Außervillgraten: Alpine Pastures, Culture and Winter Experiences

Außervillgraten combines an alpine landscape with long-established cultural sites and seasonal experiences. Winkeltal stretches from the village past individual farms and hamlets to extensive alpine pastures at an altitude of 1,600 to 1,800 m. When choosing your holiday apartment, it is therefore worth first deciding on the focus you want for your trip: Are you looking for trails through the mountains, would you like to learn about regional history, or would you like to combine various activities between summer and winter?

Winkeltal and Trails through the Mountains

Winkeltal is a 12-kilometre-long side valley of the Villgraten Valley. Its sequence of village, farms, hamlets and alpine pasture areas conveys different landscapes within a single valley. One important tour idea is the first stage of the Herz-Ass Villgratental route. It leads as an alpine pasture trail from Außervillgraten to the Reiterstube in Winkeltal. If your travel planning focuses on walking in an alpine setting, you can consider this stage as a specific starting point.

The Tilliachalm Trail is another available experience around the Reiterstube. The trail is illuminated every evening until 10:00 p.m. There is also a toboggan rental service at the start of the toboggan run by the Reiterstube. The “Außervillgraten Reiterstube” stop is served by bus route 966 and provides access to the Tilliachalm Trail. There is a car park for this trail at the Reiterstube in the Villgraten Valley.

Culture between Church and Farmstead Ensemble

The local culture includes St. Gertraud Parish Church with a Late Gothic Pietà dating from 1400. The Feast of the Sacred Heart Sunday in June is particularly significant: the church hosts the renewal of the pledge of the Sacred Heart League of 1796, followed by a procession. The celebration also includes the illumination of the mountains and houses and a concert by the Außervillgraten brass band in the church square. Families can plan such a cultural focus as a deliberate contrast to activities in the mountains.

The Wurzerhof farmstead ensemble offers another insight into the region’s past. It consists of a single farm and several outbuildings, including a washhouse or smokehouse, a chapel, and a grain mill and sawmill. The ensemble also includes a small forge with a hearth, a bread oven and a workshop with tools and traditional handicraft objects from the region. This makes it possible to learn about not just one individual building, but an entire network of farming and craft facilities.

Summer and Winter Ideas for Trip Planning

In summer, the nature in and around Außervillgraten can be explored by mountain bike. Another way to get to know the Villgraten mountains is on a snowshoe hike in winter. In Winkeltal, a horse-drawn sleigh ride is also an option at that time of year. The Winkeltal alpine Kneipp facility near the Reiterstube is located at an altitude of 1,517 m and offers water and foot treatments. It was built in harmony with nature using local materials.

Außervillgraten provides direct access to the Hochpustertal ski centre via a valley run and a four-person chairlift. For a ski tour, the Hochgrabe ski tour via Außervillgraten is another option mentioned; both variants require safe avalanche conditions. These different forms of exercise and nature experiences help you choose the right time to travel and the right focus for your holiday.

Choosing the Right Holiday Apartment in Außervillgraten

When looking for a holiday apartment in Außervillgraten, you can use your planned activities as a guide. For days focused on culture, St. Gertraud Parish Church and the Wurzerhof offer specific destinations. In winter, illuminated trails, tobogganing, snowshoe hikes, horse-drawn sleigh rides and access to the ski centre add different ideas for your trip. This keeps the choice of accommodation closely connected to the character you want for your stay.

For further trip planning, you can also view Schlaiten, Iselsberg-Stronach, Nikolsdorf, Sankt Leonhard, Virgen, Erlsbach, Tristach and Huben in the Ötztal.

To the overarching travel overview: Lienz.