Trip Planning (Trip Planning)

Here are some links to help with transport to get to your starting and finishing points –

• Train links – www.oebb.at/en
• Bus links- www.postbus.at
• The Man in Seat 61 Rail travel world wide – and more! Highly recommended.

Summer weather in Austria -May is early season: some huts may not be open and there may be snow at higher altitudes. In June most huts will be open. In July and August you will have warm weather and flowers in bloom and this is when huts are most crowded. But always be prepared for bad weather! In September the crowds start to thin, some huts may close before the end of the month but the weather is still nice.

Go to Alpine Huts for general information about huts in Austria.

The ÖAV Hut Finder provides full hut information including hut contact details, facilities provided (Ausstatung), public transport connections (Anreise), walking route to hut, neighbouring huts and nearby peaks (all under Touren).

• Alpenverein Hut Opening times for Winter 2020/21
• Alpenverein Hut Opening times for Summer 2021

Many huts in Austria, Switzerland and Germany can now be booked online This is indicated on the suggested routes but the list is continually growing! Some huts may ask for a deposit or ask for debit/credit card details if they have wifi.

To get you started here are a few ideas! The tours are listed from West to East:

1. Rätikon, Vorarlberg – 7 days
2. Eastern Verwall, Tyrol and Vorarlberg – 11 days
3. Stubaier Höhenweg Tour- Stubai, Tyrol – 10 days
4. Olperer Runde, Zillertal , Tyrol – 7 days
5. Reichen Group, East Zillertal, Tyrol – 9 days
6. Gentle Zillertal, Tyrol – 7 days valley-based
7. Classic Zillertal, Tyrol – 13 days
8. Niedere Tauern, Weitwanderweg – 2 – 8 days
9. Groꞵglockner ascent, East Tyrol – 9 days
10. Groꞵglockner ascent, East Tyrol – 4 day
11. Around Groꞵglockner, East Tyrol – 10 days
12. Karnische Höhenweg – East Tyrol and Carinthia – 9 days

To help you plan your journey, FREE hut maps are available from the AAC (UK) online shop. There is a small charge for postage. The 1:500,000 map locates all the huts in Austria, gives contact details and elevations, and shows whether they are accessible by ski, foot, bike etc.

• Alpenverein maps (1:25,000)
  
• Kompass wanderkarte (mostly 1:50,000)
• Freytag Berndt maps (1:50,000)
• alpenvereinaktiv.com– The app is available for both iPhone and Android. There is a free version of the app but this is limited in both scope and content. If you purchase your app through www.alpenvereinaktiv.com/en or through the ÖAV shop your membership number will entitle you to the maps on the Pro version and a €10 discount on the Pro+ version.

Cicerone Press Ltd and Cordee have hundreds of walking guide books. Cicerone offers 25% discount to members and often has special offers

• National Rail Enquiries
• The Trainline
• CalMac Ferries to the Scottish Islands
• City Link Scottish Intercity Buses
• Traveline Scotland covers public transport journeys within Scotland and from Scotland to main points in the UK
• Post Bus Royal Mail Post Buses

• Met Office UK mountain weather forecast
• BBC Weather
  
• UK Wind Data Strength and Direction, current live situation
• UK Mountain Weather Information Service (MWIS) Downloadable PDF Files
• Scottish Avalanche Information Service Winter only
• Synoptic Charts from the UK Met Office, animated sequence
• Ski Resort Snow Reports Very comprehensive and updated twice daily. Ski season only.

• MBA - Mountain Bothies Association
• N Ireland YH - Youth Hostels Association for Northern Ireland
• Scottish Independent Hostels
• Scottish Holiday Cottages Self-catering cottages and bunkhouses in Scotland
• SYHA - Scottish Youth Hostels Association
• YHA - Youth Hostels Association: England and Wales

• BMC – British Mountaineering Council
• MCofS – Mountaineering Council of Scotland
• England’s Highest Summits - A list of England’s 2,000 ft summits.
• Statistical Topics in Hillwalking - A rich source of statistical information
• Scottish Avalanche Information Service (Winter only)
• The Walking Forum Walkers’ Blog Site, leading to a treasure-trove of information
• Travel Aware - Foreign Travel Checklists
• Mountaineering Guide for Beginners
• Collection of Climbing Safety Resources
  

• English Heritage
• The Border's Forest Trust
• The John Muir Trust
• The National Trust
• The National Trust for Scotland
• The Ramblers Association
• Rights of Way and accessing land
• Woodland Trust
• Where to see animals in the UK - 50 of the UK’s favourite animals

• The Man in Seat 61 Rail travel world wide – and more! Highly recommended.
• Germany - Deutsche Bahn UK Booking Centre for German Railways, in English.
• France - Official SNCF Railway Planner
• Switzerland - Swiss Railpass Information
• Switzerland - Swiss Railway Timetables
• Switzerland - Swiss Post-Bus Timetables
• Italy - Italian Train Service
• Italy - Italian Airports and Flights
• Italy - Italian Public Transport Overview
• Italy - South Tyrol Bus Timetables
• Railway Transport Europe-wide
• Airport to Resort Transfer – all areas
• Geneva to Chamonix Bus Transfers (1)
• Geneva to Chamonix Bus Transfers (2)
• Shuttle Munich Airport to Austria etc

• Snoweye Access to 5315 webcams in ski resorts in 48 countries
• Switzerland
• Saas Fee 
• Sat 24 Current Satellite imagery
• Ugrib Downloadable free software providing access to synoptic charts for any part of the world.

Note. AAC(UK) members enjoy reciprocal rights in most of these huts, but not in those that are privately owned.:

• Austrian Alpine Huts (in German, but fairly easy to follow!)
• French Alpine Huts (in French)
• German Alpine Huts (in German)
• Italian Alpine Huts (CAI) (in Italian)
• Swiss Alpine Huts (in German)
• Alpenverein Südtirol Huts (in German)

• SAC – Schweizer Alpen-Club / Swiss Alpine Club
• CAF – Club Alpin Français / French Alpine Club
• DAV – Deutscher Alpenverein / German Alpine Club
• CAI – Club Alpino Italiano / Italian Alpine Club
• AVS – Alpenverein Südtirol / South Tyrol Alpine Club
• FEDME – Federación Española de Deportes de Montaña y Escalada / Spanish Federation of Mountaineering Associations
• Mountaineering Ireland