11 DAYS

Austrian
Lakes

Day 1. Arrival Vienna – City Tour

Arrive in Vienna. Afternoon Ringstrasse and Innere Stadt walking tour. Evening coffee house. Overnight in Vienna.

Day 2. Vienna – Schönbrunn & Belvedere

Schönbrunn Palace. Klimt's The Kiss at the Belvedere. Overnight in Vienna.

Day 3. Vienna to Hallstatt – Salzkammergut

Drive to the Salzkammergut lake district. Arrive in Hallstatt — the world's most photographed village, perched between a cliff and a lake, UNESCO World Heritage site. Overnight in Hallstatt.

Day 4. Hallstatt – Salt Mine & Dachstein

Morning: Hallstatt salt mine tour — the world's oldest salt mine (7,000 years). Afternoon: Dachstein glacier cable car and ice caves. Overnight in Hallstatt.

Day 5. Hallstatt to Salzburg – Via Wolfgangsee

Drive via the Wolfgangsee and St Wolfgang. Arrive in Salzburg. Altstadt and Mozart's Birthplace. Overnight in Salzburg.

Day 6. Salzburg – Hohensalzburg & Lake District

Hohensalzburg Fortress. Afternoon at Fuschlsee — the most transparent lake in the Salzkammergut. Overnight in Salzburg.

Day 7. Salzburg to Bad Ischl – Imperial Spa Town

Drive to Bad Ischl — Emperor Franz Joseph's summer residence, an extraordinary spa town where the Emperor spent every summer from 1849 to 1914. The Imperial Villa. Overnight in Bad Ischl.

Day 8. Bad Ischl to Klagenfurt – Via Grundlsee

Drive via the beautiful Grundlsee and Toplitzsee — the legendary 'Nazi Gold Lake'. Arrive in Klagenfurt. Wörthersee lakefront. Overnight in Klagenfurt.

Day 9. Klagenfurt – Wörthersee & Hochosterwitz

Wörthersee boat cruise. Burg Hochosterwitz — the castle on a rock, inspiration for Snow White. Overnight in Klagenfurt.

Day 10. Klagenfurt to Villach – Ossiacher See

Drive via the beautiful Ossiacher See and Faaker See — two of Carinthia's extraordinary warm Alpine lakes. Arrive in Villach — the second city of Carinthia. Overnight in Villach.

Day 11. Departure via Klagenfurt Airport

Final morning in Villach. Transfer to Klagenfurt Airport or via Salzburg to Vienna Airport.

Must see

ATTRACTIONS

Options

ACCOMMODATIONS

Vienna

★★★★★

Hotel Sacher Wien
The Ritz-Carlton Vienna
Hotel Imperial Vienna

★★★★

Marriott Vienna
Radisson Blu Style Hotel Vienna
NH Vienna Airport

★★★

ibis Wien Mariahilf
Hotel Ibis Wien City
Mercure Grand Hotel Biedermeier Wien

Salzburg

★★★★★

Hotel Sacher Salzburg
Schloss Mönchstein Salzburg
Hotel Goldener Hirsch Salzburg

★★★★

Radisson Blu Hotel Altstadt Salzburg
NH Salzburg City
Crowne Plaza Salzburg – The Pitter

★★★

ibis Salzburg Hauptbahnhof
Hotel Ibis Salzburg Nord
Hotel Wolf Salzburg

Klagenfurt

★★★★★

Hotel Dermuth Klagenfurt
Seepark Hotel Klagenfurt
Hotel Sandwirth Klagenfurt

★★★★

Arcotel Moser Verdino Klagenfurt
NH Klagenfurt
Palais Hotel Klagenfurt

★★★

ibis Klagenfurt
Hotel City Klagenfurt
Hotel Geyer Klagenfurt

Must try

FOOD

Tafelspitz

Tracing its fame back to the royal tables of the Austro-Hungarian Empire; this elegant dish features prime cuts of beef simmered to perfection in a vegetable and spice broth; traditionally served with apple and horseradish sauces, every mouthful is a refined, flavorful experience.

Kasespatzle

Austria's answer to mac and cheese, this comforting classic consists of soft dumpling-like noodles topped with melted cheese, usually strong, aged, mountain cheeses that can melt easily, and fried onions.

Reindling

A traditional sweet or savoury yeast cake; consists of a yeast dough rolled with melted butter, cinnamon, sugar and raisins, then baked in a round earthenware pot called a 'Rein' and enjoyed as a sweet pastry with coffee or sliced alongside savory items like eggs and horseradish.