Austrian Alps – The Road Trip

My host was going to Grundlsee in Styria, Austria, and asked if I would like to join her before I headed to Bavaria in a few days. Absolutely!

It was a four-hour drive from Vienna, and I loved the scenery of the Alps along the way even though we were driving on a busy motorway.

Our first stop was at Pürgg, a small mountain village. It looked like a setting from a movie. It was so pristine. After a walk around the village admiring the view, we stopped at the local café for coffee and a chocolate dessert. The café was decorated in stylish tones of pink and grey, while the staff wore traditional Austrian clothing.

As we continued our drive, the Alps with their snowy peaks could be seen in the distance. The closer we came to them, the more excited I became.

I was filming while going, “Wow, OMG, wow.”

My host was saying, “Just wait, it gets better.”

I thought, how?

The Lakes and the Alps

Then, I was left speechless when we reached Grundlsee. The village sat around the lake, surrounded by the snow-capped Alps. From our accommodation, we looked straight across the lake to the Alps. Pinch me!

Later that afternoon, we decided to drive to the far end of the lake and go for a hike through the woods for about an hour. Returning from our hike, we crossed the road to a large park which led to the lake. Standing there looking back at the lake with the Alps bordering it on each side, I was imagining how lovely it would be here in summer, swimming out to the pontoons. Or ice-skating in winter with the snow-covered Alps as the backdrop.

The view was just as breathtaking when I woke up the next morning. I was told it was a bit chilly for this time of year, but that just made it more magical for me.

Hiking and Hot Chocolates

A short drive from Grundlsee is Altaussee, another lakeside village, where we headed for another hike. There had been heavy rain in the last week and along the track there were small streams making their way down the mountain to the lake. Just past halfway, we stopped for a hot chocolate at an Austrian inn with views over the lake and to the Alps in the distance.

The second half of the track was lower than the first half and ran close beside the lake, causing some of the track to be covered in water up to our calves. Not wanting to get my hiking boots wet, I took them off to walk through the icy water. I was kindly given a pair of pink thongs to wear through the water to avoid the sharp stones and rocks. The hike was supposed to take three hours, but because we walked as fast as we talked, we did the 10 kilometres in just over two hours.

After our hike, we drove to Bad Aussee. It was larger than Grundlsee and Altaussee, with lots of shops and restaurants. We wandered around the town, passing some beautiful white horses along the way and window shopping before heading to a well-known café beside the river for coffee and delicious cake. Hopefully, the hiking offsets the Austrian treats.

Dachstein Glacier

The next day we drove to Dachstein Glacier, about 90 minutes away from Grundlsee. Could this road trip get any better? The drive up the mountain had snow piled high on each side of the road. Eventually, we reached the cable car, which took us up to 2,700 metres to the glacier.

Arriving at the glacier, there was a 360-degree view of the magnificent Austrian Alps, with just enough snow covering them to still see the outline of the rugged mountains.

We spent some time at the Sky Walk observation platform, standing over the glass flooring, admiring the view and the sheer drop beneath our feet.

Crossing a high suspension bridge that bounced with each step, we arrived at the ‘Stairway to Nothingness’. The staircase led down to a glass-bottom viewing platform suspended over the mountain. Standing on this platform was exhilarating.

Nearby was the Dachstein Ice Palace, which is carved deep into the glacier. The Ice Palace contained hand-carved ice sculptures, including an Austrian cow and goat, a mountain climber, and a very impressive snowman. My favourite was a very large ice throne which was positioned amongst ice columns. We wandered through here for a while, taking photos of ourselves sitting on the throne. Queen for a day.

The covered escalator took us back to the main area. I was surprised to see a dog at the top of the mountain. As I was patting the dog, I asked the owner if I could take a photo of him and the dog. But he preferred to take my picture with his dog.

At one part of the lookout there was a large cube of ice calling me to come and sit on it. This photo of me sitting on it with the Alps in the background is the reason my daughter packed a bag and flew to Vienna to join me for a white Christmas.

Before we headed back down the mountain, we stopped at the café at the lookout for a hot chocolate while still admiring the view.

The drive down the winding mountain road was just as beautiful, with the Alps ahead and snow and pine trees lining the road. Halfway down the mountain, we stopped at a busy ski village so I could buy some food to last me through the next day’s train journey to Bavaria.”

Arriving back in Grundlsee, we had dinner overlooking the lake and the Alps once more.

This unexpected road trip had everything I could have ever imagined. The Alps, the lakes, hiking, hot chocolates, cake and beautiful Austrian villages. What more can I say?

I love Austria.

Enjoyed travelling through Austria with me? You might also enjoy reading about my White Christmas in Hallstatt.

Thank you for reading. Follow along @roamingwithleila for more travel stories and adventures.

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