holtby

My wife and I are taking our two daughters, who are 25 & 27, to Austria for a week in early July. We plan to start out in Vienna for a few days and then rent a car, heading west and stopping along the way. As our two daughters tire of museums fairly quickly, I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for spending a couple of days at a spa (without breaking the bank) somewhere between Vienna and Salzburg? Suggestions for other activities that they might enjoy in Austria would also be appreciated.
Thanks.

molker

Try www.schlosshotel.at This is Schlosshotel Freisitz Roth. It is not very far off the autobahn between Vienna and Salzburg. It offers a wellness spa center, excelent food and is not too big as some hotels can be. It can be used as a good base to explore the " Lake District" and offers many interesting possibilities to see this area. Examples- boat rides onthe lakes, bike riding, hiking in the mountins( ride lift up and walk down) general sightsseeing in a beautiful area of Austria.
I do not know how much" breaks your bank" They also have a less expensive annex.

Peep

Not really between the two cities, but the area south of Salzburg is beautiful! Bad Gastein is an interesting old spa town right in the mountains. Hallstatt also looks interesting. Haven't been there yet but we're going next month!

holtby

Thank you for your feedback. We were considering Hallstatt for a few days and we will look into Schlosshotel Freisitz Roth.

zootsi

Definitley spend a day or two exploring the Wachau valley, a magical area along the Danube that begins just outside Vienna. There are tiny villages interspersed with wineries, castles, and some of the best bicycle trails in Europe. Bikes can be rented nearly anywhere in the region, and the trails are all flat and very safe.

tec

Hallstatt is beautiful, but I don't know if I would want to spend more than 1 day/night there as it is tiny and there isn't much to do there, unless you want to hike.

holtby

Thanks for the input. We really appreciate it.

HappyCheesehead

a second vote for the Wauchau Valley. We loved, loved, loved it. We stayed in Durnstein and wove our way thru the little towns, great views, food, atmosphere.

bob_brown

I am not sure the label spa can be applied, but Heilgenblut in the mountains south of Salzburg is a pretty village. To get there, one can drive over the highly spectacular Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse until October.

There is also a national park there which features a viewpoint over the glacier and the Grossglockner itself.

I remember Heilgenblut because we stayed there in a "Landhaus", sort of a B and B,run by the Kramser family.
We had direct contact with the family. My poor German and the mother's fair English was sufficient for communication. 4 year old Johannes spoke anything. He would run up to my wife, who speaks no German, climb in her lap, whisper something in her ear, giggle loudly, run off and hide. My wife would go and look for him. He would jump out and yell at her and run off again. The he would stip off his clothes, go sit on the potty, and sing away. (It was a musical family.)
As far as I am concerned, you can have your spas. That hilarity cannot be matched.

There is a very good hotel in Heiligenblut. The Post Hotel. It is rated 3.5 stars by some; 4 by others. It has a poool and a sauna.
The food in the restaurant was top drawer. We ate there every night for 4 nights and never got anything less than a good meal at a good price. My Wienerschnitzel was better than good.
Service was top notch and traditional Austrian quality.

Some of the shops in the town were upscale. I remember we wandered into one shop that had many pieces of Swarovsky crystal - an excellent selection in fact. The owner was behind the counter and was very courteous and showed us everything we asked to look at with charm and grace.
She spoke little English and my German did not convince her I was fluent. But that did not matter. She pulled out the best stuff. Fortunately, we were the only customers because it was closing time.

We ended up buying a "load" to take home, which she packed in foam rubber in metal cans. I think we made her day, if not her week. And she acknowledged it by not charging for the elaborate packing.

At any rate, I remember the place with great memories and I hope someday to get back there, although Johannes Kramser will be well grown up by the time i do.

holtby

Thanks for all the suggestions. Any suggestions as to where to stay for a night in the Wachau valley area ? Durnstein sounds like a great place to spend a night.

Hayley5

I've never been to Durstein, but I just spent weeks researching Austria including Durstein as my fiancee and I are planning a big trip there this July. We staying at a highly recommended and reasonably priced guest house in Durstein called Gasthof Sanger Blondel, www.saengerblondel.at.

holtby

Thanks for the suggestion Hayley. Congratulations on your engagement. Do you mind sharing some highlights of your Austria research? We plan to spend three nights in Vienna, one in Durnstein, two in Salzburg, and possibly one in Hallstat before heading into Bavaria for a few days and then heading home (we are flying home from Munich). We are doing a lot of research ourselves, and there is so much to see and do.

HappyCheesehead

We stayed at the Sanger Blondel last year. We were so happy with the room, and the proprietors were so nice, and just so darn Austrian. Food in the restaurant was excellent. We were there on Easter and had such a cute breakfast, they brought soft boiled eggs in darling felt chicken cozies sitting on green Easter grass. Depending on the time of year, they have a big patio/sitting area out side for sitting with a drink and looking over the Danube. I recall there was a big fish tank out side the door with trout type fish swimming in it. I suspect it was dinner if you were so inclined.
Make sure you get some of the apricot brandy from the local producer -Baglioni (sp?). Check out some of the gorgeous cemetaries looking up at the hillside - I spent at least an hour in one of them on Easter, the familes had candles burning in memory. The ruins of castles on the hills are up and down the valley. Just wonderful. There is also a very expensive, lovely high end hotel in Durnstein, the town is small so it is not hard to find. Now, we were there late April - the 18th & 19th and it was not busy at all. I don't know if July will have a totally different feel. I think hubby and I liked the Wauchau Valley the best out of our trip.

Hayley5

Hi -
I'd be glad to give you more details about our trip. We're going for 2 weeks: 3 days in Vienna, 3 in Durstein, 5 days in the Salzkammergut, 3 in Zell am see and 2 in Vorarlberg. It was difficult to pick the stops because it seems Austria has so many beautiful places! What more can I tell you? I'd love for all my research time to be of benefit to someone else.

hardwater

Last fall we spent a week in Vienna, one in Wachau and one in western Hungary by car. We also vote for Wachau. It's simply a charming, storybook area by car visiting both sides of the river. We stayed in Aggsbach-Dorf ( Hotel Donauterasee ) then switched downstream to Persenberg (Gasthof Bohn ) and both were charming. It was the peak of the wine season so timing was perfect. We also explored the Kamp river valley north of Krems which was nearly as lovely but few tourists. One of the finest intact tournament courtyard castles is in Rozemburg and we saw their bird of prey show with music and a wine and food tasting was inclded in the price, about 7 euros each. What a bargain. We could have easily spent another week exploring there. South of Krems is the sister abby to one at Melk, Stift Gottweig and nearly as magnificent. Another impressive little village up on the bluff is Maria Taferel, a pilgramage site. Our hotels were wonderful with great breakfasts, about 60 euro each. Wachau valley? See it.

holtby

Thank you both for your comments. We have just extended our time in the Durnstein/Wachau Valley by an additional day at the expense of a day in Munich. Hayley, if you mind me asking, what part of the Salzkammergut do you intend on visiting (besides Salzburg)? Thanks again for your help.

Hayley5

Glad to help. We're planning to spend 3 days at St. Wolfgang. We're "outdoorsy" people (we're bringing our bikes and plan to hike a lot) and I was very interested in staying in a romantic spot on a lake. The lakes in the Salzkammergut are supposed to be gorgeous. Salzburg is also supposed to be spectacular but given that we prefer less city and more country we're choosing to spend only 1 day there and 3 days in the lake area.
We're definitely splurging on the St. Wolfgang part our trip, both because it's a summer resort area so is expensive in general and because we wanted to stay in a particularly nice place for this part of our trip. If you want to stay by a lake in Salzkammergut I've heard all sorts of opinions about which lake/town is best. They are all fairly close to each other so we're planning to stay at St. Wolfgang but drive and cycle around to the other lakes.
If you decide to stay in Salzburg apparently there are day tours out to different lakes in the Salzkammergut. From what I've read you should definitely try to reserve at least one day for checking out this area.

Hayley

PS If you and your family like to ride bikes make sure to rent some in Durstein; many call cycling along the Danube one of the best experiences in Austria.

holtby

Hayley, thanks again for your assistance. We love to ride bikes and it sounds like a plan. We will likely stay in Salzburg or very close by, as my wife is a big "Sound of Music" fan, and we will probably try out the Sternbrau dinner show. Have a great trip and congratulations again1

TravelsWithStDavid

We have stayed many times in a wonderful hotel outside of Salzburg in Anif. It is called the Friesacher. It has a spa and fitness area but not a pool. It is reasonable and utterly charming with free parking and excellent food. It is convenient to Berchtesgarden and about an hour from Kitzbuhel, which though it is a ski town, is in summer, a delightful small Austrian Village.

Operaman

holtby;
If you are going to stay in Durnstein may I suggest Stockingerhof, it is a combination heuriger, vineyard house. It will be a more unique experience for you, as you won't find many English speakers there. Great breakfast is included. We loved our stay at this place. The website is: http://www.stockingerhof.at/partner/...home_frame.htm
Also, if you plan to bike part of the Danube, check my site for a trip we did: http://alexstarke.tripod.com/
I have many recommendations for Vienna and other places in Austria on the site as well. If you have any other questions, feel free to e-mail me through the website.