For those of you who have a day to spare in Innsbruck and are looking for a day of epic adventure in the Austrian Alps, one of the most breathtaking hikes you can do is a hike to Olpererhütte, a mountain hut located in the middle of the Austrian Alps on the Olperer mountain, which is part of the Zillertal Alps, overlooking Schlegeis Stausee reservoir.
The hike is also known as the place where you can get that epic photo of yourself on a floating suspension bridge that you often see on Instagram. It is one of the best hiking experiences I had in Austria, and if you are wondering whether it can be done as a one-day trip from Innsbruck, you are in the right place.
Within this guide, I will take you through a step-by-step guide on how to get to Olpererhütte with public transportation, what to expect from the hike, what to pack, and all the other information you might need to get to Olpererhütte and have an epic photo of yourself at the floating Schlegeis Suspension Bridge. Without further ado, here's the ultimate Olpererhütte hiking travel guide from Innsbruck.
- Olpererhütte Hiking Itinerary Map
- One-Day Olpererhütte Hiking Itinerary
- Where to Stay in Innsbruck?
- When is the Best Time to Hike Olpererhütte?
- How to Get to Olpererhütte Trailhead From Innsbruck?
- How Difficult is the Olpererhütte Hike?
- How Long Does it Take to Hike to Olpererhütte?
- How Much Money Do I Need For Olpererhütte?
- Is it Safe to Hike Olpererhütte?
- Which tourist SIM card is best for The Olpererhütte Hike?
- What to Pack for the Olpererhütte Hike?
- Further Reading for Austria
Olpererhütte Hiking Itinerary Map
| 🌤️ Best time: | June-August |
| 🚘 Get around: | Train, Bus, and Hiking |
| 💰 Cost: | 60 EUR |
| 🕓 Time to spend: | 4-5 hours |
| 🚶♂️ Difficulty: | Moderate |
One-Day Olpererhütte Hiking Itinerary
The journey from Innsbruck to Schlegeis Stausee
Your journey begins in Innsbruck as early as 5:30 AM, where you will have to wake up and catch an early morning train from Innsbruck HBF to Jenbach. There are many trains running between the two cities starting at 5:10 AM, but I recommend you get on one between 6:10 AM and 7:05 AM.
If you take any train later, you will risk not having enough time at the top or getting stuck in the 2-hour period when the bus from the trailhead back does not run. The train should take about 30 minutes and cost around 9 EUR.
From Jenbach, you should be able to catch the Zillertalbahn train at 6:52 AM, which will take you to Mayrhofen in about an hour, arriving at 7:47 AM. The train from Jenbach to Mayrhofen should cost about 10 EUR, and you can buy the ticket from the conductor. For the full train schedule, you can check the official website.
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Once you arrive at Mayrhofen, you should be able to catch local bus #4102 at 07:55 AM, leaving right in front of Mayrhofen train station to Schlegeis Stausee. It should take another 1 hour and cost 10 EUR per person before you arrive at Schlegeis Stausee at around 08:45 AM. For the latest bus schedule, check the official website.
Hiking From Schlegeis Stausee to Olpererhütte
At Schlegeis Stausee, you can then reach the Olpererhütte trailhead on foot in about 12 minutes before you start hiking. Right from the get-go, you will be hiking up on a moderately steep trail that will take you directly to Olpererhütte in about 1.5 hours.
The view along the way is pretty impressive, with the true scale of the Schlegeis Stausee reservoir becoming more and more prominent as you go higher. However, you will have your back against it most of the time while hiking up, so be sure to look back once in a while.
After 1.5 hours, you should arrive at Olpererhütte at around 10 AM, a beautiful mountain hut equipped with a full-fledged restaurant, a bunch of benches on which you can sit, and spring water where you can refill your water and freshen up after the hike.
Taking the Epic Photo at Schlegeis Suspension Bridge
From the Olpererhütte mountain hut, I highly recommend that you continue uphill first before resting to reach the Schlegeis Suspension Bridge before the crowds arrive. From this suspension bridge, you will be able to capture that epic photo of yourself with the floating suspension bridge, just like the photos I have here.
I was able to get these photos as a solo traveler by walking towards the small waterfall that looks out to the bridge and the reservoir, setting up my camera so that the bridge seems like it is floating high over the lake, and then posing on the bridge while I pressed my shutter with the Bluetooth remote control as I did with my Sony a7C camera.
Depending on when you arrive at the suspension bridge, you might have the whole place to yourself or there will be a long queue waiting for the Instagram-perfect photo. The life of a modern traveler, am I right? 😅
The Journey Back from Olpererhütte to Innsbruck
Once you are done taking photos, make your way back to the mountain hut and spend some time exploring the area, having lunch, replenishing your energy, and starting to head down. Make sure you get down before 12:30 PM so that you will be back in time for the bus leaving at 1:55 PM.
Again, may I remind you that there's no bus running at 12:55 PM and 2:55 PM, only at 11:55 AM, 1:55 PM, and then 3:55 PM. If you do not wish to wait for 2 hours at the lake, be sure to get down in time for the 1:55 PM. That way, you will be back in Innsbruck by 5 PM before sunset, in time for dinner.
The hike down should take about an hour, and once down there, you will have to walk back to the bus stop, which will take another 10 minutes. So, be sure to factor that in when you are calculating your journey down.
Once you get on the bus back, the journey should be pretty straightforward as it will be the same as before but in reverse. Catch the Zillertalbahn train back from Mayrhofen to Jenbach and then catch a regional train back to Innsbruck. Following this itinerary, you should be back by 5 PM at the earliest, completing the Olpererhütte hike from Innsbruck. Congratulations!
Where to Stay in Innsbruck?
When is the Best Time to Hike Olpererhütte?
The best time to hike Olpererhütte, especially if you want to rely on public transportation, is in the summer months between June and August when it is driest. You will have a much higher chance for clear skies, high visibility, and lovely sunshine, making your hike a bit more comfortable.
There will also be more buses and trains during these months, which are essential if you want to do this hike as a day trip from Innsbruck, which is almost 100 km away. Also, the road from Mayrhofen up to Schlegeis Stausee is reportedly closed between November and April, so you won't be able to get up there anyway.
All in all, if you want the highest chance of success and a great view over Schlegeis Stausee Reservoir, I highly recommend that you stick to the recommended months.
How to Get to Olpererhütte Trailhead From Innsbruck?
To get to the Olpererhütte trailhead from Innsbruck, you are going to have to take one of the morning regional trains from Innsbruck Central Station to Jenbach Train Station, which should take no more than 30 minutes.
From Jenbach, you will then have to switch to a Zillertalbahn train, which is a local mountain train that will take you to Mayrhofen. Unfortunately, there is no direct train from Innsbruck to Mayrhofen, as they use a different train line. Thankfully, there are many trains between the two cities, so you should have no trouble finding one.
For Zillertalbahn, you have to buy a different ticket as it is not the same operator as the regional train. You can buy the ticket online or directly from the conductor on the train for about 10 EUR. It should take about 1 hour for you to reach Mayrhofen. For the train schedule, you can check the official website.
Once you arrive at Mayrhofen, you will then have to take local bus #4102 that leaves right in front of Mayrhofen train station to get to Schlegeis Stausee, the reservoir bus stop where the Olpererhütte trailhead is located.
The bus leaves from Mayrhofen to Schlegeis Stausee every 1-2 hours from 7:55 AM to 6:10 PM every day during the summer, and the journey should take about one hour and cost around 10 EUR per person for a single journey. To check the latest bus schedule, visit the official website.
The journey from Mayrhofen to Schlegeis Stausee should take another hour, and you can again buy the ticket directly from the bus driver. It's best to have a bit of cash in hand, as the card reader might not work sometimes.
Once you arrive at Schlegeis Stausee Bus Stop, you can then easily walk to Olpererhütte trailhead, which should take about 15 minutes before you start hiking the Olpererhütte trail. And that is how you get from Innsbruck to the Olpererhütte trailhead.
So, to sum up the journey, the entire one-way journey from Innsbruck to the Olpererhütte trailhead should take approximately 3 hours before you arrive at the Olpererhütte Hike trailhead. The buses and trains should cost no more than 30 EUR for the whole one-way journey.
How Difficult is the Olpererhütte Hike?
The Olpererhütte hike itself is not particularly technical, but it is quite steep from the get-go, and the trail is all uphill from the beginning to the end. So, be prepared to climb straight up with very few sections to stroll along or rest.
The good thing about steep trails is that you will get to your destination faster as long as you pace yourself and continue to climb up, one step at a time. The entire hike should take around 1.5 hours without rest. It took me 1 hour and 15 minutes to get to the top, but I was rushing myself as I wanted to be at the suspension bridge before the crowds arrive.
All in all, I would say the hike difficulty is somewhere between easy and moderate. You don't have to be super fit to hike the trail as it is only 1.5 hours long, but be prepared to climb up a lot. Other than that, you should have no trouble hiking to Olpererhütte.
How Long Does it Take to Hike to Olpererhütte?
The hike itself should take about 1.5 hours to go up and 1 hour to go down without resting. From Olpererhütte mountain hut to the Schlegeis Suspension Bridge, it should take less than 10 minutes to climb.
Given that you will be spending a bit of time at the top, taking a ton of photos, and having lunch (let's say 2 hours), you can expect the entire hike to last around 4.5 hours.
Combine that with the travel time of 3 hours one-way, the entire trip from Innsbruck to Olpererhütte and back will be around 11 hours in total, making it a complete one-day hiking trip.
If you want to get from Innsbruck, I highly recommend starting as early as 5:45 AM and taking the 6 AM train to Jenbach. That way, you will arrive at the top around 11 AM when the suspension bridge is not crowded yet, and you will be able to return to Innsbruck around 5 PM.
Keep in mind that the bus between Schlegeis Stausee back to Mayrhofen runs every hour EXCEPT at 12:55 PM and 2:55 PM. So, be sure to plan your way down carefully to avoid waiting 2 hours for the bus back. I was able to catch the 1:55 PM bus back in time and got back to Innsbruck by 5 PM.
How Much Money Do I Need For Olpererhütte?
In total, I spent around 60 EUR for the entire hike, excluding lunch and snacks. The cost all went to public transportation as you will be taking 2 trains and a bus to get to the Olpererhütte hiking trail.
The train from Innsbruck to Jenbach should cost around 9 EUR, while the Zillertalbahn Train from Jenbach to Mayrhofen should cost another 10 EUR. Once you arrive at Mayrhofen, you will then have to take a bus to Schlegeis Stausee, which is another 10 EUR. In total, you will pay 30 EUR one-way.
Thankfully, you do not have to pay to enter Schlegeis Stausee and hike the Olpererhütte trail. So, all you have to pay for is the public transportation to get there and back, which costs 60 EUR for the entire trip. That is a pretty good deal, in my opinion!
Is it Safe to Hike Olpererhütte?
The trail is made of mostly gravel, but it is not super steep, so you should have no trouble hiking the trail given that you wear proper shoes. Sneakers and trail running shoes are fine for the hike in the summer. Flip-flops are a big no-no.
Other than that, there's not much to worry about on the trail except at the Schlegeis Suspension Bridge. Since it is located over a waterfall, just a short distance vertically, it still has the potential to cause some damage if you happen to fall off it.
When I was there, there were these two Russian kids hanging over the bridge from the cable, swinging like a playground swing while the parents took photos of them, preventing other hikers from passing through. DO NOT BE LIKE THIS FAMILY.
Which tourist SIM card is best for The Olpererhütte Hike?
With an eSIM from Airalo, I was able to have access to the internet the entire hike, so I highly recommend you get one prior to your travel. It worked well around Austria with a constant 4G connection, so if you are planning to stay longer in Austria, getting the Airalo eSIM is a no-brainer, given your phone supports eSIM, of course.
If your phone doesn't support eSIM, you should be able to get a physical SIM card at the airport in Innsbruck or elsewhere in the country. This way, you will be able to stay connected with your friends and family the entire time you are hiking Olpererhütte.
What to Pack for the Olpererhütte Hike?
- A Water bottle: At least 1.5 - 2 liters of water for the Olpererhütte hike. Austria in the summer can be extremely unforgiving even at high altitudes so make sure you have enough water to stay hydrated the entire trip. I always carry my super lightweight Hydro Flast Insulated Water Bottle on all my trips around Europe and I highly recommend you get one, especially if you like hiking.
- Good Sturdy Shoes: Since you will be hiking for about 3 hours on this trip, make sure you wear a pair of shoes that you are comfortable hiking in. Sneakers and trail running shoes are fine as long as you are comfortable hiking in them. I highly recommend you go with a proper hiking boot or shoes like Timberland White Ledge Mid Waterproof Ankle Boot (for women) for good ankle support or this Columbia Redmond V2 Waterproof Hiking Boot (for women) if you want something lighter and easier to move around in.
- Layers: The weather can change at any given moment in the mountain so I highly recommend you pack a few layers just in case. Olpererhütte is located over 2,389 meters after all. Here are the jackets I recommend you get for the trip: a fleece jacket and the beautiful orange Columbia outer-shell jacket.
- Snack Bars: Since you will be spending all day traveling and hiking, I highly recommend you pack a few snack bars for the trip. They are delicious, nutritious, and cheap and they are great for when you want to quickly replenish your energy while hiking. I highly recommend CLIF BARS.
- Lunch: There is a restaurant at the mountain hut where you can buy lunch but it is extremely expensive so I highly recommend you pack your own lunch as well.
- A Daypack: This is what you will use to carry all your essentials like water bottles, jackets, snack bars, etc. Any backpack with around 25L capacity like Herschel Supply's Little America bag should be enough for most use cases but if you have lots of camera gear as I do, Langly Alpha Globetrotter Backpack is my go-to camera bag for the hike.
- Power Bank: In case your phone or your camera ran out of juice while you are hiking, it is always recommended to have a backup power bank just in case you need it.
Check Out My Hiking Packing List
Now that we have all the information we need, it's time to start planning your trip! Here are some resources to help you get going:
Are you planning to travel independently? Be sure to check out my guide on How To Plan A Backpacking Trip here.
Further Reading for Austria
I hope you found this Austrian travel guide useful. If you want to read more about Austria, here are a selection of articles you might like:
- Looking for a complete itinerary for Austria? Check out: 2 Weeks Backpacking Austria Itinerary.
- If you are visiting Austria, you cannot afford to skip Vienna. This city is jam-packed with beautiful sights and some of the prettiest landmarks in Europe. To help your visit, here are 16 Best Things to Do in Vienna.
- For a complete Vienna itinerary, check out: 3 Days in Vienna Itinerary.
- Probably one of the most picturesque towns in Europe, Hallstatt is so much more than just getting that perfect Instagram photo. Here are the 10 Best Things to Do in Hallstatt.
- Popularized by the classic movie, "The Sound of Music," Salzburg is one of the most beautiful cities to visit in Europe with a ton of things to do. Here are the 15 Best Things to Do in Salzburg.
- Want to visit Salzburg for 3 days and are looking for the perfect itinerary? Check this out: 3 Days In Salzburg: An Itinerary For First Timers.
- Innsbruck is one of the best places to visit if you want to see the wonderful Austrian Alps up close and personal. Here are the 13 Best Things to Do in Innsbruck.
- Not convinced by my words? Here are 125 photos that will inspire you to visit Europe.
- To see all the articles about Austria, visit the Austria Travel Guide page.
- Traveling in Europe can be cheap, really cheap. These are the 12 Cheap European Countries to Visit.
- Looking for more travel guides for Europe? You can find more on my Europe Travel Guide page.
- Or, if you want something more specific to the region, visit our Western Europe Travel Guide, Central Europe Travel Guide, or Eastern Europe Travel Guide pages.
- For more of my travel guides like this, visit my Destinations page.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
3 Comments
HI, we planning to hike in 15 October2023 ,how can I check the bus timetable from Mayrhofen to Schlegeis Stausee,are they still open for hike on that time?thanks
From the official website, it looks like the bus is only running up until 04 October, so I don't think you will be able to do it with a public transportation then. You can check the bus schedule here. Of course, you can always ask them on their website and see if there are other options.
I am planning to hike tomorrow. How can i know if the train is open?