Hi all:

My mom and I are planning on traveling to Austria in late August, and we are particularily interested in summer mountain resort towns. We would like to find a couple of towns that have beautiful scenery, Austrian charm, and that are fun and interesting to hang out in for a few days. I would greatly appreciate any recommendations/ideas. We are also considering Switerland, and, if you have any recommendations for Swiss towns that meet this description, that would be great too.
Thank you!
Best regards,
TML

I will suggest one village and one area in Austria that are worth investigating. I think much of the decision depends on what you want to experience. Both of my suggestions will be better if you have a car.

The village I have in mind in Heiligenblut at the southern end of the Gro▒ßglockner Hochalpenstraße

Hi TML,

I can "second" Heiligenblut. Gorgeous scenery!
We have some pic's at:

www.worldisround.com/articles/324599/index.html

Also love Hall in Tirol. Beautiful old town near Innsbruck.

www.worldisround.com/articles/343800/index.html

www.worldisround.com/home/pja1/travel15.html

At the northern end of the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse is Zell am See. Another nice old town with a beautiful lakeside setting and a stunning Alpine backdrop.

www.worldisround.com/articles/338868/index.html

Paul

Sorry but I hit a key that posted my reply. Did not intend to post it because I was still writing it. Let me take it from the top.

I will suggest one village and one area in Austria that are worth investigating. I think much of the decision depends on what you want to experience. Both of my suggestions will be better if you have a car.

The village I have in mind is Heiligenblut at the southern end of the Großglockner Hochalpenstraße and also not far from the Nationalpark Hohe Tauern.

Heiligenblut is quite small, but I thought it very picturesque. We stayed at bed and breakfast type of establishment that I would rate at 2 stars on a 5 star scale.
The room and beds were comfortable and Frau Kramser spoke English well enough to do the job.

Heilgenblut also has several very nice hotels. There are also some shops in town that feature quality merchandise. We bought two pieces of fine Swarovsky crystal as presents at a shop in the village.

Because we had a rental car we were able to explore the surrounding area. Driving over the Großglockner road itself was something of an adventure for us the first time! The second and third times it seemed just like another mountain drive. I do recommend very good tires and brakes!!

The area I think you might investigate is the Ötztal located west and south of Innsbruck. We rented an apartment in Langenfeld - Astlehn named Haus Michael. If you look at the picture shown in the website, we had the apartment on the second floor with the rounded window.

Of the various apartments we have rented in Switzerland and Austria, I would have to say that it was the best one.

If you are willing to go exploring there is quite a bit to see and do in the valley. It is something of a restricted valley in that there are two ways in. One is from the autobahn west of Innsbruck; the other way is to come from Merano via the Timmelsjoch - a steep pass on the Italian side and moderate on the Austrian side where the road is better engineered.

Austria is full of nice little villages, so there should be quite a few on your list of choices like St. Gilgen and Mondsee near Salburg.

Another vote for Hall in Tyrol.

Thank you, Paul, bob_brown, and spaarne! Your help is very much appreciated. Paul, I enjoyed looking at your pictures. I will put Heiligenblut, Zell am See, and Hall on the list. What about Kitzbuhel? Has anyone been there? Is it worth visiting in the summer?

Thanks again,
TML

Hi TML -

Salzburg has beautiful scenery and Austrian charm galore! I really enjoyed my visit to Mozart's house. Although Vienna is a major city, it is very charming as well, and definately worth a visit. Especially the Imperial Palace. Hope that helps, and have a wonderful trip!

Close by Hall in Tirol is the Achensee. You won't find many American tourists but it's beautiful and definitely worth a visit.

There are several photos of Achensee in this album as well as photos of Wolfgangsee.

http://travel.webshots.com/album/561...xDcvw?start=48

Other than Hall in Tirol, are any of these accessible by train?

Of all the places mentiuoned so far, Kitzbuehel is the most "touristy".

If you have a car, take a look at the Internet for Ellmau in Tirol. It's quite compact, has great views and a funicular access to the Harte Kaiser and hikes there and also into the Wilde Kaiser massif across the valley. It's a short drive to St. Johann/Tirol and to Woergl as well as the Wildschoenau region, above Woergl. The Achensee (Pertisau), mentioned before, as well as the Zillertal are also within easy driving distance.

Hi,

Zell am See is also easy by rail. The station is right next to the lake a short walk from the center of town.

Paul

Thanks Paul. I'll have to check it out. I am usually solo so I don't rent a car.

I did not include Salzburg because of its total size.
If you consider the Old Town and a few select sites in the vicinity, I would recommend going there if you have never seen it before.