Austria · AT

Walmendingerhornbahn

The Walmendingerhornbahn is a classic Alpine cable car that lifts you from the village of Mittelberg, deep in Austria's Kleinwalsertal, to a mountain station perched at nearly 2,000 metres. Since 1966 it has been the easiest way up the Walmendinger Horn (1,990 m), and at the top a glass panoramic elevator carries you onto a geo-viewing platform with a sweeping look across the Austrian-German border region and, on clear days, all the way into Switzerland. This is the Kleinwalsertal's "mountain of the senses": a flower trail, a sunny terrace with deckchairs, regional cooking at the Gipfelstuba and Hora Bar, and a network of easy-to-moderate hikes in summer, plus around 15 kilometres of beginner-friendly pistes and chairlifts in winter. The ride itself takes only about five minutes, yet it floats you roughly 800 metres above the Heuberg ridge — the whole point being to spend your time enjoying the top rather than sweating up to it. One important note for planning: the original cable car retired after sixty years of service and is being entirely rebuilt. The Walmendingerhornbahn is closed during summer 2026, with a modernised, larger and fully accessible new lift expected to reopen for the winter 2026/27 season.