Lakes & Mountains of Austria's Salzkammergut

One of the best Inntravel holidays we have done.  Walking, hotel and food all to a high standard.  Would suggest pre-booking restaurants in Halstatt.  Would have been nicer to stay in main hotel in Halstatt rather than annex but it was no where near as bad as some of the reviews we had read.

The scenery throughout was wonderful. The welcome at Agathawirt was exceptional.

We would recommend starting the transfer walk from St Agatha to Hallstat at a reasonable time. It is not that long a walk and allows plenty of time to visit the Salt Mine in Hallstat in the afternoon.

Salzburg is a worthy addition ... pre-Vienna Mozart in a nut-shell, and it's worth booking a concert. Despite the tourisits - visit both his birth home and the family's subsequent residence. However, be aware that the family home was flattened by a bomb during the latter stages of WW2. What you see is a 1970's complete rebuild. But still remarkable ... the family were quite affluent and the homes are full of Mozart detail and artefacts. 

Visiting the palace / art gallery is also a treat - the state rooms are quite something. You can also get to see much of the cathederal from the galleries. So, if you are pushed for time miss the full visit to the cathederal. Art aficionados should also look out for the painting by Hieronymus Bosch - The Temptation of St Anthony. It's on the left of a door as you leave the cathederal section of the palace tour. Much too inconspicuous a hangining for such a significant work.

The fortress on the hill is also worth walking up to. The most interesting parts are the royal chambers. 

We really liked the hiking suggestions overall. The views were amazing, and we liked having the extended hiking options. Ewige Wand in Bad Goisern, the walk to Hallstadt, and the hike to Hinterer Gosausee was well-worth the extra effort and the Huette with beer and food at the end is not to be missed. Given the days of our hikes, a lot of the suggested places to eat were closed. So be forewarned about that. (Many are closed on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Then the day we thought we'd hit one on a Wednesday, that was the day it was closed!) Also be aware that we found several detours in the mountains around Gosau. It is helpful to know that the German word for detour is "Umleitung". (Not a problem for us, since I speak German, but anyone who doesn't should know this!)

The magnificience of the mountain ridge of the Dachstein West. They are so steep and jagged. The lakes, both of them (Gosausee and Hinterer Gosausee) with the back drop of the surrounding mountains and the superlative reflection they cast on the lakes was beautiful. We were very lucky with the weather and this certainly contributed to the quality of our walks. A good tip would be to phone ahead to some of the huts on your route to find out if they are open. Several were closed, which is understandable and that point in the season, a few days before total closure.

Lovely area to walk in, hotels were generally OK, evening menu at Agathawirt was poor, however. The non provision of required (and paid for!) maps spoilt the trip, the map paid for and provided to others is available to order on the Dachstein Salzkammergut web site (not discontinued as advised) and so should have been sent out as holiday was paid for weeks in advance.

The high level Krippenstein walk, the Five Fingers and the salt mine visit near Hallstatt were spectacular and not to be missed. Hallstatt was pretty but very touristy - this was the first time we have had to use MyTracks to find the hotel restaurant that was 750m from our room in a very separate building. There were no hotel staff available after 10pm in Hallstatt at the Heritage Hotel. From the Gosauerhof Hotel the hike to the higher Hinterer Gosausee lake was well worth it for the magificent view of the mountains and glacier reflected in the lake.

Another wonderful holiday with Inntravel (our eighth). We were blessed with perfect weather, which meant we could appreciate the walks all the more. Hallstatt, which was very expensive, was full of tourists; so get those photo opportunities in before breakfast. We prebooked evening meals at the Heritage Hotel, having read the previous reviews (we saw many non-residents turned away). The little electric boats in Hallstatt were fun! The Krippenstein to Gjaidalm walk and 5 Five Finger Challenge were fab! The Holzmeister Café at the Hinterer Gosausee is closed on Wednesdays. On the Zwieselalm to Gosau walk there is a great café (the Gosau Stub'n) at the Chairlift Station (about 6km down the route); perfect for lunch!

Another splendid Inntravel holiday, despite very mixed weather. The first day's walk, to the Rathlucken Hütte, was the most varied and interesting - and the Cafe Maislinger in Bad Goisern is a must for Kaffee und Kuchen! First and last hotels excellent and very friendly. The Heritage Hotel in Hallstatt was OK but impersonal. We ate twice at the Grüner Baum, where the food and the views were fantastic. Hallstatt is beautiful but, as others have said, it is awash with day trippers during the day, with the result that there are a lot of shops selling tat and a take-it-or-leave-it attitude among shopkeepers and restaurants (except the Grüner Baum). Nonetheless I would recommend switching the three-day part of the holiday to Hallstatt rather than Gosau, as the hotel there is isolated with little to do in bad weather other than get a bus to Hallstatt or Bad Ischl (the latter highly recommended, especially on a Friday morning when the market is on). Salt mine tour in Hallstatt was excellent.

Lakes and Mountains: first and third hotels very friendly. Both a little too close to a main road, although we got used to any noise. Second hotel: stunning setting. Hallstatt is very touristy during the day (though not crammed in June); day trippers leave it to be a little quieter in the evenings. The view from the Catholic church is stunning (inside too). The hotel staff were a bit impersonal and little in evidence, especially at breakfast, but the quality of food was good and the view from the breakfast room breathtaking. We ate at the Heritage hotel and really enjoyed the meals and setting there. I found the feather pillows at Gruner Braum and the other two country hotels difficult to get used to! The walks were varied and apart from a couple of stretches along roads which we liked less, mostly very enjoyable. Some very steep hill walking (obviously). We enjoyed climbing up to visit the ice caves, and also climbing up and down Zwieselalm through meadows twinkling with countless Alpine flowers. Gasthof Gosauersee was busy so we tried a small cafe just before it on the eastern side of the lake where cows were under two of the parasols. The food was basic but good and it was much quieter, other than the sound of cow bells.

The welcome and the evening meals at Hotel Gosauerhof were very good.

For the Krippenstein to Gjaidalm walk the advice given about not going if there is snow on the paths is well-heeded; we were told by the lady selling cable car tickets that there was snow but it was passable with good boots. I would amend that to good boots, crampons and an ice pick! Very hairy at times especially with a time limit set by the last cable car going down at 4.30 pm!

The GPX files were very useful, especially when on two occasions a track was closed for some reason.

Salzburg city add-on: very useful notes on the city and attractions. We really enjoyed visiting Mozart's birthplace but also made our own arrangements to go to dinner and a concert at the fortress overlooking Salzburg. Wonderful concert and views but I wouldn't bother with the mediocre dinner. The hotel was quiet, the staff extremely friendly and the breakfast was the best of the whole (2 centre) holiday. Cakes at Tomaselli's were delicious and it was quiet in June.  A meal at Istra (where they serve mostly fish) was memorable for all the right reasons, and is very near the hotel. 

The walking notes were very informative. We thoroughly enjoyed both holidays.

Overall we had an absolutely fantastic time. We were worried about the weather forecasts leading up to the holiday, but in the end it turned out fine, we did use all our weather gear however, albeit, only for a short time at the top of the Daschstein cable car where we had all four seasons in the space of a couple of hours. The last three days were really hot, 33C plus. All hotels were great, quite different in their own ways, but the staff, food, service etc were all excellent. We liked the Gosauerhof best, found it more intimate and nothing was too much trouble. The views were spectacular too. We had an extra night in Hallstatt, which was a good idea to explore the area better, the cable car to the top of the Krippenstein is a must. We also walked down from here too, which in hindsight was a bit gruelling and only just managed to catch the last bus back from Obertraun to Hallstatt. There is a third ferry option to get to Hallstatt on the transfer day, which operates from a cafe on the water's edge. It's a traditional wooden gondola that you see people fishing from. Yes it's more expensive (10euro / EA) but it's a much nicer way to arrive in Hallstatt - only has room for about 10 people, we were on our own. Hallstatt..... What a beautiful place...... Destroyed by the invasion of tourists, bizarrely, mainly from China and Korea due to a TV soap opera that was apparently based there. The Chinese have even recreated a copy of Hallstatt in China. It's a bizarre scene, selfie sticks everywhere, overdressed tourists trying to re-enact their favourite scenes from the show in key locations. TOP TIP - Get out of town during the day, most are gone by early evening. Restaurants were busy though, and close quite early - 20:00 - so plan ahead. For walking experience, the last 3 days were terrific. The transfer walk to the Gosauerhof was the longest, about 15 miles but we extended the walk to take in the upper lake (and hut). We took the cable car from Gosausee and really enjoyed, the high level walks, stunning views, alpine meadows, alpine huts and great walking. We did do the 'experienced walk' on our last day, which was as described, but nothing overly taxing. There were some drops and places you did need to take extra care, but if you're used to walking around the mountains in The Lakes for example, you won't have a problem. It's a great way to end a great weeks walking. We loved our time in Austria, from the scenery to the weather, to the food and no litter...... Anywhere!! Can't wait to go back. 

The scenery and walking was superb with the added bonus of some lake swims too in clean safe waters. Halstatt very pretty but was busy and  touristy. We particularly enjoyed our stay in Gosauerhof and the mountain walks including the more challenging option.

Holiday overall was excellent and we would definitely recommend and consider another holiday. Only minor negatives was Hallstatt Heritage hotel - main building felt very disconnected from reception. Quality of room was lovely though. Tea and coffee making facilities will have been welcomed in first and last hotels. But overall it was excellent and really couldn't fault it. 

Overall, despite the minor glitches mentioned, a hugely enjoyable holiday. The accommodation was very good, the food excellent, and the service unfailingly friendly and efficient. Nice laid back atmosphere at all three places, very relaxing. Walking was lovely. Great time to go, the spring alpine flowers were stunning and the uncut hay meadows a profusion of wild flowers and insects. It was also fun to walk through snow and drifts on the high mountain treks. We were pleased we booked transit taxis to and from Salzburg...it made everything relaxed and hassle free.

A 'sandwich' of a holiday; two typical Inntravel well-chosen family run hotels in quiet valleys, either side of rather more visited Hallstatt. To get away from the day-trip crowds, suggest taking the boat over to Obertraun and walking around that valley to the nature reserve. Most of the low-level walks are on quite hard surfaces, so you could do the holiday in good trainers for more cushioning.

This was our first experience of an organised holiday such as this, and our first walking holiday. Inntravel made everything very easy, helping us to fit the trip in with flight and accomodation availibility. They were very easy to communicate with and also very quick.

We did book some aspects ourselves (flights, hotels in Vienna and Salzburg around the walking trip, one train journey) - either due to Inntravel policies or cost.

The walking holiday was fantastic. We enjoyed each of the three hotels - they were well chosen, being of high quality and also very friendly.

Transfers worked perfectly. There is something very satisfying about walking between hotels and spotting your luggage in the lobby!

The walking routes were great. We didn't realise we would have so many options for each day! We enjoyed sitting down in the evening to plan the following day. The instructions were incredibly clear. We also opted to download the GPX files. With this combination, we only went off track once and recovered within 5 minutes! The walks were interesting and of an expected level of difficulty.

We would not hesitate to book again, and we were already looking at future trips on our way home!

The one thing wrong with this holiday was the one thing neither Inntravel nor we could control – the weather! We arrived at Landhotel Agathawirt in sunshine bright enough to encourage use of the pool, and left Hotel Gosauerhof a week later on a bright and occasionally sunny day, but in between we had rain every single day, almost certainly falling as snow on the mountain tops and with a marked drop in temperature. On a couple of days it did stop around the middle of the day, but on others it was unremitting, and sometimes heavy. This was obviously not really what you want for a holiday, especially one for which one of the major attractions was the views of and from mountains. Mountains in cloud can still be attractive to look at from a distance, but (as a group of four, all in our 70s and 80s) we decided that mountains in cloud were not really places to walk – with the added risk of wet ground underfoot, and no prospect of views down, we agreed to forego the suggested high-level walks at the end of the holiday and stay in the valleys, which was a pity.

Of course the Salzkammergut is a lake district, and rain is always likely in such areas, so we were disappointed more than surprised and, in spite of the weather, we did enjoy the holiday. The Ewiger Wand (where the weather was dry) was spectacular, and the walks along and around the Hallstätter and Gosauer lakes were also beautiful, even in low cloud or rain. The walks were very well described by Inntravel and generally followed tracks that were well maintained and way-marked, though the weather meant that some of the steeper cross-meadow paths were less walker-friendly – the final stretch up to the Rathlucken Hütte on Day 1 was a particular challenge.

We enjoyed some of the “undercover” activities too – the Salt Mines in Hallstatt are certainly worth a visit (the day we went there were a number of excellent presentations by students from the Natural History Museum in Vienna explaining various different bronze age crafts and excavation/conservation techniques), as was the Kaiser Villa and some of the other sights of Bad Ischl. We would also recommend the Museum in Hallstatt itself.

All three hotels were comfortable, but the two family-run hotels at either end of the holiday deserve special mention for the warmth of the welcome and the generous included dinners.  

Another brilliant trip from Inntravel. Organisation all went smoothly. All hotels were lovely in their own different ways. We were the only English guests at Agathawirt and Gosauerhof which made us feel that this was an area that the Austrians and Germans love to visit. The scenery and walks were fabulous, ditto the weather. We enjoyed the tour of the salt mines much more than we expected. The Hinterer Gosausee ( the back lake) was definitely worth climbing up to - we actually went twice. The mountain huts are also exceptional - we never imagined you could get beer and full meals at the top of a mountain! We always love our Inntravel little black book with all the info - far preferable for us than electronic documents. Buses and cable cars all very easy to use and understand. Our favourite evening spot in Salzburg was "Die Wiesse " for great beer, food and atmosphere but it does get pretty busy! 

Highlight was the trip to Gosausee. Would recommend one less night at Agathawirt and the extra night here. Hallstatt a disappointment. Much too touristy for the holiday we were after. Gosausee was perfect for us. Advice would be take lots of cash! Many places don't take cards.

A very well planned-out holiday, which went from strength to strength in terms of scenery! The Customer Service from Inntravel was excellent; the staff really care that you have a good holiday. 

The walking was perfect with stunning scenery, nice hotels and good food. Be prepared for some steep prices though, inflation is not just a UK thing. Staffing issues were apparent when eating out also, with the hotel in Hallstatt recommended (Zaunder?) seeming to be particularly badly affected. We tried to book in advance using emails and telephoning but no response. In person the response was "turn up at 6". Would there be a table? The reply, "maybe". We went elsewhere. 

The Salzkammergut is stunningly beautiful and this holiday provides a great opportunity to explore a particularly lovely part of it.  The walks are well planned, varied and included routes we wouldn't have identified ourselves.  The hotels are comfortable, relaxed and typically Austrian.  All the arrangements worked very smoothly.

This was one of the best holiday experiences we've had. From the booking experience to the organisation, hotels and walking options, we couldn't recommend it highly enough - in fact, we've raved so much to everyone since our return that a number of our friends are keen to experience it too! Austria is so beautiful and the scenery is spectacular - you can't fail to take an amazing picture wherever you look!