After being cooped up inside during lockdown, like many of us, I found solace in being outdoors. Whether that was a simple stroll in the woods or hiking up a mountain, just being out in the fresh air brought me joy. And so, when I arrived in Montafon in the Vorarlberg region of Austria I was ready for more – and I wasn’t disappointed!
I visited Montafon as part of the Propel Conference arranged by Captivate Digital Media, Visit Vorarlberg and Mein Montafon. All opinions are my own.
Where is Montafon & Why Visit?
Montafon is a 39 km long valley in Vorarlberg, around 1 hour’s drive from Feldkirch and an hour and a half from Bregenz on the shore of Lake Constance (known as Bodensee).
The river Ill which runs through the valley is surrounded by mountains, and in the winter the ski resorts of Silvretta Montafon, Golm, Gargellen, Silbertal-Kristberg and Silvretta-Bielerhöhe are popular destinations for winter sports.
In warmer weather, the area has some fantastic hiking trails, and it is the perfect place to combine outdoor adventure with relaxation and wellness.
Want More Austria Travel Tips?
Check out these blog posts for your Austria vacation inspiration, or click here to read all my Austria blog posts.What is Wellness?
For me, wellness is basically self-care but not just taking some time for yourself. It’s about taking care of all aspects of your body and mind. So, relaxation, exercise, good food and fresh mountain air in this case!
Wellness Hotels in Montafon
It seems like every hotel in Montafon is based around wellness. Most have their own restaurants, and many have leisure and wellness facilities varying from a simple swimming pool to a sauna, fitness centre and massage rooms.
Sporthotel Grandau
We stayed at the Sporthotel Grandau in St.Gallenkirch, a fabulous family-run hotel that I loved. Yvonne and her husband Milko have created a wonderfully quirky hotel with bags of personality – and a very cute labrador called Adam who is often lounging around reception.
The bedrooms are spacious and comfortable, taking influences from the natural world and Alpine hospitality. There are even tree-like branches reaching up to the roof to bring the outdoors inside.
Accommodation at the Sporthotel Grandau varies in size from single rooms to four-bedroom houses and deluxe suites. All rooms are en-suite and have balconies to get more of that glorious fresh air. I also enjoyed the little details like some trail mix and fruit provided in the rooms so you have some snacks for your day’s activities.
The hotel had everything we could possibly need. The restaurant was excellent – so much so that we dined here for two nights in a row! The breakfast buffet was also top-notch, with a wide variety of foods including fresh fruit, a juicing station, cereals, granola and yoghurt, bread, jams, marmalades, a cheese board and hot items like scrambled eggs and sausages. A perfect start to a day of hiking.
In the evening, when we returned there was time to hit the spa. There were several different saunas in the hotel, including a salt sauna, a Finnish sauna, steam bath and samarium, as well as an indoor swimming pool.
After steaming away our aches and pains, there is a chill-out area with loungers and an outdoor terrace to soak up the views which would be lovely in the summer. Upstairs from the main spa area are treatment rooms where you can book a massage. I had a 30-minute massage which was well worth the €32 to receive the care and attention from the masseuse that my body sorely needed!
The combination of a plethora of outdoor activities nearby and plenty of self-care and relaxation spaces as well as delicious food make Sporthotel Grandau a perfect place for wellness in Vorarlberg. With all the stresses of the pandemic, I needed some time to relax and unwind and felt immediately comfortable here!
Hiking in Montafon
Getting outdoors in Montafon is a wonderful experience, whatever the season. In the winter months, Montafon like many of the mountainous areas of Vorarlberg is a ski destination, with pistes suitable for all levels of skiers and snowboarders. Before the snow comes though, there are hundreds of hiking trails to enjoy.
We spent two days hiking in Montafon and even tried our hand at a via ferrata, another popular activity here. Hikes vary from easy walks on flat terrain that is suitable for children and strollers, to more challenging hikes and even scaling mountains.
There is 1,161 km of hiking trails in Montafon, so there is plenty of choice for your hikes! These are the two different trails we hiked, to give you some ideas. For more information on Montafon hiking routes, check out the Mein Montafon tourism website here.
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Silvretta Stausee Lake Walk
This gorgeous turquoise blue reservoir, fed from nearby glacier water, is a picturesque and easy circular walk. The walk takes around two hours to complete, and there are restaurants at the end (or start) where you can reward yourself with a cool drink or some tasty food and sit back and admire the view even longer.
The walk itself is no less than incredible. In the distance, the glacier and mountain peaks of Piz Buin provide a spectacular backdrop. There are plenty of places to stop and admire the view and to take photographs, and there were people fishing and other families enjoying the lake.
At Silvretta, you can also arrange a via ferrata adventure up the wall of the dam that encloses the lake, and there are more challenging hiking trails that leave the lake and head further into the mountains, including up to Piz Buin.
I wrote a whole separate blog post about this beautiful place, so take a look here for more information about Silvretta Stausee Reservoir.
Muttjöchle Hike in Kristberg
Our second day of hiking in Montafon was more challenging. I am quite used to walking along flat routes, but the Muttjöchle hike in Kristberg pushed my legs and my knees to a different kind of breaking point!
After my backpacking trip to Peru when I hiked to Machu Picchu and Colca Canyon in the space of a week, my knees have never been the same. This walk is about two hours uphill to an incredible viewpoint, and then returning via the same path.
So, this hike is for more experienced hikers, and is not recommended for strollers. Young children would probably also struggle on this route but there is an easier route to the Muttjöchle peak from the other side of the mountain, so we did see several families at the top.
Despite finding the walk quite difficult, I can’t deny how beautiful it was. We visited Vorarlberg in September when the footpaths were surrounded with reds, golds and browns from cranberry and blueberry bushes, bearing fruit that we could nibble along the way.
We parked the car in Silbertal, opposite the Montafoner Kristbergbahn Silbertal cable car which whisked us up to Kristberg where we began our hike. Silbertal is named after the silver which used to be mined here, and there is a friendly miner character who welcomes kids to Kristberg, as well as a sculpture reminding visitors of the mining heritage here.
We set off along the trail, climbing up through a forest and winding our way through tall pine trees – led by our fabulous guide Monica. Along the way she pointed out interesting landmarks we could see, as well as plants and anything else we came across on our path.
Our destination was a giant cross, positioned on a peak, surrounded by breath-taking views of valleys and mountains in every direction. We found a spot to sit down and got out our lunch boxes filled with cured meats, jerky, cheese and Milka chocolate. I could get very used to Austrian hiking snacks!
Once we’d had our fill of food and views (although I would have been happy to stay here all day soaking up the sunshine) it was time to head back to Kristberg. We set off back the way we came, walking downhill all the way back to the starting point.
If you’re not big on hiking, the cable car is still worth taking as the views from here are gorgeous. There are a couple of restaurants here to have a meal before you head back down the mountainside – after our hike we tucked into a delicious meal of local specialities at the Panoramagasthof Kristberg which I highly recommend!
We shared a starter of different sura kees then I ordered a deer stew with dumplings which was delightful. Feeling stuffed but not wanting to miss out on dessert we ordered a poppyseed dumpling with custard and kaiserschmarrn pancakes to share.
After admiring the small chapel next to the restaurant, and stretching our tired legs, we hopped back into the cable car and headed back to the Sporthotel Grandau.
I left early the next morning for a flight back to England, feeling tired but rejuvenated at the same time. This trip to Vorarlberg had been just what I needed for my first trip abroad in 18 months. Fresh air, fun, and a good dollop of wellness in Vorarlberg!