Austria in the summer- where's the most scenic? Recommendations needed!
 

We'll be going to Austria sometime in the summer- not booked yet, so any recommendations on when to go between July and September would be great.

We love any outdoor activities apart from skiing, want to be in a mountainous region with plenty to keep us occupied during the day, and restaurants that cater for vegetarians.

We're also into culture, music and art.

Anywhere but Mayrhofen as already been there (would recommend- a beautiful place!)

Thanks

I should have added that we'll be going for 1-2 weeks, and it'll be my partner and I going.

The area in and around Salzburg should be perfect for at least a week of your trip. There are many musical events in Salzburg itself as well as the mountains and lakes in the surrounding countryside.

I would spend the remaining time in Vienna. It would definitely satisfy your desire for art, culture and music. There is much to do in the city itself as well as the possibility of a day trip to Melk Abbey and the Wachau Valley.

http://www.aboutvienna.org/sights/sights.php

http://www.wien.info/en

http://www.salzburg.at/en.html

http://www.salzkammergut.at/en

If you still have time and want to venture further, you might consider Zell am See:

http://www.zellamsee-kaprun.com/en

Hi!
you could for example spend your holidays in a region around Innsbruck (lake Achensee, Stubaital, Seefeld...). Innsbruck is a very nice and scenic village and you'll also be able to visit the world famous Swarovski Crystalworld in Wattens.

There are very good train connections from the city of Salzburg to lovely regions like Gasteinertal valley, St. Johann i. Pongau or Zell am see.

You could also spend your holidays in Carinthia at one of the crystalclear lakes of this province (like for example lake Weissensee or lake Millstättersee)or in the nationalpark Hohe Tauern (where one can take part in guided tours by the nationalpark rangers).

If you are looking for some more suggestions just write us (Austrian National Tourist Office) an email [email protected]

Greetings from Austria!
Melanie:)

Hi,

I agree with "bettyk" that the area in and around Salzburg (meaning Salzburg and the Salzkammergut) are good for a week alone. You could also add day trips to Berchtesgaden and Konigsee to this list. They are both about 30 min. from Salzburg. You could include salt mine tours, a boat trip on the Konigsee, Eagle's Nest, Jennerbahn cable car, etc. Hohenwerfen is also a good day trip. Also, "Mad" King Ludwig's Herrenchiemsee palace is an hour away from Salzburg.

http://en.berchtesgadener-land.com/e...5,nodeid,.html

www.jennerbahn.de/de/koenigliches-bergerlebnis/

www.salzburg-burgen.at/en/werfen/

http://www.herrenchiemsee.de/englisc...lace/index.htm

We also love the previously mentioned Zell am See.

Paul

They call it "beautiful Austria" for good reason. It is hard to find any part of the country that isn't beautiful. We really like the Tyrol and the Salzkammergut as well as neighboring Bavaria. Salzburg is a great place for a base as well as offering lots of music and charm. The Alps are all around you and if you have a car you can easily day trip to Italy, Hallstatt, Bertschesgaden and lots more.

Thanks everyone for your replies and links- we'll look into them in more detail ;o) xx

July/August will be high season.
If you find your favorite choice already booked, September is usually already less mass tourism (but far from being "dead").

Carinthia is probably the best location for holidays as you have everything from big lakes (which are warm enough to swim), mountains (as Melanie wrote, Hohe Tauern NP is spectacular), castles, monasteries, hiking, and so on.

It's still a bit of a mystery for me why Carinthia, being a top summer holiday destination in Austria, still hardly see any tourists from English-speaking countries (which rarely dare to go South of the Sound-of-Music border). ;-)

Visit St Gilgen, an incredibly charming town, stay at the Parc Hotel Billroth.

We've decided on the Hohe Tauern NP. Any recommendations on which part?

We'd like somewhere where we can definitely see the glaciers, lakes and do some hiking

Also where's the nearest airport, and how far is Carinthia from it?

Thanks

Vegetarianism is not easy in Austria, particularly outside of Vienna. I was a vegetarian for about 20 years until I met my Austrian husband and started spending a lot of time there.