Austria Easter

[Stowickthevast]

Hello, am trying to plan a week's trip to Austria possibly at Easter but don't really know anything about it. One of my Dd's is doing German at school and is very keen to go somewhere German speaking. I think Austria looks more appealing scenery wise than Germany but could be persuaded either way.

Am thinking we'd like a mix of city and mountains, we're not skiers but Dh & the DDs may like to do a day if the opportunity arose. I'm not at all sporty so could do a spa or similar. Decent walkers - DDs will be 14 & 12. I'd love some alpine walks, mountains and lakes, sort of Chalet School or Sound of Music style.

Where would you go and how would you plan your time?

Fly to Salzburg and spend a day or two there. You can do a "Sound of Music" tour and generally soak up the vibe in a really chilled, small city.

Then take the train to Zell am See and stay there for a few days. Beautiful lakeside location and skiing available either in Zell or neaby at Saalbach-Hinterglemm. Cable cars will be running until the week after Easter, so you can just ride up and enjoy the views from the top - on a good day you can see for 30km or more. For an even better view take the bus to Kitzsteinhorn and ride up the lifts to the very top at 3,000m. Only do this on a clear sunny day. While it is possible to ski on Kitzsteinhorn, its not a place for beginners.

Alpine walks are going to be limited if there is still snow on the mountains (which is almost certain) but there is a nice walk around the lake to Thumersbach - go clockwise from the Grand Hotel in the centre of the town, with the lake on your right and the railway on your left.

Many hotels will have their own spa areas (usually called "wellness" in Austria) but there is a huge spa complex - Tauern Spa - just outside of Zell am See > TAUERN SPA Kaprun – your 4*S resort in Salzburger Land

What about the Achensee, where the chalet school was set? Plenty of walking and possibly skiing depending on the weather. Near innsbruck for a city and great for practising your German as it is not somewhere qhere everyone speaks perfect English.

Seefeld and the Hotel Haymon. Fabulous food (it's half board- and the best hotel food I've ever had) Fly to Innsbruck, it's half an hour away. From Seefeld you can get to Germany (Mittenwald, Zugspitze mountain, the Lautasch Gorge which straddles Austria and Germany) and for day trips to Salzburg etc.

*Leutasch

If you're Salzburg area I'd also consider crossing the border to Berchtesgaden in Germany, I loved it there! Absolutely stunning boat ride/lake & mountain views/walk to even more stunning lake at Konigssee. You can also do the Jenner cable car if you wanted to. Great salt mine to visit there too.

if staying in a resort town check that everything will be open. We went a few years back and leading up to Easter it was partly open but some things like the public swimming pool were shut, as were half of the shops and cafes. Literally though, as soon as the Easter weekend started, everything opened and the town was decorated so beautifully with flowers and ribbons in doorways. If we’d have realised we’d have gone a few days later when more things were open.
You’ll definitely like Salzburg so I’d combine a couple of nights there with the remaining time in a larger resort such as Zell.

It is risky whether there would be much snow by Easter, so stay somewhere with access to a glacier like Zell am See/Kaprun if skiing/sledding is important. Salzburg is lovely, small and varied. There are Sound of Music tours which, while cheesy, take you to locations that might otherwise be awkward to get to. Airport can experience cross winds though.

Easter is early in 2024. There will be snow in the major resorts including up on the mountain in Zell am See. Kitzsteinhorn is the back-up for good skiers, but is not good for beginners.

Thanks all, great tips here. I just need to figure out whether to go at Easter or maybe May half term.

Might be nice doing some mountain hikes in late spring but also really fancy the thermal pools in the snow!

Do check what will be open during May half term and late season if pistes close. Some mountain lifts only run on bank holidays (Ascension day and Whitsun) and weekends, while others may all week or alternate so at least one runs daily in the resort with restaurants accessible accordingly.

Lifts in ski resorts generally close on the weekend after Easter - so in 2024 this is Sunday 7th April (if they have not already closed in the lower resorts).

They begin to open again around the last weeked in May, but the main lifts on Kitzsteinhorn remain open all year round (as there are several parallel lifts, so one can open while the other is closed for maintenence). Kitzsteinhorn is also a year-round destination, not just a ski destination.

Thanks so much for your help. We've just booked and are going to do a few days in Achensee - Chalet School nostalgia for me - a few days in Berchtesgarden and a couple of nights in Munich, as that was cheaper to fly to than Salzburg.