Travel Guide Ötz

Ötz gave its name to the valley. It is a major tourist center. For those preparing for long treks, this village makes a good base camp. In the historic center, you'll discover houses with Gothic portals, oriels and Renaissance facades. Don't miss the Gothic parish church, with its sculpted figures of St. Anne and the saints, and the Michaelskapelle, whose Baroque altar, adorned with angels, features a bas-relief with allegorical figures of Hell and the Devil.Ötztal. This is a superb valley: streams tumble down from an impressive series of glaciers, and vertiginous waterfalls punctuate the route. Stuibenfall, at 159 m, is the largest waterfall in Tyrol. From May to October, it is illuminated every Wednesday at 8.30pm, offering a magical spectacle. The views and sites justify a visit to this region in detail, and if time permits, you should not hesitate to take the bypass routes (Ötztaler Gletscherstrasse, Ventertal, Gurgltal...). Other major points of interest in the valley include the village of Ötzidorf and the Piburger See lake in Umhausen, one of Tyrol's warmest bathing lakes, as well as Vent, the mountaineering village at the foot of the Wildspitze (3,774 m), and Obergurgl-Hochgurgl, the diamond of the Alps, home to glaciers and high alpine pastures.