The best sport spots and adventures in Austria – travel tips, packing lists and first-hand experience from DOMISPORTS.
Tirol · MTB, Climbing, Skiing · Best time: Year-round
Few cities get you into the vertical faster: in about half an hour you ride from the center to over 2,200 m — where one of the Alps' hardest singletracks begins. Add crags, bouldering gyms and, in winter, several ski areas right on the doorstep. Nordkette cable car + bike park = perfect MTB day.
Tirol · Skiing, MTB · Best time: Sep–May
Two glaciers make Sölden a season-stretching machine: you ski from autumn deep into spring — and during the World Cup opening the elite trains right next to you. In summer the Bike Republic takes over with trails from flowy to rowdy — one place, two full seasons. Glacier skiing possible even in autumn.
Salzburg · MTB, Hiking, SUP · Best time: May–Oct
Lake and mountain on tap: SUP on Lake Zell in the morning, ride the lift at noon and descend trails or hiking paths back to town. Water, panoramas and short distances make it an ideal multisport base camp. Cable cars much cheaper with summer pass.
Salzburg · Sightseeing, Hiking · Best time: Year-round
A city with built-in local mountains: between old-town sightseeing you climb the Mönchsberg and Kapuzinerberg, and for real summit feeling head up the Untersberg. Culture in the morning, vertical meters in the afternoon — Salzburg does both in a day. Untersberg cable car for panorama in under 1h.
Oberösterreich · Hiking, Sightseeing · Best time: May–Oct
Yes, it's busy — but the crowds stay in the village: in the Echern valley you hike toward the waterfalls almost alone, and up at the Salzberg you get the postcard view without the crush. Want more? Add the Krippenstein and its viewing platforms. Arrive before 9am — after that it's packed.
Steiermark · MTB, Climbing · Best time: May–Oct
An underrated sports town: the local mountain serves gondola-accessed downhill trails, and in the gorges and crags around the city you can still squeeze in pitches after work. Add the Mur cycle path and a mild climate — in Graz, training almost takes care of itself. Schöckl MTB park right next to the city.
Wien · Cycling, Running · Best time: Year-round
Vienna trains along the Danube: on the island you run and ride for kilometers without a single traffic light, following the water out into the floodplains. Roadies take on the climbs through the vineyards on the city's edge — Kahlenberg classic included. Donauinsel: 21 km car-free bike path in the city.
Tirol · Skiing, Hiking · Best time: Dec–Apr
Three ski regions on one pass: 300 km of runs, over 200 km of deep-snow descents and 85 lifts between 1,304 and 2,811 metres, with an average 9 metres of natural snowfall a season. The RUN of FAME covers 85 km and 18,000 vertical metres across three passes from St. Anton to Warth — on skis only, no bus. Once the Flexenbahn and Auenfeldjet link lifts close, there is no way back on skis. Riding the Valluga II gondola and skiing down from up there is only possible with a trained guide — book the freeride slot in advance.
Tirol · Skiing, Hiking · Best time: Nov–May
239 km of pistes and 46 lifts between 1,377 and 2,872 metres, spread across two countries: the Silvretta Arena links Tyrol's Paznaun valley with duty-free Samnaun in Switzerland. The tourist board calls the area suitable for active skiers and snowboarders of all ability levels. The 2026/27 season runs from 26 November to 2 May. The Schmugglerrunde crosses the border area and comes in three versions: the demanding Gold round, the mid-level Silver round and the Bronze round on blue pistes.
Tirol · Skiing, MTB, Hiking · Best time: Nov–Apr
The Streif drops 860 vertical metres over a 3,315 m course: start at 1,665 m, finish at 805 m, averaging 27 percent, with 85 percent at the Mausefalle. Fritz Strobl's course record of 1:51.58 has stood since 1997. Lift operation around it starts 6 November 2026 on the Resterkogel and ends 4 April 2027. The Hahnenkamm Races run from 18 to 24 January 2027 — if you want pistes rather than crowds, pick a different week.
Tirol · Skiing, Hiking · Best time: Year-round
According to the tourist board, the Hintertux Glacier runs snow operations every day of the year: 62 km of pistes, 21 lifts, a panorama terrace at 3,250 metres. In late summer and autumn national ski teams from around the world set up training camps here — and watching them train is explicitly welcome. From December to April the glacier connects into the Ski- und Gletscherwelt Zillertal 3000 with up to 206 km of pistes — the rest of the year you ski only up on the glacier itself.
Steiermark · Skiing, MTB, Hiking · Best time: Dec–Apr
Planai, Hochwurzen, Hauser Kaibling and Reiteralm together make up 123 km of pistes, 43 lifts and 56 mountain huts on a single pass. The Hochwurzen runs daily from 4 December 2026 to 4 April 2027, the Planai until the same date. In the evening the floodlit slope opens, while the other pistes are closed to uphill traffic between 16:00 and 08:30. Night skiing runs only on piste no. 33 on the Hochwurzen — summit lift until 21:30, floodlights until 23:00, after which the piste closes for winch grooming.
Vorarlberg · Skiing, MTB, Hiking · Best time: Nov–Apr
Silvretta Montafon stretches from Schruns via St. Gallenkirch to Gaschurn: 140 km of pistes, 35 lifts, top station at 2,430 metres. The 2026/27 winter season runs 27 November to 11 April, the summer season 14 May to 1 November. Freeride lines, snowpark and race area sit in the same area. The five pistes marked Black Scorpions are the steep ones: piste 5 drops 63 vertical metres over 359 m at up to 67 percent gradient.
Salzburg · MTB, Skiing, Hiking · Best time: May–Nov
The Epic Bikepark Leogang runs off the Asitz and Steinberg cable cars and forms one bike region with Saalbach Hinterglemm and Fieberbrunn, totalling 120 km of lines and trails. Riders not yet jumping practise in the 30,000 m² Riders Playground. The park is open 8 May to 8 November 2026, lifts running 09:00 to 16:30. The Steinberg cable car does not run continuously: daily 23 May–14 Jun, 6 Jul–13 Sep and 27 Oct–8 Nov 2026, weekends only 15 Jun–5 Jul and 2–4 Oct — in the gaps between it does not run at all.
Steiermark · Climbing, Hiking, MTB · Best time: May–Oct
At 769 metres with 156 residents, below the 2,369 m Hochtor: Johnsbach is a designated mountaineering village inside the 12,000-hectare Gesäuse National Park. For almost a century climbers have called the Gesäuse the "university of mountaineering". Below the Heßhütte at 1,699 metres are 22 bolted routes from III+ to VIII−, with more walls 15 to 20 minutes away via the Josefinensteig. The sport crags in the Johnsbach valley sit right beside the road; for the walls at the Heßhütte budget the walk in — the hut is only staffed from late May.
Kärnten · Climbing, Hiking, Bouldering · Best time: Apr–Oct
Climbing in the Malta valley spans 800 to 3,350 metres of altitude, from two-metre boulders to 400-metre walls. The Kreuzwand holds 81 routes on up to 80 metres of rock, facing south and southwest: 17 routes up to 5c, 36 in the sixth grade, 22 in the seventh, 3 in the eighth. From spring to autumn the valley belongs to sport climbers; in the cold season boulderers and ice climbers take over. The car park for the Kreuzwand is on the L12 road, 5.4 km past the Malta municipal office — from there it is a one- to three-minute walk to the wall.
Tirol · Bouldering, Climbing, Hiking · Best time: Apr–Nov
The Kaseler Alm bouldering area counts 90 blocks for beginners through experts and is usable from April to November, weather permitting. Right next to it, five granite blocks up to 30 metres high on the Zemmbach hold over 100 bolted routes from IV+ to X. For via ferrata, the Nasenwand route gains around 400 vertical metres over roughly 500 metres of climbing — grade C to D throughout, with one E section in the upper part. From the "Ewige Jagdgründe" day car park follow the road about 500 m toward Ginzling; the Kaseler Alm boulders sit in a fenced pasture — use only the marked approaches.
Tirol · Hiking, Trail Running, Skiing · Best time: Jun–Sep
Kals sits at the foot of the Großglockner, at 3,798 metres Austria's highest mountain and the goal of more than 5,000 summit ascents a year. From the Stüdlhütte the normal route runs via the Erzherzog-Johann-Hütte at 3,454 metres, about four hours to the top; the Stüdlgrat takes around four and a half — for both, the tourist board explicitly advises hiring a mountain guide. In late July the Großglockner Ultra-Trail starts in Kals and circles the mountain anticlockwise. The Kals cable cars run 21 Jun to 20 Sep 2026 with Wednesday as a rest day — except in high summer: from 1 Jul to 30 Aug they run every day.
Niederösterreich · Hiking, Climbing · Best time: Year-round
The Rax cable car opened in 1926 as Austria's first passenger aerial tramway and covers about 1,017 vertical metres over 2,160 metres of inclined length. Two cabins carry 30 people each, the ride takes seven to eight minutes, running every ten minutes when busy. At the top the hut paths and the classic Vienna home-mountain routes begin — in summer the first cabin leaves at 08:00. The Rax cable car runs almost all year but shuts for maintenance: closed 16 Nov to 4 Dec 2026 and 5 Apr to 23 Apr 2027.
Burgenland · Kitesurfing, Windsurfing, Sailing
The Neusiedler See is a 320 km² steppe lake with flat, standing-depth water — if you fall, you stand back up. The wind comes mostly from the north-west, and in the summer months often from the south-east to south-west. Podersdorf has four kitesurf schools plus surf and sailing schools at the Nordstrand and the Südstrand. Kitesurf schools sit at the Nordstrand and the remote Südstrand — the tourist board publishes the terms of use with the zones as a PDF, and you read it before your first session.
Tirol · Windsurfing, Sailing, Kitesurfing
9 km long, 1.3 km wide, up to 133 m deep and wedged between the Rofan and Karwendel ranges: the Achensee runs on a fixed daily rhythm — a light southerly of 1–2 Beaufort in the morning, a firm northerly of 3–5 Beaufort in the afternoon. In high summer the water reaches 22 °C. Kiting is permitted only in two designated zones, and eFoils are not allowed. Put the session in the afternoon — only then does the northerly build to 3–5 Beaufort; kiters need 200 m clearance from jetties and must be at least 14.
Oberösterreich · Scuba Diving, Sailing, SUP · Best time: Year-round
48 km² of surface, 23 km in length, drinking-water quality: underwater the visibility reaches 25 m, and up to 30 m in winter. Dive sites include Wandl, the steep wall Kohlbauernaufsatz and the underwater forest at Kammer. Above the surface the clubs around the Union Yacht Club Attersee sail here. Diving works year-round, but September to June is when the water is clear — up to 30 m of visibility in winter.
Kärnten · Swimming, Scuba Diving, SUP
11.6 km long, 900 m wide, up to 25 °C in summer and of drinking-water quality: two-thirds of the shoreline is left in its natural state, and the basin is correspondingly narrow. The public entry point is the Strandbad Knaller; diving, SUP and kayaking run alongside. Two-thirds of the shore is undeveloped — the public way in for SUP, kayak and a dive is the Strandbad Knaller.
Kärnten · SUP, Swimming
141 m deep and up to 29 °C in high summer: eleven lidos and five free lake accesses ring the Millstätter See, and SUP, surfing, sailing and water-skiing all start from them. Alongside the 11 lidos there are five free lake accesses — enough if you only came to swim and paddle.
Kärnten · Swimming, Running, SUP · Best time: Apr–Oct
Water sports here run from April to October and centre on Klagenfurt's east bay; the Wörthersee warms to 27 °C, and in September the WÖRTHERSEE SWIM Austria is held on it. On land there is a half-marathon route of 21.0975 km through parkland and past the nature reserve down to the lake, plus the wooded Kreuzbergl loop with views over the old town and the lake. Water sports happen in Klagenfurt's east bay, where the Wörthersee meets the city — the season there runs from April to October.
Niederösterreich · Cycling, Hiking
Krems is a stage hub on the Danube Cycle Path, which crosses the town as EuroVelo 6: on the north bank the 34.42 km stage from Emmersdorf ends here and the 41.36 km stage to Tulln begins. On the south bank the Melk–Mautern variant covers 33.45 km. On foot, the Kremstal-Danube long-distance trail starts with 3.50 km to Mautern. Downstream from Krems you have a choice: 41.36 km on the north bank to Tulln, or 68.67 km on the south bank from Mautern to Klosterneuburg — do not plan the long one as a half-day ride.
Oberösterreich · Cycling, Climbing, Bouldering
In Austria the Danube Cycle Path runs about 330 km from Passau to Vienna, and Linz sits in the middle of the Upper Austrian section: 55.94 km along the north bank in from Schlögen, 60.58 km onward to Grein. For rainy days there is the Auwiesen climbing gym in the south of the city, with more than 2,800 m² of space, lead and bouldering areas and 45 top-rope stations. Upstream it is 55.94 km to Schlögen — the Schlögener Schlinge is best taken in from the Schlögener Blick lookout.
Kärnten · Cycling, Swimming, SUP
Villach is a junction for long-distance cycle routes: the Drau Cycle Path covers 510 km from Toblach via Lienz, Spittal and Villach to Maribor, and the Alpe-Adria route about 410 km from Salzburg to Grado. On the city's doorstep lies the 28.6 km Ossiacher See cycle path, rated at 1:45 h. To cool off: the Ossiacher See reaches 27 °C, the Faaker See 24 °C. The Ossiacher See loop is 28.6 km and rated at 1:45 h — the ride out from Villach to the lake comes on top.
Vorarlberg · Sailing, Swimming, SUP · Best time: May–Sep
The Hard sailing and motorboat school sits at the Hard harbour and prepares you for the Lake Constance boating licence and the sport-boat licence. Right next to it is the Strandbad Hard, 40,000 m² of lawns, lake access and a leisure pool at Kohlplatzstrasse 15. In summer the water of Lake Constance warms to 26 °C. In 2026 the lido is open from 9 May to 13 September — from 4 July it opens at 9am, before that at 10am.
Salzburger Land / Zell am See-Kaprun · Snowboarding, Skiing, Freeride, Ski Touring · Best time: Oct–May
Glacier ski area with 61 km of pistes between 1,976 m and 3,029 m, served by 23 cable cars and lifts. The operator states snow reliability from October to May, so the season runs from autumn into spring. Alongside the groomed pistes the operator lists five signposted freeride routes, snowparks, ski touring routes and fun slopes. There is more here than piste: the operator signposts five freeride routes plus snowparks and ski touring routes. With the season running from October into May, check the operator's lift and piste status before travelling — what is open depends on the date.
Tirol · Yoga, Meditation · Best time: Year-round
The Sivananda Yoga seminar house at Bichlach 40 teaches two yoga classes a day, on an open-air cedar platform when the weather allows. The day starts at 6am with meditation and mantra chanting, asana and pranayama follow at 8am and a vegetarian brunch at 10am; guests stay in the organic hotel opposite. Minimum stay is two nights; your stay starts at 4pm with the yoga class, and the room is available from 2pm.