Vacation in the Alps, planned by a family who lives at their foot
Hi, I’m Brian 👋 an American dad in Kiefersfelden, the last village in Bavaria before Austria, with my wife Shauna and our boys Noah and Elijah. The Alps start right behind our village, so this is where I share how to see them: by train, with kids, at a pace that still leaves time for cake.
Short answer: The Alps cover eight countries, but most first trips focus on four regions: the Austrian Alps (Tyrol, Salzburg), the Swiss Alps (Zermatt, Bernese Oberland, Engadin), the Bavarian Alps (Garmisch, Berchtesgaden) and the Italian Dolomites. All of them are easy to reach by train from Munich, Zurich, Milan or Innsbruck, and you don’t need a car for a great first trip.
Where to start
- Coming for Christmas? Our Christmas markets in the Alps 2026 guide has every date and hour, from Innsbruck and Salzburg to Bolzano, Merano, Montreux and Annecy.
- Dreaming of a panoramic train? Read Glacier Express vs Bernina Express before you book. One of them takes a winter break until 4 December 2026.
- Not a skier? No problem. The Alps in winter without skiing is our list of sledding, cable cars, warm pools and snowy walks.
- No car? We’re a train-first family. 🚆 The Alps without a car shows how we get around with passes and regional trains.
- Can’t decide where to go? Dolomites vs Swiss Alps vs Austrian Alps compares cost, trains, kids and scenery side by side.
How this site fits with our other guides
We also write Vacation in Germany, which covers Munich, the Bavarian towns and the German Christmas markets. Here on Vacation in the Alps, I keep the mountain topics that cross borders: alpine trains, ski and winter comparisons, lakes, hut hikes and the Swiss, Italian and French Alps. When a page belongs to a single town (Garmisch or Innsbruck, for example), I’ll link you to the full guide on the right site instead of repeating it here.
Why trust a family from Kiefersfelden?
We moved here in June 2024. Our station is a 5-minute walk away, and from there regional trains reach Kufstein, Innsbruck, Rosenheim, Munich and Salzburg. Shauna and I once biked to Mariastein over in Tyrol (37 km and 250 stairs up to the pilgrimage church!), so we know how close Austria really is. I check every date, price and timetable against the official source and write down when I checked it.
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What to wear on a cold cable-car day, what to pack for sledding, hut hikes and Christmas markets, and everything else you'll forget. Plus a short email from me when new Alps guides and dates go up.
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