Here Comes the Sun! Top Mountains in Tirol to Watch the Sun Rise

The early-morning hike up to the top of the majestic Serles between the Stubai Valley and the Wipptal Valley is certainly not the easiest way to start the day, but the fabulous sight of the sun rising over Innsbruck, the Inn Valley, the Karwendel Mountains, the Stubai Alps and the Tux Alps is a fine reward for all that hard work.

The quickest route to the top of the Serles starts at the Maria Waldrast monastery and takes around 3 hours. The ZAMG (Zentralanstalt für Meteorologie und Geodynamik) weather centre provides an overview of the sunrise times for Innsbruck and the surrounding area.

The summit of the Gratlspitze mountain overlooking Alpbach can be reached via a hiking trail of intermediate difficulty leading up to almost 1,900 metres above sea level. The views of the Karwendel Mountains, Kitzbühel Alps and Hohe Tauern are spectacular.

The hike to the summit of the Gratlspitze starts at the car park next to the Holzalm in Brixlegg. It takes around 1 hour 25 minutes to complete the 440 vertical metres to the top. For information on sunrise times for the area around Innsbruck please check with the local weather office ZAMG (Zentralanstalt für Meteorologie und Geodynamik).

Rangger Köpfl is a popular mountain 10 kilometres west of Innsbruck offering fabulous views of the regional capital and the Inn Valley. Early birds can look forward to a majestic panorama of Innsbruck, the Inn Valley and the surrounding mountains as the sun slowly comes up.

The quickest way to the summit of Rangger Köpfl is from the car park at Stiglreith. It takes around two hours on foot from the car park to the top of the mountain. The ZAMG (Zentralanstalt für Meteorologie und Geodynamik) weather service offers an overview of sunrise times for the area around Innsbruck.

During the summer months the Kitzbüheler Hornbahn cable car transports early risers up onto this iconic mountain from 4:30 in the morning. From the top of the cable car it is just a ten-minute hike to the summit of the Kitzbüheler Horn, where a stunning sunrise accompanied by traditional music awaits. Visitors can look forward to a spectacular panorama stretching from the Wilder Kaiser Mountains to the Leogang Rocky Mountains and the Hohe Tauern Massif with some of the highest mountains in Austria. After sunrise there is a healthy and hearty breakfast in the Horngipfel-Haus with plenty of regional delicacies. Those who wish to can also take part in a guided hike through the beautiful alpine flower garden nearby.

The Tiroler Zugspitzbahn cable car offers early-morning ascents in late summer and autumn, giving those who manage to get up early enough the chance to experience sunrise atop Germany's highest mountain. There is also the option of breakfast in the restaurant at the top of the mountain, but be sure to book early: places are often sold out at the start of the year.

From late July until early September the Wiedersbergerhornbahn cable car runs a special early-morning sunrise service every two weeks. The six-man gondola takes bleary-eyed visitors up to 1,850 metres above sea level, from where they must walk around 45 minutes to the summit of the Wiedersbergerhorn mountain at 2,127 metres. The path is suitable for families. As they make their way towards the peak, hikers will see the sun slowly rise behind the craggy mountain ridges – an unforgettable experience. Sturdy footwear and a headlamp are required. Once back at the top of the cable car, a hearty breakfast awaits at the Berggasthof Hornboden.

In summer the cable cars leaving from the village of Jerzens in the Pitztal Valley run early-morning ascents up onto the Sechszeiger mountain, whose summit can be reached in around 15 minutes via a gondola and a two-man chairlift. Early riders can then enjoy a hearty breakfast in the Zeiger-Restaurant at the mid-way station before returning into the valley.

Between 5:00 and 6:00, before the sun has risen, participants on this hike take the largest gondola in Austria, the Ahornbahn, up onto the Ahornplateau, where they can enjoy the sunrise over a hot cup of tea. A hearty breakfast is then served at an on-mountain restaurant.

Early in the morning, at 5:30 to be precise, the Kreuzjochbahn cable car in the Schlick2000 ski resort in Fulpmes transports hikers up to the Kreuzjoch ridge and its "StubaiBlick" viewing platform, where they can watch the sun rise over the peaks of the Stubai Alps.

Those keen to see the sun rise over the Wilder Kaiser Mountains have the chance to do so in summer thanks to the early opening times of the Kaiserlift. The journey begins at 6.00am in Kufstein. Just an hour later there is either a yoga session or a themed walk at the summit of the Brentenjoch mountain. Walk themes range from experiencing the mountains with all your senses to life as a mountain farmer, the geology of the Alps and the five natural elements of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

Definitely one for early risers! This seven-hour adventure (total walking time: 4.5 hours) at the end of the Zillertal Valley begins at 4:15 in the morning, when all those who have managed to make it out of bed in time are picked up by a minibus and taken to the Nasse Tux Alm hut. From there, the hike to the Torseen lakes is of intermediate difficulty but offers spectacular views of the sun rising over the mountains. Hikers then continue to the Ramsjoch (2,508 metres) and the Grüblspitze (2,395 metres) before walking down to the Eggalmbahn cable car, which transports them back down to the village of Lanersbach.

In the summer months there is a guided sunrise hike to the Steinplatte Waidring mountain in the Pillerseetal Valley every Monday. Leaving from the centre of the village, the hike takes around three hours and gives participants the chance to see the run rise atop one of the most iconic mountains in the north-east of Tirol.

The Astenau Alpe by Lake Achensee is a popular and easy-to-reach destination in the Rofan Mountains offering fabulous views of the Kaiser Mountains all the way to the Zillertal Alps, the Inn Valley, the Stubai Glacier and the Karwendel Mountains. One of the best ways to enjoy the view is at sunrise. The hike from the valley to the summit takes around 4 hours.