I would like to thank all from the forum here who helped make our trip a big success. We spent the first 6 days in St. Gilgen (as recommended): a wonderful choice; much quieter than St. Wolfgang and better suited for hiking. We walked to Furben, walked around the Schwarzensee and Fuschlsee, hiked at Strobl, and took the lifts up to the Zwolfterhorn and Schaffberg. The next 3 days were spent near Bad Aussee, from where we continued our lake walks: Altaussee, Odensee, then did the 3-boat trip from Grundlsee. After the hot spell in St. Gilgen, the weather turned cool and grey but it didn't rain.
After a few days in Graz, we continued on to South Styria, which I hadn't even heard of pre-forum. It was marvelous! We stayed in 2 areas, the first near Leutschach, and the second in Thermen- und Vulkanland (which I think I chose because of the exotic-sounding name). One hike was tortuous (the Heiligengeistklamm) for my 82-year old legs, but the view from the top was simply splendid and the way down was easy. In addition to hikes with marvelous views, we did several culinary hikes (lots of ups and downs), stopping in the Burschenshanke for Sturm (grape juice on its way to becoming wine) and cold dishes like smoked trout and "beetle" bean salad (like kidney beans, only larger). When we weren't hiking, we flaked out in thermal spans (Narzissen, Loisium -- our favourite; and Bad Blumau, beautiful but severely overcrowded), toured castles (Eggensberg--fascinating; and Riegensberg, not worth it), joined a village Ernte (Octover) Fest, visited a vinegar factory, and on the way back admired the Baroque library at Stift Admont. We drove back to Munich by way of Ramsau am Dachstein, hoping to tour the glacier but the weather didn't allow it. Instead, we admired the dramatic views from our window at Hotel Ramseauer Alm.
What didn't we like? Cigarette smoking in outdoor patios, salads drenched in vinegar, and the fact that Austrian was spoken. Even my German-born partner had trouible understanding, which made any guided tour risky. Still, we plan on gong back to Austria next year, perhaps to Seefeld and then on to Vienna.
Posted by
Southeast US, soon to be Kentucky
4408 posts
Thanks for the helpful trip report! I enjoyed reading it and bookmarked it for future use. I would like to make it to Austria for a hiking trip in the next few years, and I'm very interested in visiting Graz and Klagenfurt. Any thoughts you would like to share on Graz?
Posted by
OP
5 posts
Hi Dave,
Graz was ok, not a place I'd go back to. We just spent a weekend there: took a Guru walking tour; visited the cathedral, St. Francis church, Spielglockplatz, etc. Later the Kunsthaus (didn't care for it) and Landhaus. We walked up to the Schlossberg (took the Bahn down). The best thing was the Biofest (organic market) in the main square that Saturday morning where we got to taste organic Bratwurst. While we admired many of the buildings, somehow, Graz seemed to lack charm. Just outside of town, tho, is the Eggenberg Palace, which I really liked (I'm a historian and was taken with their approach, of weaving a narrative around the main "go-getter" in the family). The exhibit was flawed (the English text was poorly lit and hard to read, women were added on at the end, and a few generations seemed to go missing), but it still very interesting.
Trouble is, the rest of our trip was so spectacular, Graz just doesn't stand out.
Let me know if you want more info, and have fun trip planning.
Posted by
Washington DC
29672 posts
I went to Graz last year. Spent 3 or 4 nights there and enjoyed it a lot. I had spent the previous 17 days in Vienna. The museums in Graz can't compare to what you can find in Vienna, but the city is beautiful.
Posted by
Southeast US, soon to be Kentucky
4408 posts
Thanks for the additional information!