Mountain break Austrian style

Austrian mountains are popular tourist attractions, no wonder why: Scenic views, cozy atmosphere, charming villages, magnificent nature. Since I live in Budapest, I have an easy access to Austria even by car. Here I'm presenting the three ski regions I loved the most so far. Enjoy the "virtual winter holiday"!

Murau - Kreischberg

It's a 5-hour drive from Budapest. Graz and Salzburg are aprox. 2 hours far from the little village. Cozy, small, neat place, perfect for families and those, who are seeking for relaxation. I stayed at Club Hotel Kreischberg. The location is ideal, you just grab your ski equipment and take the gondola lift right in front of the accommodation. In the evening, it's a great idea to take part in the so called "sauna seance" at the hotel, you can register at the reception, places are limited. They teach you how to use the sauna properly and they make you relax with fabulous scents. I bought a nice sauna cream there, what I use at home frequently.

Source: https://kreischberg.accenthotels.com

Sunrise and view from the room

Short break or lunch time while skiing? Kreischberg Wirt was my favorite self-service restaurant, delicious food Austrian style, try the apple pie!

All in all, it's small place, you can find shops, restaurants and bars, but it's definitely tiny and it's mainly concentrating on tourists.

Murau city is in the neighborhood, drop by for an evening walk or a dinner. It's a charming, little town in the valley of Mur river. You can easily explore the city just by walking around, the center certainly has a medieval atmosphere, some parts of the medieval city walls are preserved.

Source: www.steiermark.com

Schladming - Dachstein

The region includes the four highest mountain peaks in Styria for skiers: the Hauser Kaibling, the Planai, the Hochwurzen and the Reiteralm with a total of 123 piste kilometers. There are many different activities: hiking, skiing, cross-country skiing, visiting the city museum, walking at the lake. I prefer a place with the service of cross-country slopes, since I tried in many years ago in France, I fall in love with it. Another great program every season is Dachstein Sky Walk, the most spectacular outlook platform in the Alps.

Source: https://www.derdachstein.at

The accommodation in Schladming was a rustic, Austrian style apartment called Hocheggerhof. The owners were really friendly and helpful. Sometimes I like the big, five star hotels, but at such places I prefer living the local life at a cozy, local place. It's been a family farm over 100 years, you could ask for fresh cow milk for breakfast.

View from the window

Sunrise from the terrace

Night sledding is a must try in the region, it's so much fun. The 7 km long natural sled run on Hochwurzen is one of the longest sled runs in the Alps. You can float uphill with the cable car, rent a sled in the valley, you can take it with you uphill.

Schladming is Ski Championship town, the next event is the Men’s World Cup Night Slalom on the 23rd of January 2018, it turns the place into a party atmosphere. But at the foot of Planai mountain, right at the ski lifts, you will find many Aprés-ski bars. The party starts here in the afternoon already, when the slopes are about to close, everybody is dressed sporty, the atmosphere is unbeatable.

Schladming has a special position, since the Dachstein glacier is just around the corner. At 2,700 meters the highest mountain of Styria presents a unique natural scenery and many exciting programs like panorama gondola, suspension bridge, ice palace and here is the sky walk.

Check out the live webcams and the weather conditions here: www.schladming-dachstein.at/en/news/live-webcams

Schladming sunset

Lachtal

The place is a good 100 km away from Graz city at 2200 m high. The snow is glittering, enjoy the beautiful panorama of the Styrian mountain!

I chose to stay at the Sissi Park, which is an aparthotel with very modern and elegant style. The best thing is that you have your own sauna. The rooms are neat and well-equipped. It's also very close to the slopes, there are about 140 hectares of ski slopes here.

Sissi Park

Source: Booking

Lachtal is a village -like, small place with restaurants, pubs and really good snow conditions due to the location. After skiing go for a walk! You will find charming, authentic wooden houses. The word "Hütte" has German origins. It's a hut, a kind of wooden cottage in the mountains originally coming from the German expression hudjon, which is related to the root of Old English hydan to hide verb.

Hope you get the vibes of a real, Austrian winter! How to dress in the mountains and what to pack? How to create your own mountain lodge at home? Check out under Fashion and Interior Design!