1. nearest village - Terfens – 4,0 km
Zarze Almhütte in Matrei in Osttirol
📸 29 Photos
Object description
✓ Secluded location 1,880 m ✓ Nationalpark Hohe Tauern ✓Hiking hut ✓ Dog welcome
Zarze Almhütte above Matrei in Osttirol
Self-catering alpine hut for 1–4 people · 1,880 m in the Nationalpark Hohe Tauern · bookable seasonally
📍 Austria · Tirol · Osttirol · Nationalpark Hohe Tauern · 🥾 30–45 min. ascent from the farm
First you hear only the cowbells in the wind. Then the forest opens up. Then a clearing – and in the middle of it the Zarze. 1,880 metres. Nationalpark Hohe Tauern. Alpine meadows all around, no neighbour, no asphalt. Only mountain, sky and the sound of your own breath, which after 30 to 45 minutes of ascent from the farm finally comes to rest again.
You put down your rucksack. You look at the alpine meadow, at the mountains behind it, at the dog already exploring the grass. And you understand: the ascent was not a restriction. It was the entrance ticket.
Inside: parlour, wood stove and spring water
What the hut has is exactly what you need up here. The centrepiece is the parlour with an open kitchen and a wood stove – on it you cook, heat, and produce the hot water for the shower and the sink. Electricity is supplied by a photovoltaic system, drinks are cooled in the fresh spring water. In the bathroom a shower, WC and washbasin await, outside a brick barbecue and a garden table for evenings when the sun disappears behind the Hohe Tauern. Deliberately without WiFi, but with good mobile reception – in case you want to stay reachable.
Two bedrooms, four paws, plenty of room to run
In the first bedroom bunk beds await – ideal for children or siblings. In the second, two single beds that can be pushed together, depending on whether you are travelling as a couple or as a duo of friends. Your dog is warmly welcome too: alpine meadows stretch around the hut without fences, without traffic, without supervision. Free running, as it should be.
In the middle of the largest national park in the Alps
The hiking trails begin outside the hut door. 266 three-thousanders lie all around, the Großglockner within sight, the Großvenediger not far. In the valley the Umbalfälleawait, the Jagdhausalmen as the oldest alpine settlement in Austria, the Kalser Dorfertal with its ibexes.
Photovoltaics, spring water, wood stove – at 1,880 metres the hut has everything it needs. And leaves out what it does not need.
Where the ascent ends, the silence begins.
What makes the Zarze Almhütte special
- Genuinely secluded location at 1,880 m in the Nationalpark Hohe Tauern
- The ascent is part of it – 30 to 45 minutes on foot from the farm
- Comfortable – shower, hot water from the wood stove, photovoltaics, spring-water cooling
- Deliberately without WiFi, with mobile reception – real quality time instead of streaming
- Dog welcome with free run
Amenities
Bath & wellness
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Shower/WC
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Towels incl.
Extra comfort
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Balcony
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Heating
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Escaping the heat
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Dogs allowed
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Child-friendly
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Sustainable construction and care
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Radio
Comfort & service
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Huts without electricity
Kitchen & food
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Oven
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Cutlery
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Crockery
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Tea towels incl.
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Cooker
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Pots
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Kitchen
Outdoor & garden
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Garden/lawn
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Garden chairs
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Barbecue
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Barbecue area for evenings outdoors
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Loungers
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Terrace
Outdoor & location
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Secluded location
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Solo travellers
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Almhütte
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Lage am Wald
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Hiking & mountain holiday
Sleeping
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Bed linen incl.
Living area
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Family holiday
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For two
Location
Distances
3. nearest bus stop - Terfens – 2,5 km
5. grocery shop - Braunegger – 4,0 km
6. Restaurant - Dorfcafe Terfens – 3,5 km
▼Leisure & surroundings
In the middle of the Nationalpark Hohe Tauern. The largest national park in the Alps comprises 266 three-thousanders, among them the Großglockner and the Großvenediger. The Zarze Almhütte lies at its centre – hiking trails begin right outside the hut door, mountain air without traffic noise, wild animals without shyness.
Hiking & summits from the hut
- Hiking trails from the hut | direct – across alpine meadows and through open woodland
- Summit tours in the Nationalpark Hohe Tauern | from the hut – 266 three-thousanders all around
- View of the Großglockner | approx. 30 km – Austria's highest mountain (3,798 m)
- Großvenediger | approx. 35 km – glacier tours at 3,666 m
- Alpine hikes to managed huts | directly from the hut
Natural gems in the surrounding area
- Umbalfälle Virgental | approx. 20 km – water trail at one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the Alps
- Jagdhausalmen Defereggental | approx. 30 km – the oldest alpine settlements in Austria
- Kalser Dorfertal | approx. 25 km – ibexes and alpine roses
- Lienzer Dolomiten | approx. 30 km – climbing and hiking
Village & culture
- Matrei in Osttirol | approx. 7 km – cafés, restaurants, supermarket
- Nationalpark-Infozentrum Matrei | approx. 7 km – exhibition, maps, tips
- Schloss Weißenstein | approx. 7 km – on its dolomite rock
- Tristacher See bathing lake | approx. 30 km – natural mountain lake near Lienz
Autumn tip
- Gathering mushrooms | direct – in the surrounding forests (September/October)
- Golden larch autumn | direct – when the alpine pastures burn golden
🏔️ All tips for the Nationalpark Hohe Tauern
You will find all the information about the region collected in our leisure tips: excursion destinations, hikes, family highlights and tips for places to stop – practical on mobile too while on holiday.
Discover Osttirol →▼Experiences & season – the alpine year in the Nationalpark Hohe Tauern
Every month in the Nationalpark Hohe Tauern has its own character – from the alpine-rose spring to the mushroom autumn, from the summer flowers to the golden larch autumn. For your hut holiday we have put together three pages of inspiration:
📅 Seasonal calendar
What blooms when, what ripens when, when is the Almabtrieb? Month by month through the Austrian mountain world.
View the calendar →
🎯 50 activities
50 ideas that turn your hut holiday into an experience – from easy walks to real adventures.
Discover ideas →
🍄 Gathering forest gold
Mushrooms, wild herbs, berries and fruit – what you may find where and what you should watch out for.
Read gathering tips →
★ At 1,880 m in the national park: a starry sky as if from a picture book – through clear mountain air and absolute darkness, far away from any source of light.
▼Travelling gently – with an ascent on foot
From Robert's farm at 1,600 m you continue on foot – up a forest and meadow path to the hut at 1,880 m. The ascent is part of the concept: what you have up there, you carried up yourself.
🚗 By car
A10 Tauernautobahn to exit Matrei/Virgen, onwards via Matrei in Osttirol towards Glanz. From Salzburg approx. 2.5 hrs, from Innsbruck approx. 2 hrs. 7 km of mountain road to the farm, 3 km of it gravel – unsuitable for sports cars, an off-road-capable vehicle or four-wheel drive is recommended.
🚆 By train
Lienz station, then bus towards Matrei in Osttirol (approx. 30 km). From the farm onwards on foot.
→ Travel information osttirol.com
🥾 The last few metres to the hut
From the farm to the hut it is 30 to 45 minutes uphill on foot. Sturdy footwear, a light rucksack and anticipation are enough.
Whoever arrives by car parks at Robert's farm. For the Austrian motorway you need a digital vignette – best ordered online before you travel. You will find e-car charging stations on Chargefinder.com.
▼Supplies nearby
Shopping before you travel. The hut is a self-catering alpine hut – everything you need you buy in Matrei or Lienz before the ascent.
Shopping before arrival
- Matrei in Osttirol | approx. 7 km from the farm – supermarket, baker, pharmacy, cash machine
- Lienz | approx. 30 km – larger selection, weekly market
Places to stop in the region
- Managed alpine huts | along the way on the hiking tours
- Restaurants & cafés Matrei | approx. 7 km from the farm
▼Good to know
The Zarze Almhütte is a genuine self-catering alpine hut with surprisingly much comfort: bathroom with shower and WC, hot water from the wood stove, photovoltaic electricity, spring water for cooling. Only what is necessary, but nothing is missing.
✓ What awaits you on site
Sleeping & living
- 1 bedroom with bunk beds (ideal for children)
- 1 bedroom with single beds that can be pushed together
- Parlour with an open kitchen
- Bed linen & towels & tea towels included
Kitchen & supplies
- Wood stove for cooking and heating
- Crockery and cutlery on site
- Spring water for cooling drinks
- Electricity from a photovoltaic system
Bathroom & WC
- Bathroom with shower and washbasin
- Separate WC
- Hot water directly from the wood stove
Outside
- Brick barbecue and garden table
- Alpine meadows all around – free running for the dog
- Direct connection to the hiking trail
🎒 What you pack
- Hiking boots – for the ascent to the hut too
- Light, rucksack-suitable luggage (everything has to be carried)
- Weatherproof clothing – at 1,880 m the weather changes quickly
- Head torch for the evening
- Water bottle – spring water is available on site
- Dog? A lead for hikes, free running at the hut
- Games and books – instead of streaming
You will receive more details about the journey and the hut in the travel information after booking.
▼Booking & price
Bookable
- Seasonal: spring to autumn
- Minimum stay: from 2 nights
- In summer: from 7 nights
Arrival & departure
- Arrival from 15:00
- Departure by 10:00
- Agree the arrival time with Robert 1 day in advance
Dogs
Warmly welcome.
Alpine meadows all around, free running.
♥ 100% best-price promise
▼You book with us – at the same price as anywhere else!
You book with us – and you never pay more than anywhere else. Guaranteed.
♥ Real farmers, real hosts.
With us the hut costs exactly what it also costs on other platforms. That is agreed personally with every one of our hosts.
♥ In case something does go wrong:
If you find this hut cheaper anywhere, send us the link – we will give you the same price. Up to 4 weeks after your completed booking.
💶 How payment works
▼Deposit 12 %, remaining amount to the host
After your booking you transfer a deposit of 12 % to urlaubshuetten.com – that is our agency fee. The host receives the remaining amount from you, at the latest 3 weeks before arrival.
📅 If something comes up
▼Show cancellation fees in detail
Plans change – we understand that. You will find all the details in our terms and conditions. We recommend taking out travel cancellation insurance.
| Days before arrival | Cancellation fee |
|---|---|
| up to 91 days | 12 % |
| up to 61 days | 30 % |
| up to 31 days | 60 % |
| up to 8 days | 90 % |
| from 7 days | 100 % |