The village of Hopfgarten lies in an idyllic position at the entrance of the wild and romantic Defereggental valley in the holiday region of the Hohe Tauern National Park
Image gallery: Hopfgarten in Defereggen
Altitude: 1,107 metres a.s.l.
The charming village Hopfgarten and its hamlets Dölach, Lerch, Plon, Hof and Rajach are located in the beautiful holiday region of the Hohe Tauern National Park, at the sunny side of the entrance to one of the most beautiful places in Austria, the wild and romantic Defereggental valley.
Hopfgarten is the ideal holiday destination for everybody who is looking for peace and relaxation far away from stress and noise, in the romantic landscape of the beautiful Defereggental valley. At the same time, Hopfgarten offers a lot for active tourists: the 4 km long bicycle trail Hopfgarten-Mellitzwald starts in the centre of the village and ends in the hamlet Plon, leading along the Schwarzach river without very challenging ascents. This is an ideal bicycle trail for families since it offers many nice places to rest. A more challenging mountain bike tour is the famous Rieserferner round tour, leading from the Defereggental valley to South Tyrol in Italy and back.
The Defereggental valley is a true hiking paradise, offering more hours of sunshine than many other places in Austria. On a wide network of walking paths and hiking trails you can explore the unspoiled nature of the valley, its lush meadows, wild forests and high peaks, and enjoy breathtaking views of the surrounding mountain panorama.
A nice hiking suggestion, especially for families, is the water theme trail, which starts in the centre of Hopfgarten and leads along the Schwarzach river until the hamlet Plon, where one of the seven chapels of Hopfgarten, the Antonius chapel, can be visited. The way back to the village passes many beautiful mountain farm houses.
Another very interesting theme path is called “Im Reich des Apollo” (literally: In the reign of Apollo), which leads along the sunny Defreggental valley and provides a rare insight into the hard life of mountain farmers.
If you are interested in modern architecture, visit the new Kulturhaus in the centre of Hopfgarten. Very worth to be visited is also the parish church Hl. Johannes Nepomuk, a typical Tyrolean late-Gothic building.
