Atmospheric winter experiences off the pistes

Winterly paradise by day, adventurous snow-covered landscape by night. Experienced while hiking, snowshoeing, sledging or on guided tours of towns and villages. Guided tours take place during the day or in the evening, equipped with lanterns or torches. If you want to use the evening for a fun sledging party, choose one of the illuminated sledging tracks.

Date: 27 January 2026

Hiking or trudging through winter

Exploring winter nature in sturdy shoes or on snowshoes has a special charm and is a good alternative to skiing. The silence is relaxing, the views are fascinating and the walking stimulates the circulation.

There are many opportunities for winter hiking and snowshoeing in Vorarlberg. The difference? While winter hikers are usually on cleared or prepared trails, snowshoe hikers head into open terrain and trudge through the more or less deep snow on special shoes. For safety reasons, it is advisable to undertake snowshoe tours accompanied by local guides.

A network of more than 180 winter hikes, from leisurely strolls to challenging tours, invites active people to explore Vorarlberg’s winter landscapes on foot. The trails start either in the valley or at the mountain stations of some cable cars. Numerous places offer guided hikes and snowshoe hikes – either during the day or in the evening, illuminated by lanterns or torches.

Winter hiking and enjoyment

Hiking and enjoyment combine tours in the Bregenzerwald and Klostertal. “Culinary winter hiking” is the motto of day hikes in the Bregenzerwald. The route leads from breakfast to lunch and on to dessert. Hiking routes in Mellau-Bizau-Bezau, Sibratsgfäll-Schönenbach and Sulzberg are available. With sturdy shoes or on snowshoes, it’s off to the evening, approximately two-hour gourmet hike in the Klostertal every Thursday. A warm drink and a regional delicacy are included.

Storytelling gourmet evening by moonlight in the Montafon

Once a month, storyteller Hertha Glück creates a special evening under the motto “Zum Fürchta schö” (beautifully frightening). The programme begins with the mountain ride on the Montafon Kristbergbahn cable car. From there, participants walk around 250 metres to the Bergknappenkapelle St. Agatha, where Hertha Glück tells the first legends and stories and serves a warming drink. Afterwards, everyone dines on a three-course meal in the warm parlour of the Panoramagasthof Kristberg and listens to the storyteller’s tales.

Fire bowl hike in the Montafon

In Partenen in the Montafon, Imelda accompanies a two-hour hike at dusk. Lanterns and fire bowls light the way. Along the way, she tells interesting facts about special features and energy production in the valley. At the end, participants enjoy regional delicacies such as typical Montafon Brennsuppe soup and Kaiserschmarrn. The tour takes place every Friday until 10 April 2026. It starts at 4.30 pm.

Torchlight hike through the Breitachklamm gorge in Kleinwalsertal

On certain dates, interested visitors can admire the ice formations in the wintry Breitachklamm near Kleinwalsertal in the evening. Equipped with torches, you set off at 7 pm. Along the approximately four-kilometre trail (there and back), a mysterious world of rock and ice is revealed in the light of the torches.

Snowshoe hike in Klostertal

One of the particularly beautiful snowshoe tours is the one to the 2,000-metre-high Muttjöchle in Klostertal. The route is quite easy to walk and impresses with beautiful views over Klostertal, the Walgau and the Rätikon mountains. A guided snowshoe tour is on the programme every Friday until 10 April 2026. With the Sonnenkopf ascent and descent, participants are out for around four hours. The participation fee includes rental snowshoes and poles.

(Snowshoe) hike in the Nagelfluhkette Nature Park

About twice a month, rangers from the Nagelfluhkette Nature Park in the Bregenzerwald accompany interested visitors through nature. Along the way, the group focuses on the special features of the cold season, from animal tracks and natural hazards to sophisticated survival strategies. Depending on snow conditions, participants wear snowshoes or hiking boots. The hikes start in different places. The routes are between 4 and 6.6 kilometres long.

Further information on snowshoeing and winter hiking in Vorarlberg can be found at
https://www.vorarlberg.travel/en/winter-holidays-in-vorarlberg/winter-hiking/snow-shoe-rambling/ and
https://www.vorarlberg.travel/en/winter-holidays-in-vorarlberg/winter-hiking/

Exploring Bregenzerwald villages

“Umgang Bregenzerwald” (village walks) is a series of twelve village tours. In an entertaining way, they provide insights into the special creative flair of the people of the Bregenzerwald. Discreet, specially designed steles draw attention to architectural features, crafts, the cultivated landscape and culinary specialties. The trails in Andelsbuch, Bizau, Hittisau, Krumbach, Mellau and Schoppernau are easily accessible in winter. Guided, two-hour tours on the “Umgang Bregenzerwald” (village walks) take place every Friday from January to April 2026. Each tour focuses on a different village.

Night watchman tours in Feldkirch and Bludenz

Equipped with a lantern and historical costume, a night watchman guides you to historic and romantic places in the Old Town of Bludenz and tells stories from times gone by. The city tour is on the program every Thursday from 7 pm until 2 April 2026. Night watchman tours also take place on certain dates in the medieval town of Feldkirch. The tours last around 1.5 hours.

Sledging fun on illuminated tracks

In the dark of night, the winter world suddenly looks completely different. Even if the snow lights up the scenery, it is still helpful to be out and about with headlamps, torches or on floodlit trails. Floodlights ensure good visibility along some sledging tracks, perfect for evening tobogganing fun when the snow conditions are right.

The longest floodlit night-sledging track in Vorarlberg is located in St. Gallenkirch-Garfrescha in the Montafon. The starting point of the 5.5-kilometre run, which takes around 20 minutes of sledging fun, is the mountain station of the Garfrescha cable car. It operates three times a week from 6 pm to 8.30 pm.
Also in the Bregenzerwald, some sledging tracks have extended opening hours on certain days. The 2.5-kilometre-long Uga natural sledging track in Damüls is a popular destination for tobogganing fans. Night tobogganing is possible here on Wednesdays and Fridays between 7.30 pm and 9.30 pm. The 650-metre-long sledging track at the Grunholz lift in Au in the Bregenzerwald is also open for night tobogganing on Wednesdays and Fridays.
In Lech Zürs am Arlberg, the 1.2-kilometre Zipfelbob run from Oberlech to Lech is open daily until 9 pm. The tobogganing experience on the special run is also suitable for families and can be repeated as often as you like with just a four-minute ride.
In the Brandnertal, night tobogganing is on the program every Tuesday on the Eggen sledging track at the Dorfbahn Brand. The night toboggan safari from Brand to Bürserberg also takes place every Tuesday.

All sledging tracks in Vorarlberg can be found at a glance here: https://www.vorarlberg.travel/en/toboggan-and-sledging/
An overview of night sledging offers can be found here: https://www.vorarlberg.travel/en/activity/current-tobogganing-events/