ACSI Sites in Southern Austria

[Alanbrooke]

Hi,
We're planning on going to the southern part of Austria, around Villach/Spittal in June. Anybody got recommendations on the ACSI sites around Ossiacher See?
Thanks
Alan

 

[Thingy]

No recommendations, but I am intrigued as to why you chose that particular area as we got to Austria often. Our choice is the Salzkammergut which we absolutely love.

If you arent familiar with the area you have chosen, look up the Grossglockner, its a must and you arent far from it. It rates easily with Stelvio for a scenic drive. A tip, on arrival, head to the nearest tourist office and buy the book of discount vouchers. Costs a few Euros and we saved about 200 Euros last time we were there.

https://www.grossglockner.at/gg/en/index
and
https://www.practicalcaravan.com/forum/photography/52560-driving-the-grossglockner

 

[Alanbrooke]

Thanks for the info. We are going to Salzkammergut (St. Wolfgang) first then to Kaernten. We've visited the area before, just for the day, when we were staying in Sud Tirol in Italy but fancied a longer stay in Kaernten. We've done Grossglockner, staying at Woferlgut - lovely campsite, and even better now with new pool. We're going in June so hopefully the weather will be OK

 

[Thingy]

If you are doing Wolfgangsee you really must do Dachstein. What a day out that is, and of course brave The Five Fingers and Stairway to Nothing. We normally stay opp St Wolfgang at St Gilgen.

 

[Alanbrooke]

We'll definitely do that! Where can you recommend in St Gilgen? We stayed at a campsite at Reith in 1992, back in days before we had a caravan.

 

[Thingy]

Actually, we dont take the caravan, we stay in a Gasthof at Gamsjaga, which is on the road between St Gilgen and Srobl. However, right next to the village, at an area called Gschwandt is a caravan touring site and adjacent to that at Farchen is another. I have looked at both on our last visit, and at first glance, they are excellent. If you check out
http://www.lindenstrand.at/camping-wolfgangsee-salzkammergut.html
and
https://www.seecamping-primus.at/

Wolfgangsee, although fed from the mountains is extremely warm in high summer, and the water feels tepid rather than cool. A word of caution though, parts of the lake bed are very stoney and soft shoes are necessary.

On the far side of the lake, on the Strobl side of St Wolfgang, there is another touring park that we passed regularly, but I didnt actually check that one out. See
https://www.appesbach.at/en/
and another at
https://www.seeterrassencamping-ried.at/de/

From St Gilgen, the cable car up the Zwolferhorn, and the train up the Schafberg from St Wolfgang are excellent trips, but Dachstein really is the crown jewel.
See
https://www.derdachstein.at/en/dachstein-glacier-world/glacier-experience

Hallstatt is well worth a visit, as are the salt mines, either at Hallstatt or Hallein are a great trip on a damp day, and a day out with a difference, though a bit of a drive is the Austrian Holocaust Museum at the old Mauthausen concentraion camp. I have visited both Dachau and Auschwitz, but for some reason I found Mauthausen affected me the most, possibly because it is more complete than the others.

We have also stayed at Mondsee, famous for the Sound of Music Cathedral, but to be honest, found Mondsee not a patch on Wolfgangsee.

On Schafberg, that is actually Mondsee in the distance, Wolfgangsee is to the left of the mountain.

 

[Alanbrooke]

Thanks, that's really useful - I've made a booking at Romantik Camping Lindenstrand. There's so much to do around the area we may need to spend more time than we planned. We'll see how it goes.
Cheers
Alan

 

[Thingy]

I hope you really enjoy the area. We love that side as it gives so much, you still have the mountains, but the lakes have so much too. Not far away at Bad Ischl is Franz-Josefs summer palace, worth a trip, and down in St Gilgen at the Hotel Fischer, they do the traditional dancing weekly in high summer. Most odd watching grown men slap each other on the rump. Point of note, The White Horse Hotel in St Wofgang is scarily expensive for anything more than a snack. Salzkammergut has an awful lot if the weather is wet, whereas in the walking areas, it can be miserable when the sun doesnt shine.

 

[otherclive]

Actually, we dont take the caravan, we stay in a Gasthof at Gamsjaga, which is on the road between St Gilgen and Srobl. However, right next to the village, at an area called Gschwandt is a caravan touring site and adjacent to that at Farchen is another. I have looked at both on our last visit, and at first glance, they are excellent. If you check out
http://www.lindenstrand.at/camping-wolfgangsee-salzkammergut.html
and
https://www.seecamping-primus.at/

Wolfgangsee, although fed from the mountains is extremely warm in high summer, and the water feels tepid rather than cool. A word of caution though, parts of the lake bed are very stoney and soft shoes are necessary.

On the far side of the lake, on the Strobl side of St Wolfgang, there is another touring park that we passed regularly, but I didnt actually check that one out. See
https://www.appesbach.at/en/
and another at
https://www.seeterrassencamping-ried.at/de/

From St Gilgen, the cable car up the Zwolferhorn, and the train up the Schafberg from St Wolfgang are excellent trips, but Dachstein really is the crown jewel.
See
https://www.derdachstein.at/en/dachstein-glacier-world/glacier-experience

Hallstatt is well worth a visit, as are the salt mines, either at Hallstatt or Hallein are a great trip on a damp day, and a day out with a difference, though a bit of a drive is the Austrian Holocaust Museum at the old Mauthausen concentraion camp. I have visited both Dachau and Auschwitz, but for some reason I found Mauthausen affected me the most, possibly because it is more complete than the others.

We have also stayed at Mondsee, famous for the Sound of Music Cathedral, but to be honest, found Mondsee not a patch on Wolfgangsee.

On Schafberg, that is actually Mondsee in the distance, Wolfgangsee is to the left of the mountain.

Thingy
We are thinking of going to Austria next year and your detailed itinerary is really useful. Do you have the name of the Gasthof please? If you don’t want to let the world know of your “gem” you could PM me. Thanks
Clive

 

[Thingy]

No problem naming it. HAUS SEEHOF at Gamsjaga. Between St Gilgen and Strobl. Lovely family who really make you feel part of theirs. Ill get you a link when i get in front of my PC. Only do BB but rest right next door with lakeside terrace.

Im happy for the mods to give you my email if they will.

 

[Thingy]

For OC

http://www.hausseehof.at/
more pics to see at
https://www.booking.com/hotel/at/haus-seehof.en-gb.html

We normally do this in short stops to see things on the way down. If you can manage it, you really must stay at Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber, a small town and probably the prettiest on the Romantische Strasse. Can heartily recommend an overnight at either Hotel (Gasthof) Zur Glocke or Hotel (Gasthof) Rodertor. Cant say enough about Rothenburg, I suggest you google it and click images. Between Rothenburg and St Gilgen, find the time to visit Dachau.

Below, just to wet your whistle, is part of the Grossglockner Toll Road, an easy rival to Stelvio if not better.

Nearly forgot to mention, an easy run from St Gilgen is the castle at Hohenwerfen, famous for the film Where Eagles Dare. Its a great trip around it, fascinating, but the killer is, there aint no cable cars. Those scenes were shot elsewhere.

 

[Parksy]

No problem naming it. HAUS SEEHOF at Gamsjaga. Between St Gilgen and Strobl. Lovely family who really make you feel part of theirs. Ill get you a link when i get in front of my PC. Only do BB but rest right next door with lakeside terrace.

Im happy for the mods to give you my email if they will.

Consider it done

 

[Thingy]

Danke! B)

 

[Parksy]

Bitte sehr

 

[otherclive]

For OC

http://www.hausseehof.at/
more pics to see at
https://www.booking.com/hotel/at/haus-seehof.en-gb.html

We normally do this in short stops to see things on the way down. If you can manage it, you really must stay at Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber, a small town and probably the prettiest on the Romantische Strasse. Can heartily recommend an overnight at either Hotel (Gasthof) Zur Glocke or Hotel (Gasthof) Rodertor. Cant say enough about Rothenburg, I suggest you google it and click images. Between Rothenburg and St Gilgen, find the time to visit Dachau.

Below, just to wet your whistle, is part of the Grossglockner Toll Road, an easy rival to Stelvio if not better.

Nearly forgot to mention, an easy run from St Gilgen is the castle at Hohenwerfen, famous for the film Where Eagles Dare. Its a great trip around it, fascinating, but the killer is, there aint no cable cars. Those scenes were shot elsewhere.

Thingy
That’s really useful. 90% planned already. All I now need to do is ask daughter to take two weeks leave for dog sitting.
Clive

 

[Thingy]

The restaurant next door to Haus Seehof is Seegasthof Gamsjaga, which of course also do rooms. Seehof has more basic rooms than Seegasthof Gamsjaga but our logic was we were only sleeping there, eating elsewhere at night, and being far cheaper than the others, we put the money to better use. However, its still very highly rated and what you lose on the room size, you gain with access to the lakeside garden, which you are free to use all day. As you know, with many of thse places, there is nothing to do after breakfast, so for a lazy day, its ideal. Not that you will have much time to be lazy :cheer:

One of the big reasons for choosing that area is its flexibility. If you look at Tyrol which is equally spectacular, there is nothing to do but walking, and if the weather is off, the holiday is ruined. Although Austria can be surprisingly hot in summer, when it rains, boy does it rain. Known locally as Schnürlregen, or string rain.

On the subject of geting wet, one of the most remarkable places we saw was Hellbrunn Palace at Salzburg, built for and by the Bishops of Salzburg. In its day, it would have rated with Alton Towers as a fun and theme park and is all based on trick fountains, and there are loads of them. Walking through the park, you just never know what to expect or when you will get soaked. And avoiding one fountain is just as like to get you shot in the back by another.

Mrs Thingy getting caught early on in the day

and turning round to laugh at the next unfortunate to get caught, promptly got this for her trouble

 

[Alanbrooke]

We're here in Romantic Camping in Schwand and very nice too, if busy as it's Whitsun holiday. Glad we booked. We can see Schafberg from our pitch. Only been here 2 days so time to explore!
Alan

 

[Thingy]

Great. Have a really nice time. Its a very special place.