This is the way to enjoyment – Join us on a culinary journey through the Alps and experience seven sustainable hotel restaurants | Part 1

Vacation without good food? Barely imaginable, isn’t it? But did you ever think about organizing your entire trip around it? Turning it into a real pleasure trip? In this article, we take you on a culinary journey through the Alps.

You will not only discover unique and sustainable (hotel) restaurants. We also provide you with tips for your arrival and onward journey and for stopovers along the way. So, you’ll be served a delicious and green road trip that might inspire you to start your own gourmet journey. Please don’t hesitate to let us know at the end if you’d be up for something like this!

Culinary journey through the Alps – The key data

• Type: culinary road trip, gourmet journey
• Topics: culinary, sustainability, nature
• Countries: Austria, Germany, Switzerland
• Means of transport: train or (e-)car
• Accommodation: Sustainable hotels of the network
• Perfect for: Lovers of good food and the Alpine landscape

Starting Point: Klosterhof – Alpine Hideaway & Spa

Bayrisch Gmain, Germany

We start our culinary journey through the Alps at the Klosterhof – Alpine Hideaway & Spa in Berchtesgadener Land. You can easily get here by train. From the train station, Bayrisch Gmain, the hotel will be happy to help you organize a cab transfer. Or you can take the Berchtesgadener Land train to Bad Reichenhall and walk from there. From the city center, it’s a short 20-minute walk to the hotel.

Though, you don’t notice the proximity to the city as soon as you reach the sunny plateau and the hotel. The Klosterhof is located in a secluded area up there and offers you complete peace and quiet, surrounded by nature and the breathtaking panorama of the Berchtesgaden Alps.

But before we start raving about it, we’d rather quickly turn our attention to the restaurant and the culinary offerings of the Klosterhof.

Culinary highlights and fine dining

Our enjoyment variety is based on the interplay of international dishes and modern, creative implementation with influences from star cuisine!

Sascha Förster, Head Chef

Two restaurants invite you to enjoy the evening in a special and delicious way: the Klosterstuben and the panorama restaurant GenussArt. As a hotel guest, you can expect a multi-course menu every evening in both of the latter, which you can choose from four categories: Chef’s Choice, consisting of Chef Sascha Förster’s favorite creations, Alpine & Boundless, alpine cuisine with international influences, the vegetarian menu Herbs & Vegetable Garden and, brand new, the low-carb variant Balance & Lightness.

Regional ingredients and always a touch of surprise characterize the cuisine of Sascha Förster. Not surprisingly, there are also numerous special offers, such as the Bavarian Soul food evening or the Fine Dining Experience Secret Forest on Saturday evenings.

The latter we can particularly recommend to you. On this gourmet evening, you will experience Sascha Förster up close and personal, while at the same time having an exceptional dinner at a secret location. With just eleven other people.

Even more culinary delights?

An overnight stay at the Klosterhof also includes a rich and regional breakfast buffet that is not only loved by hotel guests. At lunchtime there are healthy lunch bowls and in the afternoon you can indulge in homemade banana-based nice cream. You almost don’t want to leave, do you?

Stage 1: From Bayrisch Gmain to Techendorf

From Bayrisch Gmain in Deutschland, it’s now on to Austria. The first road trip stage is coming up. After breakfast, you can either head for the train station or hit the road.

For your route planning:

By train (two changes):

• Bayrisch Gmain to Freilassing
• Freilassing to Spittal-Millstättersee
• Spittal-Millstättersee to Greifenburg Weißensee

By car (approx. 200 kilometers):

• via the A10 to Lendorf/B100 and B100 to your destination

But what would a good culinary road trip be without stops worth seeing? After all, sustainable and slow travel is not only about arriving, but also about experiencing the itinerary. That’s why we’ve picked out a handful of stopovers for you that are worth stopping at.

Our stopover recommendations

As a train traveler, it’s a good idea to use the stopovers to explore directly. Maybe you don’t take the next train, but the one after that, and discover Freilassing and Spittal meanwhile. In Freilassing, for instance, you’ll find a locomotive museum. Perfect for all big and small railroad fans (and, thus, fascinating for non-fans). In Spittal, the Castello Porcia enchants the viewers. Permanently established in the summer of Carinthian culture are the performances of the Ensemble Porcias at the castle, which are always worth a visit. Not for nothing is Spittal called the city of comedies.

If you are traveling by (e-)car, you always have the possibility to deviate from the direct route and take detours and thus explore, for example, the Silberkarklamm or take a guided tour through the Eisriesenwelt in summer. This fascinating underground world of limestone rocks and cave ice leaves a deep impression and gives you a new perspective on the mountain world of the Alps.

2nd stop: Genießerhotel Die Forelle Weissensee

Techendorf, Carinthia, Austria

From Greifenburg train station, the station shuttle will take you to Weissensee Nature Park. Dogs and bicycles are also allowed on board 😉 Once you arrive at Weissensee, pause for a moment and enjoy the view of the lake before heading to the next restaurant stop.

Regional, seasonal and with an eye to the future

At the Genießerhotel Die Forelle on Lake Weissensee, you get only Austrian ingredients on your plate. Chef Hannes Müller attaches great importance to regionality and proudly describes his restaurant and hotel as “importautarkic”. This means that everything comes from Austria, preferably from the immediate surroundings and fairly produced.

Farm produce, but also wild herbs and plants, are served fresh, depending on the season. Alternatively, Hannes Müller makes use of the large stock of products he has preserved himself, such as pickled vegetables or preserved fruit. The creations will definitely inspire you! If you can concentrate on the food at all with the fantastic view over Lake Weissensee, of course 😉

By the way: The restaurant follows the Slow Food principle. This means that food is handled consciously and mindfully. Much of what is now industrially produced, is handmade in Slow Food kitchens. You, too, can immerse yourself in the “old” crafts, try your hand and take away new experiences.

Zero Waste and Green Energy in the kitchen

At Die Forelle, there is one more special feature: very little is thrown away. Potato peelings and other leftovers that might end up on the compost heap or in the organic waste garbage can be processed here, for example through fermentation. So, you’ll discover one or two delicacies on your dinner plate or breakfast buffet that you haven’t tried before.

However, the restaurant is not only a green role model when it comes to food. A kitchen like this consumes immense amounts of energy. At the Genießerhotel, most of this is provided by the restaurant’s own photovoltaic system. In addition, there is also a wood-burning stove and a wood-burning bread oven, both of which are used regularly and provide unique taste experiences. They are also the centerpiece of the popular “Unplugged” evenings.

Learn from the Pros

You enjoy good food in a restaurant, but usually, you eat at home, and it’s hard to conjure up such cracking dishes there. Take a souvenir and learn new skills for your kitchen! At the Forelle, you can combine your stay with a cooking class. Not necessarily on this culinary road trip, but maybe at a later date. For example, there is an offer at the end of February. Over the four days, there will be four focus areas where you will not only learn recipes and techniques, but also learn about the importance of sustainable cooking and good ingredients.

Stage 2: From Techendorf to Matrei in Osttirol

Even though it’s hard to tear ourselves away from Lake Weissensee, we’re traveling on. From Carinthia, we go to East Tyrol. More precisely, to Matrei in East Tyrol.

For your route planning:

By train (1 change):

• Greifenburg to Lienz
• Free shuttle service from Lienz (when booking directly at Naturhotel Outside)

By car (approx. 77 kilometers):

• via B100 and B108

A small tip for all those who do not come from the south, but from the north. Here it makes more sense to get off at the main train station in Kitzbühel and from there take the direct bus 950X directly to Naturhotel Outside.

Our stopover recommendations

Since the driving distance is short for both train and car travelers, there are numerous opportunities for stopovers here. Especially in summer, when the days are long, you can always stop for short hikes along the way. How about the Gaislochklamm gorge or the Ochsenschlucht gorge near Berg im Drau, for example? In Oberdrauberg, the Flaschberg castle ruins are located and offer a great opportunity for a lunch stop with a picnic.

If you are traveling by train, you can go to Lienz and then explore the “sun city”. The slightly Mediterranean flair of the small-town invites you to stroll and wander. Maybe you’ll join a guided tour of the town? Or go to the summer toboggan run in the north of the city for more action. In winter (and when it snows) then the normal toboggan comes into play. 🙂

3rd stop: Naturhotel Outside

Matrei in East Tyrol, Austria

Matrei in East Tyrol, Austria If you booked your room directly through the Naturhotel Outside, then you can take the free shuttle from Lienz that will take you directly to the hotel. Or you can use the public bus, which also takes you to the hotel without changing buses.

Outside inside

In the nature and hiking hotel Outside, it is precisely this “outside” that is the focus. For instance, in the furnishing of the rooms: pine wood from the region, natural stones and natural textiles. In the lobby, a huge tree slice hangs on the wall and in the gourmet restaurant, too, the outdoors is brought indoors by regional ingredients and alpine cuisine.

But if that makes you now think of traditional run-of-the-mill classics (nothing wrong with that, but occasionally, you want to try something different), you’ll be surprised by the creations. Modern twists and innovative ideas will delight your taste buds. 😉

Transparency and short distances

The kitchen team gets many of the ingredients directly from their garden. Liqueurs, jams, and syrups are also homemade. And of course, the bread. Hmm, mm. What’s especially cool about it, you can stroll through the garden before dinner and see where your dinner grew just moments ago.

Vegetarian creations are a firm fixture at Outside, by the way. If you’re vegan, though, you should let them know beforehand. Then the kitchen team can adjust to you:)

Stage 3: From Matrei in East Tyrol to Seefeld

We stay in Austria. And do you know what the best thing about a train journey is? Everyone gets to enjoy the scenery! If you’re traveling by car, one of the fellow passengers always has to concentrate on the ride. And in the mountains, the ride is even more part of the travel experience.

For your route planning::

By train (2 changes):

• By bus or shuttle to Lienz
• Lienz to Innsbruck
• Innsbruck to Seefeld in Tyrol

By car (apporx. 180 kilometers):

• via B108, B161, B170 and A12

Instead of driving through Austria, you could also get to Hotel Klosterbräu via Italy. The route takes about an hour longer. And if you want to travel directly to Seefeld: long-distance buses also travel to the Tyrolean holiday place.

Our stopover recommendations

On this route, you’ll touch a few well-known winter sports resorts by car, such as Kitzbühel and Wörgl, as well as the provincial capital of Innsbruck. But above all, the drive through the Alps is a dream, whether by car or train.

If you are eager to know more about the Alpine landscape, plan a stopover at the National Park Center in Mittersill. There you will find an interactive museum, 360° cinema and of course countless interesting facts about the Alps. Especially with children, the visit is almost a must 😉

If you take the train, you have to change trains in Innsbruck anyway and can use that to take a look at the city center. Sights are for example the Habsburg residence Goldenes Dachl, the Burgriesenhaus and the Schlossergasse. If you have more time, be sure to stop by Ambras Castle. And if you’re a car driver, the castle is not far from the road, making it an ideal stopover.

4th stop: Hotel Klosterbräu

Seefeld, Tyrol, Austria

Did you know that Seefeld station is the highest ICE station in the world? So, you’re arriving at a world record. But that’s not the only reason to travel green to Hotel Klosterbräu. The hotel is just a three-minute walk from the station, and you can use the e-bikes free of charge. The same applies if you arrive by e-car.

Brewery, dinner locations and unique pleasure experiences

Actually, one evening at Hotel Klosterbräu is not enough to discover all the epicurean highlights. But if we only stayed here, it wouldn’t be a culinary JOURNEY through the Alps, would it? However, we want to introduce you to at least some possibilities. A bit of surprise on the spot is a must 😉

Something we definitely want to introduce you to: the restaurant Bräukeller Grill & Veggie. There is something for everyone. About half of the dishes are vegetarian or vegan. Perfect if you are looking for a steakhouse where vegetarians and vegans don’t have to resort to side dishes 😉 By the way, right next door is the brewery. You can’t get the home-brewed beer fresher next to your plate 😀

Part of the YOUNIQUE concept of the Klosterbräu are also the exclusive dinner locations. From the 500-year-old wine cellar to the vaulted hall and the Ritter Oswald Stube to the Romeo & Juliet balcony, where you float above it all with your favorite person and enjoy.

Sustainable and delicious

Sustainable hotel without sustainable culinary? Not possible! And that’s precisely why the Seyrling family also attaches great importance to regionality and quality and works exclusively with local producers who also represent the family’s philopsophy. Veggie offers are a fixed part of the menu and as a guest, you will be pointed out to these again. And if it should be meat, you can be sure that this does not come from overseas, but also from the region.

For this approach to food, the Hotel Klosterbräu was awarded by the Alliance Conscious Tyrol in 2022.

Interim words for your culinary journey through the Alps

Yes, we know, it is hard to say goodbye to Hotel Klosterbräu. But we are continuing on our culinary journey through the Alps. At this point, we would like to mention that you can (and should!) stay longer here and there. For example, maybe you only do the Austrian part of the trip, or you arrange the restaurants differently. Or you might just visit one hotel and use our culinary trip as inspiration. Whatever you plan, feel free to share it with us here in the comments or on Instagram by tagging us 🙂

Next Tuesday, we continue with the second part of our culinary pleasure journey through the Alps. One thing we can already reveal: It goes first to Germany and then to Switzerland.