I'd like to hike in the Austrian Alps and spend a little time for music in Salzburg, but I have to take my vacation at the end of August. Is this a good time to go? I wonder about rain and crowds. And while we're on the subject, is there a good central town to stay in as a base for scenic hikes?
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8319 posts
I would suggest you stay in Innsbruck area. The mountains are incredibly beautiful. And there are villages up on the mountain that you can walk between.
Trains are easily accessible east and west, and northwest toward Munich and Salzburg. You could also take a side trip via train down to Venice and the Italian Dolomites are also close by.
When I was staying there the Summer of 1970 (in college), the weather was sunny and great. But it usually did rain from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. just about every afternoon before the sun came back out.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
August is a pretty good month, if not ideal. Rain can happen at any time of year, although August isn't usually a particularly wet month. Heat waves can hit, although they're usually relatively short outside of the Mediterranean basin, and being in the mountains is about as close of a guarantee as you can get to avoiding hot weather. Many Europeans take their vacations in August. This can heavily affect traffic and trains, but the mountains are never really going to be "crowded", like a busy day at Six Flags. You may have to wait in line to ride a lift or gondola, but that's about all the crowding you would likely experience. Even at the height of the summer hiking season, Alpine resorts usually have plenty of extra capacity, because they're built to accomodate a much larger number of skiers in the winter.
As the other poster mentioned, Innsbruck is a good central location, but you're not in the mountains there. If you want to wake up in the Alps, some suggestions would be Lech am Arlberg (particularly the Oberlech or Zürs satelite villages), St. Anton am Arlburg, Kitzbühel, Hintertux or Ischl. None of these are "central", though.
Posted by
Longmont, CO, USA
527 posts
I second the suggestion for Lech am Arlberg, it is beautiful and there are many, many trails of varying levels to explore. We stayed for a week in August 2012 at Pension Juliana and had a fabulous time. When you stay in Lech you get the Lech Card, which gives you free access to all of the lifts, gondolas, and hiking buses.
http://www.lechzuers.com/lech-in-summer/
http://www.juliana.at/home-en/
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12313 posts
For hiking in the mountains, the end August is the best time to go. If you go too early in the summer, trails may still have not opened. If you wait too long after summer, the weather can deteriorate in the mountains quickly. Even in summer, you have to dress for variable weather because it can change quickly - but mid-late August will be your best overall bet.