Cookies on this website We use cookies on our website to make sure we can give you the best experience while browsing. If you are happy with this, please continue to use this site as normal or learn more

0   
back
back
back
back
back
back
Slow Lane Magazine, August 2019
Insights and stories from across Europe and beyond
  • Dancing with the devil on Lanzarote
  • Madeira - six of the best
  • A foodie in 'Sherry Country'
  • Slow Moments 2019 photo competition
Download magazine
back
back
back
 

A Dip into Salzburg’s Lake District

Four glittering lakes
 
As you cycle self-guided through breathtaking scenery your luggage is transported to your next hotel. Carefully planned, leisurely routes provide ample opportunities for swimming in crystal-clear lakes, visiting charming villages and experiencing Austria’s renowned warm hospitality.
A Dip into Salzburg’s Lake District. 4 nights
A Dip into Salzburg’s Lake District. 4 nights
 

Holiday information

 

A cycling break in Salzkammergut

Carefully planned routes take in no fewer than four Austrian lakes – Wolfgangsee, Mondsee, Attersee and Traunsee – on this splendid, two-wheeled introduction to the mesmerising scenery of Salzkammergut. Monumental views seem to open up around every bend as you pedal between charming villages along gloriously scenic lakeside roads and cycle paths.
Highlights include some wonderfully located hotels, all a mere stone’s throw from the water; plentiful opportunities for swimming en route; and the traditional Austrian hospitality we have come to know and love, whereby a warm welcome and good, tasty food comes as standard.
 
Gallery
 

Itinerary

The key to Inntravel holidays is flexibility. You can start on almost any day of the week, and are free to add extra nights.
  • The average maximum daytime temperatures and monthly rainfall relate to the nearest weather station and are intended as a guide only.
    Average temperatures and rainfall
      Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
    °C 2 4 8 13 18 21 23 22 19 14 7 2
    mm 74 71 78 97 126 167 176 157 99 79 84 88
  • Arrival in Abersee
    Night 1: at Seehotel Huber (the first of two nights here)
    As your first night's accommodation is on the day of travel, Day 1 is your first day of cycling.
  • Choice of routes from Abersee: 23km or 36km

    Circular route via Bad Ischl: 36km
    After your bikes have been delivered to you, your day starts with a short boat journey (included) across the narrows of Wolfgangsee. It’s then time to hop on your bikes and make your way along the lake’s northern shore and then through a wide, scenic valley to the elegant spa town of Bad Ischl, former summer residence of Emperor Franz Josef. Take time to explore – the stately Kaiservilla and its immaculate gardens are well worth a visit – and perhaps have lunch in the town, before the leisurely ride back to Abersee, the latter part of which is alongside the lake.

    Circular route around Abersee: 23km
    If you would prefer a shorter day, you needn’t cycle as far as Bad Ischl, and thus avoid the short ascents on the approach to and out of the town. This would give you time to experience the world’s steepest steam cog railway with a ride up and down the Schafberg Mountain (pay locally) for views over all seven of Salzkammergut’s lakes.
    Circular route via Bad Ischl: 36km
    St. Wolfgang
  • Abersee to Seefeld: 32km
    Pedal alongside the shore to beautiful St Gilgen, birthplace of Mozart’s mother, Anna Pertl. After a visit to the small but fascinating Mozart museum, continue via the shore of neighbouring Mondsee to round the southern tip of Attersee, perhaps stopping for a dip in the clear waters of this, the largest of the lakes. You stay overnight in Seefeld at the Hotel Föttinger, and can visit the simple hut in which Gustav Mahler spent three summers composing his Second and Third Symphonies.
    Abersee to Seefeld: 32km
  • Seefeld to Traunkirchen: 39km
    Your last day’s cycling is no less harmonious than Mahler’s finest compositions, taking you quietly through the Salzkammergut forest before bearing north-east to Traunsee. Here, a mouthwatering prospect opens up as you approach the village of Traunkirchen, jutting out from the shoreline of Traunsee – the deepest of Austria’s lakes – and watched over by a white chapel which perches on a rocky outcrop. The enviably located Hotel Post is a fabulous place to finish.
    Seefeld to Traunkirchen: 39km
 

Accommodation

You stay in three high-quality hotels.

Please note: most beds in Austrian hotels are normally one large base with two mattresses/duvets. We refer to these as 'Austrian Twins' and they are locally regarded to serve requests for both double and twin bedded rooms. Separate twin beds or traditional double beds with one large mattress are rare and cannot be guaranteed.
 

Extend your stay

 

Prices for 2020

We are in the process of updating our prices for 2020. If you’d like to book now, please contact us – we’ll be happy to provide a quotation.
Get in touch >
 
Prices & travel options
All prices are in £ sterling (GBP). If you'd like to see what they equate to in your currency, use the converter.
Currency converter
We can only accept payment in GBP, but you can use this converter to find out how much the holiday equates to in your own currency.
Please enter an amount Please enter a valid amount British Pound Sterling (GBP)
Currency is required
NB: this should be used as a guide only. Fluctuations in exchange rates could result in significant variation by the time you come to pay.

  • 4 nights: 04 May 2019 - 06 October 2019

    Start any day except Sunday or Monday | End by latest date(s) shown above

    Starting Price Single room
    4 May - 14 Jun 2019 £825 £90
    15 Jun - 3 Jul 2019 £845 £90
    4 Jul - 31 Aug 2019 £895 £95
    1 - 5 Sep 2019 £845 £90
    6 Sep - 2 Oct 2019 £825 £90
    3rd & 4th person discount -£130
    Single traveller supplement £130

    Includes accommodation, meals, bike hire, luggage transfers and any other services integral to the holiday as described, plus cycling notes and maps, but no travel from the UK, nor any connecting travel from the airport unless stated below.

    Electric bikes available: add £42 per person

    Book your flights through us and we'll find the best route and times to suit you. Please contact us to find out more about our flight booking service. We can also book connecting travel - see below.

  • Extra nights (£ per person per night) in a double or single room

    Prices include an extra day’s hire of a standard bike. If you are upgrading to an e-bike, add a further £8pp per day.
    Seehotel Huber, Abersee (with dinner) Double room Single room
    04 May - 04 Jul 2019 £100 £125
    05 Jul - 05 Sep 2019 £116 £141
    06 Sep - 06 Oct 2019 £100 £125
    Hotel Post, Traunkirchen (B&B) Double room Single room
    03 Jun - 07 Oct 2019 £100 £120
  • RECOMMENDED AIRPORT(S):
    Salzburg, Munich

    Travelling from the UK

    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  we recommend flying via Munich. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    Travelling from outside the UK
    We have many years' experience catering for customers who live outside the UK, and will be happy to make tailored arrangements to fit with your plans.

    You have two options:

    1) Book your own flights to London, from where we can book flights and onward connecting travel to your hotel.

    2) Book your own flights direct to an airport appropriate to your chosen holiday. You can either make your own way from the airport to the hotel, or we'll be happy to book onward connecting travel for you. Please consult with us before booking your flights, so that we can advise you on the suitability of your proposed route and timings.
    Outward route Airline
    Aberdeen - Salzburg (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Outward route Airline
    Belfast Intl. - Salzburg easyJet,  jet2 
    Outward route Airline
    Birmingham - Munich Lufthansa 
    Birmingham - Munich (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Birmingham - Salzburg Eurowings,  jet2 
    Birmingham - Salzburg (via Düsseldorf) Eurowings 
    Birmingham - Salzburg (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Outward route Airline
    Cardiff - Munich Flybe 
    Outward route Airline
    Edinburgh - Munich easyJet,  Eurowings,  Lufthansa 
    Edinburgh - Munich (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Edinburgh - Salzburg (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Outward route Airline
    Glasgow - Munich Lufthansa 
    Glasgow - Salzburg (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Glasgow - Salzburg (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Outward route Airline
    London City - Munich British Airways 
    London City - Salzburg (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Outward route Airline
    Gatwick - Munich easyJet 
    Gatwick - Salzburg British Airways,  TUI 
    Outward route Airline
    Heathrow - Munich British Airways,  Lufthansa 
    Heathrow - Salzburg Eurowings 
    Outward route Airline
    Luton - Munich easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    Stansted - Munich easyJet 
    Stansted - Salzburg Eurowings,  jet2,  Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Manchester - Munich easyJet,  Lufthansa 
    Manchester - Munich (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Manchester - Salzburg TUI 
    Manchester - Salzburg (via Düsseldorf) Eurowings 
    Manchester - Salzburg (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Manchester - Salzburg (via Hamburg) Eurowings 
    Outward route Airline
    Newcastle - Munich (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Newcastle - Munich (via Düsseldorf) Lufthansa 
    Outward route Airline
    Norwich - Munich (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Southampton - Munich Flybe 
    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  we recommend flying via Munich. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    This list of flight options should be used as a guide only, and you should check each airline’s website for current routes, frequency and schedules. Not all flights operate daily, and may not run for the entire season. You should also heed the latest flight arrival time and earliest flight departure time stated in the connecting travel section, as it may not be possible to arrange connecting travel outside these times. Please do not book your flights until we have confirmed your accommodation to you. Alternatively, our expert reservations team will be happy to offer advice and to make flight bookings for you. We charge £30 per person for our flight booking service (£50 for India and Nepal). Your flights are then covered by our package-booking conditions, which give you greater protection in the event of delay or cancellation, as well as providing ATOL cover.

  • Prices below are based on 2 people travelling together. If you are travelling solo or as a party of 3 or more and our arrangements include a taxi, please contact us for prices; additional passengers often pay less.

    Connecting travel options - flying via Munich

    Outward route Price per person Latest flight
    arrival time
    rail Munich airport to Bad Ischl (4h30), taxi Bad Ischl to hotel (0h20) £40 1300
    Homeward route Price per person Earliest flight
    departure time
    taxi hotel to Attnang-Puchheim (0h45), rail Attnang-Puchheim to Munich Airport (2h45) £40 1500

    Connecting travel options - flying via Salzburg

    Outward route Price per person Latest flight
    arrival time
    direct taxi Salzburg Airport to hotel (1h) included flexible
    Homeward route Price per person Earliest flight
    departure time
    direct taxi hotel to Salzburg Airport (1h15) included flexible
What is included
  • 4 nights
  • 4 dinners
    4 breakfasts
  • luggage transported
  • route notes and maps
  • high-quality bicycle
  • ferry on Day 1
 
Reviews

If you've experienced this holiday first hand, why not write a review?

We are keen for as many customers as possible to review their holiday. To make it easier to do so, we include a specific review section on our post-holiday questionnaire, and this is what we publish here, unedited. Read our full review policy >

All 6 reviews
  • JMS
    23 August 2019

    HIGHLIGHTS: There were so many - swimming in the lakes, stopping in the villages, paddling in the river, looking at the waterfalls and meeting lovely people!!

  • Mrs J Simonds
    Stafford
    23 August 2019

    The lakes and scenery was at times, breath-taking, everywhere was clean and well kept. The routes gave us a tour through a very beautiful part of Austria - we would highly recommend it. 

  • Mr P Gill
    Richmond
    02 August 2019

    Beautiful area for cycling. Lake swimming was a highlight.

  • Mrs H Holdford
    Newport
    10 August 2018

    Trip on the cog railway was well worth doing. Scenery was stunning. 

  • Ms R Chadwick
    Liverpool
    01 August 2018

    We absolutely loved this trip! The detailed pack from Inntravel gave us clear directions and was carefully planned to ensure we saw a variety of breathtaking scenery. Every aspect of the service has been outstanding. Thank you for providing us with a very memorable holiday. 

     

    INNTRAVEL NOTE: Ms Chadwick combined A Dip in Salzburg's Lake District short break cycle with our city add-ons in Salzburg and Munich.

  • Anon
    26 July 2018

    What a great holiday! We were absolutely blown away by the scenery, stunning vistas everywhere you looked. This was our first cycling holiday and we were slightly nervous but there was no need to be, the routes were very manageable, notes were excellent and there was plenty of time to stop off for lunch and do some sightseeing. We even had time and energy to swim in a lake every day.
 

FAQs

If you have any questions relating to this or any other Inntravel holiday, our friendly travel experts will be happy to help.
  • Our chosen bike rental shop will provide you with a city trekking bike with 21 gears; waterproof map case on handlebars; panniers/saddlebags; pump; puncture repair kit; and a lock. Electric bikes are available as an upgrade (see price panel), subject to availability, and must be requested at the time of booking.
  • While we would always recommend that you take your own well-fitting helmet, they can be hired locally for a small fee. Please let us know at the time of booking if you would like to hire a helmet.
  • Yes, we will provide GPX tracks for this holiday prior to departure so that you can follow your route on your smartphone or dedicated GPS device if you wish. (We also provide maps and our tried-and-tested route notes.)
  • We’ll send you route notes and maps 2-3 weeks before your holiday. The route notes not only contain directions to get from hotel to hotel, but also include practical information about places of interest and eateries along each route, plus cultural information about the area. On mornings when you are moving between hotels, you leave your luggage in reception as you leave, and it will be transferred ahead to your next accommodation so that all you need to take with you are a camera, sun cream, drinks, food and waterproofs.
  • You do need to make sure you’re covered, because it’s you who is responsible for any damage to or loss of the bike during the holiday. You should always lock it (preferably to an immovable object) and remove any easy-to-steal accessories when leaving it unattended. The travel insurance policy that we offer covers you for loss and damage (provided you’ve locked or stored it appropriately). If you are arranging your own insurance, but it doesn’t cover bikes, we can provide bike-only cover for £19 per person. More details >
  • We can book a wide range of airlines and routes from the UK. As well as being more convenient for you to book all elements of your holiday together, it also means that we’ll accept liability for your travel arrangements, so if things go wrong, such as the airline going bust, we’ll make suitable alternative arrangements for you. For Europe and Morocco, there’s a £30 booking fee per person (£15 for children aged 2-11). For India and Nepal, the booking fee is £50 per person. More information on flights >
  • We can’t book flights that originate outside the UK, but if you wanted book your own flights to London (or elsewhere in the UK), we can make all onward travel arrangements (including flights) from there. Alternatively, if you are booking your own flights to an airport in continental Europe that’s appropriate for your holiday, we can book onward rail travel and/or taxis. More information about how we can tailor holidays for customers outside the UK >
  • Since our holidays are self-guided, we recommend calling us for a chat about your plans before making a booking, especially if it’s the first time you’ve booked with us.
    The price panel shows the supplement for a single room and also the single traveller charge (this covers (luggage) transfers and other costs which are usually shared between two people).
  • Once you’ve decided on your exact itinerary (our travel experts will be happy to offer advice), you need to provide us with your party’s details, either by phone or via our booking form. At this point we also ask you to pay a deposit so that we can secure a room for you immediately on confirming availability with the hotel(s). If it turns out that we can’t secure the accommodation for the holiday you’ve requested, or offer an acceptable alternative, we’ll refund your deposit promptly and in full. After booking your accommodation and other key elements, we'll then book your travel (or you can do so if you’re making your own arrangements) and send you a Booking Confirmation and Invoice.
  • Yes, it’s something we insist on, even for holidays in the UK. The vast majority of holidays go smoothly, but when things go wrong, it can be expensive to put them right. Buying a new pair of walking boots after your suitcase is stolen mightn’t seem so bad, but the bill for being airlifted down from a mountain with a broken leg or flown home while still recovering from an illness or accident can cost tens of thousands of pounds.

    You don’t have to buy our policy (if you live outside Europe you’ll definitely need to make your own arrangements, as the policy is only for UK and EU residents), but you do need to make sure that you’re covered for medical emergencies and repatriation. We also recommend that you are covered for other eventualities, such as cancellation and loss of luggage and passports.
  • It is your responsibility to ensure you are in possession of the correct travel documents, with the correct validity. If you’re a UK citizen, you need a full British passport to travel to Austria, but not a visa (if you are travelling after 31 October 2019, see the Brexit question below for more information). If you are a citizen of another country, you’ll need to check requirements with the national embassy or your own consulate.

    Current information regarding vaccinations and travel health advice can be found through the following NHS link: www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/advice/ You must make sure you have adequate insurance cover for illness, accidents and repatriation (see the insurance question). UK citizens should also obtain a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) by applying at a Post Office or at www.ehic.org.uk. The EHIC allows reciprocal health care but should not be seen as a substitute for travel insurance. EHICs may cease to be valid in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
  • (Austrian) German is the most commonly spoken language. The currency is the Euro. Austrian time is GMT/UTC + 1. It uses Daylight Saving Time, so in summer is on BST + 1.
  • Even in the event of a no-deal Brexit, it’s been confirmed that flights will continue as normal and that you won’t need a visa to go on holiday (the limit on stays is 90 days). What you will need if there’s no deal is a passport that is valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of your arrival (extra months added because you renewed your passport early do not count) and adequate travel insurance to cover you for accidents and illness in case reciprocal health deals are suspended. If you are driving while on holiday, you will probably need an International Driving Permit (plus a Green Card if you are taking your own car to Europe). More information >
  • The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) provides up-to-date, country-by-country travel advice, as well as information on security, local laws, passports and visas for UK citizens.
    If you live outside the UK, see our essential travel information page for a list of relevant websites.
Last fetch time is : 9/21/2019 12:00:27 PM