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Favorite alpine meadow for hiking and pretty lake for biking

I'm going to Austria for the last two weeks in October. As part of my trip, I'd like to hike in an alpine meadow area and bike along a lake (separately). After reading through a couple of guidebooks, each lake and hiking area sounds more beautiful than the last, and I'm having difficulty narrowing it down to one or two selections for each.

In your experience, what would be your favorite meadow trail to hike through (I'm thinking of taking a cable car up to a trail that is easy to moderate, especially one that has a hut where I could stop for some refreshment)? If the entire trail is too long for me, I'm fine with hiking part of it and then turning around and walking back.

Also, do you know of a pretty, crystal-clear lake where one can rent a bike and bike around all or part of the lake that ranks among your favorites? I'll already be staying a night or two in Hallstatt so I'll be on that lake, but I wanted to see an additional one on my trip.

Thank you for any assistance!

Posted by
4613 posts

I'd suggest Berchtesgaden outside of Salzburg. We daytripped there this past spring, and I wish we had stayed there- just gorgeous. Don't know about bike rentals, altho bikes are an important transportation mode in Germany, so should be available.
Safe travels.

Posted by
1875 posts

I would suggest to go to "Seefeld in Tirol" as a base for hiking. Seefeld is situated on a high plateau about 12 miles northwest of Innsbruck. This is a mountain area, although there is only a small lake nearby.

This is a list of 100+ hiking trails in the Seefeld area:
https://www.seefeld.com/en/summer-3/walking/hiking-trails

You can choose by lenght, difficulty, and altitude difference.

Posted by
1274 posts

Alpen Meadow end of October? Walking down from the Gipfelbahn Fulseck Bergstation in Dorfgastein in July was nice. The Wengeralm was a nice stop. I do not know if/when the Bahn and Alm are open in October. Hard to say a lake as the terrain keeps you from going completely around many by bike. If you are going by car, at the end of the Gasteiner Tal you can put the car on the train at the Autoschleuse Tauernbahn, and come out at Mallnitz, and continue driving on to the Millstätter See. You will be reaching/in the Nebensaison/low season when many places will be closing until ski season begins in December. Maybe even a few snow flurries.