I love Austria! I love the architecture, the people, the food and the list does go on…
The only thing which I do not to love about Austria are the police radars. You can’t miss them and they can’t miss you. So, everywhere, everyone drives under the speed limit.
Nevermind, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of my favorite places in Austria: Innsbruck and Salzburg.
Innsbruck Travel Tips
Forget about renting a car. Use the dedicated bike lanes. If in some countries people seem to have one car per family member, in Austria people have one family car and one bike per family member.
Stay at Gasthof Post in Sistrans, 10 minutes away from Innsbruck. You’ll save money and get the vibe of a true Austrian village.
Visit the Swarovski museum. It’s fabulously entertaining!
I love crystals. They remind us of how we all are, with rough and smooth edges, always shining differently depending on the waves we are riding at the moment, all of us beautiful in our unique way for someone out there.
One quote stayed with me:
“It all depends on the distance. If you get the correct perspective and the best possible stance then nothing can go wrong .”(Hans Magnus Enzensberger, German writer).
It is fascinating what a distorted image you get, how many things you just don’t see, if you stay too close to something or someone. Whenever I’m in doubt, time and distance are my best friends. They help me to detach myself and see things and people for what they truly are. Because people will always show their true colours and it is only us who, whenever we are too attached to the outcome, refuse to accept it.
Once we see things for what they truly are, we can prepare ourselves and step quietly and content towards a new phase, whatever that might involve.
Salzburg Travel Tips
Stay in the hills at Hotel Obermayr and try their delicious garlic soup and the obstler drink, a very strong traditional drink made of pears and apples.
Visit the Hellbrun Palace, built in 1600 by an archbishop who became wealthy from the salt mines in the region. The palace itself is not an architectural masterpiece, but the gardens with their trick fountains are exquisite. Water sprays out from the most unexpected places and it powers mechanical displays using only gravity.
Next to Hellbrun Palace, there is a Folk Museum, which tells you the story of common Austrian people and how they were living back in the 16th century.
Not a queen size…So disappointing…
I found my man!
And now, my favourite part: caves and mines.
A must see are the Hallein Salt Mines, where for 20 euros you go… tobogganing. Inside the mine they have two big slides, going from fast to very fast.
Do not, and I mean do not, miss the Ice Caves at Eisriesenwalt, the largest in the world. The place is open from May to October and in my opinion, it should be on top of your list. The caves are 45 km long, but only the first km are covered in ice. The ice is formed in spring when the water from the mountains gets into the cave and freezes. In some parts of the cave, the ice is 25m thick.
The temperature inside the cave is around 0 C in the summer and -12C in the winter. So, do not get inside in flip flops and t-shirt. Not recommended!
A word of caution, to get to see the caves, you must be fit or determined to get fit on the way up there. There are two steep climbs of 20 minutes each and a very very steep hike of 90 minutes. However, the last one can be skipped as there is a cable car, the steepest in Austria. If you choose the cable car, prepare to wait in line for more than two long hours. Once inside the cave, 750 stairs up and 750 stairs down are all waiting for you. But, take a deep breath, your efforts will be rewarded.
While you are in the area, you could cross the oldest border between Austria and Germany, at Berchtesgaden and see the Konigssee Lake in Bavaria.
The lake is beautiful and you can go for a long walk around it or you can hire a boat. In the winter, the village is popular for skiing and the village itself is very clean and trendy.
You cannot leave Salzburg without seeing Lake Fuschl and Lake Wolfgang, both made famous by The Sound of the Music.
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