Holiday in Kleinwalsertal

About Kleinwalsertal

The Kleinwalsertal is a geographical curiosity of the first order: an Austrian high valley that can only be accessed from Germany. The municipality of Mittelberg, with its villages of Riezlern, Hirschegg, and Baad, politically belongs to Vorarlberg in Austria, but is cut off from Austria by high mountains and can only be reached via the road from Oberstdorf in the Allgäu — a customs exclusion area with its own character. This unique location between two nations has created a valley that combines the best of both worlds: Austrian coziness and hospitality with German accessibility and infrastructure. You pay in euros, use the German mobile network, and still enjoy Austrian cuisine and Walser culture. The Walserhaus in Riezlern documents the history of the Walser, a Alemannic ethnic group that emigrated from Valais to the high Alps in the 13th century, bringing their own culture, language, and architecture. The typical Walser wooden houses with their wide shingle roofs still shape the valley today. In winter, the Kleinwalsertal, together with Oberstdorf, forms the Oberstdorf-Kleinwalsertal ski area with 130 kilometers of slopes and the famous ski flying area at Nebelhorn. In summer, the valley is a hiker's paradise with over 185 km of marked trails, the Gottesacker plateau — a moon-like karst formation — and crystal-clear mountain streams.