Obergurgl Bus Trip

Description: Obergurgl and the Oetz Valley
Location: Tyrol
Duration: full day

Obergurgl lies at the end of the longest side valley off the main Inn valley - over 70 kilometres in length. Stretching from the main valley though to the Italian border, part of the attraction of the Ötz valley (the Ötztal) is the high mountain scenery which is normally only found by experienced alpine walkers.

The valley includes the highest road border crossing in the Alps, as well as one of the highest roads in Europe, and is surrounded on all sides by peaks over 3000 metres in height.

From the Seefeld plateau, the route descends via Mösern to Telfs and then along the main Inn valley, passing Stams monastery and the pilgrimage church of Locherboden along the way. At Ötztal Bahnhof, the route turns to the south and into the lowest level of the Ötz valley.

The valley is characterised by its steep mountains on either side and the frequent gorges which sparate the climbs from one level to another. The town of Ötz lies on the first level and gives its name to the valley - although the village of Längenfeld is actually larger. Many of the tours make an afternoon stop in Ötz and it is worth walking into the side streets off the main road to see some of the beautiful paintings on the houses. Alternatively, in good weather, rafters are often to be seen starting on the river route from Ötz to Haiming.

A climb to the next level brings the villages of Umhausen and Tumpen - areas which have been prone to flooding and mudslides in bad weather. Behind Umhausen, the Stuiben Falls are the highest in the Tirol. Nearby, the Ötzi-Dorf is a recreation of how Ice Age settlers in the area may have lived - based on the discovery of an Ice Age mummy in the glaciers near the Italian border over ten years ago.

Längenfeld, on the next level, is known as the birthplace of Franz Senn - one of the founders of the Alpine Club - and is followed by Sölden, a well known winter sports resort, whose glacier road offers one of the most spectacular journeys in the Alps. A toll road rises to nearly 2600 metres and the foot of the Rettenbach and Tiefenbach glaciers - it is possible to step off the bus and onto the snow without getting on a lift.

From Sölden the road rises through the hamlet of Zwieselstein to the village of Obergurgl - a village popular for its snowsure skiing and exclusive hotels. The village was put on map in the 1930s when Swiss explorer Auguste Piccard crashlanded on the glacier above the village on his attempt to break the altitude record over the Alps in a hot air balloon.

Please note that we do not operate or organise any excursions described on this site - they are usually run by British tour companies - and are unable to give any booking information for them as times and dates are only arranged at the start of the summer!

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