Free Walking Tour Kitzbühel: Old Town to Hahnenkamm

Your Kitzbühel Walking Tour, Stop by Stop through Town and Out to Hahnenkamm

1. 1

   Vorderstadt and Hinterstadt

   

   Start with the names, because they explain the town. Kitzbühel's old core is essentially two streets, the Vorderstadt and the Hinterstadt, front town and back town, and both are pedestrian. Here there is no through traffic, no ticket and no closing time, so take your time: this is the longest chapter of the walk, and it is just two streets.

   What makes them worth it is the way Kitzbühel uses its streets as a stage all year. On an ordinary weekday the show is shopfronts, bars and restaurant tables spilling outside. Many of the small boutiques take an informal break in the early afternoon, so if shopping is part of your plan, come in the morning or later in the day.

   Saturdays from March to November bring a farmers market to the Hinterstadt, the best time to see the street used by locals rather than just strolled through. In late summer an international beach volleyball event builds sand courts right in the old town centre, and in Advent the Christmas market spreads more than thirty stalls across the Hinterstadt and the city park.

   When you have walked both streets end to end, the next stop is right next door: Museum Kitzbühel is just 30 m away, a single minute on foot.

   Hours

   Open 24/7

   Price

   Free

   Location

   Vorderstadt and Hinterstadt on Google Maps ↗

2. 2

   Museum Kitzbühel

   

   Look at the building before you go in. This was the town's granary, built in the first half of the 16th century, and it is physically joined to the southwest tower of the old town fortifications, whose core goes back to the 12th century. A flying buttress links it to house number 28 next door. Inside, on the upper floor, a section of herringbone masonry, known as opus spicatum, has been left exposed, and the timber beam ceilings date from 1708. The whole building is a listed monument.

   The museum opened here in 1934 as the town museum and tells the story of Kitzbühel and its district: local history, folk culture and prehistoric finds, plus a strong section on the history of winter sport. Its best-known holdings are the paintings of Alfons Walde (1891 to 1958), painter and architect, whose collection gives the museum its full name. In 2007 it won the Tyrolean Museum Prize.

   Is it worth the ticket? If you want to understand how a market and mining town became the place it is today, or you like Alpine painting, yes, give it about an hour. Children and teenagers go in free, which makes it an easy family choice. Check the season before you plan around it: hours change several times a year, and for part of the year it opens only for booked groups.

   From the museum it is 370 m, about 5 minutes, to the parish church. On the way you pass the Genussmarkt Kitzbühel and the Katharinenkirche.

   Hours

   Regular/Summer (19 Jul – 13 Sep): daily 10:00–17:00, Thu 10:00–20:00; Off-season (14 Sep – 24 Oct): Tue–Fri 10:00–13:00, Sat 10:00–17:00; Winter (21 Nov – 27 Mar): Tue–Sun 14:00–18:00, Sat 10:00–18:00; Spring/Late Autumn (5 Apr – 7 May, 25 Oct – 20 Nov): groups only by appointment

   Price

   Adults 9 EUR, groups (10+ people) 7 EUR, youths and children up to 18 free

   Website

   museum-kitzbuehel.at ↗

   Location

   Museum Kitzbühel on Google Maps ↗

3. 3

   Pfarrkirche Kitzbühel

   

   The parish church of St Andrew stands at the edge of the steep Lebenberg, at 762 m above sea level. Start with the slender tower, about 45 m high: it is the oldest visible part, kept from the Gothic church that stood here from the 13th century and later topped with a Baroque cap and a viewing platform.

   The site is much older than the tower. A small hall church probably stood here as early as the 8th century, was rebuilt in the 12th century and again in Gothic style a century later. As the town grew in the 15th century it needed more room, and the Salzburg master builder Stefan Krumenauer drew up plans for a large late Gothic church with three naves. Work began in 1435 and lasted until 1506.

   Inside, the mood is Baroque. Between 1661 and 1663 Benedikt Faistenberger and Veit Rabl built the tall gilded high altar showing Mary with the Child. In 1739 the painter Simon Benedikt Faistenberger added a series of ceiling frescoes, and in 1785 the rest of the Gothic interior was baroquised. A year later Matthias Kirchner painted the ceiling fresco of the Glorification of the Sacrament, the Rain of Manna on the north wall and the Brazen Serpent on the south wall.

   Turn round before you leave: the organ at the back stands in a historic case Benedikt Faistenberger made in 1668, fitted in 1990 with a new instrument by the Pirchner workshop of Steinach am Brenner, 25 stops on two manuals and pedal. Five bells hang in the tower. Entry is free, so even twenty minutes here is time well spent.

   From here the route leaves town for its long final leg: 8360 m, about 168 minutes on foot, to Hahnenkamm und Streif.

   Hours

   Open 24/7

   Price

   Free admission

   Website

   pfarrekitzbuehel.at ↗

   Location

   Pfarrkirche Kitzbühel on Google Maps ↗

4. 4

   Hahnenkamm und Streif

   

   After almost three hours on foot from the parish church, the route ends at Hahnenkamm und Streif. Plan this stop carefully: it is not open every day, so make sure it is open before you set out, or the long walk out here ends at a closed door.

   There is an admission charge, and the price depends on what you choose; you will see the exact price for your visit at the ticket desk. If the winter sport rooms in Museum Kitzbühel caught your interest, this is the natural place to finish your day.

   Hours

   Mon–Wed: Closed | Thu: 3:30–20:00 | Fri–Sun: Closed

   Price

   12.50 EUR –35 EUR

   Website

   kitzski.at ↗

   Location

   Hahnenkamm und Streif on Google Maps ↗

Shorter and Longer Ways to Walk Kitzbühel

The old town and the long stretch to Hahnenkamm und Streif are two very different walks, so choose by the time you have.

Old town in a morning

Stops: 1, 2, 3

For anyone with two hours or less to spare. The streets, the museum and the parish church are only 6 minutes of walking apart; the only ticket is the museum, and children and teenagers go in free.

The whole route out to the Streif

Stops: 1, 2, 3, 4

For keen walkers with a full day. Add the 168 minutes from the church to Hahnenkamm und Streif, 2 h 53 min of walking in total, and plan for the museum ticket plus admission at the end. It only makes sense on a day when Hahnenkamm und Streif is open.

How Long Does This Kitzbühel Tour Take with Museum and Church?

The pure walking time is 2 h 53 min, and almost all of it falls on the single leg from the parish church to Hahnenkamm und Streif. In town you barely walk at all: 1 minute from the streets to the museum, 5 more to the church.

Give the two streets half an hour, the museum about an hour and the church twenty minutes, and the old town takes roughly two hours. With the long walk added, count on about five hours before you reach Hahnenkamm und Streif, plus whatever time you spend there.

Before You Set Off in Kitzbühel

• Start and end: The recommended start is the Vorderstadt and Hinterstadt, and the route ends at Hahnenkamm und Streif, not where it began. You can join at any stop.
• Best day: For the full route, pick a day when Hahnenkamm und Streif is open, since it does not open every day. Start in the morning so the museum and the long walk both fit.
• Costs: The streets and the parish church cost nothing. The museum and Hahnenkamm und Streif charge admission, and the museum offers a group rate.

Common Questions About Walking Kitzbühel