Where Eagles Soar

Excellent hiking in beautiful, mountain country.  First time we hiked from a central location but we liked that aspect.

Personally if I had only one sunny day during the Alpenhof part, I would use it for Eagles Nest.  We really didn't get a great feel for it with all the fog.  I could tell the gardens were amazing, but we could barely see them.  

We used our sunny day for Jenner.  

Our first trip with Inntravel but probably not the last. Excellent hotels  which exceeded expectations - food at Alpenhof was particularly good. Both had good spas esp Alpenhof. Good winelists and not extortionate. Walking was good though would like more options particularly as we would be happy to return!

If you are blessed with fantastic weather as we were and want to experience the exhilaration of completing challenging ascents and descents, you will be rewarded with awe-inspiring and literally breathtaking mountain views.  The transfer day from Ramsau to Schoenau was tough, especially the descent which we imagine would be difficult to manage without walking poles as a result of the steep gradient and loose stones underfoot, but was worth it for the views and sense of achievement.  It was a delight to be able to take all of our meals outside on the terrace at The Alpenhof Hotel.  We didn't have time to take advantage of the pools at each hotel but, for those who want a break from walking, they looked very enticing.  

We had a wonderful 3 weeks combining the Black Forest, Bavaria (Where Eagles Soar) and Lake Achensee trips in an effort to catch up after a quiet couple of years. The trips were all up to the usual Inntravel high standard.

Our highlights: The hotels, particularly in the Black Forest and Bavaria. Hotel Peterle in the Black Forest and the Alpenhof in Bavaria were wonderful, and were both well worth an extra night if possiblec. Although all the walks were good, we particularly enjoyed the Feldberg in the Black Forest, the Jenner and Konigsee in Bavaria, and the Rofanspitze in Achensee - these had stunning views.

Our tips: If using cable cars or boats, make an early start to avoid later “crowds”. Our thanks to a previous reviewer of the Bavaria trip recommending the possibility of a taxi from the tourist office in Schonau Konigsee (who were extremely helpful) up to the hotel - after getting caught in heavy rain, this suggestion was a godsend. (And considering the saving of marital strife, very cheap!) Similarly, if using the bus from Schonau Konigsee to the Alpenhof hotel, it is a good idea to get on the bus at the Jennerbahn stop - by the time it arrives at the next stop near the tourist office, it can be full. We combined these trips by driving - not sure how it would work out by train but would imagine it would be quite feasible.

The walks were really varied and each one had its own special moment. Walking back from Blaueishutte the walk along the river is an unexpected delight, the Wimback gorge was far more impressive than we were expecting, as we walked between the hotels watching people on the black route via ferrata made us glad we were on the path and whisking up the mountain in the Jennerbahn the next day was particularly appreciated. We loved the leisurely drift along Konigssee on the boat, the beautiful colours of Obersee and the ice cave was particularly special.

After a hot days walking we really enjoyed a peaceful swim in the indoor pool at Berghotel Rehlegg with the lovely views through the windows and a swim in the outdoor pool at the Alpenhof.

The combination of Salzburg, the Bavarian Alps and Munich gave us a wonderful mix of history, culture, music, exercise and nature.  All of Inntravel's hotels were of very high standard.... and we especially loved being pampered at the two hotels in the Alps.  

Great holiday if you like a good walk with some lovely spa facilities at the end of each da. Tag on some cultural stuff in Munich and/or Salzburg for the complete experience!

A lovely introduction to the Bavarian area culture and cuisine. Two lovely hotels with good facilities.

Beautiful scenery and a very good variety of things to do and see, combining walking, history, culture, music and scope for relaxation. The hotel facilities, meals and levels of service in the Bavarian hotels were excellent.

A thoroughly enjoyable holiday as always with Inntravel. We booked an additional day at each of the hotels and so were able to experience all the options. We walked to the Blaueishutte on our first day because of a favourable weather forecast and this being the most challenging of the walks found the remainder fairly easy by comparison.

Where Eagles Soar is a fantastic way to experience Bavaria. The detailed walking instructions were so much fun to follow. We were so impressed with the Bavarian signage at every junction. And a bonus were the benches at regular intervals for resting.  There were some long steep inclines that require a good level of physical fitness. We would rate the itinerary at a 3-4. We liked finding the huts along the way where we enjoyed Hot Chocolate and Apple streuse. All 3 hotels were exceptional. Friendly, helpful staff. Great food. We especially liked the afternoon cakes offered at Ramsau and Konigssee hotels. We would recommend this itinerary and would suggest adding additional nights at each of the hotels.

A Tyrolean Treat was a great way to experience Tirol. The hotel was exceptional. We enjoyed an upgrade to a junior suite. The food was wonderful except for the afternoon cake which was not as good as the desserts after dinner. We liked the free cable car up to Elfer. We especially liked the nice walk to Neustift to find the cable car. The hut above Elfer is worth the extra effort to get up there.  

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our walks Where Eagles Soar and A Tyrolean Treat

It was an excellent holiday with all three hotels offering great service and food and being situated in beautiful locations. I think our favourite walk was the one from the second to third hotels despite having light rain for half the time. We did enjoy all the other walks too and found the paths easy to navigate and quiet (apart from thise around the Konigsee).

If you do the Predigstuhl walk from the first hotel it's worth going to the telecabin ticket office before exploring Bad Reichenhall as you have to buy a ticket for a particular time. We wandered around first and then had to wait an hour before we could ascend the mountain.

Really enjoyable holiday with great walking and good hotels.

Alpenhotel Hundsreitlehen in a beautiful setting, smaller and run by a friendly and helpful family.   Berghotel Rehlegg and Alpenhof both have excellent facilities with swimming pools and sauna.

Walking notes were good, signposting is frequent and clear, and info on public transport all accurate and worked.  Walking highlight sitting drinking home-made apple juice at Mordaualm between Biscofswiesen and Ramsau.  Walking challenges for us were the descents from Predisgtstuhl and from Grunsteinhutte, but all doable.

Hint for electric car owners - recharging at Alpenhotel Hundsreitlehen v-e-r-y s-l-o-w, better to get a taxi to pick your car up while at the Alpenhof and recharge there.

The entire trip was fantastic! From the homely feel and incredible views of the first hotel, to the sensational indoor pool at the second and the all-round brilliantness of the final hotel, we loved every minute and weren't ready to come home. The weather was absolutely boiling and some of the days were just too hot for us to walk so we asked to travel with our luggage to the hotels and didn't have any issues at all with this; everyone was extremely helpful and accommodating. A special mention needs to go to the staff at the Alpenhof hotel in Schonau am Konigssee. They were all so incredibly helpful and made our stay really special. Also, the Gasthaus Windbeutelbaron was brilliant and the Watzmann cake was a great experience. Be sure to share it, it's huge!

One lesson we learnt was to trust in the walk notes. On our first walk we expected to come upon each new instruction far quicker so we had to trust that we just needed to give it a bit of time and distance and the directions rarely failed us. There were just two occasions where we were confused but the first time was our fault and we believe the second was because the surroundings may have changed slightly in the 5 years since the notes were written. If you're walking in the height of summer make sure you take plenty of water. We learnt the hard way! There's a lot of intense ascents and you will drink a lot so make sure you have lots.

We'll definitely be heading back, probably in the winter next time because the Alpenhof hotel definitely needs to be experienced in the snow!

Inntravel have been brilliant from start to finish. We'll definitely be enjoying more Inntravel holidays in the future!

We've spent some time in the French Alps but never their Bavarian equivalent and the scenery was stunning. It was very hot while we were there, so we were thankful for much of the walks being through forest, even if that meant we didn't get the same views - but when we did, they were fantastic! The walks felt just about the right length and challenge, and it was lovely to be able to take a break at restaurants along the way for some coffee and cake. We liked all the hotels - all in beautiful settings - but our favourite was the one in Ramsau, and being able to relax by the pool at the end of the walk was perfect. Sitting outside there for dinner with views over the hills just added to the sense of relaxation.

Excellent holiday in a comparatively little-known but very beautiful area. Very friendly and welcoming people, including at all the hotels, which were comfortable with good facilities.

This was a fantastic trip, one of the best Inntravel walking holidays we’ve done. The scenery and walks were excellent and well thought out. But so were all the hotels. The very comfortable Alpenhotel Hundsreitelhen at Bischofsweissen deserves a shout for its understated gem, relaxed and friendly charm, located high above the valley with magnificent views. We scheduled extra nights at the Berghotel Rehlegg in Ramsau which was an excellent decision. This meant we could have a chilled day by the really superb outdoor (and indoor) swimming pools and spa facilities, as a thunderstorm passed through. It also meant we could do all the walks in the Ramsau area suggested. This really was a lovely hotel. The transfer walk from Ramsau to Konigssee was challenging, but we cobbled it together over two days; first by walking from the hotel to take in the Wimbach Gorge itself and then doubling back with the map via the Hutte at Gersteit and then along the described (if in reversed) lovely panoramic high path back to the hotel. The next day we walked over to Konigssee. The walk up to the Alpenhof is definitely a sting in the tail after a long day - and we later discovered that the information centre in Konigssee, which you walk past, can order you a taxi for this last 2.5km (a top tip). The Alpenhof again was lovely, as were all the walks (although we didn’t bother with the Eagles Nest as the Documentation Centre at the bottom was closed, probably for the rest of the year). Punching through the cloud in the cable car to the top of Jenner was stunning, and gave unprecedented views of all we had covered over the week and beyond, and a marvellous walk down througth beautiful wild flowers.

A particular highlight was the area around Ramsau and the Berghotel Rehlegg. Fabulous walking based at a stunning hotel.

Lake Achensee - as part of a much longer trip, a full week in a beautiful hotel with very personalised service, no packing and unpacking and a delicious dinner every night was a delight - not to mention the routine of a different challenging walk each day, followed by a pre-dinner swim, steam and bake in the extensive 'wellness' facilities. Given the inclusions, this holiday is excellent value.  

Eagles Nest - a varied and interesting series of walks and exceptional accomodation.  Well worth adding some extra nights to cover the range of walks available and to provide some flexibility for the odd day of bad weather as at each stop there was something else to do if the weather did not encourage walking.

Lake Maggiore to Lake Lugano - the first shock is being warmly greeted at the first hotel in Italian and this trip continues to feel as it you have almost, but not quite, arrived in Italy.  Do make sure you take the cable car and walk to Mount Lema and surrounds, where you look into the Italian Alps and the phone company can't decide which country you are in.  And if you have the chance, ride the Treno Gottardo from Basel to Locano to start the walk - the new Gotthard Base Tunnel may well be an engineering marvel but it is no substitute for the old scenic route taken by the slow train.