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Austrian Hotel with lake acess only

My Wife saw a travel show referencing an Austrian hotel that was only acessible via boat. The show aired about 10 years ago. Can anyone guess which town / hotel that could be? We are looking for a very peaceful setting with moderate hiking. Don't need large local cities.

Posted by
850 posts

Any chance it could be Chiemsee? In Bavaria, near the Austrian boarder.

Posted by
1875 posts

I am not aware of any island in an Austrian lake bearing a hotel.

Posted by
7010 posts

Doesn't have to be on an island, just not reachable by road. There are several hotels in the US that can't be reached by road, only by water and they aren't on islands.

Posted by
1875 posts

Doesn't have to be on an island, just not reachable by road. There are several hotels in the US that can't be reached by road, only by water and they aren't on islands.

This is virtually impossible in Austria. Not only because of the excellent road infrastructure, but also because of the numerous legal and administrative burdens on operating a hotel, e.g. water supply, sewage disposal, etc.

The only exceptions for accommodation at places difficult to reach are alpine huts operated by mountain climbers' associations.

Posted by
2337 posts

I wonder if it was a show about Hallstatt.
While there is a road to Hallstatt, you can also arrive by a boat/passenger ferry from the rail station across the lake. Perhaps the show only talked about the boat access.

Posted by
1274 posts

A lot has changed in German speaking Countries in the last 30 years. Don't get lost in the fairytale...
You can get here by boat/road too, but maybe St. Wolfgang im Salzkammergut (pretty touristic though). I also recently visited Thumersbach on the Zeller See which is also accessible by boat/road, but was really nice on a summers day. Maybe the lakes in Kärnten near Villach and Klagenfurt would be quieter, because there are just more of them? We had a nice week on Millstätter See in September a few years ago. https://www.kaernten.at/aktivitaeten/sommer/seen-erlebnis/seen-ein-ueberblick/
As far as lakes go the Achensee remains one of my favorites. Pertisau is where we generally stay and it is next to the Karwendel National Park. All kinds of accommodations from holiday apartments to 4 star hotels. Been there in all four seasons. https://www.achensee.com/en/

Posted by
613 posts

Consider the Gosausee. Its at the end of the road. There is no village at the Gosausee. The Michelin Guide states that the Gosausee "is the most impressive lake in Austria" Michelin is wrong. It is the most impressive Alpine lake in the world. You have never seen mountain scenery if you have not seen the setting of the Gosausee. There is no town or village or houses on the Gosausee, only one basic hotel/restaurant with one of most awesome views in the world from its lakeside rooms. There are hiking trails, an easy one along the lake shore (and if I recall correctly, two smaller lakes that eventually becomes steeper (after several hours) as you approach the Dachstein.

Note: Hallstatt is a zoo.