Mountain Breakfast: Start Your Day the Austrian Way
What a treat to start the day in peace and quiet after a short bike trip or hike with breakfast at lofty heights, magnificent views included!
Say hello to the first rays of sunshine and enjoy mountain and lake panoramas over delicious food: If starting the day with breakfast on a hut or alpine pasture sounds like your cup of tea, try one of the many Austrian mountain inns and taverns serving hearty delights made of homemade and regional organic products.
VORARLBERG: IN THE LIGHT OF THE MORNING SUN
During the summer months mountain inns and farmed alpine pastures all over Vorarlberg offer a selection of tasty mountain breakfast options. Start your day or regenerate with some delicious treats after a morning hike or bike. Wherever you decide to go, it’s highly recommended to book in advance.
· Situated at 1,680 metres, Frööd, a modern restaurant at the mountain station of the panorama cable car in Brandnertal, offers a variety of daily à la carte breakfasts. On certain dates, guests can enjoy a breakfast buffet on the sun terrace or under the shelter of the roof.
· Every Wednesday from June to September, Andrea Schwarzmann prepares an alpine breakfast using her own farm products plus regional ones at Alpe Steris in the Grosses Walsertal Biosphere Park. The Alpe can either be reached in one and a half to two hours on foot (or less on a bike) or by “alpbus”.
· The "Kultur.Frühstück.Montafon" (Culture.Breakfast.Montafon) made up of specialities like Montafon "Sura Kees" (a spicy lean cheese), bacon, fresh milk and butter is a daily treat served on the sun terrace of the panoramic Kristberg restaurant at 1,425 metres above sea level. Guests can afterwards head on a guided tour of the nearby St. Agatha Chapel.
MORE BREAKFAST OPTIONS IN VORARLBERG
INNSBRUCK: ALPINE BRUNCH AT LOFTY HEIGHTS
Innsbruck's local mountain, the Patscherkofel (2,246 m) is easily accessible from the city by bus and cable car. It is not only popular with bikers and hikers, but also with foodies. Das Kofel, a restaurant with glass walls at the mountain station and the nearby Schutzhaus am Patscherkofel, both at an altitude of roughly 2,000 m, are perfect to stop for breakfast. From Wednesday to Sunday guests can also book breakfast in the gourmet gondola, featuring a table and benches for up to four people. In addition to the rich selection, breakfast lovers will enjoy the beautiful view as they ascend and descend.
The Almgasthaus Boscheben at 2,035 metres above sea level can be reached via an easy trail in 45 minutes on foot (and significantly less on a bike) from the Patscherkofel mountain station.
Heading to the Nordkette? Well known for its modern ambience and new take on Tyrolean cuisine, Umbrüggler Alm 1,123 metres above sea level is easy to reach on foot (or two wheels) from both the Hungerburg funicular station and the city centre. The breakfast menu is all about regional products and refined dishes. There’s a multi-course brunch on weekends, featuring all kinds of treats from scrambled eggs with bacon to homemade bread.
MORE BREAKFAST OPTIONS AROUND INNSBRUCK
TIROL: WIPPTAL VALLEY'S FAMOUS MOUNTAIN BREAKFAST
Tirol’s Wipptal Valley just south of Innsbruck stretches all the way to the Brenner Pass. Foodies will love the so-called “Wipptal Mountain Breakfast”, an initiative highlighting regional products.
One of the participants is the Berggasthof Steckholzer inn in Vals-Padaun, an organic farm run by Martina and Daniel Wolf. Choose from fresh bread, homemade butter, jam, homemade cakes, eggs, sausage, and bacon, all produced on-site.
MORE BREAKFAST OPTIONS IN WIPPTAL VALLEY
SALZBURGERLAND: BREAKFAST AT "THE VALLEY OF ALPINE PASTURES"
Grossarltal Valley features a network of around 400 km of hiking and biking trails, leading to 40 managed alpine pastures (open from May to October). And it almost goes without saying that the hosts love to spoil their guests with homemade delicacies, think freshly baked farmhouse bread, various types of cheese, butter, curd cheese, yoghurt, bacon, and sausages.
A particularly beautiful spot is the Filzmoosalm at 1,710 m in the rear section of the Ellmautal Valley. Bettina and Manfred Huber serve raw milk, alpine butter, cheese, curd cheese, yoghurt, home-baked bread and meat right from their farm. Please not that there’s no electricity or phone reception at the remote restaurant.
SALZKAMMERGUT: BREAKFAST WITH A VIEW OF THREE LAKES
The one-hour morning hike from St. Gilgen to the Lärchenhütte on the Zwölferhorn at 1,050 m has a special charm. At the top, a delicious breakfast with a stunning view of Lake Wolfgangsee, Lake Krottensee and Lake Mondsee awaits.
Martin and Lisi Oberlohr and their team use products from small regional businesses for their breakfast menu, including crispbread, jams and Birchermüsli, farmhouse bread, butter, cheese, ham, eggs, sheep's milk yoghurt, honey, fruit, and fruit juices. The white sausage (Weisswurst) breakfast with fresh pretzels is especially popular.
Tip: The Lärchenhütte can also be reached by Zwölferhorn cable car – walk downhill for about half an hour from the mountain station.
As always, we are happy to assist you in planning your research trip. Please get in touch at pressuk@austria.info.
