Tour around Austria's lakes

Hello again! Today we'll continue on with Austria, which right now is one of my favourite countries as I have really been getting to know it in depth. Saying that, I have to say that Austria doesn't just offer incredible cities like Salzburg, Graz or Vienna, but also big nature areas that are worth visiting. So, here I will tell you about 5 lakes in Austria which I think are magnificent. The objective is not to visit all of them, but if you are visiting cities like Graz or Linz, you can rent a car and go to one of these places to get away from the hustle and bustle and relax amongst nature. If you go in summer, maybe you will be lucky and the weather will be good enough to have a dip; and in the winter you can enjoy frozen lakes surrounded by mountains covered in snow.

1. The first lake is called Traunsee. It is situated between Salzburg and Linz, you could say it is in the North. It is an enormous lake. There are several ways of going around it but I think that the best way is by bike. Thus, you can easily stop at the corners which catch your eye. When we went there, we went around the lake by car and we decided to stop at the "Traunkirche" church, on a hill. Parking is a bit complicated in summer as the majority of car parks are private ones or you have to pay. Saying that, we were lucky and we were able to park outside the sidewalk without having to pay for anything.

This place where the church is located is one of the most touristy ones at the lake. We were lucky enough to come across a kind of grass where we were practically alone and we had spectacular views of the church. Near there, there are also restaurants, bars, terraces and private areas to lay down and go for a dip. Well, having a dip is relative, because the water was really cold. And that is me saying that, the girl who has been going in the Atlantic Ocean her whole life.

Something that I would have liked to do is rent a kayak and go around the lake, honestly. While we were sunbathing, some kayaks went past as well as boats and it seemed fun. In addition to that, there are areas reserved for camping, an idea which also caught my eye. Spending a few days at the lake going around it completely. Also, being such a big lake, there were all the facilities you could need, as there are supermarkets such as BILLA really near to here. You don't need to bring all of your food pre-packed, you can buy it there.

This lake is perfect for doing sports activities at, whether it be hiking, going up and down the big mountains in the Alps, going in the kayak, going on the bike or even rock climbing. It is really amazing to be sunbathing and to have an enormous mountain in front of you, which makes up part of the Alps.

2. Wörthersee. Situated in the south of Austria, in Klagenfurt, near to the border with Slovenia, there is an almost obligatory stop which we came across on our way to Croatia, in the car. We stopped here because the trip hadn't been very long and it was amazing. It is another enormous lake, with crystal blue waters, and it was different from Traunsee in that the water was really nice, it had a really good temperature. Really, it isn't at all hard to go in and you can swim as much as you like because it won't be too cold. We arrived and went to a really nice area. There were very few people, a tranquil area, with a wooden pier to lay down on and lilos and paddleboards to use. It was all great but suddenly a man came over to us saying that we had to pay. When this happened I was already in the water, so you can imagine what a situation it was. As we were against there privatisations, we decided to go and find somewhere public.

The truth is that it couldn't have worked out any better because when walking, we came across this swing where we spent the following hours. At the start it was scary to go on it, but after we liked it and we were fighting over it, which was made out of wood and ropes. When we were hungry, we went to an area where there was flat ground and grass to eat the tupperwares of food that we had bought from home. The truth is that all of us loved Worthersee. After, we were investigating and we discovered that you could camp there and right now we are still thinking about it. I hope that we will do it because it really appeals to me to spend some days there and keep discovering new hidden places.

Here, you can also see houses by the foot of the lake which are dreamlike, like out of magazines, with their own pier, flowers on the balconies and recently cut grass. I don't know if the people live here all year or just in summer, but whatever they do, both options seem incredible to me.

3. Hallstatt. The jewel of Austria. Maybe the name doesn't ring a bell, but I am sure that you have seen hundreds of photos of Hallstatt. Well, the lake is actually called Hallstätter See, Hallstatt is a small town where you can find the riverbank of this huge lake. I was lucky enough to visit it twice already and I didn't mind going a third time. It is a very small town, but it's original, with the main square, the church and its little typical Austrian houses. On the shore, there is a small pier with boats and swans too. In front, the Alps.

Here, you can rent a boat to go around the lake. If you slowly go up the hill, you will find yourself in the woods, in complete nature where there is a small waterfall, from which you can see the town with almost a birds-eye view, joined with the lake below. Near here, there is an ice cave and also a viewpoint, from which you can see almost all of Hallstatter. Being such a pretty place, there are lots of tourists.

My recommendation is that you don't try and park in Hallstatt or nearby, but go to the other side of the lake, just in front of this town where the train station is located. Most of the people go there by train or park their car near there, and after, take a boat to get to the town. Surprisingly, getting the boat isn't at all expensive: 5 euros return. The boat trip is really fun and lasts about 7 minutes. You can see Hallstatt from a different perspective and noticing how you are getting closer is really cool. Saying that, I recommend you to go with time to spare because the last return boat is at 6 pm. The best thing to do is to have two hours to see Hallstatt, so you don't have to rush and you can enjoy all the details. We even had a coffee in the main square. There are lots of little shops with souvenirs where you can buy typical Austrian clothes, there are also little stalls with crepes and another bakery.

Both times that I visited Hallstatt were in plain summer, with a really nice temperature. If I return there, I want to go in winter, when all the picturesque streets are covered in snow. And also, with fewer tourists there.

Hallstatt is definitely a must-do stop for those who are travelling in Austria. Not only is the town pretty, but all the nature that surrounds it is too. By the way, I forgot to mention that the water in Hallstatt is nice. If you fancy going for a dip, have one, but on the shore opposite the town, because it is more tranquil there.

4. Fuschlsee. I went to this lake when I spent 11 days in Salzburg, a city which I have to write an entry on for sure. It is super near to here, about 30 minutes away. If you are up for it, I recommend getting a car for the day and doing a tour around all the lakes that are in this zone. I love doing this! Fuschlee reminds me a bit of Worthersee. It is a really big lake, with crystal clear blue water and also a really good temperature for going in. You normally have to pay to park here. There are several comfortable areas with deckchairs, parasols and li-los in the water. We decided to find a place right in the middle of nature to be tranquil, so we came across a kind of small stony "beach" and we settled there. We were swimming for ages in the lake, our aim was to go from one side to the other, but halfway across we realised that our lungs couldn't cope anymore.

As I told you before, you can do lots of activities in these lakes, so whilst swimming we came across lots of people who were kayaking. At the start of the lake, there are also stalls with ice-creams, restaurants, cafes and supermarkets. All the big lakes in Austria sing from the same hymn sheet in terms of their establishments, resources and activities, as you can see.

We spent the evening here until sunset. Without a doubt, if you feel like doing something less touristy on your trip then spend a day in Fuschlsee; with a picnic, a kayak or just swimming will be a good plan.

5. Lunzer See. I admit that this lake isn't one of the most famous ones, nor one of the biggest ones in Austria, but I am a big fan of finding places that not everyone knows. Despite the fact that Lunzer is really small and it seems like it is lost in the middle of nowhere, I have to say that it has the charm of the best lakes in Austria, which is why it appears in the list of the top 5. We went there by chance, it was a stop returning to Bratislava in order to break up the journey a bit.

Lunzer See is part of the town called Lunz Am See. The water is really nice, honestly, as well as being clean. It is ideal for going for a dip, to snorkel or even rent a pedalo and go round the lake. We wanted to do it, but there were 5 of us and the pedalo took a maximum of four people. It was a shame. There are areas of the lake which are private, as a lot of people have their summer home there. The area where the restaurants, ice-cream shops, shops, and pedalo and boat rentals are is usually more busy, so we decided to go to a random spot on the lake and have a snack and pass a decent amount of time there. We had a few dips and we enjoyed the views from the water. A hill filled with trees in front of you, while you're basically swimming on your own is an absolutely incredible experience.

This day it was a bit foggy and when the sun went in it was a bit chilly, but when the clouds cleared it was amazing. I loved it and I would love to go back there.

Being a smaller lake, you can't do as many activities or go camping. I know that there are small houses to rent there, ideal for a spiritual getaway or also if you want to write and you need some inspiration. The biggest advantage for me about Lunzer See is that it is not very well known, there are hardly any people and honestly, it is a really tranquil area which is far away from the hustle and bustle and the pollution in the city. When you live in Bratislava (or in any other city) it is great to get away from the big buildings, the trams and the concrete buildings to substitute them for natural paradises like this one.

By the way, coming to an end, I know that there is a pretty high waterfall near here. I tried to search for it myself on Google Maps but I didn't find it. It is one of the places that doesn't come up on the internet so you have to walk around to find it. There I've left you the information, in case you fancy walking to find it.

And that is the post for today! I hope this has given you some good ideas if you are planning a trip to Austria. If you don't know which lake to choose, you can put it down to luck and go where you want, it doesn't matter because all of them are worth visiting and will be a good choice. Anyway, now I'm going: thank you for reading until the end and I will see you in the next post.

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