Discover Tulfes: Glungezer and local history

Two distinct highlights await visitors to Tulfes: trails on the Glungezer, with its cable car, alpine pastures and summit destinations, and the history surrounding St. Thomas Parish Church and the Kolbenturm tower. When planning, you can distinguish between the tours by their starting points and routes. This lets you choose between a loop near Halsmarter, a hike to a mountain hut and a route to a summit.

Glungezerbahn cable car and mountain trails

The Glungezerbahn connects Tulfes with the Halsmarter mid-station at 1,567 metres and the Tulfein mountain station at 2,055 metres above sea level. The summit hike to the Glungezer starts at the Tulfein mountain station and leads past the Schaferhütte and Glungezerhütte mountain huts to the 2,677-metre summit. From there, views stretch across 400 peaks.

Another hike takes you from Tulfes on the Glungezerbahn to the Halsmarter mid-station, then through alpine pastureland to the Voldertalhütte mountain hut. The return route goes via the Stiftsalm and Windegg back to Tulfes. Another option is the Zwugl loop, just under two kilometres long. It starts and ends at the Gasthof Halsmarter inn, following a well-maintained forest road through shady woodland, and is accessible by the Glungezerbahn. The Kugelwald on the Glungezer adds a special attraction to the mountain destinations: the largest wooden ball run in the world is located in a natural woodland area.

The Zirbenweg differs both in route and in how you get there. This panoramic hike, about seven kilometres long, runs on mostly level ground from the Patscherkofel mountain station to the Tulfeinalm. From Tulfes, take the bus to Igls and continue by gondola. The walk takes about two to two and a half hours. This makes it easier to plan the timing of the longer panoramic route than the Zwugl loop, for which no walking time is specified.

Church and local history

St. Thomas Parish Church is late Gothic, with written records dating back to 1332. The present church tower was built in 1718. The altarpiece also has a clear connection to the region: it was painted by Alois Reisacher, an artist from Hall. The dates describe different aspects of the church—its earliest written mention and the construction of the present tower.

The Kolbenturm, a medieval residential tower built around 1200 by the Kolb family, stands in the Volderwald forest in Tulfes. Another historic treasure is the 1608 nativity scene in the parish church. It is considered one of the three oldest nativity scenes in the region and probably in Central Europe. As it is displayed seasonally at Christmas, it is a good idea to check the latest information before your trip.

More activities and practical information

The Glungezer ski area includes a downhill run of up to 15 kilometres, depending on how you ski. Klumpern is another local speciality: participants ride down practice slopes on single-runner sleds. In addition to hiking, winter activities and local traditions offer different reasons to visit.

Regiobus 540 connects Hall in Tirol railway station with the Glungezerbahn valley station in Tulfes. If you plan to use this service, check the timetable before travelling. The route to the Schartenkogel is closed for the entire 2026 summer season; check the latest conditions after the season ends.

Discover more destinations: Zirl, Grinzens, Scharnitz, Ellbögen, Leutasch, Rinn, Pfaffenhofen, Sankt Jodock Am Brenner.

View the overview of the wider region: Innsbruck-Land.