Among mountain peaks, valleys, rivers, forests, and small huts – this is where our trip to the Ötztal Valley was supposed to provide us with a few relaxing days. More precisely, we were in the small, sweet village of Grieß, just about 5 kilometers from Längenfeld in Austria (in the Ötztal Valley).
We arrived late in the evening, so we hadn’t been able to see the surroundings until then. The night was black – pitch black! Apart from a few lights in the village and in the houses, we really couldn’t see anything. We were tired and pretty worn out from the journey, so we crawled into bed pretty quickly.
Like a child at Christmas – I was so happy when morning finally arrived. I jumped up, threw aside the curtains, and was amazed. “Wow, this is beautiful!”, I thought to myself. Marco was still asleep and didn’t notice my euphoria. I grabbed my phone and took thousands of pictures for the family album.
It was nothing new to Marco – he knows the area well. He often comes here snowboarding in the winter. I, on the other hand, generally only know flat land, which is why the view of such a mountain backdrop was an absolute highlight for me.
Pension Winnebach in the Ötztal
Our accommodation, “Pension Winnebach,” was located directly on a hill (slope), so we had a beautiful view of the valley, while the Tyrolean mountains towered all around us. Our room was simple but absolutely adequate – a large bed, a small couch, a table, and a TV.
The bathroom with shower was also perfectly fine. The tiles on the wall reminded us of the old days at Grandma’s in the village, but that didn’t give the The whole place still has a certain charm. The entire complex was built and decorated in an Alpine country house style. The best thing about our room, however, was the balcony with mountain and valley views (€33 per person per night including breakfast).
A trip to the Ötztal is definitely worth it! Here you’ll find not just mountains and forests, but also the largest glacier area in the Eastern Alps, the highest inhabited village (Obergurgl), the highest waterfall (Stuibenfall), Lake Piburger See (one of the warmest bathing lakes in Tyrol), and much more.
Hiking trails in the Ötztal
But the area isn’t just for ice junkies and well-trained altitude freaks! Anyone who loves hiking and nature shouldn’t miss this area. There are approximately 1,300 marked hiking trails throughout the region. We took one of them to reach the Längenfeld Suspension Bridge.
It is approximately 280 meters long and is located between Brand and Burgstein above the valley floor. The view from up here was unique – the magnificent mountain scenery makes every heart beat faster. Since Marco wasn’t able to handle the height so well, his steps across this bridge were a bit hesitant.
The friendly owner of the guesthouse told us that we should plan on about 1.5 hours for this route. Yes, it took us about 4 hours. But it should also be mentioned that we constantly stopped to take photos and videos.
Well, back to the topic. We took a break on the other side of the bridge. Here we found a small hanging swing to relax and stretch our legs. The sun shone through the tree branches, it was pleasantly warm and very quiet – simply perfect!
Magnificent views in the Ötztal
The people were always very friendly and helpful. Somehow, we didn’t feel like hiking all the way back to the guesthouse. We were told it was really easy to hitchhike back to Grieß. So we simply parked at the intersection toward Grieß.
It only took two minutes for a small white van to stop. The nice ladies also needed to go to Grieß and gave us a lift without hesitation. This made this trip to the Ötztal Valley all the more beautiful!
Once we arrived at the guesthouse, we grabbed our swimwear and headed to the Aqua Dome. This beautiful thermal spa is located in Längenfeld, amidst the Ötztal Mountains. Here we enjoyed the beautiful view, the warm water (almost 36 degrees Celsius), and the peace and quiet (evening admission €19.50 for 3 hours – without sauna).
The complex also offers a variety of saunas. We would have loved to use them, but thought the extra €14 was a bit steep. So we swam our laps, relaxed on the loungers, and treated ourselves to a small evening snack in the restaurant.
Suspension bridge near Ötztal
You can certainly imagine how exhausted we were that evening and how we simply collapsed into bed, completely exhausted. The next morning, in a good mood (and with sore muscles from the hike), we went down to breakfast. With a view of the mountains, we fortified ourselves for the day. We originally wanted to go to Area 47 (one of the largest outdoor playgrounds in Europe), but ended up driving to the “highline179” instead.
We discovered this rope suspension bridge on the way there and wanted to take a closer look. You can walk across the bridge at a dizzying height and enjoy the view. Since the end of 2014, the highline179 has also held the title of the world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge in Tibetan style. The bridge is 406 meters long and 114.60 meters high.
You should dress warmly, because the wind blows quite strongly from all directions up there. It can also be a bit shaky if other visitors are walking in front of, next to, or behind you. If you’re not really into thrills, you might want to avoid looking down while crossing the bridge. After this, we went back to the car and headed home.
Conclusion: Ötztal in Austria
The trip to Ötztal was pure relaxation for both of us amidst the incredible scenery. Mountains, valleys, green meadows, bridges, sleepy villages, and much more – we will definitely take another trip to Ötztal!
So, Dear friends, everyone should definitely take a trip into Austria’s nature at least once. We can wholeheartedly recommend it and will both return again – someday! So you can see what it looks like in real life, we made a short video for you (please switch to “HD” when playing – it’s cooler).
Our trip to the Ötztal Valley
