – A Tyrolean holiday town at the end of the Zillertal, where two cable cars run straight to the ski areas, making it the base for skiing, hik…
- Ginzling & Zillertal Alps Nature Park – A small alpine village on the way to the Schlegeis Reservoir, home to a nature park center that offers hiking routes and guided activities.
- Hintertux Waterfalls – A waterfall hike at the foot of the Hintertux Glacier, where the delicate Veil Falls often show a rainbow on sunny days.
- Hainzenberg Gold Show Mine – An old gold mine on the Zell am Ziller hillside, where you can explore the tunnels and learn about centuries of gold mining in the Zillerta…
Where to eat
- Gasthof Perauer – A long-established Tyrolean inn beside the Ahorn cable car, with traditional wood-panelled stube rooms and stoves. It i…
- Metzgerei Gasser – A family butcher in its fourth generation, opposite the Penken cable car station. The hot counter's meat buns make an a…
- KLE Restaurant – A two-toque fine-dining restaurant in Huber's Boutique Hotel. Chef Klemens Huber prepares seasonal tasting menus of thr…
- Grawandhütte – A family-run mountain hut at 1,640 m in the Zemmgrund valley, named Gault&Millau's 2026 Mountain Hut of the Year.
Itineraries
- Tyrol & Arlberg Alpine Road Trip – A road trip starting and ending in Innsbruck, connecting Arlberg, Ötztal, and Zillertal