Self-Guided Walking in Austria's Lake District

Enjoy well-marked routes with stunning lake views every day

The Austrian Lakes area offers a glorious mix of spectacular views, forest trails, picture-perfect villages and swimming opportunities galore! The walks are relaxed, following mainly well-marked routes, with stunning lake views every day. Every stop brings new discoveries such as St Wolfgang's antique cog railway, the summit of Schafberg and Mozart's museum in St. Gilgen.

Responsible Travel

At Exodus we believe in the power of Responsible Travel.

Every time we travel, we are part of a global movement that creates jobs, builds more sustainable societies, encourages cultural understanding and safeguards common natural and cultural heritage. To learn more about what Responsible Travel means to Exodus click here… 

Visa

Austria

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter Austria. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through. Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/austria
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/austria
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/austria/entry-requirements
• USA:  www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Austria.html

Vaccination

Austria

There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for tetanus, rabies and tick-borne encephalitis. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

Eating and Drinking

All breakfasts and 1 evening meal are included.

Austria is renowned for wholesome, robust food. The cuisine is a reflection of the culinary exchange that went on during the time of empires - French, Spanish, Dutch, German and Croatian cuisine have all contributed to the flavours, to name just a few. You will be set up for the day with a breakfast of cold meats and cheeses, traditional bread, jam and coffee. Austrians tend to eat heartily at lunch time and less in the evenings, but you will be well catered for at dinner. Local specialities include the ever present 'Wiener Schnitzel' (breaded veal cutlet) and various stews of beef and pork. Dumplings, potatoes or noodles are all regular accompaniments along with vegetables. Of course, the fresh fish found in the lakes like rainbow trout, brown trout and whitefish will be a feature of many menus, often grilled with butter and herbs, or stuffed with local mushrooms.

Desserts are often fruit based - such as 'apfelstrudel' or cream pastries. 'Rehrucken' is a traditional chocolate and almond cream cake. 'Linzertorte' is a flaky cake lined with currant or raspberry jam, encased and covered by a lattice of cake dough. Mozart's home town's speciality is 'Salzburger Nockerln', which is a very light dessert souffle dusted with vanilla sugar and sometimes served with strawberries on the side.

Plum brandy is a popular post dinner drink, or you could try one of the various types of schnapps. Austrian wine tends to be white and fairly sweet in the manner of German Mosel wines. Beer is a better known product of the country and you will find a wide variety of local brews. The best known are Gosser and Augustiner Brau and come in light or dark forms.

Weather

Salzburg and the surrounding area is at the Northern edge of the Austrian Alps and as such has a typical Central European climate with hot summers and cold winters. However, Salzburg actually experiences relatively moderate weather making it a good year round destination. Being in the mountains, it can rain at any time in this area so be prepared for this at any point!

Weather Charts

Is this trip for you?

The relaxed walking for this trip follows mainly well-marked routes with opportunities to extend each day. The walks are generally classed as easy but there are some forested sections where the terrain is inclined and loose underfoot.

As this is a self-guided holiday there is no group and no leader. There may be others on the same departure date as you, but you will not be organised together. You are provided with route directions for each day, which begin with an overview of the walk and advice on lunch, followed by detailed instructions. The route directions contain a 24-hour emergency assistance telephone number should you need it and in emergencies, the hotel is normally able to dispatch a taxi or pick you up themselves. They may wish to charge for this service.

You may find our Fitness Training Guide a useful reference: http://www.exodus.co.uk/assets/pdf/Exodus_WT_Fitness_Training_Guide.pdf