We have written a few words about some of our favourites including towns, regions and buildings.

Just outside Villach, this toll road (less than 10 Euro for a car) has several great view points and a mini alpine garden. From the road end there is a 2-3 hours there and back walk to the summit of Dobratsch with views across to Dreiländereck, Italy and the Julian Alps.  

This is a small but pretty town with a lovely town square outside the church and good variety of local shops.  It also has great walking routes and is easily reached on foot from Flachau (click here for more details).  

Bad Hofgastein is the middle village in the Gastein valley nestled between Dorfgastein and Bad Gastein.  It is well worth a visit for several reasons. Firstly it is set in the beautiful Gastein valley and therefore a great place to take a drive through. Secondly it has a variety of activities available such as the spa and shopping in the pretty town centre. Thirdly it provides a great base for walking or cycling in the valley.  You could always hire a bike and cycle to Bad Gastein, stopping off at the swimming lake on the way.

A busy town in the Salzkammergut, Bad Ischl has a lot to offer.  There is great walking around the town and in the town a variety of shops, bars and restaurants. It is best known as a spa town and health resort.  

One of the main attractions of Bischofshofen is the Salzach river that runs through the town.  It also sits on the alpin-cycle-track that runs all the way to Salzburg.  

Get the cable car from Arnoldstein and then a 20 minute walk up to the point where Italy, Slovenia and Austria meet. Great views of the Julian alps and the Vrsic Pass. 

Filzmoos is a well-located village providing a good base for mountain walking or cycling.  The village itself has a variety of shops and restaurants to return to after a nice stroll.  We cycled here from Flachau taking the Enns Radweg to Mandling, walking up the moutains above Filzmoos and then free-wheeling all the way back to Flachau via Filzmoos and Eben.

In the winter, Filzmoos is a ski resort - see review here.

Hohenwerfen Castle is a familiar landmark on the route from Salzburg to Flachau. But don’t just drive past! It is an imposing building interesting both inside and out. It is great value with current entry prices at 10 Euros per adult including a falconry display and guided tour. The tour is recommended as you won’t see much of the inside if you don’t take it. Kids with love the close up bird display and climbing the tower to ring the bell. You could easily spend 4 or 5 hours here especially as it is nice to include lunch in the courtyard.

Photo tip: To get a great view of the castle follow the signs to the ice caves up hill.

A beautiful gorge and waterfall with man-made walkway along the inside.  This is well worth a visit, particularly to cool down on a hot day.  The road to the gorge is sign-posted "Liechtensteinklamm" from St Johann.

A pretty village in the Hochkönig mountain range.  It has a particularly interesting church and graveyard.   

Radstadt is a medieval town lying at an altitude of a little less than 900 metres. The town has a late Roman city parish church, gothic light column and well-preserved city walls.  It also has a central market square which hosts regular local events. Click here for details of a circular walk to Radstadt from Flachau.

This is a lively town with an old centre of winding streets making it an interesting place for shopping and strolling with an ice cream. 

Salzburg is an attractive city, the fourth largest in Austria after Vienna, Graz and Linz.  However, it's still quite small and therefore easy to explore by foot in a day.  You can drive from Flachau in 45 minutes or take the train from Radstadt or Bischofshofen.  For those who like shopping there are some exclusive boutiques in which to spend lots of Euros.  We would recommend a stroll around the castle area.

The Salzkammergut, known as the 'Austrian Lake District', is a beautiful region of countless lakes and idyllic mountain villages.  The southern edge is about 1 hour drive from Flachau.  If you fly into Salzburg early morning it is very easy to head east for a day in the Salzkammergut before heading down to Flachau. 

Stone buildings and a medieval town gate set the tone at Schladming, which sits at 749m above sea level and dates back to 1322. An old town as well as a ski resort, Schladming features a pedestrian area of wooden chalets with painted shutters, exclusive boutiques, cosy little cafés, restaurants and hotels in the main street of the resort’s compact centre. 

It is possible to go to Schladming by bicycle from Flachau along the Enns Radweg.  It takes about 1 hour and you can either cycle back, or get the train to Radstadt and cycle home from there.

Capital of the district of Pongau, St Johann is most famously known for it's cathedral.  However, being a larger town it has lots to offer from shopping to an array of cafes, bars and restaurants.  It also holds a large midsummer festival in June.

We stayed here for a week back in 2005 and used it as our base for a ski tour of the Carinthia region.  We have also visited in the summer when the lake is wonderful for a variety of activities...especially swimming.

In the winter Zell is a lively ski resort.  In the summer the town provides a nice base for walking, cycling and swimming.