Western Austria : A Travel Guide For Road Trips
Let's be honest: a road trip through Western Austria might not be your travel dream right now.
I know it wasn't mine, at least not before our world-trip-plans got thrown over by Covid19 and we decided to road trip through Europe instead.
But the truth is, Austria's Western part, which I had never been to before meeting Sebi (aside from a field trip in 6th grade to Tyrol and a stop-over in Salzburg on the way to Croatia), has some incredibly charming places.
We're talking majestic mountains and impressive roads leading to them, fairy-tale waterfalls and surreal looking green lakes here.
Let's get road-tripping in Western Austria!
Road tripping through Western Austria: where to start?
I'm currently writing this post from a tiny garden in the suburbs of Ljubljana, Slovenia, as this is the second leg of our road trip through Europe. Like I said, the first part of our adventure was a short road trip of roughly seven days through the Western part of Austria.
As you know, Sebi was born and raised in Austria, in the beautiful Vorarlberg-region, the most western part of the country.
With Covid19 and everything, we were kind of stuck in his home region for about two months. It was obvious that this was going to be our starting point once we had revised our world-trip plans.
Our main goal wasn't staying in Austria, though. We wanted to get down to Croatia as quickly as possible. But then we decided to take this idea of 'slow travel' into consideration.
And to be spontaneous!
Because actually, we had a totally different route in mind. We met some wonderful hosts. And they had really usefull tipps! Unlike us, they spent a lot of family vacations in their home-country and therefore knew a lot more about special places to visit.
So we just went with it and here's what our route looked like once we were through:
Click on the minus-sign to scroll out, if you don't know where exactly Austria is in Europe.
We did everything on country roads, no highway, to enjoy the scenery more and because we had time.
Part I - Vorarlberg
The part where we basically lived for two months and started our trip is called Vorarlberg. It's actually where four countries meet!
In those two months, we did lots of beautiful hikes! I won't go into the details here as I don't see them as part of our road trip through Austria, but I'll give you some beautiful summit pictures instead 🙂
View on Vorarlberg-mountains from the Gurtisspitze
View on Latschau from the Mittagsspitze
In a nutshell: Vorarlberg
The Silvretta-Reservoir (Silvretta-Stausee)
Silvretta-Hochalpenstraße: amazing views
Our first stop was in the South of Vorarlberg. The part from where you get to all the famous ski-resorts in Tyrol like Ischgl and Galtür.
But we stopped at the incredibly beautiful Silvretta-Reservoir at around 2030 m above sea-level. It feeds a powerplant and the dam wall on the Eastern side of the lake represents the border to the neighbour-region Tyrol.
It's only accessible in summer as the road leading to it, the Silvretta-Hochalpenstraße, is a private toll road of approximately 22 km.
It costs 16,50 € (2020) per passenger car with a max. of 9 people.
It's not very spectacular when you drive it up from the Tyrol-side but it's pretty awesome coming from the Vorarlberg-side, starting in the town Partenen.
What we didn't consider was that, coming from the Tyrol-side, our accomodation would have offered the Silvretta-card including the toll cost. Good to know if we want to do it again.
If you get car-sick quite easily (I do), you should be the driver as it's hairpin curves all the way! Fun to drive, though.
Silvretta-Stausee: more than just a reservoir
If you follow us on Instagram, you know that I used to suffer (and still do a bit) from fear of heights. And that I am slowly mastering this fear by constantly challenging myself and I'm doing so by trying out different Via Ferrata.
A Via Ferrata is a climbing route where steel cables, ladders and rungs are fixed into the rock or any other hard surface.
In order to climb them, you need a harness with two leashes to secure yourself at the steel cables. It enables people with limited experience to climb beautiful routes and get to summits they would otherwise need technical equipment and a lot more courage.
They vary in difficulty going from A to D and are mostly found in the Alp region (Austrian and Italian side).
Having grown up in a rather flat country, I had never done anything like this before meeting Sebi.
And I'm so in love with that sport that I bought my very own climbing set right before starting our road trip through Europe.
I bought this one from Edelrid which is perfect and wasn't too expensive (yes, it's an affiliate link).
The Via Ferrata at the Silvretta
Why am I telling this? Well, the Silvretta reservoir is obviously contained by dam walls. And one of these walls actually has a Via Ferrata on it!
This was my second EVER I did last year, I was a bloody beginner with an extreme fear of heights. And I almost (figuratively) died on that thing.
Little trick against fear of heights: look down for at least a few seconds once in a while so your mind can get used to the height.
But it's considered an easy one (category B) because all the steps to get to the side and the top of the wall are pretty easy to follow.
There is no looking for carved holes like when you climb in natural rock. And no overhanging parts, which are considered difficult to master. You do need a lot of strength in your arms, though.
But there are at least two resting points (benches fixed on the wall).
And it's so fun as there is even a part with a swinging rope where you can (if you dare) let yourself swing, or jump, to the other side.
Quick facts: Silvretta dam Via Ferrata
Us chillin' on the wall
Me hanging in there
Beautiful views from the resting benches
Hiking around the lake
After the sports part, or if you don't do climbing, you can do the hike all around the lake. It's a relatively easy walk with just one steeper climb but otherwise pretty flat.
You walk past beautiful waterfalls and landscapes. And that water of the lake is just surreal!
Quick facts: Silvretta-reservoir hike
Get yourself some Vorarlberg specialities after the activity: some 'Käsknöpfle' or a 'Tiroler Bauerngröstle' with potatoes, onions and speck (not the best food for my guts, I admit) at the Berggasthof Piz Buin, sitting on a terrace overlooking the lake with cows strolling freely in the parking lot.
They also have a hotel and offer beautiful hikes around the Piz Buin (for experienced hiker/climbers), the highest mountain in the area.
And they have a free museum downstairs that shows the history of the whole area with first climbers, etc.
In summer they are accessible by the road, in winter you have to use their 'tunnel-taxis' or come with the Vermunt cable car (closes at 16h00).
Surreal water colours
Alp roses in full bloom
Sebi in his element
Ice-cold streams
Part II - Tyrol
The second part of our Western Austrian road trip started in Kappl, near Ischgl, as it was close to the Silvretta reservoir but on the Tyrol-side.
In a nutshell: Tyrol
We stayed at the Sport Garni Kapplerhof, a charming family-run hotel open in summer and in winter.
The rooms were a little bit small as we needed space to work on our computers but otherwise perfect.
And that breakfast buffet was incredible!!
It's certainly an address we're going to remember if we're heading back to the Ischgl area. Possibly in winter for a ski-trip.
These were also the hosts giving us incredibly useful tips for our next stops and thus altering our original road map.
Umhausen: Stuibenfälle-waterfalls and Via Ferrata
Okay, we LOVE waterfalls! Can't get enough of them!
And the Stuibenfälle in particular were amazing.
But we came for the Via Ferrata, of course. This one is a bit more difficult, category B but with a few spots classified as C as there are a bit of overhanging parts to master.
To get to the entrance, it's a 25 min rather steep walk. But even though I'm asthmatic, it was more than alright.
Quick facts: Stuibenfälle Via Ferrata
So happy with my brand new Edelrid-set
Via Ferrata in this kind of setting is awesome
Of course you can just visit the waterfalls without doing any climbing: they built a giant staircase to get to a platform on the very top of the waterfall and it offers the same incredible views.
Quite a lot of stairs, though. But just do it at your own pace. We had the stairs to climb down all the way and my back felt it the next day as I forgot to stretch it - haha.
Oh, and part of the stairs is a hanging bridge! Pretty cool, right?
Easily doable with kids, too! Plus: as this spot is located in the Ötzvalley, where Ötzi was found (you know, that 5000 year old famous mommified guy with tattoos) when the glacier started melting, there are lots of things to do around that subject too.
They have the 'Ötzi-village' at the foot of the walk/climb where they built a prehistoric village with lots of extra tools to use for the kids and animals to pet. Apparently they also organize survival-camps, both for kids and adults, in summer with fire-making, etc.
Sounded pretty cool, we might come back one day with our own (future) kids or so. Or with my sister's kids 🙂
Beautiful scenery
The hanging bridge
That waterfall is amazing! See the giant staircase is behind it?
Next stop: Innsbruck, a beautiful mountain city
Okay we just did a night here and didn't even get into the city.
But we had already been to Innsbruck before and I fell in love with this city! Charming architecture, lots of really old houses, the 'Goldenes Dachl' and all surrounded by the majestic Nordkette-mountains.
The flair you get in that city is incredible!
And for all our vegan friends: check out the Green Flamingo - that (all vegan) food is EPIC!! Just look at the pictures on their Insta, it's mouthwatering!
So if you plan on doing this road trip through Western Austria like we did, plan at least two whole days for Innsbruck as well.
To get from Umhausen to Innsbruck, drive over the 'Kühtaisattel' - impressive views guaranteed!
Beware of cows and their 'stuff', though. But that's already indicated in the name, 'Kühe' being the plural form of 'cows'.
We stayed at the Hotel Marmota. Small room but very clean and just what we needed to spend the night as it was very budget-friendly.
What makes it even more special is the fact that it is almost entirely surrounded by beautiful snow-capped mountains 
Achensee: green-blueish shades and the cleanest water
Not much to see here, except for the most beautiful shades of a green-blueish water!
The Achensee is one of those mountain lakes we absolutely fell in love with!
It just looks so surreal!
And I don't even know what the name in English, German or French would be for that colour.
In Dutch, we have the word 'appelblauwzeegroen' which actually is PERFECT to describe this colour. It literally means 'apple-blue-sea-green'. Quite fitting, don't you think?
Anyways, with a depth of 133 m, it's actually the biggest lake in Tyrol. The water is so pure that it's nearly drinking-water-quality (seriously!) and you can see through to a depth of almost 10 m. How incredible is this?
Due to the winds blowing through the surrounding mountains, it's sometimes called 'Tyrol's sea' and is very popular amongst surfers and sailors.
You can swim in a few designated and delimited spots, which is very refreshing in summer as the water rarely gets hotter than 20 °C. As is the case for mountain lakes in general.
Beautiful scenery
And the colour!
Look at how clear that water is!
Schlegeis reservoir: getting there is an adventure
The Schlegeis reservoir is contained by an impressive dam wall of 725 m long and 131 m high and is located in the 'Zillertaler Alps' at the foot of glaciers and mountains of more than 3000 m high - talking about a scenery!
To get there, you have to drive up the 'Schlegeis Alpenstraße' which is an alpine road zigzagging during 13 km to the top at 1800 m above sea level, leading through four natural stone tunnels.
It's accessible from June to October and you can even visit the inside of the dam wall. Or do some exciting activities on the wall like flying fox, the giant swing or Via Ferrata.
Quick facts: Schlegeis Via Ferrata
We actually planned to do this Via Ferrata, which is why I list it here, but I had just hurt my back when down at the Achensee because I forgot to stretch it after each one of our climbs...
So we went strait for our next highlight, another tip from our host in Kappl (read on). And we plan on coming back here someday to get on that damn wall (pun intended).
But before starting to climb, we had a nice, hot goulash soup and a coffee at the 'Zamser Eck' on the other side of the reservoir, where the owner told us a few cool facts about the why the reservoir was so 'empty' right now.
Turns out that they didn't have a lot of snow last winter. And because it's an impounding reservoir, it's frequently drained partly.
Oh, and we waited another 1/2 hour in the car as it was pouring.
The Schlegeis alpine road zigzagging up (or down)
The dam wall we are going to climb some day
Beautiful Schlegeis-reservoir with a few very high mountains and glaciers surrounding it
Olpererhütte: a steep hike and incredible views
A sore back to begin with
Okay this one was quite a challenge for me as I had a really sore back (remember?). Steep paths going all the way up are pretty exhausting when the lower back hurts.
So we managed to get to the top but with quite a few pauses. Meaning it took us 1/2 hour longer than what it's supposed to be.
But this way, we enjoyed the scenery much more than people practically running to get to the top. We were able to really take the views in.
And these were worth it! Every look down to the Schlegeis was impressive. Countless little rivers and roaring waterfalls. And sheep.
My back hurt so much, poor Sebi had to carry my camera-bag as well. He already had our big backpack on as we needed sleeping bags and stuff in order to stay at the alpine hut.
Quick facts: hiking to the Olpererhütte
Looking forward to the hike
Beautiful streams and waterfalls
Poor Sebi! But he's still smiling 🙂
Sleeping at an alpine hut - my first time
We booked our spot (nope, not a room, a spot) at the Olpererhütte the day before and were lucky as this hut is usually fully booked on the weekends.
I must admit I was a bit nervous after what Sebi had told me about alpine huts. He has done this a few times and he talked about dormitory with 15 other snorring people, no hot water and scarce toilets or sanitary facilities.
So this was the vision I had while going up.
But, oh my, this was a deluxe version of an alpine hut! Actually, there used to be an old one from 1881 that got torn down and they rebuilt one in 2007-2008.
And this last one is this super-eco-friendly and mordern wooden hut. With rooms for generally 8, some even for 4 people - which ain't much!
The beds are bunk beds and they each have a wooden plank at head level to divide the headrests - giving you a tiny bit of privacy. Which is a luxury in an alpine hut.
Pretty cosy in the deluxe hut
And we were even more lucky! When we arrived (exhausted) at the hut and got assigned to our room, the two German boys already unpacking told us to put our stuff on the mezzanine as they had checked upstairs and seen that this was the only double mattress in the room - weren't they sweet?
So we had our own little cocoon up there which was super cosy! As far as it can be cosy, sleeping in your sleeping bag with other people in the same room. But we loved it.
About the sanitary facilities: one big bathroom for women, one for men. Super clean! And I was mostly alone every time I went into that room.
Ah, but the showers.. clean, yes! But you have to buy your time for it. There are coins to be purchased at the counter: 3 € for 4 minutes of showering. Qick showers it was.
The evening in the shared space of the hut were cosy as well: nice and warm, good food (Sebi had his favourite Schnitzel, of course) and a cupbaord full of card and boardgames, maybe to make up for the lack of Wifi (there is none!)? Haha!
Quick facts: sleeping on the Olpererhütte
The restaurant area with a view
Our cosy cocoon
We slept up there 🙂
Oven-baked potato with sour cream and trout
Olpererhütte at sunrise: another bucket-list experience
I list this one seperately as you could also just sleep in while at the hut. Although, breakfast is from 7 to 8. So sleeping in late really isn't an option..
Anyways, we thought of getting up for sunrise as we knew that there was this little hanging-bridge not far from the hut with an incredible view over the Schlegeis-reservoir.
But talking to our room-mates, we all agreed to get up at 7, so that we won't have several alarms going off at different times.
But I woke up at 5.15 sharp. 'The sky's awake, so I'm awake' - any Frozen-fan might recognize this (read in little Anna's voice). And when I went to the toilet, I saw through the windows that the light gave the surroundings the most magical glow!
So I got back to Sebi and kind of rushed him to get up quietly and get dressed.
Look at these pictures! Wasn't it worth getting up this early??
Plus: they had already prepared the breakfast table for the hikers heading even further into the mountains, the ones that actually left at 5 in the morning.
So we had the beautiful room with the giant panoramic windows all to ourselves! At least until 7 - but we had finished our breakfast by then.
The Olperer hanging bridge at sunrise
And Sebi of course
It doesn't get better than this view, does it?
Mountain top sunrises are the best
The Olpererhütte in the morning
Perfect breakfast-scene at the Olpererhütte
Part III - Salzburg
Next stop on our road trip through Western Austria: the Salzburg region. With its capital Salzburg, famous for being Mozart's birth town, the castle overlooking the city, the salt and the Mozartkugeln (yummy!!).
In a nutshell: Salzburg
Waterfalls again: Krimmler Wasserfälle
I don't know why but I'm always fascinated by the masses of water coming down these things. This one is a particularly impressive one: it plunges down over a length of 380 m, divided in three stages, making it the highest waterfall in Austria.
To get to the top of the falls, there's a walking path of approximately 4 km and you get some incredible views on the way up. And, if you want, you get wet.
Unfortunately, it's all very touristy and you won't certainly be alone.
Nonetheless, very beautiful! And energizing! Did you know that the air surrounding waterfalls is super healthy to breath in as it contains powerful negative ions created by the crashing of the water?
We stayed at a renovated 400 year old farmhouse, located at approximately 20 min driving time from the falls: the Untersteinhof. They have a cute terrasse with amazing views in the morning sun.
Cutely renovated Untersteinhof
The charming terrace with awesome views
Just enjoy the pictures and videos but definitely get there yourself to feel the energy you get from those falls.
One of the stages of Krimmler Wasserfälle
Look at that water go
Quick stop on the way: Zell am See
I must say, we were slightly disappointed arriving at Zell am See. It is cute, yes. But we didn't quite understand the big deal around this town.
It's pretty famous as it's a hotspot for the 'rich and famous' to spend their holidays or weekends. Lots of Arabian princes stay here as well.
But it's actually just a charming little town at a nice lake. I say nice because we were less impressed by this one than by all the mountain lakes we have seen so far.
So it wasn't really our kind of thing. But it was a nice little stop on the way to Hallstatt.
Mozart's birth town: Salzburg
I had been to Salzburg when I was 18 years old. And it was just a quick stop on our way to Croatia for a school trip as the bus-drivers couldn't drive the whole thing in one bit.
So we stayed at Salzburg overnight and I think we visited the main church. And Mozart's birth house. And countless cocktail-bars. We were 18...
So now we took the time to take in the impressive Baroque architecture of the city and we visited the Hohensalzburg-castle on top of the rock overlooking the city.
We also strolled through the gardens of the Mirabell castle, built by the same archbishops who were also responsible for the castle - no knights, no king or other noble family. Archbishops. The church. I must admit, I wouldn't have thought that.
And yes, I even bought the famous 'Mozartkugeln', the original ones! Give me chocolate balls filled with marzipane any time of the day!! Be sure to taste them at one of the few little shops of the Fürst family - it's their ancestor who invented them.
There are several copies on the market nowadays, mostly industrially produced. Be sure to taste the silver and blue ones. Not the red or golden ones.
Salzburg charme
Charming and very old cemetery
Castle Hohensalzburg
Beautiful Salzburg seen from the castle
Hallstatt: without the masses of tourists
I had always wanted to visit this picturesque medieval town and its beautiful lake. But I never dared as the images of busloads of Chinese tourists rolling over the city freaked me out.
This town is incredibly popluar amongst the Chinese ever since a replica has been built in Guangdong in 2012...
It therefore attracts roughly 1 million (!!) tourists every year, around 7000 a day!
Anyways, with the current Covid-situation, that tourist-category completely disappeared and now is the right time to really enjoy the town!
The 754 inhabitants can finally breath again.
Just so you know: Hallstatt belongs to the Oberstösterreich-region (Upper-Austria) but it's right on the borders with the Salzburg-region and shares the same history. So I didn't want to put it into a new chapter just about Oberösterreich.
Together with the Dachstein-massif, it forms the 'Hallstatt-Dachstein/Salzkammergut Cultural Landscape' and is protected by the UNESCO. The whole region (including Salzburg) was very rich in salt mines, having largely contributed to the wealth of the area.
Prehistoric era and name-giver
Hallstatt is also very famous for the prehistoric archaeological finds, even giving its name to a period of the Early Iron Age, the Hallstatt-culture.
Needless to say that this was another reason I wanted to see this, having learned a lot about the Hallstatt-era during my studies.
It was brilliant to stroll through this tiny city and really enjoy it, the town otherwise being subject to overtourism.
Picturesque Hallstatt town
Lots of wood in Hallstatt
The quiet central square
Particular feature: the bonehouse
I can't imagine what it must be like in non-Covid-times. We went into the 'bonehouse' right next to the church for example. It's a teeny-tiny room where only a handful of people gets in at the same time. What must it be like in normal times? People filling up the cemetery in a never-ending queue?? I don't even want to google it..
Anyways, this bonehouse was pretty intersting: the cemetery used to be too small for Hallstatt's residents. So every tomb had an expiration date of 15 years. After these 15 years, the bones were exhumed, cleaned and bleached to be put in the bonehouse. The undertaker even decorated them with symbols and the names and dates of the deceased.
The last person to be exhumated was a lady who died in 1983. Her bones got put in the bonehouse in 1995 and this was the last time they ever did this.
Creepy, but very interesting!
The decorated bonehous-skulls
And the rest of the bones underneath
Hallstatt's catholic church
Us strolling through the picturesque streets
Oh, and get to the Sport 2000 Janu shop!
When they started digging for a new heating system underneath their store, the family found several archaeological vestiges and contacted the government.
They had trouble finding enough founds for extensive research.
But thanks to the dedicated spirit of the family, excavations have been conducted during several years, uncovering vestiges of different eras amongst which the oldest ceramics in Hallstatt.
The oldest ceramics in Hallstatt
In order to do both Salzburg and Hallstatt, which are less than a 1 hour drive apart, we stayed somewhere in a tiny town called Lüngotz, at an apartment that was perfectly fitting for our work-travel-road-trip-thing.
Part IV - Kärnten
Fun fact: Sebi has a lot of family in the Kärnten province.
But he hardly ever sees them as it's a 6 hour-drive from his home-region. Plus they are distant relatives. His grandmother originally comes from this part of the country but she moved to Vorarlberg at a young age.
In a nutshell: Kärnten
Kärntner specialities
Kärnten has a particular culture, mentality-wise but also culinary, as the region adjoins the borders to Slovenia and Italy.
We stayed at a little pretty out-dated but oh so charming guesthouse, the Gasthof-Pension Reidnwirt. We were under the impression that time had come to a stop somwhere in the 1970s. But it was all super clean and the hosts the most friendly elderly couple, always trying to make you feel at home, paying attention to every little detail!
I would definitely get back there! If only to taste their Thai-cuisine. The son is married to a Thai and she brought in her home cuisine. We only tasted the appetizers but everything else smelled so delicous!
But no, we love to taste the regional stuff so we got ourselves some original 'Kärntner Kasnudle' and 'Erdäpflenudle', both being a kind of Ravioli filled with a cheesy potato-mash.
Homemade 'Kärntner Kasnudle'
Großglockner: Austria's highest mountain
Before continuing our road trip towards Slovenia, we drove up the Großglockner alpine road which gets you up to the highest mountain of Austria: the Großglockner, with a summit at 3798 m above sea level.
The whole pass is very impressive with, obviously, amazing views all around.
Großglockner alpine road
Some magnificent views
Look at these views! And these roads..
Drive up the toll road (37 € per car - pricy) to the 'Franz-Josef-Höhe', a platform created because of the beloved Austrian emperor after whom it was named. From here you can do several hikes and there are a few very intersting museums inside that giant parkhouse.
And the upper floor tells the tale of the forgotten female pioneers in the history of mountain climbing - really cool!
The glacier of the Großglockner is still visible but you can see on various pictures how much it has retracted in the last decades..
If you can, spend at least the entire day at the site, there's really a lot going on.
Including fuzzy little marmots calling each other - so cute!
Did you know that they kind of whistle (no, they don't yell 'Alan') to warn each other that there are strangers close-by?
Hello, fuzzy friends!
Großglockner (middle of the picture) and its retracting glacier on the right
And this concludes the first part of our road trip through Europe.
From Kärnten, we crossed the borders to Slovenia and are now exploring this relatively unknown country (at least to us) before heading farther South.
Slovenia will probably be the next blogpost 🙂
Don't forget to comment, pin and share this post for your next possible road trip through Western Austria.
xx
Cyn
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