Mittersill

Mittersill lies in the Upper Pinzgau, the long valley of the upper Salzach, about 40 kilometres west of Zell am See. To the south, the main ridge of the Hohe Tauern, the High Tauern, rises above the valley, with glaciers on the highest summits, and to the north the grassy Kitzbühel Alps climb toward the Tyrolean border. The valley floor is wide, with meadows and farms, and the town sits where side valleys from both directions meet it. At around 790 metres, the climate is Alpine but not harsh, with reliable snow in winter.

The town's position made it a crossroads. The main route from Salzburg to Tyrol runs over the Pass Thurn, a low saddle to the west toward Kitzbühel, and a second route leads south toward the Felbertauern. A castle, Schloss Mittersill, dates back to the twelfth century and was held by the archbishops of Salzburg; it has been rebuilt many times and is now privately used as a hotel and club, so visitors can usually admire it only from outside. The old market square has several painted houses, and the parish church, with its onion-domed tower, stands in the centre.

The great modern change was the Felbertauern road. The Felbertauern Tunnel, completed in 1967, runs for more than five kilometres under the main Alpine ridge and links Mittersill with Matrei in East Tyrol, saving a long detour. The road, one of the highest in Austria on this route, was a major engineering project, and its story is told in the Felberturm Museum, which covers the road, the construction and the history of the pass, an older trading route across the mountains. The museum is small and a short stop.

Mittersill's strongest link is with the national park. The Hohe Tauern National Park, the largest national park in the Alps, covers high mountains, glaciers, valleys and meadows across three Austrian states, and Mittersill hosts one of its visitor centres, the National Park Centre. The Nationalparkwelten, the National Park Worlds, offers exhibits on the park's geology, plants and animals, with aquaria that show fish of the high Alpine lakes and interactive displays. The centre also organises guided walks, so ask there for the programme. The Salzach River, which rises in the Kitzbühel Alps nearby, supplies the valley with water.

Outdoor options are broad. Walking trails lead from the valley into the side valleys, including the Felber valley, where a mining history is also part of the story, since Mittersill sits near one of the largest tungsten mines in Europe, and the Hollersbach valley, with alpine pastures and huts. Cycling along the Tauern cycle path, which follows the Salzach, is easy and scenic. In winter, small family ski areas and cross-country trails operate nearby, and the larger ski areas of Kitzbühel and Zell am See-Kaprun lie within an hour. On clear days, the Grossglockner, Austria's highest mountain, can be seen from certain points.

Food in Mittersill is Pinzgau and Salzburg cooking. Kasnocken, cheese dumplings with fried onions, are the local classic, along with roast meats, trout and sweet pastries. Farm shops sell cheese, bacon and honey, and mountain huts serve simple meals.

The best time to visit is from May to October for walking, with August the warmest month, with July and August the warmest. September and October bring autumn colour and quieter trails. In winter, from December to March, skiing and Advent markets are the draw. The valley has a mild spring from March.

Getting there takes some planning. Mittersill has a railway station on the Pinzgauer Lokalbahn, a narrow-gauge line between Zell am See and Krimml, and regional buses cross the Pass Thurn to Kitzbühel. By car, the road from Salzburg takes about an hour and a half, via the A10 motorway to the Pinzgau and then the valley road, and Innsbruck is about two hours away through Kitzbühel. The Felbertauern Tunnel leads south toward Italy, with a toll, and Germany lies to the north, about an hour and a half from Salzburg.