Tauern Spa: A Review

Tauren Spa is an oasis of water and wood, nestled among the Austrian Alps. Although the spa is a little out of the way, this is a choice location for any hotel, let alone such a luxury retreat. You can absorb the breath-taking views not only from the warm salt-water pool or the outdoor bar, but also from your room. Most of the rooms at Tauern Spa have a view to die for, but make sure you specify if you want the best panoramic views and book well in advance if you plan to visit over the weekend. 

Tauern Spa from outside

The simple, modern, and luxuriantly comfortable bathrooms and bedrooms are the perfect place to kickback after a day in the mountains. If the hiking trails, bike routes, ski trips, or shopping sprees leave you a little achy, the range of treatments and chill out areas will melt away any tension you arrived with. The relax room with a library, and the sauna are the most peaceful corners of the retreat; soak in the heat while you gaze up at emerald pastures and snow-capped mountains. There are plenty of deckchairs, and to the relief of parents and tranquillity-seekers alike, there are even separate kids pools, family expeditions, and a play room.

Relaxing in Tauern Spa

When you wake up to the bright Austrian sunlight, next on the list is breakfast, and it doesn’t disappoint. Don’t be put off by the buffet style assortment, they say it’s the most important meal of the day and Tauern Spa certainly seems to agree; the food is great quality and thoughtfully prepared, easily one of the better hotel breakfasts you will have on your travels. The Hotel dinner gets five stars, too, one for each course! You will sit down to 5 courses of modern Austrian food, and international cuisine, beautifully presented in a contemporary restaurant accented with traditional Austrian spirit.

The Sounds of the Alps

The Austrian Alps form a stunning backdrop to any visit, particularly for a long-running musical set in Austria. Of course, I am referring to The Sound of Music. Set in Salzburg and the Austrian Alps, the majestic scenery adds to this classic musical film. And you can walk, eat, and sleep in it, just as thousands of others have.

Innsbruck is a great destination to start a walking tour. Nestled in the Tirolian Alps, Innsbruck was built around the bridge over the river Inn (bruck means bridge), where travelers could find rest at one of the city’s hotels or inns. To the north of the city are some great hikes and treks in the Karwendel Alpine Park. This can be reached by cable car from one of the resorts around Innsbruck, and day trips are easy to arrange. Buses travel frequently to the outlier villages around Innsbruck, such as Igls, Mutters, or Telfes, where you can enjoy the wildernesses available in Austria.

One unusual walk we’ve discovered is a herbal walk that starts in Oberau, barely just inside Germany. It features a herb farm, Holzalm Farm, at 3,600 feet, and the knowledgeable expert who accompanies the walk every Tuesday will leave you filled with the knowledge of herbal lore. It’s only a short bus ride from Innsbruck, so it’s well worth seeing if you’re interested in herbs.
Achensee is a lake in the center of Tirol between Rofangebirge to the east and the Karwendel Mountains to the west. This warm alpine lake, fed by a glacier, offers the chance of wonderful nature walks. We got some lovely shots of flora and fauna during our hikes, so it’s a real photography lover’s area. Part of the Tyrolean Eagle walk passes through Achensee, so if you are cycling or walking through the area, spend a day exploring the stunning scenery.

Spas and baths are another attraction of Tirol, which lead to a visit to The Bad Häring Spa Center. Bad, as it happens, just means the town has a spa or hot water spring (i.e., a bath). It’s a sulfur bath, so it has an interesting smell, but the treatments offered were very relaxing—just what we needed after a week of walking.

If you’re up for some mountaineering, the via ferrate (iron road) or Klettersteige offer a great way to explore more isolated mountains without the risk of injury or falling. These routes use iron ladders, maintained ropes, and other methods to make the mountains more accessible to all. While my partner thinks it’s cheating to use a ladder to scramble up the side of a cliff, it does make the higher peaks available to anyone, and experienced mountaineers can always use the traditional (harder) methods of scrabbling up the side of several billion tons of rock. Either way, pay attention to the difficulty of each route, and you can often find extra information in your hotel or apartment about the precise routes and difficulties.

Tirol is one of the most travelled to areas in Austria, so be prepared to find lots of like-minded people trekking with you. It’s a great experience wherever you go, and as long as your voice isn’t as terrible as mine, you can even sing something from the Sound of Music.

Oh Little Town in Austria . . .

Austria is full of little towns where we have stayed and enjoyed the local delicacies. While big metropolitan areas are always fun to visit, both my partner and I grew up in rural areas, which mean we love the little towns and villages that dot Austria’s landscape. Whether we’re staying in a small pension or hotel in a town or have found a zimmer in a village, we find these small clumps of houses really reveal the heart of Austria.

For sheer Austrian beauty, you cannot go wrong with the town of Hallstatt. Set on Hallstatter See, a large lake in Upper Austria, it is one of the most picturesque towns you’ll ever visit. When covered in snow, it looks like a gingerbread house town, although it may be a little salty thanks to the salt mines in the area. These mines serve as one of the town’s tourist attractions, as does the town’s ossuary, a place where the bones of the dead are stored. The reason everyone goes here, though is for the relaxation, the walks, and the views. It’s a wonderful place to be.

Pertisau in Tyrol is a lovely summer and winter village. In winter, it has the great ski slopes that dominate the Tyrolean Alps. In summer, it has access to the lush warm waters of Achensee and the gorgeous mountains around it. It’s not as pretty as Hallstatt, but the food is better.

Feldbach in eastern Styria is a lovely sleepy town set in the rolling vineyards. It has a great mediaeval feel about it, and the castles surrounding it just reinforce that sense of being back in 1200. Of course, the wine that comes out of that region also makes you feel like you’re somewhere in the dark ages, although that could just be the hangover. While you’re there, visit Bad Gleichenberg where there is a spa.

Mürzzuschlag in Lower Austria is always worth a visit as it has some great wild trails and some lovely cycling routes. If you’re interested in railways, there is a railway museum and several other sights. In winter, it has some great skiing nearby, so it’s a fantastic place to eat and sleep between days of skiing. The hotels are often cheaper than their Tyrolean equivalents.

Villach and Landskron in Carinthia have several little interesting bits to explore. The nearby castle, Burgruine Landskron, dominates the local landscapes, and falconers regularly display their birds there. In addition there are a lot of monkeys there, and no, we don’t mean our fellow tourists. The castle holds a collection of macaque monkeys in the Affenberg. When you’re done with the castle, you can explore Ossiachersee, a nearby lake that offers the usual scenic walks and diversions.

Austria’s towns and villages are far too numerous to be listed here, but these are some of our favorites. Hotels and zimmers are usually easy to find, so enjoy your trip to Austria in comfort.

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Strolling in Styria

During the spring months, it is well worth travelling around in Styria, which is in the southeast of the country. I love the rural parts of Styria, and there are some great hikes to be had in that part of Austria. In the north of Styria, we hiked amongst the southern Alps, where there are fantastic views. Our zimmer was located halfway up a hill, so we had a few days of fantastic hill walks. We also ended up trekking between Semmeringbahn and Mürzzuschlag, which followed the local railway.

In the center of Styria, in a place called Knittelfeld, is Seckau Abbey, which looks like something out of a fantasy novel. The mountainous backdrop and the ornate interior are both absolutely gorgeous, so it’s a sight well worth adding to any sightseeing trip in Austria. In nearby Tremmelburg are two huge wooden towers, and it’s a great route to hike. From the top of the towers, you can see for miles around—great if you want some stunning photos of Austria.

In southern Styria and Burgenland is a chain of ancient volcanoes that form the basis of Austria’s wine industry. We chatted to the owners and staff of the local pensions and hotels to find out about local paths, and we walked among the vineyards. After a few days of trekking in this area, it is nice to unwind, so we checked out one of Styria’s seven spas. It’s great to have a little relaxation time, and the volcanic water makes even the achiest of muscles relax. Topping off the day sometimes involved one of Styria’s wines at a Buschenschanken—around 70 percent of wine production is with white grapes, so there are some great white wines in Austria.

One of our favorite walks was in the south of Styria: a seven-day walk from Leibnitz, through Gamlitz, Leutschach, Kitzeck, and back to Leibnitz. The trip offered several stays in different hotels and exploration of the areas around the towns and villages. Walking up to 12 miles a day was relatively easy, and the scenery was amazing. If you plan on doing a route like this, make sure you know where you’re going to go and when. Plan for bad weather; we were lucky and had sun all the way through our trip, but we had a backup plan if the heavens decided to open. Admittedly it was as simple as taking a bus to the next place if necessary.

The hiking trails in Styria vary widely in difficulty. Part of it depends on the steepness of the climb, and part of it depends on how well the trail has been maintained. Styria’s lowlands, in the south of the state, generally have much easier trails than in the north of the state, as the Alps tend to be rather steep. We ended up being very tired at the end of each day in northern Styria, which meant we slept very soundly. In southern Styria, we tended to go out a bit more after walking as the trails were easier, and the wine was quite good. This meant we saw more of the towns where our hotels and zimmers were based, and they were very pretty.

Walking in Styria rewards you with amazing scenery, good food, and lots of little hidden gems that you would miss on a simple guided tour of the cities.

AustrianZimmer.com video ( Warning: It's funny)

This video for AustrianZimmers.com is SOOOOOOOO Funny!!

This guy will really make you want to travel to the Austrian Alps and check in to a nice Zimmer.

Don't say I didnt warn you..