Early in the morning from our balcony the weather looked most promising, regardless of what our weather forecasting tools were trying to tell us. It appeared we had finally came into some good weather on this trip after all. When we started it, it didn’t look as promising…
Bad Gastein
Flanking Bad Gastein on either side are some fairly tall mountains, which may be ascended using a gondola ski lift. During the summer months, weekend trekkers from all over come for a breath of healthy air and what appears to be a heightened exercise regime.
The cost for a day trip is 33€/person at the window, though I do believe you can save a few Euros, if you purchase your tickets online.
Stubnerkogel
The cable car ride is straightforward, as any skier will tell you. Fortunately, during this time of year it is not very busy, so you will usually get a car all by yourself.
The ascent is rather quick, considering the distance up the mountain. The first part is rather steep and there is a midway station, so stay on, if you want to go directly to the top.
The Stubnerkogel is part of the Goldberg Group or mountain range and sits on one side of the Gastein Valley, while the Ankogel Group sits on the other side.
The Summit
On the summit the views are spectacular. The air is bracing and it is typically a bit windy up there, so bring something extra to wear. Even with the sun, we were taking things off and putting them back on, depending on whether we were walking, sitting in the shade, or sunning ourselves on the restaurant veranda enjoying a drink.
I won’t bore you too much with details, just watch the following slideshow to enjoy our experience. It was most walking around and just enjoying the fresh air and surrounding views.
Conclusion
Though we enjoyed the area, we were frankly a bit disappointed with the lack of town amenities. There appears to be a lack of restaurants, and those that do exist, seem to offer the same fare at a similar price. So looking for something different to experience will be a bit of a culinary adventure.
I have already mentioned that the town’s central thermal spa has been closed, so that is itself a big negative. However, the trails and sights are great and there are plenty of places to visit and stay busy. I am not sure I would recommend deviating your plans to stop here, but if you are headed to or from Salzburg and through Villach, Austria on your train route, you may want to stop for a day or two. I would not commend more than four days, you will run out of food options by that time.
Salzburger Hof
For us, the Salzburger Hof hotel appeared to be a good choice, we had an excellent room and the service was first rate. Though they did miss our need for extra coffee dairy and other supplies, the room was kept extremely neat and we always had plenty of towels and other accessories.
Tomorrow it is off to Linz, Austria via Salzburg. There we will spend a few days and eventually meet up with our daughter and son-in-law, Ericka and Gabi. So the next week or so will be a busy travel week for us.
Until next time, Tschüß aus Bad Gastein!