The Kitzbühel Alps might be the most underrated destination in the Alps in autumn.
Most of us know Tirol under snow, when Kitzbühel fills up with skiers for the Hahnenkamm race, or in its summer version, with hikers on the trails. But between those two seasons sits a short, largely overlooked window: the cattle have come down from the high pastures, the summer crowds have gone home, and winter hasn’t started yet. What’s left is quieter trails, room for other things to take center stage, and prices that haven’t been pushed up by peak season.
More travelers are catching on to autumn in Tirol, and to just how good it is.
The forests of the Brixental valley turn from deep green to gold and red, and the air turns a little sharper. Days stay mild enough for hours outdoors, but there’s no mistaking that the season has turned.
This is where the village of Westendorf sits — showing a side of Tirol most visitors never see: dramatic mountain scenery, one of the region’s best golf courses, and one of Tirol’s most colorful living traditions.
When the cows come home
The centerpiece is the “Almabtrieb” — the annual homecoming of the cattle that have grazed freely in the mountains all summer. The tradition runs deep in Tyrolean farming culture: the flower crowns were originally a thank-you for a summer without accidents on the pasture, not decoration for visitors.
In Westendorf, the celebration runs over a full weekend. This year it opens on September 17 with the “Schau-Zuichi” market, where local farmers and craftspeople sell everything from homemade cheese to traditional handicrafts. The following evening brings the “Dämmerschoppen,” an evening of Tyrolean music and food in the village center, before the homecoming itself on Saturday — the decorated cattle and the “Hoamfahrerfest” that follows.
Golf With a View of the Kaisergebirge
Just outside the village sits something you might not expect in Tirol: an 18-hole championship course built into the “Aunerwald” forest, one of only a few woodland courses in the region. Golfclub Kitzbüheler Alpen Westendorf opened in 2014, runs 5,882 meters (par 72), and was rated four-star “superior” by the Austrian golf federation the following year. The course sits sheltered to the north by the Hohe Salve, and while the terrain itself is mostly flat and easy to walk, the mountains still tower all around it.
Autumn is when the course looks its best. The fairways are still green while the meadows around them turn gold and the forest changes color alongside them. The season runs through roughly the end of October, before the snow takes over.
A thousand kilometers to explore
The Brixental also has around 1,000 kilometers of marked cycling and hiking routes. Berg & Golf Resort Westendorf, a two-minute walk from the course, makes a good base for an autumn stay: indoor and outdoor pools, a spa, and a restaurant with a panoramic terrace, run by the Alps Resorts group.
Getting there
Westendorf sits within reach of three international airports — Innsbruck, Salzburg and Munich — each connected to most major European hubs, with a transfer of roughly one to two hours into the Brixental depending on the route and border traffic. Munich has by far the widest choice of long-haul and international connections, while Innsbruck and Salzburg tend to be the faster options once you’re on the ground. Trains run into Wörgl or Kitzbühel from all three, with a short taxi or bus transfer the rest of the way; a rental car gives the most flexibility for reaching the golf course and trailheads directly.
Source: Press release from Golfclub Kitzbüheler Alpen Westendorf.
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