Shockingly turquoise waters, panoramic snow-capped mountains and historic Austrian architecture… say hello to Attersee of the Salzkammergut. Located a comfortable hour’s drive from Salzburg airport, this hidden gem offers a surprisingly broad range of activities, from hiking with Alpacas to a salt mist inhalation to a high ropes course paired with an insanely beautiful view.
Check out our 3-day travel itinerary for your own weekend getaway in Attersee, Austria.
Attersee accommodation – where to stay
We stayed with Das Hotel Zeit, a newly built hotel located just five mins away from the lake’s edge. This Attersee accommodation offers business class, comfort and family rooms, along with a sauna (yes please!), restaurant and generous morning buffet – so perfect for anyone enjoying a stay here.
P.S. We were lucky enough to be driven by the wonderful team from Steinbichler Reisen, who are available to be booked for multiple journeys. If you’re not a driver yourself, make sure to get in touch!
Your 3-Day Attersee Travel Itinerary for your trip to Austria
Day 1 in Attersee
Hike up to the Attergauer Observation Tower
We started our first day in Attersee on a high (quite literally). At the top of the Lichtenberg Mountain, the Attergauer Tower stands tall, towering an impressive 36 meters tall. Tackle its 208 steps, and it’ll bring you up to a whopping 884 meters above sea level and, more importantly, to the panoramic views sweeping across the Salzkammegut region.
From here, you’ll see views like these overlooking the Traunstein mountain, the Höllen mountaie range, Lake Attersee, and the Dachstein.
Stop for lunch at Kiener
This stylish restaurant is a family business dating back to 1893 and the love that has been invested comes across in its comfortable, friendly vibe. For our part, we’re not certain if Kiener is famous for its freshly homemade lemonade- but it certainly should be (check out the pictures below). And this thirst quenching drinks goes pretty well with an international poke bowl, or a classic Wiener Schnitzel.
Go for a walk with alpacas
(Full disclosure: We missed this one due to poor weather, but we’re determined not to let you, dear reader, suffer the same fate!) The alpaca hike lasts around three hours and sees you accompanied by three fluffy friends. While not wheelchair accessible, it is suitable for all levels, old and young.
Here are a couple of Alpaca photos the Attersee Alpaka team were kind enough to send us.
Dinner time!
If you, like us, choose to make the most of your trip by booking a criminally early flight, then dinner at your hotel is the perfect option to accommodate your much-needed beauty sleep. Das Zeit hotel has a tasty à la carte menu ranging from the Austrian classic, Wiener Schnitzel, to seasonal dishes like white Asparagus risotto.
Day 2 in Attersee
Start your day with Yoga
We headed to the wonderful Gabriele’s yoga studio in the morning of our second day in Attersee. If you went on a hike, the day before, then this is the perfect remedy, trust us. The Yoga class is available for more spontaneous bookings and is pitched for both beginners and intermediates, so you can join for a single class. The vibe is relaxed and welcoming, and takes place in a peaceful room with calming music and candles.
P.S. Gabriele also runs a yoga session on board a boat – we’re definitely considering a trip back just for this.
Photos
Head to the Kristalsalzwelt
Savoring our relaxing morning just a little longer, next on our Attersee travel itinerary was the Kristallsalzwelt (Kristal Salt World) – which, by the way, was a big Attersee travel highlight for all three of us!
We opted for a salt inhalation session in the SalzOase (Salt Oasis) built with 15 (!) tons of pink, white and orange natural salt mined from the nearby salt-sated mountains. And when I say built with, I mean in its entirety. From the floor bricks, to the walls, to the very bed you lie on, the room is another level of beautiful and totally unique. The experience looks a little like this:
Settle down into one of the padded lounge beds, close your eyes and let your muscles relax. A fresh natural salt mist begins to waft around the room and gently finds its way into your lungs, clearing your airways and improving your wellbeing. The healthy process can release the toughest coughs and is scientifically proven to improve wellbeing. Meanwhile, eerily beautiful music and a calming light show leave your mind and body feeling refreshed.
All in all, we left feeling lighter, despite the heavy salt souvenirs we all bought!
Enjoy lunch with a famous view at Das Klimt
For culture buffs, you’ll have to take a trip to witness the perspective that inspired Gustav Klimt’s painting, ‘Am Attersee’. The view looks out on sailing boats tied to the docks, tulips (in the Spring time) and of course the lake stretching out behind. Klimt’s perspective is of an impressive line of trees reaching out towards a magnificent house on the lake’s edge in the distance. While you’re basking in this view, treat yourself to one of Das Klimt’s delicious wok bowls and an ice tea.
Discover under the Attersee
From mid-May and over the summer, there’s lots to see in the underwater world, too. We visited the Under Pressure Dive Center for an introduction course to snorkeling. The instructors were friendly, informative and, importantly, tuned into our general sense of personal safety. Once inducted with the basics, you load on your equipment, and start getting a little deeper into the waters, step for step. It was a lot of fun!
So if you’ve been looking at the sparkling turquoise waters of Attersee and feeling the need to explore, definitely check this place out!
Caption: All the gear and no idea.
Delight in dinner at Hotel Häupl
Just… delicious. Everything about the Hotel Häupl is delightful. From the walk through the historic hallway to the elegant dining room, to the fantastic views of the lake below – even, dare I say it, the restrooms.
And I haven’t even mentioned the food! I think it’s best you convince yourself:
Rest assured, it tastes even better than it looks.
Day 3 in Attersee
Get active on a high ropes course
Next up on our Attersee travel itinerary is a high ropes course with sweeping views down to the rolling mountains in the distance. Which, as you can imagine, you can see even better from the top of the course. The course features exciting missions, a flying fox and a giant swing. For travelers with energy to burn, this is an unmissable attraction.
Grab lunch at the Brandlkramery
The Bandlkramery is steeped in history, dating all the way back to the 16th century. Over the years, it’s been home to a grocery store, carpenter, locksmith and hairdresser. Most recently, it is of course a restaurant – now famous for its gastronomy. Amongst us, we enjoyed a delightful quiché, seasonal asparagus risotto and a tasty tuna fish rice bowl (plus a cheeky apple strudel – we were in Austria after all!).
Walk along the Attersee promenade.
We concluded our trip with a slow walk along the promenade. This turned out to be both scenic and informative, with little booths of information talking about the incredible pile dwellings hidden just below the surface of the lake at about ten meters (another reason to take a snorkeling course – to see the amazing remains).
Enjoy a parting coffee and cake
Ahh, ‘Kaffee und Kuchen’ the Austrian tradition that matters most. Before you head back to the airport or drive off into the sunset, make sure you’ve indulged in this tradition! Once you’ve had a sunny walk along the lake’s promenade, head to Das Attersee, a café perched right next to your lakeside walk. We tried the Austrian ‘Erdbeerknödel’, a kind of stewed sweet dumpling with a hidden strawberry at its center – definitely recommended!
Last words
We’d like to thank the Attersee-Attergau for sponsoring this trip and showing us all the amazing places and things to do in Attersee. Attersee is certainly one of Austria’s top hidden travel gems, and we hope you visit for your next weekend getaway in Austria!
If you want to download this travel itinerary, click here. Make sure to share your Attersee moments with your friends with the hashtag #attermoments and #MyPostcardMoment – they might just get shared!
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