Hiking with Kids in Austria
Hiking trails for families

Hiking is a great and memorable family holiday activity. Need suggestions? Check out our favourite kid-friendly trails.

Fancy an outdoorsy family day? Hiking is a great way to get your little ones connected to nature at a young age while bonding as a family over fun and memorable experiences. Add all the beautiful landscapes you will discover and the bonus of exercising in fresh air and you might even consider it as a mission to turn your offspring into dedicated hikers and backpackers for many years to come.

However, hiking with kids in tow is slightly different from heading out solo or together with fellow adults. Firstly, keep in mind you will have to slow your pace. Secondly, kids prefer to explore the trail rather than just walk from point A to point B. And thirdly, you might need to come up with some games along the way to keep them motivated.

To make things easier, many Austrian regions offer designated family trails these days, with interactive stations, playgrounds, picknick spots and a lot more.

The 6 most beautiful themed hiking trails for children

Muntafuner Gaglawege

Adventure awaits: Equipped with backpack, binoculars and compass, the little ones set off in search of clues in the Montafon.

Fisser Gonde nature theme trail

The circular trail in Tirol leads past mighty boulders and to knowledge stations, puzzles and a viewpoint.

Stubai tree house trail

The Tirolean tree house trail is modelled on a "dwarf dwelling" and invites you to climb, romp and discover. Find the hidden treasure map!

Sattelberg - the "children's mountain" in Ramsau

15 stations provide information about the environment and nature. Discover the hidden treasures along the Styrian hiking route!

Blockheide Nature Park

The Waldviertel Nature Park is home to fascinating wobbly stones and stone giants. Particularly exciting: The stone labyrinth and the viewing tower.

Schnackler Adventure Trail

Children follow the story of local mascot "Schnackler", a young shepherd, on this hiking trail in Tirol's Kaiserbach valley. Playing stations along the way included.

4 water hikes with children

Hiking in the Tscheppaschlucht gorge

There is a lot to discover here: Rare flowers, waterfalls and suspension bridges with a great view - 1.5 kilometres long.

Hiking around Lake Gosau

A fine circular trail: The walk leads along steep rock faces, partly in the forest and past clear streams - 4.2 kilometres long.

The Breitachklamm gorge tour

A natural gem: The well-maintained trail leads along impressive views of the wild water and steep rock faces - 6.2 kilometres in length.

The Wild Water Trail

Experience water in all its forms: Springs, lakes and waterfalls. Suspension bridges lead over the floods. What a nature experience!

3 long-distance hiking routes for adventurous families

Family trekking Großarltal

A three-day hike from Hut to hut. With child-friendly daily stages and a walking time of three to four hours, children from the age of four can easily manage this hike.

Johnsbacher Almenrunde

The tour leads along scenic paths to four mountain huts, which can be hiked individually or as a leisurely loop.

3-day family tour Alpbachtal

On the way from Alpbach to the Pinzgerhof and back, you can splash around in the refreshing waters of the Höslacke and pet the animals on the farms. A highlight: An overnight stay in a rustic wooden hut.

Motivation Boost: Keeping Children Happy on Hikes

Are little legs feeling heavy and motivation running low? With these tips, kids will quickly forget they didn’t want to take another step!

  • Sing hiking songs and hold competitions: How many steps until the next bend? Who can find a word that rhymes with ‘squirrel’?

  • Add in balance exercises along the way: Balancing on logs, hopping, or weaving through a slalom.

  • Climbing on boulders and wood piles.

  • Skimming stones by a stream.

  • A picnic at the next bench.

Checklist for your kid's backpack

Make sure that the backpack matches your kid's size and is not heavier than 10% of his or her body weight.

  • Rain protection

  • Reusable bottle, filled with water or tea

  • Small sandwiches or muesli bars

  • Sun cap or hat

  • Fleece vest

  • Extra t-shirt and socks

  • Sun protection

Hiking with a stroller

Families with strollers make great progress on these trails.

Vorarlberg

Play by the stream and in nature, visit and pet animals. These hiking and walking trails are suitable for strollers.

Tirol

There are a whole series of easy tours here that are perfect for strollers. Easy does not mean boring.

Upper Austria

These hikes in Upper Austria come very easy or easy and include educational trails as well as themed paths.

The most beautiful family hiking trails in the provinces

Carinthia
Lower Austria
Upper Austria
SalzburgerLand
Styria
Tirol
Vorarlberg

FAQ

To make a family hike a success for everyone, it's essential to take your kids' abilities and interests into account when planning a tour. Keep in mind that hikes always have to be adapted to the weakest members of the group - in that case, this would be your children, especially the little ones.

So, how long can you hike with kids in tow? While times may vary depending on individuals, there are a few rules of thumb to follow:

  • Up to the age of 6, children shouldn't hike for more than 3 or 4 hours.

  • Primary school kids can manage an average of 5 hours.

  • If you hike with teenagers aged 10 to 14, the tour should take a maximum of 7 hours.

How to get children excited about nature?

Hiking is a wonderful way to teach children about protecting nature through play, helping them understand its value.

Nature as an adventure: Show them nature is an adventure playground we must care for, discovering plants, animals, and woodland paths along the way.

Environmental lessons: Discuss the importance of avoiding litter and respecting nature while hiking.

Conserving resources: Teach them to save water, sort waste, and make conscious choices.

Personal responsibility: Collect litter together and explain their role in protecting the environment.

Fun and creativity: Create nature art, keep environmental journals—making learning about nature fun and memorable.