Kleinwalsertal Eating and drinking is hearty and homemade. When the invitation to the Walser Gourmet Days fluttered into our house, we knew immediately that this is something we want to experience. There was something about the gourmet region of game and beef, a weekly market and hotels in which enjoyment and wellness play a role. So exactly the combination of experiences that we are looking for on our travels. We shouldn't be disappointed. The three and a half days we're in Kleinwalsertal were pure enjoyment!
Perhaps our experiences will also whet your appetite for enjoyment in this valley in Austria? We would be glad. We discovered this on our trip:
Try Kleinwalsertal food at the weekly market in Hirschegg
A visit to the market goes wonderfully with a weekend full of indulgence. The Walser weekly market takes place every Friday on the village square of Hirschegg in front of the Walserhaus. On the occasion of the Walser Gourmet Days, specialties from the Farms from the Kleinwalsertal and other culinary regions in Austria. So here we come across it again Vulcano ham from Styria or the apricots from the Wachau.
Sausages
The most important products on the market, however, are the meat and sausage products from the Genuss Region Wild and Rind – and they are available in variations. The smell lures me to the sausage stand with Landjäger and types of ham. It smells intensely of smoked meat. The types of ham make my mouth water. Until then I had thought that there was only one type of Landjäger sausage, but here I was proven wrong. There are dry and hard land hunters, but also those that are easy to chew. They're all good.
Herbs from mountain meadows
There are also herbal blends and herbal salts made with herbs from the mountain meadows. The blends and salts are colorful. There are specialists in the valley who are well versed in the effects of herbs. They make herbal pastes that help with ailments. Anyone who wants to can make their own body butter or Allgäu rubbing alcohol at the Ifen Hotel together with Walser herbalist Lydia Fritz-Ilg. Just give them a shout.
What you need for a trip to Kleinwalsertal
- We recommend comfortable walking shoes for hikes. The valley offers many hiking trails.
- Practical for traveling is a large backpack in which you store a drink, snack, a lunch box, a Jacket and other odds and ends.
- Take with you what you need for a picnic. This works well on hikes.
- Do you have everything? With our hiking checklist you can easily check that.
- Do you like to travel with the motorhome? There are several campsites in the valley. Our packing list for campers helps that you don't forget anything.
- Why is a folding e-bike useful when camping?
Honeys
The types of honey at one stand further show how diverse the landscape and flora in the Kleinwalsertal is. There is mountain blossom honey, fir honey, chestnut honey and forest honey. We can see for ourselves where the bees collect the nectar for it. The wildflowers are blooming everywhere in the valley, around which the bees and bumblebees buzz. There they collect the raw material for the types of honey that are sold on the market. Their flavors range from delicately creamy to aromatic to strong and bitter. So there is something for every taste.
Homemade jams
The situation is similar with the jams: here too, the fruits from the valley are enriched. There is strawberry-rhubarb jam or jam made from strawberries with mint. In another glass I discover Aperol Spritz with pure orange or rhubarb jam. The types of jam are seasonal. Strawberries are included almost everywhere, although sometimes mixed with fruits and spices like strawberry-pineapple jam or bourbon vanilla. They all sound tempting!
A home-distilled wine or fruit wine
To a lavish and partly hearty snack Of course, these products require a little schnapps to help digest them. The selection of spirits and wines we discover on the market is impressive. We see wines made from rose hips, quinces, blueberries, honey mead, and cherries. If you prefer something stronger, you can find quince brandy, vanilla cream liqueur, or goji berry liqueur. The sky's the limit here.
Vegetables and fruit are not typical for Kleinwalsertal food
I find the fabric baskets with vegetables and the fruit stalls the most appetizing. The products look so crisp that I want to bite into them right away. However, not all fruits and vegetables come from the area. The grapes, peaches and nectarines come from Italy, the apricots from France. Strawberries, beer radish and carrots grew in Germany. Here demand determines supply.
Game, beef and cheese are part of the Kleinwalsertal food
It looks different with meat and sausage. On the second day of our stay in Vorarlberg Let's go looking for specialty shops in the valley. These offer regional products. We almost only discover products from the valley. There are types of sausages such as the Walser Gamswurst, deer salami or deer ham, lamb sausage, beef ham, Kaminwurzen or Gams-Pfefferbeisser. It's similar with cheeses. We discover Walser and Hittisauer mountain cheese, Allgäu mountain cheese or mountain herb cheese.
Kleinwalsertal food for connoisseurs – the smokehouse in Riezlern
The owner of the “smokehouse” in Riezlern tells us that only some of his cheeses come from the dairy farmers in the valley. “We buy cheese from dairy farmers. There aren’t enough of them in the valley anymore,” he explains to us. “However, we still smoke the meat ourselves.” The fact that his ham and sausages taste good was confirmed to us by a family who was just leaving the shop and gave the advice to a group of customers: “You should definitely do it here snack. It's sooo good! "
Kleinwalsertal Eating in Walser Hotels
We discovered that you can eat well in Kleinwalsertal at our hotel, the Ifen Hotel. The valley's Michelin-starred chef works there. He is on vacation during our stay, so his restaurant, the "Kilian Stuba," is closed. However, the hotel restaurant also boasts impressive cuisine. Variety is a top priority here. One evening, we enjoy traditional German fare at the appetizer buffet. The next day, we pick up the appetizer from the show kitchen, and on the third day, there's an antipasti buffet. The main courses and soups vary equally: there's always a choice between fish, meat, or vegetarian. As a meat lover, I enjoy veal, venison, and sea bream on all three evenings (since lamb isn't one of my favorite meats).
Gourmet hosts and gourmet huts serve Kleinwalsertal food
Those who prefer hearty fare will find excellent options at the gourmet restaurants and gourmet huts. The valley boasts 14 gourmet restaurants and five gourmet huts. Sascha Kemmerer, the chef at the Ifen Hotel, holds one Michelin star and 16 Gault Millau points. He follows his mentor, Ortwin Adam, who received the first Michelin star for a hotel in 1978. It's no wonder, then, that Kleinwalsertal was named Austria's best gourmet region in 2014, taking both the national and state awards.
To Guada!
Hotel Ifen
Top street 6
6992 Hirschegg
Austria
Information, availability query and online booking*
Hotels in the Kleinwalsertal*
Elena Paschinger's tips look a little different. You can read what she recommends here:
Gourmet Travel Tips from the Kleinwalsertal: Walser Genuss Tage
Christina from CitySeaCountry gives tips for vegetarians in Kleinwalsertal
Leisure days in the Kleinwalsertal - From the Fäll ufs Tällar - From the meadow to the plate
Clemens Sehi thinks that
Kleinwalsertal is the most beautiful dead end in the world
Travel Arrangements
Parking at the airport
You can book your parking space at the airport here.
Arrival by plane, car, bus and train
Compare and book flights here*. The nearest airport is Munich. Arrival by train is also possible. The train goes to Oberstdorf. From there, bus #1 will take you down to the valley: Timetable and booking*
Car Rentals:
Cheap car hire - book quickly and easily!
Rent Motorhomes:
Book Motorhomes in Europe here! * Or do you like traveling with it instead? roof tent on the car? In addition, the overnight stay in camping tents possible. For example, you can find a campsite at Alpencamping Haller, Köpfleweg 10a, 6991 Riezlern, Austria. With our Motorhome packing list Plus, you'll never forget anything again.
Accommodations in the region:
There are also hotels that you can book online Kleinwalsertal* via Booking.com.
Do you know this?
- How the Walser came from the Valais Alps to the Kleinwalsertal
- Our road trip through the Kleinwalsertal in late summer
- Farms in the Kleinwalsertal
- Mountain railways in the Kleinwalsertal
- Ifen Hotel Kleinwalsertal
- Restaurants in the Kleinwalsertal - two inns
- to discover Salzburg culinary sides
- Recipe for Linzer Cookies
- A garden in the Kleinwalsertal
Source Kleinwalsertal Essen: research on site. We would definitely like to thank Tourismus Kleinwalsertal for the invitation. However, our opinions remain our own.
Text Kleinwalsertal Essen: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TWO
Photos Kleinwalsertal Essen: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TWO
