What to do around Upper Austria?

June 29, 2011 4:41 AM

Upper Austria & Salzkammergut: Recommendations for interesting places to stay, eat, see?

We will be spending ten days in the region and I am interested in unusual or attractive places to stay, recommendations for good local cuisine and must see places to visit. We will have a car but don't want to spend significant time driving so not really keen on leaving the area. Interested in nature and culture.

posted by biffa to travel & transportation around Austria (5 answers total)

We're staying at Gasthof Simony in Hallstatt next week. We picked it based on gorgeous scenery, its tiny size, and Rick Steves' recommendation. We plan to do nothing there but relax and maybe tour the salt mine or an ice cave.
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 5:25 AM on June 29, 2011

What is your definition of "leaving the area?" Are you willing to drive ~2.5hrs to spend 2-4 days in the Mittersill area? If you are willing to make the drive, I would very highly recommend it. It's in the Nationalpark Hohe Tauern.

There are excellent hikes, amazing waterfalls, wonderful views and great food in the area. We stayed at Sonnberg Wellness Hotel, which I very highly recommend. It was cozy and they took very good care of us (ehem, 3-5pm is unlimited cake time every day).
posted by copperbleu at 5:55 AM on June 29, 2011

if you want a break from the nice country side, I could recommend the regional capital of Upper Austria Linz. There are some good Museums, a nice city and the rather spectacular Höhenrausch

Steyr ist also a very nice city
posted by ironicon at 7:16 AM on June 29, 2011 [1 favorite]

As a result of your input we are heading for Hallstatt for half the time, because it looks gorgeous and somewhere around Hohe Tauern for the other half.
posted by biffa at 4:20 AM on July 1, 2011

Great holiday, we stayed in Lungau for a few days, then the long way round (via Grossglockner) to Hallstatt for a few more, great weather for the former less so for the latter, but we made do with the salt mine and the ice cave.
posted by biffa at 5:07 AM on July 20, 2011