Help me choose an Austrian village!
 

We have a 3 day weekend at the end of May and we'd like to bop down to Austria for a bit of hiking in a nice little town. I'm thinking about Zell am See, Hallstatt or Werfen. We've been to Kitzbuehel and Bad Gastein (also Salzburg and Innsbruck), loved both and are looking for someplace similar. What do you think? Thanks!

I love St. Gilgen on the Wolfgangsee.
Hallstatt is further, but sure is cute.

If you want one in the mountains, consider Sölden, west and south of Innsbruck.
There is another one up in the hills south of Sölden called Hochgurgl. It offers ski slopes as well.
The glacier west of Sölden offers skiing late into the season.

Thanks!

Another one I like is Heiligenblut.
It is small, in the mountains, but surprisingly upscale. One of the hotels there serves really good food.
We stayed at an Austrian version of a B and B. It is run by the Kramser family.
At the time, the younger three children were still at home. The baby, age 4 at the time, never met a stranger. He would run up to my wife, who speaks no German, jump in her lap, giggle, whisper in her ear, and run off and hide.
I think the idea was that my wife was to come look for him. Maria Kramser, the mother, took it all in stride. She thought young Johannes was funny, too.
He is about 6 now; I just hope he has not changed too much.

At the end of May, the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse might not be open. If it is, I thought it a very spectacular drive. It is a toll road, however, and some people think it expensive for what you get.
I did not because the scenery was so pretty.

Thanks, Dixon. Can you tell me a bit more about Heiligenblut? Is it a town, or just a few hotels? Is there stuff to do there if the weather is bad? My guidebooks don't say much of anything about it. Thanks!

Refer to Bob Brown's many posts about this...

I have visited and stayed in the towns you are considering. You have very good taste. Definitly go for it, you won't regret it.

Heiligenblut is a small mountain village that is located on the south side of the mountain ridge traversed by the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse. The village itself although small is surprisingly upscale, considering its size. The hotel where we ate had excellent food. The Wienerschnitzel we had there was outstanding. Other dishes were excellent as well. The rooms in the hotel look like they are excellent.

The village itslef is just off the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse, and you can drive to the observation points in the Höhe Tauren National Park which is scenically located to give views of the glacier and the Grossglockner peak itself. There are also numerous hiking trails in the area. If the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse is open, there are some great views from scenic turnouts along the way.

Lienz is the largest town in the area, although there are some other mountain towns nearby.

My concern would be what to do after you get there. We were there in September and the roads were of course open. We drove to the viewing areas that overlook the glacier and the mountains in the national park and enjoyed our visit greatly. We also drove through Lienz to the Krimmel Waterfalls, which are the highest in Austria. I was somewhat impressed with the falls, but they are not a Takkakaw or a Yosemite in terms of height,and certainly not huge in terms of water flow. The drive over was pleasant enough, but most routes in Austria do one of two things: They either go through tunnels or they wind over steep passes.

Unfortunately, in any of these towns, in the mountains you don't have much to do if the weather is bad.
That is why I think Sölden or Langenfeld would be good bets. If the weather is bad, head for Innsbruck for a few hours of touring. Innsbruck is not my favorite town, but there some sites there of interest.

ALso,in the Ötztal, hear the entrance to the valley, there is an authentic re-creation of a village that depicts the life and times of the Iceman, Ötzi. I was impressed because of the faithfulness of the buildings and the genetic accuracy used in trying to reproduce real livestock from that long ago era. There were goats and pigs that have been genetically selected to be as close to the animals that lived in Ötzi's time as possible.

The man himself is a permanent resident in a special refrigerator in a museum in Bozen/Bolzano Italy.

You have quite a list of places to select from. In my experience, all of them are picturesque places to visit. The drawback to all of them is that they are scenic, and to a large extent they are dependent on good weather for full enjoyment.

One thing about Langenfeld and Sölden, I think you could find a good place to eat and drink if the weather was bad.
Of course if it was bad for a week and you had scheduled a week, you would be bored. But the Ötztal itself is scenic.

Fulpmes or Igls. Both easily reached by train from Innsbruck. Wonderful hiking country. Igls is more touristy. Fulpmes is in the Stubaital and as far as I recall quiet and laid back.

These destinations all have something to offer. Without detailed knowledge of more of them, I find it hard to make a comparison.

If you go some place like Heiligenblut, you must be prepared to accept it as you find it: a small, but picturesque village tucked away in the Austrian Alps.

Of course there is no guarantee that Person A will like what Person B recommends. That is why I am reluctant to say, "You will love it." I met a man once who disliked Mürren. After that experience, I decided that the old phrase "Different strokes for different folks." is too true. How could anyone dislike Mürren? Well, there are ways, as impossible as they may sound.

Bad Aussee. You can access from Cesky Karlov in Czech Republic which is a wonderful place to stay...

You should have decent weather...maybe wet...at the end of May. Some of the lower trails around Berchtesgaden are maintained throughout the winter. You may wish to stay in Ramsau for a smaller outlying town. Good luck!

I love Muerren!! :) We've been in the Berchtesgaden a bunch since it's an easy daytrip from Munich. Heiligenblut sounds cool, so maybe I'll check into it more. Some of these places are a pain to get to from here, even though they're so close! We don't have a car...

Heiligenblut would be as good a choice as any.

I've never been there, I usually stay in a small village called Going, near St Johann.

Anyway, Heiligenblut has some serious religious history to it.

If I have my story straight, the legend goes something like this.....

Years ago a bishop, or someone from the Catholic Church, had left with a vile of blood that was supposedly from Christ. On the way to Rome, or on the way out of Rome, the person carrying the vile of blood fell and spilled the blood. Since then, this town has always had some rather significant religious meaning.

Again, not sure how close my story is to the legend, but it'll give you somethig to consider. That part of Austria is beautiful. Any of the small villages around Heiligenblut will be fine.

I tried to get to the Gross Glockner StraBe in September 2002, but they had a huge snow storm that week and ther street to the Gross Glockner was closed. Very dissapointing, but I still had a great time i Austria.

Have fun
Mark

Heiligenblut without a car is more than a pain; it is tortuous.
I had a car both times.
Otherwise you founder around.

Zell am See that you mentioned is a very good area for all that you are looking for..many good places to stay and all the activities..Kaprun is very nearby too....

My initial destination in Austria is St. Veit. A family friend lives there, but we will have a car and intend to do some serious exploring.
Although from this area, she has just returned after retirement and many years in Asia. So she intends to reintroduce herself. And I believe that lots of times people who live in a place everyday don't really explore like visitors.
Has anyone been anywhere near this village? What have you enjoyed? We have 13 days, so are not especially limited to St. Veit.
Thanks!

Sher,

Assuming you are refering to St. Veit an der Glan. I have relatives in Austria who think St. Veit is a wonderful little place, they highly recommend it for a visit. I've only spent an afternoon there, so can't tell you much. A big plus- it's close to Hochosterwitz, the perfect castle IMO!