Austria – Oetztal – Ötz
Ötz is the main town of the Ötztal and is located at the entrance to the valley at an altitude of 810 meters. Ötz is located in a spacious valley basin that is divided by the river Ötzer Ache. Ötz is more of a summer holiday resort from which you can go on extended hikes. The Hochötz chairlift also takes you to the higher hiking areas.
The town of Oetz lives “almost exclusively” from tourism, like most valleys in Tyrol. There is a well-organised tourist office where you can find out about available accommodation and hiking routes as well as events etc. In the small town centre you will find the Gasthof Stern, which was built on the site of a farmstead in the 13th century. Later it was a courthouse, today it serves as an inn. The outer walls were built in 1573 and painted with rich frescoes in 1615.
Above left is the entrance of the originally old village museum in Ötz, which has since closed its doors. The new museum was set up near the church. In the plain of the Ötztal near Ötz, between the river Ötztaler Ache and the country road, you will find a wide landscape area characterized by agriculture and meadows. The wooden huts that stand directly on or above the small torrent that flows through the middle of the valley are interesting. On the river “Ötztaler Ache” organized whitewater trips are undertaken, if the river is not too rapid.
The valley shows its romantic side if you make an effort to explore the landscape on foot. From the valley you have a wonderful view of the nearby Acherkogel with its over 3000 meters altitude in good weather. Today, the three-thousand-metre peak shows its beautiful weather side with a light veil of water vapour. In the summer months, the valley is also a paradise for paragliders and paragliders, who take off from Hochötz and land down here in the valley.
