7 Best Sights in Eastern Alps, Austria

This romantic narrow-gauge train winds its way under steam power on a two-hour trip through the Pinzgau, following the Salzach River valley westward 54 km (34 miles) to Krimml. Nearby are the famous Krimml waterfalls, with a 1,300-foot drop, which you can see from an observation platform or explore close at hand if you don't mind a steep hike. Be sure to take a raincoat and sneakers. A one-day ticket is included with a SalzburgerLand Card.

In the town center, visit the very handsome 16th-century Schloss Rosenberg, which now houses the Rathaus (town hall).

A cable car will take you virtually from the center of Zell am See up to the Schmittenhöhe, at 6,453 feet, for a far-reaching panorama that takes in the peaks of the Glockner and Tauern granite ranges to the south and west and the very different limestone ranges to the north. You can have lunch at the Berghotel at the top. Four other cable-car trips are available up this mountain, part of the ski-lift system in the winter, but open in the summer for walkers and mountain bikers.

Unusually fine statues of St. George and St. Florian can be found on the west wall of the splendid Romanesque St. Hippolyt Pfarrkirche, built in 1217. The tower was added about two centuries later, and the church itself was beautifully renovated in 1975.

Several locations offer up stunning vistas of the town and its environs. On ground level, take a boat ride to the village of Thumersbach, on the opposite shore, for a wonderful reflected view of Zell am See.

This more than 1000-year old tower, built in the 11th century and the oldest building in the town, houses a local history museum with details about local folklore, old costumes, and artifacts, as well as rotating exhibits featuring works and objects by local design companies or artists. It's open Wed.--Sun. from 2 to 6 pm---but opens earlier (around 11 am) if it's a rainy day!

Beautiful (and not so beautiful) cars and motorcycles from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s are on display here, including the remarkable one-person Messerschmitt Bubble Car and other, dare we say more appealing, automobiles. With around 200 exhibits, this is a great place to visit for a few hours on a rainy/bad-weather day.