The French have their cottages, persons from Berlin their weekend homes – and Tiroleans have a paradise on their doorstep. Five locals tell us about their personal secret escapes: the perfect places to relax, recharge your batteries or just have fun.

We asked international couples about the role the mountains have played in their relationship.

Daniel Sperl, 38, and his Columbian wife Carolina Osorio Rogelis, 41, live in Innsbruck. They are both involved in the Climate Alliance Austria and import fair-trade coffee from Columbia, transported across the seas on sailing ships.

Timna, 31, and her Argentinian husband Juan, 34, first met on a beach in South America. Today the family lives in Innsbruck.

For Michael Reiter, 34, and his husband Markus, 45, it was love not a first but at second sight. Today the couple run the Hotel Eiserne Hand in Fieberbrunn.

Without the mountains Mario Käppeli, 32, and Elena Barbist, 20, would have probably never met. Three years after their first climbing date, the couple - a student and a former professional snowboarder - still spend most of their time exploring the mountains around Innsbruck.

Winter sports are all about thrills, spills and adrenaline, right? Wrong. Wolfgang Westermeier and friends headed to Kartitsch in East Tirol for a weekend of winter walking. Far from the bright lights and loud music of many ski resorts, they rediscovered winter in its most authentic and original form.

What is old, what is new? What is foreign, what is familiar? It's all a question of perspective. Seldom do we stop and marvel at the things we have grown up with – landscapes, traditions, buildings. To rediscover the fascination of the familiar, what we need is a fresh pair of eyes. We invited a photographer to Tirol to capture on camera a place he had never seen before. Could his view of the region change the way we see our home?

Ibex, chamois, vulture, eagle and marmot – those are the five animals every visitor to Tirol would like to catch a glimpse of.  We have talked to the rangers in the region's nature parks to discover the best walks and hikes with a good chance of seeing these wonderful creatures.

Five eco-friendly activities trending right now - with almost zero carbon footprint.