Mountain huts, refuge by refuge

Mountain huts in Austria

303 shelters across 8 areas of Austria, 228 of them staffed. Every altitude, bed count and warden season here is read from the shelters' own records.

In short

Our table holds 303 huts and shelters across 8 areas of the Austrian Alps, 228 of them staffed. Most huts belong to the Austrian Alpine Club (ÖAV) or to German club sections: in 2026 a member paid at most 15 euros for a dormitory bunk, and non-members at least 12 euros more. The ÖAV basic fee was 75 euros, and "people of all nations" can join.

What a hut night costs in Austria

Huts of the German (DAV), Austrian (ÖAV) and South Tyrol (AVS) Alpine Clubs share one tariff. In a category I hut, an Alpine Club member paid at most 15 euros in 2026 for a bunk in a large dormitory (Lager), 25 euros in a smaller shared room and 36 euros in a two-bed room. Non-members pay at least 12 euros more for every kind of room. At the Oberwalderhütte, for example, the non-member surcharge is exactly 12 euros in every category.

Each hut prices its own half board (dinner and breakfast), usually 40–60 euros on top of the bed, and a hut may not make a bed booking conditional on half board. A sleeping bag liner is compulsory.

How to book, and when the season is

Most huts are booked through hut-reservation.org, with no single opening date: each hut sets its own. Popular huts, such as those on the Stubai Höhenweg, fill early in the season.

In Tirol the staffed season runs roughly from mid-June to early October: the Franz-Senn-Hütte, for example, was staffed from 11 June to 3 October in summer 2026. Out of season many category I huts keep a winter room open.

Joining the Austrian Alpine Club from Israel

The Austrian club states outright that "people of all nations can become members", and that a flat charge may be added for non-residents. The basic fee was 75 euros in 2026 and will be 79 euros in 2027, or 58 euros for partners, juniors aged 19–27 and seniors. Sections with a full-time office charge a little more.

At the Edelweiss section in Vienna, for example, membership costs 88 euros, plus 15 euros for members living outside Austria. Membership includes rescue insurance; for non-residents it covers rescue at home and abroad, and medical treatment and repatriation for the first eight weeks of each trip.

The sum is simple: non-members pay at least 12 euros more per night, so 75 euros pays for itself after about 6–7 nights.

Getting there from Tel Aviv

For Tirol most walkers fly to Munich, which has had two Lufthansa flights a day since August 2026, then take the train to Innsbruck. For eastern Austria, Austrian has flown 14 times a week to Vienna since June 2026.

After the disruption of 2026 direct routes from Tel Aviv change often, so check the current schedule, and book the huts before the flight.

Questions people ask

Can you join the Austrian Alpine Club from Israel?
Yes. The Austrian club accepts members from every country, sometimes with a flat surcharge for non-residents. The basic fee was 75 euros in 2026 (79 in 2027), and at the Edelweiss section 88 euros plus 15 euros for members living outside Austria.
How much is a hut night in Austria?
In category I huts in 2026: at most 15 euros for a dormitory bunk and 25 in a smaller room for members, and at least 12 euros more for non-members. Half board usually adds 40–60 euros.
What is a winter room in an Austrian hut?
An unstaffed room left open when the hut is closed, with bunks, blankets and usually somewhere to cook. Some are unlocked and some open with the Alpine Club key. You pay per night into the cash box or by bank transfer, and leave it clean.

Classic routes through Austria

Guides for planning it

Other countries

Facts last checked: 25 October 2026

Sources