By road
The most direct route by road is via the Dover–Ostend channel crossing, then by the motorway system to Munich and into Austria at Kufstein, followed by the short drive up the Inn valley to Jenbach and Mayrhofen. An alternative route goes from Dover by Lille to Luxembourg, then to Saarbrucken, Pirmasens, Bad Bergzabern, Karlsruhl, Stuttgart, Munich, Kufstein, Jenbach and Mayrhofen.
With more than one driver it is just about possible to get to Mayrhofen within 24hrs from Calais or Ostend. Whatever your chosen route, consult with your motoring organisation before setting out.
It is also important, when parking your car, to consider the return journey and getting back to it, as this is not always easy if you are forced to drop down into another valley (more likely on the ZSTT). It may be best to leave your car in Innsbruck or Jenbach, or one of the other major villages that has good bus or railway connections to and from Mayrhofen.
The following motor organisation websites provide useful information – www.adac.de and www.oeamfc.at.
Getting back
For those travelling by air, the last day of your vacation needs to be devoted to making the journey home. The journey time from Mayrhofen to Munich airport is around 2½hrs, to Salzburg 2hr, and to Innsbruck 2hr.
The first train from Mayrhofen to Jenbach is at 06.30, then there are services roughly every ½hr from 06.50 onwards.
The earliest train from Jenbach to Munich is at 08.07, with services at 09.02 and 10.57. Remember to change trains at Munchen Ost and get on the regional shuttle-train service S8 marked ‘Flughafen’.
From Jenbach the train times to Salzburg are roughly every two hours – 09.26, 10.02 and 11.26.
Accommodation in the valley
A typical street scene in Mayrhofen
There is no shortage of good places to stay in Mayrhofen and the Zillertal, as the whole district is geared to tourism and catering for visitors.
Hotels
In Mayrhofen, the main centre of the Zillertal, hotels tend to cater for the tourist trade, and accommodation is more expensive here than in the surrounding villages, but there is an abundance of guest houses and small hotels in the area where climbers and walkers may feel more at home. If you are not bothered about nightlife, then there are good bargains in the villages of Fugen, Kaltenbach, Zell am Ziller and Ramsau. The Hotel Poste in Jenbach, and the same in Kaltenbach, is recommended. Anyone booking hut accommodation over the internet will find that many huts have family connections with guest houses and hotels in the valley, and they will be happy to make recommendations.
For those wishing to stay in Mayrhofen, the Siegelerhof Gastehof, opposite the conference centre and main Tourist Information Office, is within 5mins walk of the railway station. It is managed by the Hausberger family, who provide good, clean, inexpensive bed and breakfast accommodation (tel 0043 5285 62493 or 62424, email [email protected], www.hotel-siegelerhof.at).
For accommodation in Steinach am Brenner (for the ZSTT) and Salzburg, see Appendix B. Should you need to stay in Innsbruck, hotels can be booked from the tourist information centre at the railway station located on the lower ground floor of the ticket hall (see Appendix B for recommended places to stay in the area).
Campsites
Those with a car will find good sites on the outskirts of Mayrhofen (camping Kroell, tel 0043 5285 62580), at Schlitters, Kaltenbach (camping Hochzillertal, tel 0043 6507 333398), Zell am Ziller (camping Hoffer, tel 0043 5282 2248) and Laubichl. See [email protected]. Groups intending to camp should enquire from the campsite warden about reduced fees while they are away. This is referred to as leeres zelt.
Youth hostels
There is no youth hostel (Verein Volkshaus) in Mayrhofen. The nearest hostel is in Innsbruck, located some 15mins walk on the northern site of the River Inn (email [email protected], www.jgh.volkshaus-ibk.at; see Appendix B for more details).
The Zillertal valley and Mayrhofen
From its entrance at Strass to its head at Mayrhofen, the 50km Zillertal valley is everything Tyrolean, with pretty chalet-style houses and organised charm. To the east the valley is bounded by the Kitzbuehler Alpen, while to the west are the lesser peaks of the Tuxer Alpen. Further up the valley lie the charming villages of Schlitters, Fugen-Hart, Kaltenbach-Stumm, Zell am Ziller, Hippach-Ramsau and lastly Mayrhofen – the Zillertal’s main village-cum-town and commercial centre, with the main peaks of the Zillertal mountains at its head.
The delightful town of Mayrhofen is one of the main holiday resorts in the Tyrol, wholly geared up for summer and winter tourism to suit all tastes and budgets. However, development came late to Mayrhofen, as it is located some 50km up a dead-end valley in the middle of nowhere, isolated from the main communication links of the Inn valley. While the Romans showed interest, and various wandering tribes came and went, the problems of access for trade always made it difficult for settlements to establish themselves in the valley.
Named after a few farms at the head of the valley, Mayrhofen started to feature in rural affairs at the start of the 18th century, mainly in relation to farming and as a good place to hunt and collect minerals. This isolation was no defence during the Napolenic wars of 1809, and the Zillertal menfolk picked up their arms and opted to fight for Tyrolean independence against the French and Bavarians with the folklore hero Andreas Hofer. Sadly this fight was lost and resulted in the Tyrol being ruled by the Bavarians for the next few years. By 1816 Napoleon had been defeated. The Tyrol was handed back to its rightful owners, with all the provinces united under the Royal Household of Emperor Franz Joseph I.
With the war over, almost another 50 years would pass before tourism and mountain wandering became part of the local economy with the establishment of the Austrian Alpine Club (OeAV) in 1862 and the opening of the Berliner Hut in 1879. Construction of the railway in 1902, which was built initially to support forestry and the transportation of minerals and magnesite ore from the lucrative mines of Hintertux, opened up the Zillertal valley immensely. Since then Mayrhofen has grown steadily through the wealth created by the Zillertal valley from agriculture, farming and forestry – but above all through tourism.
Activities for poor weather days
Mayrhofen, and the Zillertal in general, can be a rather miserable place should you be unfortunate enough to have indifferent weather, for the clouds just swirl around and refuse to budge from the peaks. Local lore has it that if the Ahorn Sptize has a raised hat, the weather will be good; if the hat is pulled down over his ears, the weather will be bad!
To help keep you entertained, particularly if you have children with you, here are some suggestions for what to do (other than the normal theme park activities) in poor weather.
Rattenberg This small, delightful medieval town with timber-framed quirky buildings and cobbled streets is famous for handmade glass. Take the train to Jenbach then the local bus service to Brixlegg and Rattenberg.
Schwaz (medieval silver mine) Take the train to Jenbach, then the regional train heading to Innsbruck, and get off at Schwaz; thereafter it’s a short walk to the visitor centre (see www.silberbergwerk.at).
Zillerbach River (white-water rafting) Great in the rain when the Zillerbach river is in flood; reservation offices in Mayrhofen.
Klettersteige It needs to be dry, but anyone armed with climbing tackle may find some consolation in indifferent weather by trying the Klettersteige