AUSTRIA

In Austria, walking is less of a hobby and more of a national soul-searching exercise. With over 50,000 kilometers of meticulously marked trails, the country is essentially a giant, open-air gym with better views and significantly more cheese.

The Austrian Alpine Club (Österreichischer Alpenverein) was founded in 1862. This was a game-changer for walkiing culture in Austria. It moved mountaineering from a niche pursuit for the wealthy bourgeoisie to a structured national pastime. The club began building the network of mountain huts (Hütten) and marking trails that exist today. Later Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth (Sisi) popularised the “summer retreat” (Sommerfrische). Their love for the mountains near Bad Ischl and Gastein made alpine walking fashionable for the aristocracy and emerging middle class.

Austria’s walking infrastructure is a masterclass in alpine efficiency, guided by a standardised system of red-white-red trail markers that mirror the national flag and yellow directional signage providing precise walking times. This network is supported by over 200 managed mountain huts, which transform the concept of a “shelter” into a high-altitude culinary experience featuring cold beer and traditional Tiroler Gröstl. For those preferring to skip the grueling vertical ascents, the summer operation of “Wanderbahns”, ski lifts repurposed for hikers, allows for immediate access to high-altitude plateaus, facilitating a culture of Genusswandern, or “pleasure hiking,” where the focus remains on the scenery rather than the struggle.

When you encounter a local on a path, the standard greeting isn’t “Hello”, it’s “Grüß Gott” (God greet you) or a cheery “Servus!” If you’re above the tree line, it often shifts to a more casual “Grias di!” (Greeting to you).