A week in the Austrian lake region

Wolfgang see

This summer, I spent a spectacular week in the Austrian lake region called Salzkammergut, staying at many of its picturesque lakes and villages. It was such a picture perfect holiday – towering green mountains, clear skies, a glorious warm summer and sparkling lakes with warm waters to swim in. Just thinking about it makes me happy again. I landed in Salzburg, and then spent 3 days around the St Wolfgang lake and another 3 next to the Fuschl See. The whole week felt so surreal, I loved it. And as always, Austria remains one of my favourite countries to visit. (I realised this was my 11th visit to the country, so clearly it’s a favourite of mine 😉).


Salzburg

Having shifted from London to Amsterdam, I am slowly realising that getting direct flights to anywhere in the world was a luxury I had in London, and is not necessarily something I can take for granted anymore. While planning to join a friend in Austria on her wedding anniversary celebrations for 3 days, the only way I could take direct flights was to go on a one week holiday😊. And so I did, as it was in Austria – one of my all-time favourite countries.

It took a bit longer to get to Salzburg than I would have expected, given all the chaos currently going on in so many European airports, including my home one, Schiphol. So what could have been a 4-5 hour journey turned out to be a 9 hour one! I turned up 4 hours earlier at the airport when it ended up taking just 45 mins to get to the gate.

Anyways, it was nice to get back onto a plane, as it’s become so much rarer since the pandemic. The whole week I was in Austria was warm and sunny. And it started with when I was landing - the green fields everywhere, all the way to the snow covered mountains, sparkled in the sun just as I was landing. Everywhere it felt warmer and sunnier than where I had flown from, summer was here. It was 26 degrees and I soon got into the relaxed holiday mode.

The Salzburg airport was the anti-thesis of Schiphol, it took me just 3 mins to enter and leave the airport building! I decided to go local and took the local bus to get to my hotel. And it felt nice to slowly drive through Salzburg town, with all its colourfully painted buildings. It felt like a sleepy place which moves at its own pace. A place you can relax in while staring at the snow covered mountains far off. The bus passed by the river and through some of the stunning neighbourhoods next to it, and that is when I decided that would be where I would spend my one evening (and run) in town.

Walk along the Salzach

I was staying at a small hotel near the city centre which was a nice clean hotel. After checking into my hotel, (and getting over the laziness of the 9 hours to get there), I left soon to explore the city, the way the locals do. My hotel was about 10 mins walk to the river, and I decided to just walk towards it. I walked through the old market lanes of Salzburg where I had spent some time 15 years ago. They all seemed to not have changed a bit.

Walk in the countryside

And then I came to the Salzach river where I had one of the most magical evenings ever. I walked for a couple of hours just next to the river, on either side. Initially the walk was still in town, but very quickly I was in the suburbs, and it was enchanting. Walking through forests, huge wooden houses and so on, with the snow covered mountains far off. There were so many birds on the trees, runners and bikers on the roads, and restaurants all along the river. It was fun to just walk along, stop and sit in the grass next to the river, dip my feet in the water, and then start again. Lots of people that day were doing the same. (I was surprised to see the number of people biking here. Also the bikers here were much nicer and polite than the ones in Amsterdam).

Salzburg at night

There were multiple bridges on the river, and I just crossed across on the one which was full of people just sitting and chilling with their friends in the sun. It was really magical. I had dinner at one of the restaurants lining the river, the Gasthof Ueberfuhr while enjoying a warm sunset. 

Castles of Salzburg

I walked back after, and made a short stop at the city centre where were located all the churches, many castles and the shopping streets I had visited last time. This side of the river was definitely grander than the side I was living on. I also realised how much I had changed since then, just choosing to walk along the river rather than visit all the places listed in the must visit websites for Salzburg😊. I really enjoyed this evening in Salzburg, it had felt like I was walking and dancing on air.

Morning run

The next morning, I went for a run along the river, in a direction opposite to the previous evening, apparently north this time. The run turned out to be tough as it was already extremely warm even at 8 in the morning (20 degrees with full on sun). But the scenes were so charming, it was worth being out in the sun. I ran while gazing at all the colourful houses around as well as the majestic castles on top of the mountains. I also stopped to dip my feet in the water, along a beach like part of the river. The water felt icy cold, and totally welcome on such a warm morning. And just like that, it was time to say goodbye to Salzburg.


St Wolfgang am See

The wedding anniversary celebrations I was joining were in the village of St Wolfgang am See, which is on the banks of one of the lakes in the area, the St Wolfgang. I hadn’t been able to figure out a way of getting there easily, so was just going to take a taxi. But my hotel receptionist suggested that I take the local bus as it would be cheaper. I wasn’t able to find the route online but she found it for me (A good example of where you can sometimes still find better options by asking people rather than depending completely on information available online).

Bus stop at Strobl

So I took the local bus from outside my hotel, first to the village of Strobl (which could have been one of the prettiest bus stations ever 😊). And then I took a short connecting bus to St Wolfgang. And as it turned out, the buses ran free on Fridays. So I got this spectacular and lazy ride along the lakes all for free! The drive was right out of a Yash Chopra movie – green lush hills and grasslands along large blue lakes, with fresh air and lot of sunshine all around. It was such a delightful ride.

St Wolfgang see

Very soon, I was in St Wolfgang and checked in to my hotel, the Scalaria. It had a great location right on the lake, with panoramic views all around. And there were birds chirping outside my window the whole time. It was like being in a different world altogether. The view of the lake from the window extended till everywhere and was quite surreal. Like out of a painting, except some yellowish stuff floating along the banks. Which I later figured out was the Sahara sand which had blown over across the continent in a storm a few weeks before.

The first day, I went out for a walk in the village, and it was a typical Austrian village, with colourful houses all along. There were a lot of nice shopping streets. And the area around the lake was really relaxing. I just sat there for a bit, enjoying the serenity around. The church bells from the local church rang soon, adding even more to the serene ambience around. There were loads of people swimming in the lake, and that inspired me to go swimming every day for the rest of my stay in Austria. As the water was so warm, and the outside even hotter.

The next three days, we had various events related to the anniversary in different parts of the Salzkammergut area. The first evening, we drove to the Wirtskultur restaurant in the town of Mondsee for dinner. It was located right on the Mondsee lake. The food there was amazing. And it was so hot, we got outside the restaurant to cool down for a bit. That’s how I got to see the local church, the only bit of local sightseeing we did there. It was all lighted up at night and looked majestic. And just like that, after a really hot day, it started pouring in the middle of our dinner! So we all had to run in, and then run back to our hotel in pouring rain. As they say, you can never be sure of the weather in the mountains.

During the boat ride

The next day, in the morning we did a yacht ride in the lake and the weather which started out cold and rainy turned warm and sunny suddenly. We spent 2 hours on the boat, just chatting and enjoying the stunning environs around. We passed by huge peaks, charming villages and so many people on the water enjoying water sports. It was so breath-taking, that after some time we just stopped taking pictures. Every moment, every turn was mesmerising.

Wolfgang church

In between the yacht ride and the evening event, I again went into town. I finally got to go to the Wolfgang church which has a lot of historic significance. It has two altarpieces which is apparently quite rare. And its outside looked impressive too with some grand views of the lakes around. I also realised that lot of people don’t take credit cards in Austria even till now, which felt quite a surprise after being in NL for so long. After the church visit, I went for a swim in the lake and it felt amazing, just like the swims of the last year in Switzerland. It felt refreshing, even though the water was freezing and I loved it.

In the evening, we had a function in the Scalaria itself, including a laser show to celebrate the event. It was fun. I also wore a saree, which felt like being in a Yash Chopra movie, saree and the Alps😊 .

The last event of the anniversary was a lunch at my friend’s place which is on the banks of the Mondsee lake. They live in a huge house overlooking the lake, it looked amazing in the sun. This is the life – to live in a village with such gorgeous nature around. It felt heavenly to visit her and made me resolve again to buy a holiday home in Austria😊.

Once the anniversary celebrations finished, I drove to my abode for the next 4 days, the small charming little hotel of Seewinkel in the village of Fuschl am See (which surprisingly is the headquarters of Red Bull). Again through the green mountains and lakes of the Alps.


Seewinkel hotel

I spent the next 4 days of the holiday in the lakeside village of Fuschl am See. And it was like being in paradise. I did a different activity every day, depending on whether the weather was sunny or rainy. And all of them were fabulous. I could have lived in this small village and its environs for a few more days too and not get bored. There were just so many ways to enjoy the nature around, it was perfect.

View from the hotel

The first afternoon when I reached the village, I was just blown away by the simplicity of the views outside the hotel. It was a small family run chalet right on the lake with lot of sun beds kept outside. It had a beach like area with sand on the lake and a walkway going into the water. And total calmness around. Oh my god, what a sight it was.

Seewinkel hotel

One of the highlights of my stay in Fuschl am See was definitely the hotel, so small and yet so contained and relaxing to stay in. I had a great time there, both inside and the areas around. It had many seating areas for you to relax – outside on the beach, on the ground floor next to the spa, the restaurant on the first floor with glass windows to enjoy the lake views and so on. It also had sofas and chairs on each floor to just sit and chill. And was always cosy and warm even when it was cold outside.

It had a nice restaurant offering lunch and dinner, with a tasty menu. I had dinner there one day and enjoyed it. They had many water sports equipment available for their guests – paddle boats, surf boats, canoes, kayaks, SUPs etc. They also offered tours for mountain biking or hiking in the area. The highpoint for me though was the small little spa in the hotel with sauna and steam bath, it was cute and I went there every day after the day outside in the cold and rain.

Reflections along the Fuschl see

Right in front of the hotel was the huge lake, where you could just walk in and swim. And right outside my window, there used to be llamas and horses and ponies grazing all day. How much more idyllic can a holiday get? I will always recommend this hotel to everyone who goes there, totally worth it. 


Fuschl am See

The first afternoon in Fuschl, I just sat outside the hotel in the sun for a while. And then went for a swim (which I ended up doing 4 of the next 5 days too😊). The water was actually so warm, it felt amazing. I swam to the other side of the lake to see the village centre. There were lot of people doing different water sports in the lake, including sailing and boating. And loads of people sitting around it fishing all day long too.

Dinner at Seehotel Schlick

In the evening, I walked along the lake to the Seehotel Schlick restaurant which was one of the 5-6 open air restaurants lining the lake. It had a beautiful view of the lake and the sunset. And the best part of the dinner was a boat with some locals just floating on the lake. And they were playing local folk music late into the evening. The whole time. It turned out to be such a captivating background to the dinner. I just fell in love with the village already. Apparently, the local group does this type of jamming every Sunday whenever it isn’t raining. What an idyllic life they have.

Sielbach village on the hike up

The next day, I went for a short hike nearby, up the Ellmaustein peak. I left a bit later in the day around 1 pm as it was a rainy day and I wanted to avoid the rain. I used the local Austrian bergfex hiking app during the day. I first walked to the Sielbach village and then took a turn up towards the peak. All along, there were so many wildflowers in yellow and white, with full fields in these colours. The path up was full of pine trees.

View from the top

I took more than 2 hours to go up and from there, got such a breath taking view of the lake. There was a huge wooden cross on the top and I sat under it for two hours, enjoying the sun and reading my book. I did not want to leave the spot, but good I did when I did. The path back was extremely steep, and coming back was quite tough, taking me more than an hour. Also, it started raining by the time I reached Fuschl. So to avoid the rain, I just stopped at the first restaurant I saw, Jacob’s and had an early dinner while sitting on the jhoola there. And the rest of the day was just spent resting at the hotel, enjoying the views outside as it rained all night.

Around the river

The next day, most of the day was raining but there were a few hours in between when it was quiet. So I went for a flat hike around the lake during this break. The path circled the lake, mostly close to it, but through very different terrains – small villages, hotels, golf courses, picnic areas, forests, restaurants, farms and so on. The water of the lake had a green emerald shade, and looked different at every turn. Within the 13 kms walk, there were so many differences in flora and fauna, it was fun. Each place felt more idyllic than the one before.

Hiking path

I started with walking past the Red Bull headquarters which were a cluster of modern buildings in the middle of nowhere. It did look cute though, sitting in this idyllic Austrian lake side village. Their HQ also had a few training buildings next to it – what fun it would be to come for corporate trainings to such an idyllic location. We passed through some wildflowers pastures in white and yellow, some gorgeous holiday homes with boats and boat ramps going into the water, the many many beaches and benches along the lake, the spruce and pine forests and so on. There were typical farm smells everywhere and a lot of cow dung smell at times too.

Beach along the lake

All the time, it kept raining in spurts, but it was fine as the trees protected me for a while. And when the rain got too much, I stopped for lunch at the SchlossFischlerei. They were selling raw, just freshly smoked fish there, and it was really tough to eat. I didn’t, choosing to eat something easier. But it was quite a sight to see people have the whole fish just like that. And as usual, I made it back to the hotel just in time before the rains. Enjoying the rest of the evening sitting by the cosy places in the hotel, enjoying the views of the lake outside.

 

The next day was mostly rainy and foggy. And whenever there was a break, I would sneak out to do something. In the afternoon, I went boating in the lake, and it was so relaxing, just floating along with such picturesque views. It got sunny then too, and was nice to see all the villages from down below in the lake. Such places always give a new perspective.

Fuschl am see at night

That evening, I walked to a restaurant in a golf course nearby, in the neighbouring village but it was already closed by then. So I ended up having dinner at the Eden burger, again by the lake. I tried sitting outside as it was gorgeous. The restaurant got the last rays of the sun when it set at the other end of the lake. But soon it got too cold to sit outside, so I just sat inside and had a nice cosy dinner.

On my last day I again went for a swim and kayaking in the water. And then I realised there were waves in the water! Huge ones. Anyways I came back safely and then it was time to leave. And I found it tough to leave the lake, seriously. I had loved going swimming in its warm waters every day. Surprisingly, it was warm even in the morning and even when the temperature outside was 14 degrees! Don’t know how, it felt swimmable all the time.


Leaving Austria

And just like that, it was time to leave the Austrian lake district. I was still going local, so took the bus to Salzburg. And as I reached Salzburg, it felt like I was back in a city after a long stay in the countryside. Even though Salzburg was small, it still felt like being back in a different world, a world I did not want to come back to.

I had reached much before time as I had kept a lot of buffer for buses being late but they were totally on time. So I stopped at Mirabell gardens in Salzburg for a bit, just to look around and also slept on the park bench, for a bit – the last of the sun I was going to get for a long while. And very quickly, I was back at the airport. Also interestingly, we could see one of the city castles from the airport itself, even though it was 2 miles away. And then soon it was time to say good bye to even the mountains. To come back to rainy and foggy Amsterdam.

This was a great holiday, as usual. And I can see myself going back again. Maybe to a different part of the lake district, like the Attersee, St. Gilgen or Gmunden am Traunsee. This area has a lot to offer, to everyone, always.