My top 3 favorite Austrian lakes. In all these years in Austria I have had the opportunity to visit it a bit ‘far and wide and often when I am asked what I like about Austria or what I would recommend to visit in addition to the cities, the first thing I think about are its many lakes. Probably because my favorite landscape is absolutely a lake surrounded by nature, better if mountains. And here in Austria there are many of them and above all they are easy to reach and always well equipped too! More importantly, they are almost all swimming, an essential requirement for me.
In August I asked you during a session of “Questions and Answers” in my Instagram stories, if you were interested in a post about them. And here I am with my own personal ranking of the most beautiful Austrian lakes.
Let’s start now! A small clarification. All the photos you will see have been collected by me over time, not all of them have an excellent quality because they were taken by old mobile phones.
3- Sankt Wolfgangsee in Salzkammergut
The Sankt Wolfgangsee is one of the most famous lakes in the Salzkammergut and extends mainly in the State of Salzburg. It is located in a rather wide, sunny valley, surrounded by forests and well-kept meadows. I like it very much in Autumn, best season for visiting it in my opinion, when the trees get that beautiful golden color and it is pleasant to walk along the sunny and panoramic paths just outside the lovely town of Sankt Wolfgang. In addition, during Christmas Time, there are also attractive events in the center of Sankt Wolfgang. As accommodation we stayed at the Pension Seehof a small cute family run hotel with a private terrace directly on the lake.
2- Grundlsee in Ausserland-Salzkammergut
The Grundlsee is always a lake in the Ausserland-Salzkammergut but in the state of Styria near the town of Bad Aussee. In my opinion the best season to visit it is on late spring when the surrounded meadows are adorned with Narcissus flowers. At the end of May/beginning of June there is the Narzissenfest, the Narcissus festival.
You will find conifer forests, beaches and relaxed walks. Here too, you can enjoy a boat trip. We stayed at a room rental in the small town of Goßl with a fabulous lake view. There are many possibilities for more or less cheap accommodations: holiday homes, private rooms for rent, hotels. A hotel where I only dined with lake view and which seemed nice to me, at least from the outside, is the Seehotel Grundlsee
1- Weissensee in Carinthia
The Weissensee is an alpine lake in my beloved Carinthia. Every summer I spend a few days near Villach with friends and for this reason I know all its lakes very well. What I like about the Carinthian lakes is that they are very hot.
Of all the lakes, the Weissensee is definitely my favorite. The color of the water is simply spectacular, sometimes almost white, hence the reason for its name. It is surrounded by fresh coniferous forests, where among other things you can find many mushrooms. I recommend walking along a very scenic and simple path that is located on the north coast. If you are tired you can always take one of the frequent ferries.
In my opinion the best season to visit it is undoubtedly summer but also winter, when you can skate in its westernmost tip. There is no shortage of opportunities to relax on the beach, especially in its most eastern point, Ortsee, where you will also find parking and the boat terminal.
Honorable mention goes to… Hallstättersee. No, not at all! ** It goes to Fuschlsee. It is little lake close to Salzburg town and still in Salzkammergut, famous mainly for its current luxury hotel, used in the trilogy of the Sisi films as the birthplace of the Empress of Austria. A walk along the lake in autumn is well worth it, but I wouldn’t stop for more than half a day. The hotel offers a bistro and restaurant with a terrace overlooking the lake.
**I am sorry guys but I just can’t understand how people like Hallstadt. I didn’t like it at all. After beautiful sunny days at the nearby Sankt Wolfgangsee or in the Asserland region, I found myself in this narrow, sad, barren, damp, cold and poorly lit valley. For goodness sake! In my opinion, you can kill me, Hallstatt is much overrated…
