The Stubaital is an alpine

Alps

The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....

 valley in the Austrian state

States of Austria

Austria is a federal republic made up of nine states, known in German as Länder . Since Land is also the German word for a country, the term Bundesländer is often used instead to avoid ambiguity. The Constitution of Austria uses both terms...

 of Tyrol. It is the central valley of the Stubai Alps

Stubai Alps

The Stubai Alps is a mountain range in the Central Eastern Alps of Europe. It is named after the Stubaital valley to its east. It is located southwest of Innsbruck, Austria, and several summits of the range form part of Austria's border with Italy...

. The Ruetz

Ruetz

The Ruetz River flows from the glacier area of the valley to the Wipptal in north-east direction. Near the famous "Europe bridge" it merges with the Sill River after a route length of appr. 25 km...

 river flows through the valley.

This 40-km long valley runs southwest from Schönberg im Stubaital

Schönberg im Stubaital

Schönberg im Stubaital is a municipality in the district of Innsbruck-Land and is located 9 km south of Innsbruck at the entrance of the Stubaital. The village was mentioned as “Schönenberge” for the first time in 1180. It has 1002 inhabitants....

, near Innsbruck

Innsbruck

- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...

. Below Fulpmes

Fulpmes

Fulpmes is a village in Tyrolese Stubaital, Austria, with a population of approximately 4000...

, the towns lie on terraces above the Ruetz on either side of the river. At Fulpmes the terraces merge to form the valley floor. South of Neustift

Neustift

Neustift may refer to the following places in Austria:* Neustift im Stubaital, in Tyrol* Maria Neustift, in Upper Austria* Neustift im Mühlkreis, in Upper Austria* Neustift an der Lafnitz, in Burgenland* Neustift bei Güssing, in Burgenland...

, the valley branches to the Unterberg

Unterberg

The Unterberg is a prominent summit, high, in the Gutenstein Alps in southern Lower Austria. It is located about 10 km south of Hainfeld and is the westernmost and highest summit of a loose chain of mountains that include the Hocheck and the Kieneck ....

 and Oberberg valleys. The ÖBB

ÖBB

The Austrian Federal Railways is the national railway system of Austria, and the administrators of Liechtenstein's railways...

 operates from the 16-MW hydroelectric power plant located in Fulpmes.

The cinema in Fulpmes still uses the oldest film projector in Austria.

The municipalities in the valley include Schönberg

Schönberg im Stubaital

Schönberg im Stubaital is a municipality in the district of Innsbruck-Land and is located 9 km south of Innsbruck at the entrance of the Stubaital. The village was mentioned as “Schönenberge” for the first time in 1180. It has 1002 inhabitants....

, Mieders

Mieders

Mieders is a municipality in the southern part of the district Innsbruck-Land, in Austria. It is located on the right side of the Stubaital 10.60 km south of Innsbruck. Mieders presently has 1728 inhabitants....

, Telfes

Telfes

Telfes is a village in the district Innsbruck Land in Tyrol, Austria. It is situated in the Stubaital 11 km south of Innsbruck, and has 1473 inhabitants....

, Fulpmes

Fulpmes

Fulpmes is a village in Tyrolese Stubaital, Austria, with a population of approximately 4000...

 and Neustift

Neustift im Stubaital

Neustift im Stubaital is a municipality in the district Innsbruck-Land. It has an area of and is the 3rd largest municipality of Tyrol in area. Its population is 4,522. It is a major tourist centre, with more than 1 million overnight stays per year.-Geography:Neustift is located 25 kilometres ...

. Public transportation from Innsbruck

Innsbruck

- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...

 into the valley is available via the Stubaital bus route or the Stubaitalbahn.

At the end of the Stubaital the Stubai Glacier is used as a ski resort.