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Welcome
to beautiful Upper Austria in the hinterland of Mozart's city of
Salzburg. The beauty of the area embraced by the Dachstein
Mountains and the Hallstattersee is truly inspirational especially
in the crisp, stable weather that this region often acquires
during the period of this tour. There are people who claim that
once you have walked here you will have experienced the best
'typical' alpine hiking in Europe.
The
tour gets off to a cracking start at Bad Goisern, a small market
town lovingly embedded in the Goisertal Valley. You can opt to do
a walk onto the high trails of the 'Goiserer Hohenweg' with some
spectacular viewpoints over the Dachstein peaks before heading to
Gosau via the Goiserer Hutte at nearly 1600m below an optional
peak called Hoch Kalmberg 1833m. Gosau has a more pastoral feel to
it and the broad valley here attracts thousands of cross-country
skiers in the winter. From Gosau a circular walk will take you to
the Alpine Lakes of the the Gosausee and Hintere Gosausee with
some spectacular mountain panoramas to the Gosaukamm mountains, or
you can do some walks along the forest edge above the valley. The
next walk takes you via the flanks of Mount Plassen to perhaps the
real gem of the tour, for two nights at the ancient town of
Hallstatt.
This
is a village of some 1,200 people, wonderfully remote, squeezed
between the base of Mount Plassen and the waters of Lake
Hallstattersee. It grew rich from the ancient and modern trade in
salt which is plentiful in the surrounding mountains. The town is
almost traffic-free and it is also a UNESCO world Culture and
Natural Heritage site. A tiny ferry glides between the nearest
train station across the fjord-like lake and drops you off on the
town's storybook square. Clinging to its lakeside ledge under the
mountains, Hallstatt seems smaller than it really is; ivy-covered
guesthouses and cobbled lanes surround its pint-sized square. Its
spectacular setting, at the foot of cliffs and facing the often
mist-cloaked Halstättersee, is right out of a picture postcard.
The
local museums and churches are certainly worth a visit. The
charnel house in the graveyard contains bones, including painted
skulls, of the local dead whose graves were dug up after 12 years
to make room for new clients. If you get tired of walking here, a
funicular can whisk you up to the 'Salzwerk', or salt mine in a
valley above the town or if you like you can hike up in an hour
or so. You may prefer to take the funicular up to the mine and
then walk back down to the village after the tour and go on to
visit nearby Obertraun for a tour of the ice caves.
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Travel
Information
Season: Mid June to mid October. Note that it is possible that if
you book early or late within this season, some of the walks may
be affected by fresh snow fall or residual snow. This will vary
from year to year and Sherpa cannot be held responsible for this.
The first Hotel: in Bad Goisern.
Convenient airports: Scheduled
services from the UK fly to
Vienna (Wien). From the airport there is a shuttle bus
to Wien Westbahnhof (45 mins) and then the train to Bad Goisern
takes between 3 ½ to 4 hours.
If
you are a ‘Land Only’ customer you can also make use of Ryan
Air flights from London Stansted to Salzburg. These tend to be
very early morning (which means a very early start
from the U.K) or
too late in the evening to reach
Bad Goisern on the same day although a taxi can normally be
arranged for approx approx 120
Euros taking 1 hour
15mins. Trains from Salzburg airport to Bad Goisern take approx. 2
½ hours. You can also fly from London Stansted to Linz and then bus/train to Bad Goisern
(in 2.5 hours), or you
could fly
to Graz. From
Graz Airport to Bad Goisern it takes about 3.15 hours by train.
End of Tour: The
tour also ends on Day 8 in Bad Goisern. If
you are flying out of Vienna in the
early afternoon, you will have to
leave on the 06.30 or
07.30 trains to get
to Vienna airport in time. Transport on train back to Vienna and onto
the airport: 3.5 to 4 hours plus airport bus or taxi up to 45
mins.
Or
back to Linz, 2.5 hours, Graz 3.15 hours or Salzburg 2.5 hours
approx (taxi can also be arranged to Salzburg taking about 1 hour
15 min. You can take the 05.28 train from Bad Goisern and the
airport bus which costs approx 20 Euros and gets you to the airport at
approx. 08.20) and then flight to London Stansted.
(Note
that the train/shuttle bus transfers are not included).
What's Included
The
price is based on two people sharing a twin or double room and
includes 3 star hotels throughout the tour and evening meals
on 3 evenings. Note that a twin room in this part of
Austria often means two mattresses within a wooden frame together
with two separate duvets or one large mattress with two separate duvets.
Not
included: Train or cable car services within Austria, packed
lunches, snacks and drinks, entry fees etc.
General Information
Baths:
it is not normal for your room to have a bath, the main reason
being that it takes up a lot of space, some hotels/guesthouses may
have a separate room in the house where a bath is available to
guests, but in the main it is showers.
Breakfast:
in countries such as Switzerland/Norway/Germany/Austria they are
usually buffet style, please don’t offend your hosts by making
up a picnic lunch from the breakfast buffet unless it has been
specifically organised for you. It is important for you to tell us
if you have any dietary requirements when you book your holiday so
that we can inform everyone that you are staying with.
Single
Supplements:
are payable on most of our tours. 1) The single supplement
guarantees the privacy of your own room, however, rooms can at
times be small and in some places may not enjoy the same
facilities as double/twin rooms.
Language:
When
travelling in less frequented areas you will not
necessarily come across people speaking English. Remember you have
left home to find things different.
Luggage:
When staying in hotels, sometimes your luggage will have been
taken to you room awaiting your arrival. However don’t be
surprised if your luggage is waiting for you to take it up to your
room.
Twin
Rooms: A twin
room in this part of Austria often means two mattresses within 1
wooden frame together with two separate duvets or
one large mattress with two separate
duvets.
Level of Difficulty
Fitness: We grade this tour as moderate - challenging; anyone used
to hill walking with a daily height gain/loss of up to 3,300 feet
(1100 metres) should find the tour within their capability. Most
days are easier than this. You will find some steep, stony trails
and maybe an element of exposure on a couple of occasions. Walkers
who want to avoid the ‘challenging’ walks, can use
public transport to travel between centers: Good train and/or postbus system.
Day Stages: Average duration of walking per day is about 6 hours.
Some of the walks may be shortened if desired by the use of cable
cars/Funiculars or local postbuses.
Waymarking: As one would expect in Austria, the trails are generally
very well marked and often signposted, but it is essential to both
carry and be able to use a map and compass in case of mist etc.
Waymarking is usually red and white paint marking but can also be
yellow/orange and white.
In June and maybe early July there can be snow
patches on higher trails (above 1300m), while new snowfalls are of
course possible
from September.
Accommodation
& Meals
Accommodation
is on a half board basis for 3 nights (3 evening meals included);
in 3 star hotels. All rooms have ensuite
facilities when available. Lunches are not included in the
tour cost. However,
picnic materials can be readily bought on weekdays in each of the
towns and villages we stay at. Or you could eat a prepared meal
at one of the restaurants, inns or mountain huts that you pass on
the way on a couple of days. Packed lunches for an additional
charge, can also be provided by the hotels if requested
the evening before. It is regarded as improper to prepare a picnic
from breakfast materials.
Please
note that we are not able to guarantee the accommodation exactly
but the descriptions of the hotels and guesthouses below are the
ones normally used.
Night: 1, 2 and 7 In Bad Goisern. A Warm welcome awaits you at our 3 star hotel, picturesquely located near
the centre of town. It is a
comfortable hotel located easily within
walking distance of the railway station and the start or finish of
quite a few
of the walks. Rooms have regional character and there is a
great bar/restaurant and terrace for outdoor dining. It is a good
place to enjoy the feeling of getting away from it all!
Night: 3 and 4 In Gosau. We
use an attractive, efficient modern 3 star hotel in the great rural
setting of the broad Gosau Valley. Lovely mountain views over to
the Gosaukaum mountains from the dining room and south facing bedrooms and great forest and village
views in other directions. Once again you have a friendly
and attentive service and good cooking from sister act Brigitte
and Anna who run the establishment. Anna makes some great desserts
everyday in the best Austrian tradition!
There is also a drying room.
Night: 5 and 6 In Hallstatt. Our beautiful pinewood
and stone hotel has been offering
warm hospitality for a hundred years or so. It is also renowned
locally for its gourmet cuisine.
Hopefully you will be able to
breakfast on the wooden carved balcony in the morning sun. At
dinner time you will be in the ivy-covered stone dining room.
Bedrooms have modern comforts in a house which is deeply rooted in
the life and tradition of Hallstatt. The marvelous view from the
balconies over the rooftops of perhaps the most romantic
lake-village in the world is like a glimpse into a small paradise.
The hotel is set back from the Halstattersee, but many of the
rooms do have balconies. |
Outline Itinerary
Please
note that the walks below are suggestions and there maybe other
routes or activities that are worthwhile, sometimes tying in with
the local public transport system.
q
Day 1: Fly to
Vienna / Salzburg /Linz/ Graz and take the airport shuttle buses,
then trains to Bad Goisern. There are trains more or less
hourly throughout the day. For
dates and times you could look at the Austrian railways site at: www.oebb.at. Remember for example to
spell Salzburg the correct way; i.e. not Salzberg! Type in the dates of your arrival to prearm you with the best
trains to coincide with your arrival in Austria.
Once
arrived, settle into your hotel,
you can stroll
along the riverside path if you want to go for a ramble. Dinner at
hotel.
q
Day 2:
Bad Goisern Circular
Walk, There are
different options today. If you are up for a bit of a challenge,
you can take the train to the Spa town of Bad Ischl (15 mins)
there is a 19 km walk from here back to Bad Goisern involving a
climb up to the craggy peak of Predigstuhl 1278 metres (some steps
& cables to summit but you
can bypass the summit). There are great vistas towards the
Dachstein group, which still looks quite far off at this point and
over the Halstattersee. A steep descent takes you along the Ewige
Wand rock band before doubling back through some old salt workings
bringing you out into the forest above Bad Goisern.
An alternative is a shorter walk steeply up a forested rock ridge
called the ‘The
Jochwand,’ 9 km
approx. There are great views over the region before the path
drops downhill again to Bad Goisern. Lazier walkers can walk along
both sides of the river bank and explore the coffee shops of Bad
Goisern.
q
Day 3:
Bad Goisern to Gosau 16 km (1100m ascent – 900 m descent):
The path climbs past the Goiserer Hutte 1598m.
Hardened walkers may wish to spend an extra hour or so
climbing up to the peak of Kalmberg 1833m. It is then down hill to
Gosau heading steeply through attractive Alps and then through
forests and walk into the spread out village of
Gosau.
q
Day 4: Walks
from Gosau: You can
take the local postbus to Gosaursee and gain the ridge high above
with a funicular car up to the ‘Gablonzer Hutte,’ 1522 metres.
and then from there follow a pretty path back down again to Gosau
called the ‘Herrenweg’
(The Man’s Walk). On this 7km walk
there are normally great views of the Gosaukamm Mountains.
You can also take the postbus up to the Gosausee and then walk
the trail to the Hintere Gosausee,
which is
the smaller
higher second
lake, ascent and descent is about 300metres. This trip takes about
4 hours and on a good day you will get
some very
dramatic reflections of the mountains in the waters. So you can decide whether you want a full or
half days of walking.
q
Day 5: Gosau
to Hallstatt 7 hours walking approx. 16 km ascent 900m, descent
1000m From
Gosau you can walk to Hallstatt (literally ‘Salt City’)
maybe with the assistance of local transport to shorten routes.
Walking, the route follows the valley before climbing up through
forest and alpine pastures liberally watered by mountain streams
reaching the flanks of Mount Plassen.
Here is a short steep section to descend, before
a more gentle undulating general descent via the mines of Salzburg
where you will find a salt mine where guided visits are
possible depending on when you arrive. Finally drop
down to Hallstatt. If it is wet or if a storm beckons a little
funicular will get you down.
q
Day 6: Walks
from Hallstatt. Time is well spent utilizing cable cars and
the Obertrauner Hohenweg to visit an ‘Ice cave,’ the
‘Mammoth cave’ and Mount Krippenstein, with more views to the
Dachsteins and to their glaciers. Alternatively from the town a
steep gradient leads you up to the salt mine which originally gave
the town its wealth. (If you have not visited this yesterday on
the way down from the walk).
You could avoid the climb by using the little funicular
railway instead. High above there are great views of the
Hallstattersee and the high peaks. You can walk back on the
‘Soleweg’ path.
Of
course we would not suggest that you do not spend some time in
Hallstatt, looking around for instance, the old graveyard where
bones and skulls have been piled up in the
bone house, many painted
with floral motifs. You could also take the ferry
boat across the Hallstattersee for a mini cruise.
Photographers will certainly appreciate the different vistas of
the town
from the water!
q
Day 7:
Hallstatt to Bad Goisern (12 km approx, 4 hours).
The walk leads off northerly
from above Hallstatt along the
‘Solweg’ the path
by which they have
pumped brine (liquid salt) towards Bad Ischl for
a few hundred years. Originally the brine was piped via a wooden
piping and is claimed to be the oldest commercial pipeline.
Hopefully if the weather is clear and still you will get some
beautiful reflections in the waters. You can take a detour down to
the lake at a place called Gosaumuhle
where you may like to take a swim on a warm day. You then
carry on into Bad Goisern and your first hotel once again.
Alternatively you can
catch the ferry across to the
railway station in the
morning and walk round the eastern
side of the lake to Bad Goisern.
q
Day 8: Depart.
After breakfast return to your point of departure. Allow enough
time for the train journey for your check in time. If you are on
the internet, you could look at the Austrian railways site at: www.oebb.at
On
this Self-Guided Tour we provide you with:
Route notes and maps.
©
Sherpa Expeditions Limited
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