Salzkammergut Itinerary

Hi again David.

St. Gilgen is a great choice of base - our son lives there every summer as he works as a camp counselor there. With your remaining day, I can suggest a few things. First, rent a small motorboat in St. Gilgen and ride around the lake. Take the ferry to St. Wolfgang, the most picturesque of the villages on the Wolfgangsee. Make a visit to Hallstatt, utterly charming despite the tourists.

Alternatively, if you want another day around Graz, probably my favorite thing to do in all of Austria is to visit the Zotter Chocolate Factory. It is zaney, truly Willy Wonka-esque. Then visit the nearby Riegersburg Fortress.

Thanks again Emily! I went ahead and made our reservations for six nights in St. Gilgen, and we will keep our options open for day five with either a trip to Hallstatt, which we weren't planning on doing because of the crowds but are reconsidering on your recommendation, or spending it around the Wolfgangsee. Since we will be staying a while in St. Gilgen, if you have dining recommendations there or around the lake, we would love to hear them. Cheers!

Late October, after daylight saving time ends in Europe, what type of weather and experience should one expect?

... what type of weather and experience should one expect?

Who knows? :-)
Not only that the weather is very different in different parts of Austria, you can look up easily climate data and the long term average, but that is a rule of thumb at best. Due to the climate change deviations from the "usual" weather can be significant.

I was specifically interested in the weather and the extent of activity in Salzkammergut in the last week in October. I know that I can look at weather websites giving the average for each day of the calendar and that the weather can be predictable. But I was wondering what those with experience in the area have to say, even if it is a general statement about how quickly it becomes dark days after daylight saving time ends and how the overall level of activity is affected. For instance, I can offer some general guidance on what the weather is like where I live in late April or August or October.