Austrian Lakes Activities

Arrive at your hotel in Strobl. A typical itinerary is shown below, but you’re free to pick and choose your activities each day.

Take the bus to Bad Ischl for your briefing and to collect your bike. Take time to explore the spa town – visit Franz Josef’s Kaiservilla and the imperial hot spa that houses salt baths, steam room, hammam and Alhambra baths. Return to Strobl along the banks of the River Ischl, passing tiny shrines hidden below the Leonsberg and Bleckwand.

Keeping close to Lake Wolfgang’s southern shore, a level cycling track through a tiny nature reserve brings you into lovely St Gilgen where the busy waterfront is filled with restaurants, cafes and attractive frescoed houses. Visit Mozart’s museum (his mother was born here), or take the cable car up Zwolferhorn for stunning 360-degree views. Alternatively, try your hand at water skiing on Lake Wolfgang followed by a cooling swim from the hotel’s bathing jetty.

Alternatively, you may prefer to do the lovely circular walk over the hills to Gschwendt.

Today head first by the river then along the north shore of the lake to St Wolfgang. Renowned for its beautiful 15th century church, this famously pretty village boasts a maze of cobbled streets lined with attractive frescoed houses, shops and cafe terraces affording superb lake views. Culture and music are very much part of St Wolfgang’s fine tradition, so be sure to explore the boutique craft and chocolate shops! After lunch, hop on the antique cog railway as it chugs up to the summit of Schafberg (1782m) for unrivalled Alpine views.

Why not give yourself a break from cycling today and take the local bus (80 mins) to Mozart’s fairytale city of Salzburg? Described as a Baroque jewel, and recognised by UNESCO, its idyllic setting, surrounded by the Alps and bisected by the gentle Salzach river, cannot be bettered by any other city in Europe. Take time to explore its historic heart and you’ll find a wealth of Baroque palaces, Renaissance gardens, elegant Viennese cafes and the oldest open-air theatre in Europe.

Today’s cycling route takes you along quiet country lanes and through rural farming hamlets bordered by low Alpine meadows – look out for the neat woodpiles to be used for heating over the winter months. Lunch at the popular Zur Wacht restaurant then ascend up to beautiful Lake Nussensee, a hidden gem completely off the tourist trail; look out for rare orchids scattered around its shady shores. There’s lots of time to swim and relax before completing a circular loop back to Strobl.

Alternatively you could choose to do the loop walk around Sparber Mountain.

You have a choice of walking or cycling routes today across the valley and up through the forest towards Lake Schwarzensee, perfectly positioned beneath the shadows of the Vormauerstein, Hoheneck and Breitenberg peaks. Have lunch in one of the restaurants basking in sunshine beneath the snow-capped mountains, then it’s a delightful valley descent back to Strobl.