dossier
The Dachstein Alps
Travel Information
Season: mid June to mid October. Note thatit is possible that if you book early or late within this season, some of thewalks may be affected by fresh snow fall or residual snow. This will vary fromyear to year and Breakaway cannot be held responsible for this.
The first Hotel: in Bad Goisern.
Convenient airports: Vienna (Wien). From the airportthere is a shuttle bus to Wien Westbahnhof and then the train to Bad Goiserntakes between 3 ½ to 4 hours. You can also fly to Salzburg. Trains fromSalzburg airport to Bad Goisern take approx. 2 ½ hours, or a taxi can normallybe arranged for 115 Euros (approx US$207, certainly worthwhile if there is agroup of you) taking 1 hour 15 min. You can also fly to Graz. From Graz Airportto Bad Goisern it takes about 3.15 hours by train.
End of Tour: Thetour also ends on Day 8 in Bad Goisern. Transport on train back to Vienna andonto the airport: 3.5 to 4 hours, plus airport bus or taxi up to 45 min. If you are flying out of Vienna in the earlyafternoon, you will have to leave on the 06:30 or 07:30 train to get to Viennaairport in time. Or back to Graz 3.15 hours or Salzburg 2 ½hours approx (taxi can also be arranged to Salzburg taking about 1 hour 15 min.)and then flights home.
(Note that the airfare and train / shuttle bus transfers are notincluded).
What's Included
The price is based on two people sharing a twin or double room andincludes good Bed & Breakfast accommodation and evening meals on 4evenings. Note: a twin room in this part of Austria often means two mattresses within awooden frame together with two separate duvets or one large mattress with twoseparate duvets.
Not included: Airfare, train or cable car services within Austria, packedlunches, snacks and drinks, entry fees etc.
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Level of Difficulty
Fitness: We grade this tour as moderate -challenging; anyone used to hill walking with a daily height gain/loss of up to3,300 feet (1000 meters) should find the tour within their capability. Mostdays are easier than this. You will find some steep, stony trails and maybe anelement of exposure on a couple of occasions. Walkers who want to avoid the‘challenging’ walks, can use public transport to travel between centers; Good train and/or bus post system.
Day Stages: Average duration of walking perday is about 6 hours. Some of the walks may be shortened if desired by the useof cable cars or local postbuses.
Waymarking: As one would expect in Austria,the trails are generally very well marked and often signposted, but it isessential to both carry and be able to use a map and compass in case of mistetc. Waymarking is usually red and white paint marking, but can also be yellow/ orange and white.
In late June and maybe earlyJuly there can be snow patches on higher trails (above 1300m), while newsnowfalls are possible in September.
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Accommodation & Meals
Accommodation is on a half board basis for 4 nights (4 eveningmeals included); in hotels of 2 to 4 star standard. All rooms have ensuitefacilities when available. Lunches are not included in the tour cost.However, picnic materials can be readily bought on weekdays in each of thetowns and villages we stay at. Or you could eat a prepared meal at one of therestaurants, inns or mountain Huts that you pass on the way. Packed lunches foran additional charge, can also normally be provided by the hotels if requestedthe evening before. In addition, there are a few inns and cafes along the way,which serve lunches. It is normally regarded as improper to prepare a picnicfrom breakfast materials.
Please note that we are not able to guarantee the accommodationexactly, but the descriptions of the hotels and guesthouses below are thenormal ones used.
Nights: 1, 2 and 7 InBad Goisern. A Warm Welcome awaits you at our 3-star hotel,picturesquely located by a fast flowing stream. This was once the town mill and now makes a comfortable hotellocated easily within walking distance of the railway station and the start orfinish of quite a few of the walks. It is a good way to start and enjoy thefeeling of having got away from it all!
Nights: 3 and 4 InGosau. We use an attractive, efficient modern hotel in thegreat rural setting of the broad Gosau Valley. Lovely mountains views over to the Gosaukaum mountains from the diningroom and south facing bedrooms and great forest and village views in otherdirections. Once again you have afriendly and attentive service and good cooking from sister act Brigitte andAnna who run the establishment. Anna makes some great desserts everyday in thebest Austrian tradition. There is alsoa drying room!
Nights:5 and 6 In Hallstatt. Our beautiful pinewood and stone hotelhas been offering warm hospitality for a hundred years or so. It is alsorenowned locally for its gourmet cuisine. Hopefully you will be able tobreakfast on the wooden carved balcony in the morning sun. At dinnertime youwill be in the ivy-covered stone dining room. Bedrooms have modern comforts ina house which is deeply rooted in the life and tradition of Hallstatt. Themarvelous view from the balconies over the rooftops of perhaps the mostromantic lake-village in the world is like a glimpse into a small paradise. The hotel is set back from theHalstattersee, but many of the rooms do have balconies.
Outline Itinerary
Please note that the walks below are suggestions and there maybeother routes or activities that are worthwhile, sometimes tying in with thelocal public transport system.
Day 1: Fly to Vienna and take the airport shuttle bus toWien Westbahn, then train to Bad Goisern. There are trains more or less hourlythroughout the day. There are also direct train links from Graz and Salzburgfrequently, if you are flying into these cities. For dates and times you could look at the Austrian railways siteat: www.oebb.at. Remember for example to spell Salzburg thecorrect way; i.e. not Salzberg! Type inthe dates of your arrival to prearm you with the best trains to coincide withyour arrival in Austria. Or call Rail Europe locally toll free at1-800-84-7245 or on-line at www.raileurope.com.
Once arrived, settle into your hotel, there are numerous hikingpaths nearby if you want to go for a ramble. Dinner at hotel.
Day 2: BadGoisern Circular Walk There aredifferent options today. If you are up for a bit of a challenge, you can takethe train to the Spa town of Bad Ischl (15 min) there is a 19 km/11 mi walkfrom here back to Bad Goisern involving a climb up to the craggy peak ofPredigstuhl 1278 meters (some steps & cables to summit but you can bypass the summit). There are greatvistas towards the Dachstein group, which still looks quite far off at thispoint and over the Halstattersee. A steep descent takes you along the EwigeWand rock band before doubling back through some old salt workings bringing youout into the forest above Bad Goisern.
An alternative is a shorter walk steeply up a forested rock ridge called the ‘TheJochwand,’ 9 km/5mi approx. There aregreat views over the region before the path drops downhill again to BadGoisern. Lazier walkers can walk along both sides of the river bank and explorethe coffee shops of Bad Goisern.
Day 3: Bad Goisern toGosau 16 km/10mi (1100mascent – 900 m descent) The path climbs past theGoiserer Hutte 1598m. Hardened walkersmay wish to spend an extra hour or so climbing up to the peak of Kalmberg1833m. It is then down hill to Gosau heading steeply through attractive Alpsand then through forests and walk into the spread out village of Gosau.
Day 4: Walks from Gosau: full You cantake the local postbus to Gosaursee and gain the ridge high above with aFunicular car up to the ‘Gablonzer Hutte,’ 1522 meters. and then from therefollow a pretty path back down again to Gosau called the ‘Herrenweg’ ( TheMan’s Walk) On this 7km km walk there are normally great views of the GosaukammMountains. You can also take the post bus up to the Gosausee and then walk thetrail to the Hintere Gosausee, which is the smaller higher second lake, ascent and descentis about 300meters. This trip takes about 4 hours and on a good day you willget some very dramatic reflections of the mountains in the waters. So you candecide whether you want a or half days of walking.
Day 5: Gosau to Hallstatt - 7 hours walking approx. 16 km ascent 900m, descent1000m FromGosau you can walk toHallstatt (literally ‘Salt City’) maybe with the assistance of local transportto shorten routes. Walking, the route follows the valley before climbing upthrough forest and alpine pastures liberally watered by mountain streams,reaching the flanks of Mount Plassen. Here is a short steep section to descend, before a more gentle undulating general descent viathe mines of Salzberg where you will find a salt mine where guided visits arepossible, depending on the time and when you arrive. Finally drop down toHallstatt. If it is wet or if a storm beckons a little funicular will get youdown.
Day 6: Walks from Hallstatt. Time is well spent utilizingcable cars and the Obertrauner Hohenweg to visit an ‘Ice cave,’ the ‘Mammothcave’ and Mount Krippenstein, with more views to the Dachsteins and to theirglaciers. Alternatively from the town a steep gradient leads you up to asaltmine, which originally gave the town its wealth. (If you have not visitedthis yesterday). You could avoid theclimb by using the little funicular railway instead. High above, there aregreat views of the Hallstattersee and the high peaks. You can walk back on the‘Soleweg’ path.
Of course we would notsuggest that you do not spend some time in Hallstatt, looking around forinstance, the old graveyard where bones and skulls have been piled up, some painted.You could also takethe ferry boat across the Hallstattersee for a mini cruise. Photographers willcertainly appreciate the different vistas of the town from the water!
Day 7: Hallstatt to Bad Goisern (12 km/6 mi approx, 4hours). The walk leads off northerly from above Hallstatt along the ‘Solweg’ the path by which they have pumped brine (liquid salt ) to wards Bad Ischl for a few hundred years. Originally the brine was piped via awooden piping and is claimed to be the oldest commercial pipeline. Hopefully ifthe weather is clear and still you will get some beautiful reflections in thewaters. You can take a detour down to the lake at a place calledGosaumuhle where you may like to take aswim on a warm day. You then carry on into Bad Goisern and your first hotelonce again. Alternatively you can catch the ferry across to the railway station in the morning and walk round the eastern side of the Lake to Bad Goisern.
Day 8: Depart. After breakfast return to your point ofdeparture. Allow enough time for the train journey for your check in time. Ifyou are on the internet, you could look at the Austrian railways site at: www.oebb.at Remember to spell Salzburg the correct way; i.e. not Salzberg! Type in the dates of your departureappropriate for your flight out.
Onthis Self Guided Tour we provide you with:Route notes and maps.
Escorted tours 2007
Sat23 June – Sat 30 June
Sat25 Aug – Sat 1 Sept
Alternativelyif there is a group of you we can normally arrange an escorted departure forwhenever you would like to go.