Maria-Theresien Strasse, Innsbruck, Austria. Photo credit: Innsbruck Tourist Board.

Innsbruck, Austria, the capital of the Alps, is one of the world’s most stunning mountain cities.

In this city of 120,000 residents, every winter it’s common to see skiers in ski suit and ski boots, their pair of skiers on their shoulder, heading to Nordkettenbahn.

Alpin Lodges Kuehtai. Photo credit: Innsbruck Tourist Board.

Snowboarders’ paradise. Photo credit: Innsbruck Tourist Board.

Mallorca, an island hiking destination in Spain. Photo credit: Sherpa Expeditions.

Taking an island holiday in Europe?  Whether you’re heading on an all inclusive holiday to Greece or Canary Island hopping, you can always go on hiking or walking excursions on your island destination.

Make sure you plan your island hikes ahead by getting informed through consulting the local tourist boards and online travel resources.

If you’re interested in guided group hiking tours, then contact Europe hiking experts like Sherpa Expeditions. This travel company is part of World Expeditions which specializes in small group trekking and activity holidays.

Here are 3 Europe Hiking Destinations:

• Sierra de Tramontana, Mallorca: The island’s northwestern spine, the Sierra de Tramontana is a massif of limestone peaks which reach the Mediterranean Sea. In this island range, travelers can go on mountain and sea cliff hikes through forests and olive groves, over rocky peaks and coastal paths.

• Akamas Peninsula, Cyprus: This beautiful island offers hikers rugged, forested mountains, woodlands and orchards and vineyards. The island’s western part, the Akamas Peninsula, is popular for hiking because its temperatures stay warmer than in the mountains.

• La Gomera, Canary Islands:  Originally volcanic, the popular Canary islands are known for their stunning and dramatic landscape. “Feeling like walking alone with nature”, mountain hikers can experience this island’s high rocky mountains to cloud forest and banana plantations. The island has a relaxed vibe and population of only 20,000 people living in the capital San Sebastian and northern villages.

This post is brought to you by First Choice UK.

Mountain biking in solitude in Colorado, USA.  Photo credit: Colorado Tourism.

Planning a Colorado Rockies holiday?  If you’re in the UK, head to the Destinations Show 2012 in London and talk to Colorado tourism experts there.

The U.S. mountain travel destination is exhibiting at the show in Earls Court, London which runs Thursday, February 2nd until Sunday, February 5, 2012.

For mountain travelers, Colorado is one of the world’s exciting adventure travel destinations for every mountain activity from skiing, snowboarding, hiking and mountain biking to whitewater rafting.

Destinations Show 2012

London

Earl Court

Website: www.destinationsshow.com

The turquoise river Soca in Slovenia. Photo credit: Hedonistic Hiking.

Feel like a hiking holiday in Europe?  Then you might fancy a guided walking tour from Slovenia into Italy with walking tour company Hedonistic Hiking.

The nine-day hiking tour will start in the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana.

Then the hike will continue through the Julian Alps, crossing the border between the two countries into Friuli, Italy’s northeastern region, and finishing in Venice.

Slovenia, the sunny side of the Alps. Photo credit: Hedonistic Hiking.

Highlights of the tour will include:

• Lake Bled with its fairytale castle;
•  Three nights beside Lake Bohinj;
• Turquoise river Soca;
• Historic Kobarid and its fine restaurants;
• Visiting the Unesco World Heritage sites of Cividale and Aquileia and
• Wine tasting in the Collio region.

Venice: the final destination. Photo credit: Hedonistic Hiking.

The holiday runs in the summer and fall.  Tour group sizes are limited to 16 people and a support vehicle is provided.

For more info on the tours, visit the Hedonistic Hiking site.

Safety in numbers: mountain touring in Austria.  Photo credit: (c) Tirol Werbung.

The Austrian Tirol has had record-breaking snowfall.

Heavy snowfall over a short period of time can increase the risk of avalanche danger, says The Tirol Tourist Board.

Promoting mountain safety on- and off-piste, the tourist board recommends these basic safety tips for all skiers, boarders and mountain travelers.

Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis. Photo credit: The Tirol Tourist Board.

Here are 5 Mountain Safety Tips:

1) Get informed:  “Weather forecasts, snow reports and avalanche bulletins are widely available on the Internet and through the local tourist offices. Always carry a piste map and know how to get help if needed.”

2) Signage:  “Take notice of what’s around you – make sure you know your location and take note of the difficulty level of the piste. Most importantly pay attention to signs, issuing warnings such as piste closed or to the flags notifying the avalanche danger level.”

3) Protection: “Wear the right equipment and clothing. Protecting your head is vital – so make sure you wear a helmet. If you choose to go off-piste, always go with a certified guide and don’t forget to carry a transceiver, probe and shovel.”

4) Be responsible: “Check out the FIS (International Ski Federation) rules for ski and snowboard conduct – your Highway Code to the slopes! Always make sure the skier in front has priority and adapt the manner and speed of your skiing to your ability and the conditions on the mountain.”

5) Learn from the experts:  “Ski instructors and guides know the mountains better than anyone. Booking a lesson or a few hours guiding can improve your skiing skills and local knowledge about the mountains and resort.”

A winter sleigh ride in the Alps. Photo credits: The Riding Company.

Happy New Year!  Fancy a winter sleigh ride in the Alps this year?

In a stunning, Alpine valley, through snowy winter forests and villages, along the rivers, the Riding Company is offering these romantic rides.

Most of the company’s Ride & Ski hotels feature sleigh rides and some sleigh driving courses for mountain travelers who want to take the reins and learn how to drive a sleigh themselves.

Horse and carriages are part of the mountain culture in the Tyrol region of Austria and Northern Italy, still widely used by local villagers and farmers.

At one of the Ride & Ski Hotels, the Alpine Post Hotel in South Tyrol, three-time Italian driving champion Hannes Weilaner will teach the horse driving course.

Hotel guests will head to a large, light indoor riding school for sleigh driving and riding lessons so they can also go winter horseback riding.

The four-star Alpine Post Hotel has also designed spa treatments and massages for riders and drivers.

For more info, visit The Riding Company online.

A taverna on Cyprus.  Photo credit: Cyprus Tourism Organization.

Wandering through mountain villages is one way we travel in the mountains worldwide.  In Europe, our favorite mountain villages are on Cyprus, the third largest island in the Mediterranean.

If you’re planning a summer trip to Cyprus, take  cheap flights to Cyprus, be an agrotourist and soak up mountain village life on the slopes of Troodos Mountains.

Take time to hike in Cyprus’ national park and its 97 marked walking trails which cover 861 km through forests and waterfalls.

One of the most popular mountain villages is Tochni where travelers can walk, ride bikes and horses and take cooking courses in traditional Cypriot food.

The mountain village of Laneia is active with local artists and galleries and an expat scene.  See the ancient olive mills and the outdoor photography exhibit which dates back 100 years.

In Kalavassos, The Library Wellness Resort and Spa, a former merchant’s house on the village churchyard, is a popular place to stay.  The hotel features six suites named after famous poets and authors.

Heading to Pelentri village, you can try Cyprus’ Commandaria sweet wine or Vamvakada robust red from Tsiakkas Winery and its high altitude vineyards.

This post is provided by Cheapflights.co.uk.

Bioclimatic home on Tenerife, Canary Islands. Photo credit: Tenerife Tourism Corporation.

Tenerife, the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands, is emerging as a sustainable and responsible island destination.

The island’s tourism corporation was recognized with an AITO Affiliates Green Award for its sustainable tourism efforts.

Playa la Troya, Tenerife. Photo credit: Tenerife Tourism Corporation.

“Despite its popularity with tourists, about half of Tenerife is covered in national parks and it is extremely important to us to protect both the land and the seabed of our beautiful island,” says Carlos Alonso, Tenerife’s Minister for Tourism and Vice-President.

The Tenerife Island Government’s sustainable tourism initiatives include:

• Developing new trails in natural areas;
• Protecting whales and dolphins;
• Conserving traditions and local customs via food festivals, exhibits and activities and
• Supporting local island businesses.

In 2010, the island’s Institute for Technology and Renewable Energy launched a village of carbon-free homes to explore using natural energy in architecture.

Tenerife is working towards generating more than half of the island’s energy through natural energy resources including solar and wind.

For more travel info on the island, visit the Tenerife tourism site.

The joys of mountain biking in Scotland.  Photo credit: The Outdoor Capital of the UK.

Fancy a mountain bike holiday in Scotland?  Then you might fancy the Tastes and Trails of Scotland mountain bike tour with Highlands & Islands Adventures.

The Scottish mountain bike holiday experts have designed the trip to focus on the food, drink and culture and trails of Scotland.

This week-long, mountain bike tour takes in the Cairngorms; the sands of Arisaig; the wilderness of the Isle of Skye and the Applecross peninsula.

Tastes and Trails of Scotland gives travelers “the chance to explore some of the more off-the-beaten-track corners of the west coast of Scotland – not just on your mountain bike – but by steam train, boat, and on foot,” says Highlands & Islands Adventures.

Highlights of the mountain bike holiday include:

• Trip on the Jacobite Express steam train;
• Lunch at Kinloch Lodge on Skye;
• Walk to a secluded hilltop bothy;
• Whisky tasting;
• Wildlife boat trip off Applecross and
• Seafood meal at the Applecross Inn.

The package includes seven nights’ 3-star accommodation; breakfasts; all transport throughout the week and a mountain bike guide and driver.

For more info, go to the Highlands & Islands Adventures site.

Skibocking in Adelboden in the Swiss Alps. Photo credit: The Cambrian, Adelboden.

We’ve blogged about luxury Swiss Alps hotel The Cambrian, Adelboden and its Easter holidays and pop-up golf course.

The hotel has been voted among the 50 Best Luxury Adventure Holidays In The World by AdventureTemples.

AdventureTemples is a new luxury adventure travel service and online community with international members.

For the 50 Best Luxury Adventure Holidays, hundreds of luxury destinations and thousands of luxury hotels were considered.

To qualify, luxury hotels had to demonstrate their guests could enjoy a wide range of activities, for body, mind and spirit.

“The Cambrian, a member of Design Hotels and the only Mr&Mrs Smith hotel in Switzerland, was successful on account of its luxurious offering and the myriad pursuits that Adelboden has to offer year-round,” says AdventureTemples.

With the third largest ski field in Switzerland, Adelboden offers winter mountain activities including skiing, snowboarding, skibocking, dog sledding, night skiing, ice hockey and curling.

Summer mountain activities at Adelboden range from walking, mountain biking, scooter riding, llama trekking and practicing yoga to retreating to The Cambrian Spa.