meo

In late June, our group of four will be spending two weeks in Austria (Vienna, Dürnstein, Salzburg, Hallstatt, Bad Hofgastein). We will be in Bad Hofgastein for 4 nights at the Hotel St. Georg. From what I understand, there are nice spas and lots of hiking trails in the vicinity. I would appreciate any specific recommendations for hikes - we loved the Cinque Terre trail, for example - and other activities, sightseeing, and dining in the vicinity. Our only spa experiences have been in California, and we aren't too sure what to expect in Austria. I'd love an explanation of what they are like and how spa etiquette will differ from the US.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

BTilke

I am curious to see what others say. We were in Gastein and Bad Hofgastein last week (day trip from Salzburg) and while the setting is beautiful (you could say that about most of the region), it wasn't one of our favorite areas...from the places we saw on our Salzburg region trip, Zell am See would make a better base for hiking. And as for spas, we are used to the spa resort town of Baden-Baden in Germany and the Gastein/Bad Hofgastein spas seemed rather dated and stuffy. However, we were only there for a day and could easily have missed/overlooked something.

BTilke

For example, this is one spot we definitely missed:
http://www.alpentherme.com/en/

which reminds me slightly of the Caracalla spa in Baden-Baden. Your hotel looks pleasant, also.

meo

Thank you for your input. Our friends chose the region, because they have a friend who lives there. The positive side to that is we'll have plenty of recommendations from a local. I still like to have a rough itinerary in mind, and reservations for places that require them. I'll look into Alpentherme, as you suggested.

Thanks again!

TXgalinGA

Bookmarking- I would love any additional info on spas/baths as well

meo

TXgalinGA -
I'm going to post a new message that might get more replies.