Discover Damüls

Damüls is a Walser settlement scattered across Oberdamüls, Uga and Schwende at elevations ranging from 1,300 to 2,100 metres. This distinctive settlement structure shapes your stay just as much as the mountain landscape: you can combine Walser history, trails in an alpine setting, regional products and winter experiences into one trip. When choosing your holiday apartment, it is therefore worth first deciding which aspects you would like to focus on.

Walser history and distinctive cultural sites

The Walser colony in Damüls was first mentioned in a contract dated 29 May 1313. A visible historical landmark is St Nicholas Parish Church, which stands alone on the church hill. It features late medieval murals and figurative furnishings. The church was built in 1392, reconstructed in 1484 and given a Baroque makeover around the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries. Those interested in regional history and sacred art will find an independent cultural focus here, away from purely natural experiences.

The FIS Ski Museum Damüls is housed in the Pfarrhof setting. The permanent exhibition presents important Vorarlberg ski pioneers, displays objects relating to athletes who won medals at the Winter Olympics and World Ski Championships, and covers around 130 years of ski history in Vorarlberg. The history of ski production in Vorarlberg is also part of the exhibition. Its beginnings are connected with Wagner businesses. The museum thus complements the landscape with an insight into the regional development of skiing.

Trails, mountain landscape and winter experiences

For a clearly defined winter tour, the Oberdamüls circuit, also known as the Great Circuit, is a good option. It leads via Unterdamüls, the high-altitude trail and Alpe Oberdamüls, is 6.5 kilometres long and takes around 2 hours 30 minutes. The Damüls-Mellau-Faschina area also has a well-developed, groomed network of winter hiking trails stretching 15 kilometres. Another shorter option is the Uga-Express – Alpe Uga – reservoir – Alpe Elsa – Uga-Express circular route: it is listed as 3.7 kilometres long with a duration of 68 minutes.

The Damüls | Mittagspitze route combines a mountain railway with an alpine trail. It starts at the mountain station of the Damüls Uga-Express and ends at its valley station. The hike leads from the alpine pasture area of Ugaalpe along an alpine trail to the summit of Mittagspitze. The Uga-Express takes visitors to the vicinity of the Damüls Mittagspitze, at an elevation of 2,095 metres. When planning your accommodation, you can therefore consider whether you mainly want to combine a winter circuit, a day in the mountains or different excursions. The Damüls-Mellau ski area comprises a total of 109 kilometres of pistes.

There are also specific exercise opportunities away from the major mountain tours: the Damüls fitness trail runs through a wooded area near the village centre and includes stations with various workout exercises. This allows you to organise your stay around longer walks, a shorter circuit or individual activity stations in different ways.

Regional products and experiences for children

The working alpine pastures are part of Damüls's local character. At Michels Sennhütte, you can buy regional mountain cheese and sample freshly tapped cow's milk. Twelve working alpine pastures take part in the alpine hut hike between Damüls, Mellau and Faschina. Alpe Oberdamüls offers a Brettljause and products made on site. Alongside mountain trails and culture, such destinations give your trip a culinary focus.

Families with children of different ages can choose from several clearly described activities. The Damüls high ropes course includes a 200-metre-long Flying Fox at a height of up to 40 metres. It is suitable for children aged 6 and over and also offers a Bambini course for children aged around 3 to 5. The themed children's trail is aimed at children up to the age of 10. When planning your day, you can therefore choose between an adventure in the high ropes course and a themed trail for younger visitors.

Getting there and choosing your holiday apartment

Bus route 851 runs from Au in the Bregenzerwald to Damüls. During the winter months, a free local bus also operates in Damüls. You can take this information into account when planning your journey. When searching for a holiday apartment, your personal mix of activities is then the most important factor: would you like to combine Walser history and the museum with regional cuisine, include winter trails in your plans, or focus on mountain and family experiences?

Further places for planning your trip

If you would like to compare Damüls with other places, you can also include Silbertal, Buchboden, Ludesch Municipality, Nüziders, Lech, Dalaas, Brand and Bartholomäberg in your further research.

For the overarching travel overview: Bludenz.