We visited the small community of Nauders on the Reschen Pass in Austria. Here in the Tyrolean mountains lies the small mountain village of 1500 souls at an altitude of 1394 meters and borders directly on Italy and Switzerland. It is not without reason that the Nauders region is also referred to as the "border triangle". Whether biking, horseback riding, hiking trail, climbing, rafting, paragliding, kitesurfing or canyoning, in summer you are spoiled for choice. In today's post, we'll tell you our best tips for Nauders and show you what awaits you here at the Reschen Pass. Enjoy browsing!

The highlights in Nauders at the Reschenpass

In the following map we have marked the most important spots of our trip for you. Of course there is so much more to discover, but unfortunately we didn't have enough time. Since we lost an entire day due to heavy rain, we had to shorten some of the tours the next day. Nevertheless, we had a great time in Nauders am Reschenpass and can only recommend this region to you. Have you ever been to Nauders? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments.

1. WALK THROUGH THE MUNICIPALITY OF NAUDERS

After our arrival in Nauders at the Reschenpass and the check-in at the Post Hotel, we first walked through the small town to get a first impression. In the community center there are a few restaurants, hotels and guesthouses, a few shops, a supermarket, a gas station and a pharmacy. The Bergkastelbahn is about a 15-minute walk from Nauders and the Mutzkopf lift is only about 8 minutes.

We strolled past Naudersberg Castle, then kept left and walked above the village to the church and back to our hotel. The road that runs above the village gave us a great view of the small community and the beautiful mountain scenery all around. Nauders itself has just around 1,500 inhabitants, but has around 4,200 guest beds.

2. LUNCH AT THE STIERALM

During our trip, we didn't have the best weather to explore nature at first. Unfortunately, it rained continuously for the first two days and made our exploration tours a bit difficult. But we didn't let the weather stop us and went on a trip to the Stieralm with the e-bikes. From Nauders we drove past the valley station of the Berkastelbahn and after about 1 kilometer turned left onto the forest path in the direction of the Lärchenalm.

We then followed the signs and after about 35 minutes we reached our destination at over 2000 meters. When the weather is nice, the historic Stieralm offers a magnificent view over the valley and Nauders. We particularly liked the modern ambience and the unique wooden construction made of stone pine. Here, where bulls once stood, guests now sit and enjoy culinary delights while enjoying the most beautiful views. By the way: The photo was taken the next day when we drove past it again on our bikes. Hence the good weather!

Menu: Soups, salads, dumplings, Kaiserschmarren, hearty main courses and much more.

Hike: Starting point at the Bergkastelbahn valley station (continue to the anti-tank barriers & Rechensee)

3. BIKE & HIKE ON THE BAZAHLERKOPF

After the rain finally left, we were able to intensively experience and explore the area around Nauders. With our guide we went up early in the morning with the e-mountain bikes in the direction of the Bazahlerkopf.

The path ran first over a paved road and later over a wide forest path through the high forest. We passed the Parditschhof and the Parditsch meadows. Shortly before the Labaunalm we turned left, crossed the river and followed the forest path to a wooden hut with a swing.

We left the bikes there and continued our leisurely hike up to the Bazahlerkopf (2160 m). The view from up there was terrific! Before us rose the mighty Swiss mountains with a height of more than 3,100 m and on the other side the Ötztal Alps.

While our guide picked a few more alpine roses for his wife, we walked across the beautiful flower meadow and enjoyed the stunning view. We actually wanted to take the Edelweißsteig to the escape wall (2,328 m), but unfortunately we didn't have the time due to the "lost rainy day".

Hike via the Edelweißstieg to the escape wall (entrance: path no. 15 b | black-marked trail)

Prerequisite: sure-footedness and a head for heights

Duration: ascent from Bazahlerkopf around 50 minutes

Alternative: summit tour to the "Nauder local mountain" Schmalzkopf (2,728 m)

Refreshment: Labaunalm (summer only; closed on Wednesdays)

4. TRY OUT THE TRAILS AT THE BERGKASTEL BIKE BASE

We took the Bergkastel cable car from the valley station up to the mountain station at 2,200 meters. We were able to hang the bikes outside on the gondola using a special device and so comfortably go upstairs. In addition to the wonderful view of the surrounding mountains, there were other highlights, such as the Goldpark adventure world, the panorama restaurant and the bike base with 4 newly created trails.

The gold park was built from natural materials and offers plenty of activities for children between the ages of 3 and 14. For example, there is a gold digger course, a 5 meter slide tower, a tree carousel, a zip line, a giant sandbox, an air trampoline, water games, a labyrinth, a water wheel and, from July, even a pirate ship. The use of the park is completely free of charge. So the children can go on a discovery tour while the adults relax on the sun terrace of the restaurant.

But we were up there for trail riding and first tested the 4 newly created trails. The bike base is particularly suitable for beginners and newcomers to get a feel for trail riding. Stone fields as well as small jumps and doubles as well as some wooden constructions awaited us. Our guide gave us valuable tips that were very useful for the other trails.

Information about the mountain railways & bike transport:

Goldpark Card from €23 per day (this allows you to use all summer cable cars in Nauders)

3-country enduro bike day ticket from €41 (use all trains & bike transport)

Ascent and descent with the Bergkastel cable car from €21 per day

All prices & tariffs here: Summer tariffs & operating times Nauderer Bergbahnen

5. ZIRM TRAIL ADVENTURE

Marco and our guide then made their way to the starting point of the more demanding Zirmtrail at an altitude of 2,550 m. This can actually be reached comfortably with the Zirmbahn, which was still closed during our visit. So the two of them had to cover the almost 350 meters in altitude independently with a lot of muscle power.

However, they were rewarded with a 6-kilometer trail that winds beautifully through the alpine landscape. It is one of the easiest trails, but also offers a lot of variety. Marco was happy about the wave tracks and curves, some jump and stone field variants as well as the numerous curves.

Around Nauders you can expect cycle paths 2,000 km long and 80,000 meters in altitude in the three countries of Switzerland, Italy and Austria. So you are spoiled for choice and can either go on relaxed (e-) bike tours, jet down flowing trails or explore adventurous mountain bike routes. We can definitely recommend the Bike-Base Bergkastell and the Zirmtrail. It was incredibly fun to try out the different trails.

Information on the recommended Zirmtrail:

Length: 6 kilometers

Start: Zirmbahn mountain station

Destination: Zirmbahn valley station

Difficulty: perfect for beginners

6. EXCURSION TO THE ANTI-TANK TRAPS (PLAMORT TRAIL)

But our guide had another ace up his sleeve. After we recharged our batteries in the panorama restaurant at the mountain station, we then rode our bikes to the Stieralm. While I drove leisurely along the wide forest path, Marco and our guide were on the Almtrail (S1) above. At the Stieralm we all switched to the Plamort Trail (a real classic).

The path initially led in a flowing up and down with many wooden elements through the forest, before we reached the picturesque plateau of the high moor Plamort a little later. We crossed the Italian border and continued to the striking tank barriers (500 m long) and historic bunkers that were built in World War II.

These dangerous-looking metal spikes don't really fit into the landscape, but you should definitely have seen them. While we took a short break here, our guide provided us with lots of interesting background information. You can find the complete route here: Bunker Trail and Tank Traps.

7. THE VIEWING ROCK ABOVE LAKE RESCHEN

Only a few meters behind the distinctive anti-tank obstacles, the view opened up again and we drove along a small path in the direction of the viewing rock. This rock is also often called "Poser Rock" and is THE photo spot on the three-country enduro trails. From up there we had a gigantic view over the turquoise blue Reschensee and the surrounding mountains.

The reservoir in the municipality of Graun is the largest lake in South Tyrol and is best known for the church tower that rises out of the water. You can make a detour to this church tower on the way down to Reschen. We then went down from the viewing rock to Reschen and continued directly to Nauders.

During our time in Nauders we stayed at the 4-star Hotel Post*. This family-run hotel is located right in the center of Nauders and has been serving guests from all over the world for over 200 years. A beautiful alpine-style room with a comfortable double bed, seating area, TV, balcony and a modern bathroom with shower and toilet awaited us on site. The wellness bags with bathrobe and slippers were already ready for us.

We were able to relax in the wellness area after our exciting days. This has an indoor pool, relaxation room, steam bath, infrared cabin, Kneipp pool and sunbathing area. The vault from the 16th century is particularly beautiful. In the morning there was a delicious breakfast buffet and in the evening there was a varied and creative gourmet menu to choose from. We were able to park our bicycles in a room provided for this purpose and also park them for free at the hotel. Book a room here*.

Bike rental in Nauders

If you also want to explore the area by bike, we recommend the BIWAK bike rental in Nauders. This is only a few meters away from the Hotel Post. There you will not only get the best advice, but you can also rent a wide variety of bicycles, helmets, hiking sticks, trailers and much more. We both had a fully e-bike and were very happy with it (70€ per day). You only pay €45 per day for an e-bike hardtail, €40 for an e-city bike and just €30 for a normal trekking bike. You can book your bike in advance here: BIWAK Nauders.

Arrival in Nauders

By car: If you are arriving by car, we recommend going via Munich and Garmisch-Partenkirchen. From Munich it is only about 3 hours to Nauders. But think of the vignette in advance, which you can easily get at kiosks and petrol stations (9.60€ for 10 days). Without such a vignette, you will have to expect a high fine if you are checked.

After the border, it then continues via the villages of Ehrwald, Nassereith, the municipality of Imst and Ladis-Fiss-Serfaus. We took a rental car* from Munich and drove it to Nauders. The tour from the Baltic Sea to the border of South Tyrol would have been far too far for our own little city car.

By train: You can also travel relaxed by train* via Munich, Kufstein and Innsbruck, for example. There are countless train connections from many European cities to Tyrol. In this case, your destination station is Landeck-Zams. From there you can take a taxi or the Postbus to Nauders for around 1 hour.

Conclusion on Nauders at the Reschenpass

We really hope that we were able to help and/or inspire you a little with our experience report. We can 100% recommend a trip to the region around Nauders am Reschenpass, as there is really a lot to discover. Above all, the landscape was an absolute pleasure for us, because the surrounding mountains are really very impressive. On a next trip we would like to do more hikes and ride one or the other trail again.