
4 Winter walks in Götzens
Last Updated: 10 February 2024.
Almost every year we take a winterbreak and go to a ski destination. Not to ski, but to enjoy the snowcovered landscapes. But this time we had a bit of bad luck; Yuri got a fever and couldn’t do anything. Paul and I decided to go for short walks in the area separately. One of us stayed with Yuri and the other one explored the surroundings. After lunch we switched, and the other one followed the same route. This way we made 4 beautiful winter walks near Götzens in Austria, before Yuri felt better and could go out and explore a bit with us. Mind you, we didn’t follow specific tours, but made up our own, following signs, to the surrounding towns. In the following text I describe the 4 winter walks in Götzens we undertook.
1.Götzens town

The first of the 4 winter walks in Götzens is in the town of Götzens itself. Götzens is a beautiful village in the Alps, in the shadow of Innsbrück. The first day Paul and I both went for a sunny walk through the town of Götzens. It’s a small town with, besides a ski-lift, not much to do. But there are beautiful houses with wood and paintings.

I love walking, especially when the sun is shining and I see snow covered mountains all around me. The town is surrounded by them. The small town has a church, chapel, ski-lift and several hotels.

This wasn’t a long walk, paved road all the way. No snow on the sidewalks, so an easy walk. Only a bit of height difference, except the path up the mountain, but all moderate.



2.Panoramaweg Götzens-Neu Götzens/Mutters

For the second of the winter walks in Götzens, we went up the mountain. This walking path takes you through forest with open clearings. That day we had an overcast sky, but the view was still pretty. The panoramas contained the mountains on the other side of the valley and the villages down in the valley.

It was fun and kind of relaxing walking in the fresh mountain air. Although it’s a workout, you have a good feeling about yourself afterwards.

A good walk with excellent views and even a few nanda’s and goats along the way (behind a fence) from a farmer. We followed the panoramaweg from the start of the ski-lift to Neu-Götzens and then to Mutters. We didn’t leave the panoramaweg to go into the villages. We just turned around after an hour and walked the same way back. All in all we both walked 2,5 hours back and forth from the hotel. The panoramaweg is a gravel path and on several places there was still snow, glazed frost or melted snow which had turned mushy.


We had our snowboots on which made the walking easy. At some spots the snow was still high and my boots went in deep.

Almost everywhere along the path there were electricity lines in view, but only hindering when taking pictures.

3.Panoramaweg Götzens-Axams




The third of the winter walks in Götzens was on the same mountain as the second walk, but in the other direction. This day we had a clear blue sky, which is perfect for any walk, but especially in the mountains. On Tuesday we had followed the panoramaweg towards Mutters, this day we went the other way and followed the signs Birgitz and Axams. The beginning of the path followed the stations of the Cross. The beginning of the path goes up and provides views of the town of Götzens with snowcapped mountains in the background. The path then runs through a forest, partly next to a wall. When leaving the forest, cleared land offers beautiful panoramas on Birgitz, Axams and the mountains surrounding the valley. Again electricity cables in view, which makes shooting killer photo’s hard, since they block the cute villages and snow covered mountains.



The panoramaweg was much longer, but when reaching Axams we decided to go down into town and walk back to the hotel through Axams and Birgitz. All three villages have beautiful craftmanship houses. The chalets are adorned with crafted wood and paintings. The towns are picturesque, not just from above, looking down from the mountains, but also while walking through them. To see the cottages with colorful shutters and small towers is a feast for the eye. I couldn’t get enough of it. Every town had a beautiful white church with a grey or a red roof.


The walk took us 2 hours, starting and ending at our hotel. There was not a lot of snow on the panoramaweg, only a few spots. There was no snow at all on the pavement in the towns. There were height differences all along our route, but it was all in all still moderate. On a sidenote; we walked the route without Yuri, but the pavement through the towns followed the main road, on which the trucks and most of the traffic drives. It would have been scary to me if Yuri had walked next to me.


In conclusion it was a joy to walk in the mountains with the sun shining in your face, looking at the snowcapped mountains and fields and walking through the villages watching the workmanshiphomes.


4.Waldweg Götzens-Völs


Although we walked almost the same route, Paul’s was the most beautiful, since the whole forest was covered in snow. This is the last of the winter walks in Götzens we undertook, this time we went down the mountain.


Völs is in a valley that lies lower than the valley Götzens is in. The waldweg winds down the mountain through the forest. There are some mountain panoramas surrounding the valley.


It had snowed the evening and night before Paul took his walk. He had blue sky with some clouds. I had a clouded grey sky, and the snow hadn’t fallen yet.


Paul took the longer route since he didn’t turn around before the village of Völs. He visited the town as well and had some coffee at a bakery there.

The whole path back and forth takes approximately 1,5 till 2 hours. It’s a hardened path, partly sand and gravel. The beginning is a concrete small road. The route was downhill the whole way to Völs, back is only uphill. It’s not steep, it’s just a winding road.

I hope this blog has shown you that even when you don’t ski, you can still enjoy Austria in winter!
Further, for more information about Götzens, check the website of the city of Innsbruck . Götzens is close to Innsbruck. These winter walks can be easily included in road trips, when Innsbruck is a stop.
If being in the snow is to cold for you, and you want some sun than check out this blog about the Dordogne in France.
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28 Comments
Taylor
Wow! Gotzens looks so beautiful! Those mountains are phenomenal! You definitely put a new destination and experience on my bucket list. 🙂
Cosette
Yes, Gotzens is a beautiful town in Austria.
Paula Martinelli
Gotzens looks so beautiful, and even if it looks cold, it is so magical and offers such a diversity of things to do. I love it! Sorry to hear that Yuri got a fever, but glad to see that you still had a good time.
Cosette
Yes, that was less that Yuri had a fever, turned out he had a middle ear infection. But the town and it surroundings is really beautiful.
Valerie Hansen
Wow such a beautiful place…love the snowy mountains in the backround…so lovely!
Valerie
Katy
Wow! What stunning photos. Looks you like a lovely time despite the fact Yuri was sick. Thanks for the inspiration.
Cosette
Yes, luckily Yuri felt better at the end of the vacation.
Mikaela Musa
Gotzen looks amazing!! I always wonder how winter feels like since I live in the Philippines. Will save this for later!
Cosette
Winter feels cold, but beautiful when you have these views and pleasant when dressed right.
Cosette
Thank you, yes, it really is a beautiful place.
Krista
This looks like such a charming and traditional town to visit in the winter. I’m glad you’ve put it on my radar!
Cosette
Yes, it’s indeed charming and you can have a traditional winter holiday.
isabella Biava
It looks so beautiful and great pictures. I really miss winter landscapes. Can’t wait to be able to travel again and fly back home in the Alps. This post made me homesick! 🙂
Cosette
Yes, also miss the winter landscapes, although this week we have them in the Netherlands (but still without the mountains).
Sharyn
I have never heard of this town before but it looks beautiful. I will put it on my list to explore.
Cosette
Yes, the town is beautiful, so definitely worth a visit.
Carrie
Those views of Gotzens in the valley from the peaks surrounding it are so amazing! This definitely seems like a great spot for a winter getaway.
Cosette
Yes, it’s a perfect spot for a winter getaway.
Anita
Those four walks look awesome. It would be great to do them by myself. I love Austria and its winter scenery. Thanks for sharing!
Cosette
They can easily be done by someone themselves.
Intan
Such wonderful views! We are planning to head to Austria for skiing sometime in January, hopefully covid doesn’t screw things up.
Josy A
These 4 walks all look fabulous! I love the second walk with the epic mountain views accross the valley! But I fancy giving all of them a go. 🙂
San
The winter walks in Gotzen, Austria, are truly enchanting. The picturesque landscapes, adorned with glistening snow, create a serene and magical atmosphere. The crisp winter air, coupled with the charming village scenes, makes these walks a delightful experience for nature enthusiasts. Each step unveils a new layer of beauty, making it a perfect destination for those seeking tranquility and the breathtaking allure of winter wonderland.
Terri
I would absolutely hiking in this wild place with the family of trees guiding my way. It looks so serene.
Sonia
We went hiking around in Axams years ago in summer. Winter looks like a very peaceful time to hike there. When there is snow, is it still possible to walk them, or only with snow shoes?
Meghan
I’m going to Austria in just a week! So excited and these hikes look great. It’s sometimes harder to find ideas for winter for destinations so I’m so glad to see these awesome suggestions.
Annie
The walks in the mountains look wonderful. I hope I’ll get to try them one day.
Laureen Lund
Absolutely stunning! I need to spend more time in winter traveling this beautiful area.