Step out onto the terrace in the morning and you can already see where you're headed: the ridgeline at the head of the valley, and usually a bearded vulture circling above it. The Hohe Tauern National Park doesn't start somewhere far away. It starts at the Rauriserhof's front door.
1,856 km² of protected land, 266 peaks above 3,000 metres, 342 glaciers and more than 10,000 animal species. Those are the numbers. What they actually mean only sinks in after two hours on a trail where you've heard nothing but water and wind.
The Rauris valley is often called the "golden valley of the Alps" — a reference to the Tauern gold mined here for centuries. We prefer a different reason: the valley is a dead end. No through traffic, no crowds, and side valleys that still look much as they did a hundred years ago.
The Rauriserhof is your base camp for all of it. On foot, by e-bike or on a guided tour with a National Park ranger — we'll show you where it's worth going.
Three side valleys branch off the main valley, and all three belong to the most valuable core zones of the National Park. Each is less than 30 minutes from the hotel.
Walking time: approx. 1.5–2 hours, circular | Ascent: approx. 100 m | From the hotel: approx. 20 min by car
A wild, untouched forest where nothing has been cleared for centuries. Fallen spruces are left where they land, and the next generation grows straight out of them. In between: more than 80 peat-black pools, ancient Swiss pines, and wooden boardwalks that carry you across the high moor with dry feet.
The trail ranks among Austria's finest themed nature paths — and it's one of the few where children make it to the end without complaint. The small forest museum along the way explains how a bog like this forms over thousands of years.
Our tip: go early. Between 8 and 10 a.m. the light falls so that the pines reflect in the moor water.
Walking time: approx. 2 hours to the Bräualm | From the hotel: approx. 15 min by car to Bucheben
The first bearded vultures were released here in 1986 — a project few people gave much chance at the time. Today the birds breed freely in the Alps again, and the Krumltal is one of the most reliable places in Europe to see them. With a wingspan approaching three metres, a bearded vulture is hard to miss, even for an untrained eye.
Griffon vultures join them in summer, circling the valley in groups, along with golden eagles. The nature trail follows a series of waterfalls up to the Bräualm, where the food is made on site.
Our tip: bring binoculars — we lend them out at reception. Late morning, once the thermals build, is the best time to watch.
From the hotel: approx. 20 min by car to the Lenzanger car park
Standing at the foot of the Sonnblick north face, you feel the scale of this National Park. At the very top, at 3,106 metres, sits the Sonnblick Observatory: the highest permanently staffed weather station in Europe, in continuous operation since 1886.
Around Bodenhaus, Ammererhof and the Naturfreundehaus, interpretive trails tell the story of the gold mining that once made this valley wealthy. You don't need to reach the summit to feel it — the valley floor alone is worth the walk.
From the hotel: approx. 15 min by car
For centuries, packhorse traders hauled goods south over the Tauern pass. Anyone caught out by winter or a storm was grateful for the Rauriser Tauernhaus, which has stood here for more than 500 years. Today it's a traditional inn with farmhouse cooking, but you can still feel the history in the rooms.
Walking time: approx. 45 min, circular | From the hotel: approx. 10 min by car
More than 300 springs rise in the Rauris valley. The loveliest is the Rauriser Urquell: cold, clear mountain water, a short circular walk, a woodland playground for the children, and a few benches you end up sitting on far longer than planned.
There's plenty within reach beyond the valley too — useful when the weather doesn't cooperate, or simply when you want to see more.
Driving time from Rauris: approx. 45 minutes
Eight themed exhibition worlds under one roof: a 360° panorama cinema, an eagle-flight simulation, an avalanche dome and a glacier world. All indoors — the classic choice for a rainy day, and the place where children work out why this National Park exists at all.
Driving time from Rauris: approx. 35 minutes to the Ferleiten toll gate
The famous panoramic road climbs to the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe, with an open view of Austria's highest mountain (3,798 m) and the Pasterze glacier. Set aside the whole day — there are far too many reasons to stop between the hairpins to be in a hurry.
Driving time from Rauris: approx. 1 hour
A drop of 385 metres, the highest waterfalls in Europe. The fine spray creates a microclimate whose effect on the airways has been studied scientifically — though you'll feel it yourself after twenty minutes on the waterfall path.
Driving time from Rauris: approx. 40 minutes
The Mooserboden and Wasserfallboden dams sit above 2,000 metres, wedged between glaciers. A remarkable piece of engineering in a landscape that doesn't usually tolerate engineering at all.
All four are covered in full or in part by the National Park Sommercard — which you receive from us free of charge.
We're the Mayr family, and we run this house as the generation that has known this valley since childhood. As a certified hiking hotel, that means a few very practical things for you:
Route advice that deserves the name. Our activity team knows every path in the valley — including the ones that look unremarkable on a map and turn out to be the best. Each morning we'll put together a route that suits the weather, your fitness and what you're in the mood for. On our guided house walks, we come along ourselves.
National Park Sommercard included. Cable cars, hiking taxis and more than 60 attractions, museums and pools across the SalzburgerLand region, free or heavily discounted. As our guest, you get the card at no extra cost.
BergSpa for afterwards. Sauna world, indoor pool, whirlpool — and when your calves file a complaint, a sports massage.
Full-board with regional cooking. Produce from the SalzburgerLand, cooked honestly and without fuss. Anyone who's been out all day eats differently in the evening than they would on an office day, and our menus are built around that.
