Zillertal: Discover The Most Beautiful Places Around The VAYA Resort

A mix of adventure and relaxation on vacation usually makes for the best stays. After all, excursions broaden one’s horizons and create unforgettable experiences that can then be reviewed at leisure – preferably in the wellness area.

The Zillertal, a valley in the Austrian Tyrol, just two hours away from Munich, is the ideal destination for such a successful break from everyday life, where relaxation and thrills can be wonderfully combined. For action lovers, there are hiking and biking trails in summer and winter, and thanks to three-thousand-meter peaks, there are even ski slopes that can be skied all year round.

Room with a view

The most beautiful starting point for exploring the diverse region: the resort VAYA Zillertal in the tranquil community of Aschau. The modern four-star superior hotel, which opened in 2021, is within walking distance of the train station, but you live there in nice quiet thanks to the slightly elevated hillside location. This also allows the great view of the Tyrolean Alps from all 82 rooms!

Each of them scores with a balcony or terrace, and some suites also have a free-standing bathtub and their own sauna. But you can relax not only in your room, but also in the 300-square-meter spa area. This is divided over two floors (one sauna, one pool) and impresses less with its spaciousness than with its appealing furnishings.

After all, nature plays the leading role at VAYA Zillertal. This is evident in the charming alpine-chic interior with natural materials and muted tones, as well as in the hotel’s excellent regional cuisine. As part of the half-board service, chef Maximilian Fankhauser, who learned and perfected his kitchen craft at the Haubenrestaurant Landgasthof Linde, creates a fine five-course menu every evening. His range extends from international and vegetarian dishes to vegan variations and traditional Tyrolean cuisine and Austrian home cooking.

The “most active valley in the world“

During the day, the hotel’s surroundings provide variety. After all, the Zillertal is the longest valley in Austria and bears the epithet “most active valley in the world”. Winter sports fans particularly appreciate the nearby Hochzillertal-Hochfügen-Spieljoch ski area, to which a shuttle bus runs not far from the VAYA Resort.

The Hintertux Glacier at an altitude of over 3,500 meters is even available all year round for piste adventures. Another 125 kilometers of cross-country ski trails invite you to glide through the snow. In addition, there is a total of 45 km of perfectly groomed toboggan runs, a large part of which are also illuminated in the evening. Other winter highlights in the Zillertal are curling, ice skating and winter hiking.

The rest of the year you can play golf, for example at Club Zillertal-Uderns (member of the “Leading Golf Courses of Austria”) on a fabulously large 65 hectares, or explore the many walking and biking trails – from short panoramic tours to long hikes lasting several days, everything is possible.

If you like, you can take one of the modern summer mountain railroads up into the mountains and start your tour from there. The Rosenalmbahn in Zell am Ziller is particularly recommended. It is part of the Zillertal Arena and takes you up to an altitude of just under 1,700 meters to a children’s playground called Fichtenschloss and to the beautifully landscaped Fichtensee lake.

Unique natural spectacle

Those who prefer to marvel at the mountain scenery reflected in the water far from the crowds can drive via toll roads to one of the five high-altitude reservoirs in the Zillertal. Each of them offers a unique natural spectacle that (so far at least) has not yet attracted busloads of tourists, but is considered an insider tip.

With a little luck, you can even observe chamois or marmots there. Our tip: the Stillups reservoir with the largest waterfall in the valley of the same name. And if the weather doesn’t cooperate, there is a climbing center open daily with over 1,300 square meters of space not far from VAYA Resort.

However, the most beautiful play is and remains the landscape of the Zillertal. Even more so when, as in early October, the Almabtrieb is in full swing and colorfully decorated cows walk down the streets into the valley, accompanied by the ringing of their large bells around their necks. Experiences like these are what make a vacation extraordinary.

photos @Mike Badstübner (3), @vaya resort (9)