Tyrol is a mountainous region covering western Austria. Its main asset are the wonderful Alpine scenery, numerous hiking trails, ski resorts and unique cultural distinctiveness on a national scale.
Historically, Tyrol covers an area much larger than the current state. It extends further south into the Italian Trento and the Adige river valley. Over the centuries, a specific dialect similar to the Bavarian German variety has developed, as well as separate customs, culture and costumes. To this day, the inhabitants of Tyrol willingly wear their regional costumes. You can see them during the holidays and on the occasion of numerous outdoor events.
The quintessence of the region are mountains, which often exceed the height of 3 thousand. m above sea level The highest peak on the Austrian side is Grossglockner lying on the border with Carinthia (3798 m above sea level). Wildspitze is not far behind (3772 m asl).
Alpine rock ridges cross deep valleys in which you can find picturesque villages and towns. The only large city and also the capital of Tyrol is Innsbruck, which is famous not only for the historic Old Town, but also for the Bergisel ski jump, where the New Year's ski jumping competition takes place as part of the Four Hills Tournament.
Skiing is one of the main branches of Tyrolean tourism. There are 80 ski resorts here with about 3,000 km of ski slopes and 4,000 km of cross-country tracks. In the summer, you can use the network of over 25,000 km of hiking trails and 6,000 km of bicycle routes. The most famous walking trail is the 280 km Adlerweg or eagle trail leading through the most important mountain ridges of the region.
