Eastern Alps hiking trails offer more than mountain views. Across the forests and hills along the Austria-Hungary border, paths lead through landscapes shaped by Celtic settlements, Roman engineering, medieval fortifications and centuries of local history. For travellers who want to combine walking with a sense of place, the region offers several routes where the past is still visible along the way.
The eastern edge of the Alps stretches from Austria towards Hungary, creating a landscape where the mountains gradually give way to lower hills and forested countryside. The border between the two countries is relatively easy to cross on foot or by bicycle, and several routes connect places that played important roles in the region’s history.
One of the most interesting starting points is Velem, a small Hungarian village in the Kőszeg Mountains. From the surrounding countryside, the white chapel of Saint Vid can be seen standing above the forest. The chapel sits at an elevation of 589 metres and can be reached by a moderate hiking trail through the mountains.
The building dates from the early 18th century, but its location has a much older story. The chapel was built on the remains of an ancient settlement associated with the Celts, who lived in the area around 2,000 years ago. The Romans later used the strategic location and built a watchtower to help protect the aqueduct system that supplied water to Savaria, the ancient city that stood where modern-day Szombathely developed.
Evidence of the earlier settlement has not completely disappeared. Walkers passing through the forest can still see man-made terraces associated with the Celtic occupation of the area. It is one of those places where the landscape itself provides clues to what came before.
Velem also provides access to several hiking routes. One leads towards Geschriebenstein, the highest mountain in the area, which stands directly on the Hungarian-Austrian border. Another is the Források útja, or Springs Trail, a 14-kilometre route with 11 stations highlighting springs throughout the Kőszeg Mountains. The routes vary in character, with some offering a more demanding experience from the Hungarian side while access from Austria can be easier.
The walk between Velem and the nearby town of Kőszeg turns the journey into a longer historical excursion. The route takes hikers through the mountain landscape before reaching one of western Hungary’s best-known historic towns.
Kőszeg is closely associated with Jurisics Castle and the siege of 1532, when a small defending force resisted an Ottoman army advancing towards Vienna. The castle captain, Nikola Jurisics, commanded roughly 50 soldiers who were supported by about 700 local inhabitants. They faced an army vastly larger than their own.
How the defenders managed to hold the town has remained a subject of historical discussion. The siege lasted for weeks, and the difficult conditions, including heavy August rainfall, are often mentioned among the factors that affected the Ottoman advance. Whatever the precise balance of circumstances, the siege became one of the defining episodes in Kőszeg’s history.
Walking from Velem to Kőszeg adds another layer to the experience. Along the way, hikers can encounter mountain springs, reach the Saint Vid chapel and pass historic Styrian-style houses that were used by foresters during the 19th century. The journey is long enough to make it a full-day outing, but it connects the natural landscape and the region’s human history in a way that a short visit to the town alone cannot.
Across the border in Austria, the forests around Lockenhaus offer a different way to explore the same historic landscape. The town is dominated by Lockenhaus Castle, a 13th-century fortress set within the Geschriebenstein Nature Park.
The castle is associated with stories of the Knights Templar, adding to its medieval character, although some of those historical associations remain part of the site’s long-running legend. Today, the surrounding landscape is shared by walkers and mountain bikers, with a network of cycling trails ranging from easier routes to technically demanding rides.
Cyclists can use the Burgenland Trails shuttle bus from nearby Rechnitz, with minibuses equipped to carry bicycles to designated trail stops. Services operate regularly on weekends and public holidays. From the Geschriebenstein area, riders can continue towards Lockenhaus, the Rechnitz bathing lake or across the border into Hungary.
The trails for cyclists and pedestrians are separated in parts of the network, helping keep the different activities from interfering with one another. That makes the area suitable for groups whose members may want to explore the landscape in different ways.
Lockenhaus Castle also has a less obvious connection with the natural world. A colony of Geoffroy’s bats occupies part of the castle and can be observed by visitors between April and July. Kestrels and swifts are also among the birds found around the historic building, while the nearby lake provides habitat for beavers.
Further west, Stadtschlaining offers another glimpse of medieval Austria. The town developed around Burg Schlaining, a 13th-century castle near the Hungarian border. The fortress stands on the outskirts of the town, while the historic centre has retained much of its traditional character.
Stadtschlaining is about 22 kilometres from Lockenhaus and lies along the R1 Jubiläumsradweg, making it possible to connect the two areas by bicycle. The surrounding countryside is made up of rolling hills and forests, with walking and cycling routes leading into the wider region.
The castle gardens provide a quieter end to a day outdoors, while the town itself offers a chance to slow down after the trails. From Stadtschlaining, travellers can also continue towards the wine-growing areas of southern Burgenland, where vineyards, farms, cider producers and traditional Heuriger wine taverns form part of the rural landscape.
What links these places is not a single continuous trail, but a landscape in which roads and paths repeatedly cross layers of history. In Velem, the evidence reaches back to Celtic settlement and Roman infrastructure. Around Kőszeg, the mountains lead towards a town remembered for a major 16th-century siege. In Lockenhaus and Stadtschlaining, medieval castles remain part of the modern landscape, surrounded by forests, cycling routes and small communities.
That combination makes the eastern edge of the Alps particularly suited to travellers who do not want hiking and history to be separate activities. Here, a walk can lead to an ancient settlement, a Roman-era site, a medieval fortress or a centuries-old town without requiring a museum visit to understand why the landscape looks the way it does.
