Castles and fortresses, emerald mountain lakes and breathtaking gorges, picturesque valleys and historic paths, butterflies and scorpions – Austria’s Starkenberg Panorama Trail (Starkenberger Panoramaweg) is a magnificent hike in the footsteps of a mediaeval noble family.

The trail leads through the Oberinntal and Gurgltal valleys in Tyrol for 85 kilometres (53 mi), between the city of Landeck and the town of Ehrwald. You’ll start in the Inn Valley, where you pass two imposing castles and enjoy the picturesque Tyrolean landscape.

At the town of Imst, you’ll enter the Gurgltal valley and on through a variety of deep gorges and beautiful forests. You pass Starkenberg Castle and the fairytale-like Fernstein Castle. You’ll cross the Fern Pass on the historic Via Claudia Augusta Roman path, which takes you past several paradisiacal mountain lakes. As you hike, keep a lookout for wildlife as rare animals thrive here, including many species of butterflies and birds – and even scorpions.

From the 13th to the mid-15th century, the Starkenbergs were a powerful and influential noble family in the Tyrolean Oberland and what is now South Tyrol. Among other places, they resided in Tarrenz in Gurgltal, where Starkenberg Castle stood above the valley. This fell into ruin after it was replaced by Neustarkenberg Castle in the 14th century. Beer has been brewed there since 1810 and still bears the name of the noble family.

The route begins and ends at a railway station and mainly runs along mountain paths above the valley with great views. Forest paths alternate with mostly easy hiking trails. Due to its proximity to the valley, this hike is a good option for anyone doing a multi-day hike for the first time. You can enjoy the comfort of accommodation in the valley, pass shopping facilities again and again and plan your hike flexibly.

In this Collection, I’ve divided the route into five stages which always end somewhere with accommodation. You’ll even spend one night in a castle, in keeping with the blue-blooded theme of the hike. An alternative variant for the end of the first and the beginning of the second stage can also be found in this Collection.

The proximity to the valley also makes the Starkenberg Panorama Trail more flexible in terms of time than other long-distance hikes in the Alps. The conditions on the trails are usually good from April to October. On hot summer days, the beautiful mountain forests provide shade and you’ll always pass lakes and Kneipp facilities where you can cool off.

On this trail, you’ll follow historical traces through a breathtaking mountain landscape. This hike offers you wonderful views, mediaeval sights and Tyrolean delicacies that taste better than ever after a long day hiking.