Winter Season

Alpine Skiing.
Bad Ischl is an ideal base for skiing holidays with many slopes within easy travelling distance. To give you a flavour of the area, some of our personal favourites and those recommended by guests are listed below. If you would like more information please follow the links given or e-mail us before your visit. We will be happy to help.

Katrin Alm. Within walking distance of the apartment or around five minutes drive by car. A free ski-bus runs from the bottom of the hill near the apartment. Ski-hire is available here and there is a ski-school. There are approximately 6 km of pistes, a cable car and a chair lift as well as three children's lifts. There is also a nice restaurant and a Hutte, ideal for those non-skiers to simply sit back and enjoy the view!

Gosau is part of the Dachstein West Ski-region and is a short drive from Bad Ischl. A free ski-bus runs from the bottom of the hill near to the apartment. Dachstein West has a massive 140 km of pistes with 12 chairlifts, 25 draglifts and 9 cablecars. Ski hire and ski-school are available and there is plenty to appeal to the whole family, experts and novices, non-skiers alike.

Russbach is just beyond Gosau and is ideal for families. It features two super children's areas called "Bear Camp" and "Sparrows Nest." where qualified staff supervise the fun while parents can enjoy skiing.
Attractions at Bear Camp include a magic carpet, bear slalom, snow castle and nursery lift. Skiing is free of charge for children under 6. Russbach also has a ski-school
Sparrow's Nest is an indoor supervised play area for children from 1 year upwards. Drinks and lunch are available.

Postalm Again a short drive from Bad Ischl. A ski-bus runs from the centre of Bad Ischl. Post-Alm is popular with local skiers. It is ideal for the whole family and has 20km of mainly easy to intermediate runs as well as a "fun-arena". There is a chair-lift and 6 draglifts as well as cross-country tracks, a toboggan run, an ice-rink and an alpine curling alley. Ideal for a day-trip incorporating a visit to the famous Wolfgangsee lake and the villages of Strobl, St Wolgang and St Gilgen. Postalm Webcam

Gaissau is part of the Hintersee ski area. It is a little further away but still only about 40mins drive. Gaissau has 20 km of pistes, 3 chair lifts and 6 draglifts. Although fairly small, this is a very family-friendly resort, with ski-hire and ski-schools and slopes to suit beginners and experts alike. Gaissau makes an excellent day out as there are also extensive cross-country tracks nearby, ski-tubing in the village of Faistenau and a good selection of "Huttes" and guesthouse to enjoy an après-ski ,snack or supper.

If you want to go a little further afield Abtenau,  Loser-Altaussee, Feuerkogel and Tauplitz are all within an hour's drive.

Cross-Country Ski-ing
The Salzkammergut is a popular area for cross-country skiing with many kilometres of tracks available through spectacular scenery, just a short drive from Alpine Meadows. In the immediate area of Bad Ischl there are cross-country tracks on the Rettenbachalm and close to Pfandl. There are also trails around Lake Wolfgangsee, Langbathsee, Bad Goisern and Gosau. A little further afield, the village of Faistenau has excellent cross-country trails and makes a really good day out.

Highlights of the Winter Season.
Winter in the Salzkammergut is a magical time with plenty to see and do, even if skiing is not your sport!

Tobogganing There are several toboggan runs near to Alpine Meadows. The closest is at Bad Goisern, which is just ten minutes drive away. It is possible to hire a toboggan.

Walking.
It is possible to go snow-walking in the mountains and this is becoming increasingly popular. Most of the ski-lifts offer a "one up and down" ticket at a greatly reduced price, so you can enjoy the spectacular views while walking or just sitting at one of the many typical Austrian" Hutten" where you can enjoy a wide selection of drinks and home-cooked food. Alternatively there are many excellent scenic walks of varying lengths around Bad Ischl, which are well signposted, Alpine meadows lies directly on one 10km circular route, so you can literally start on your doorstep!

Advent & Christmas Markets.
From the end of November until New Year there are Advent markets held at many local villages. St Wolfgang, St Gilgen and Strobl, which are all within a short drive of Bad Ischl have lovely markets at weekends. One of the most memorable holiday experiences for many guests is strolling among the candle-lit streets with seasonal music playing or choirs singing, while looking for Christmas gifts and traditional Austrian foods from beautifully decorated stalls and enjoying a mug of warming gluhwein or eating hot roasted chestnuts. The Wolfgangsee lake is adorned with a giant floating candle during Advent and Christmas and you can take a romantic moonlight cruise around the lake, to complete your special day out.

Salzburg.
No visit to the Salzkammergut is complete without a visit to this historic city. Famous as Mozart's birthplace, it has lots to offer, whether you are a culture vulture, seeking art galleries, concerts or museums, or are like many people, following the "Sound of Music" trail and would like to see some of the locations from the film, Salzburg is just spellbinding! Fabulous buildings, open-air music and cafés that serve delicious coffee and cakes. Shopping in Salzburg is excellent, a visit to the famous Getreidegasse, with its quaint shop signs that hang over the narrow street is essential for avid shoppers, seeking designer labels, fabulous jewellery or simply window shopping.!. There is a market most days selling seasonal produce and souvenirs. There is also a daily Advent market in December.

Bad Ischl.   If you would like a guided tour around the this historic town, why not take a horse drawn sleigh ride to see the sights including the Glockenspiel Clock in Kreutzplatz and listen to its beautiful chimes.

Throughout the winter.
All the local shops, restaurants and bars are open. The world famous confectioner and coffee house Zauners where superb cakes and fabulous house-made chocolates can be sampled, is an essential part of any visit to Bad Ischl. Apres ski in Bad Ischl is "low-key", ideal for those who prefer a quiet meal, although there are some music bars for those who prefer a slightly livelier scene. We are happy to make reservations for you and arrange taxi transport if you wish.

Ice-rink
There often a small is a ice-rink in the centre of town at Chrstmas and a larger permanent ice rink on the edge of town near the Katrin Alm.

Kaiser Villa
Another not-to-be-missed attraction is a visit the Kaiser Villa, the holiday home of Kaiser Franz Joseph I, perched on the banks of the river Ischl. It is said that Franz Joseph brought his court to Bad Ischl in order to benefit from the health giving properties of the waters here.

Celebrations.
Austrians love to celebrate, so throughout the winter season there is a succession of events to lift the spirits. In the Christmas period, advent markets, visits from St Nikolas and Krampus, the three Kings and local bands. A little later comes Fasching, which is officially celebrated on Shrove Tuesday with a festival but for which celebrations occur for almost a month before as Austria looks forward to the end of winter and the beginning of Spring!

Forget about the winter.
By visitiing the Eurothermen Resort!
The Eurothermen Resort thermal baths are a "must-do" part of any holiday in Bad Ischl. Completely refurbished in 2007 the thermal baths offer swimming, a spa pool heated to 33 degrees centigrade, saunas, steam baths and a wide range of therapies to help you relax and unwind and forget about the aches and pains of the ski and snow boarding slopes.

Spring and Autumn Breaks.
Why not try a spring or autumn break at Alpine Meadows?

In April and May, the forests and meadows are carpeted with colourful alpine flowers and the weather is often just perfect for gentle walks, ambling along the many tracks and taking in the view. For more serious sportsmen and women this is an ideal time of year to walk, cycle, run in the hills and mountains as the temperatures are not too high and the tracks are relatively uncrowded. Most of the summer tourist facilities are open from April through to the end of October making it possible to have a truly spellbinding holiday without any crowds, even at the most popular tourist attractions, you can often experience the feeling that the whole Salzkammergut has been created exclusively for you

In September ,October and November, the mountainsides are a riot of ever-changing colour, that rivals better-known autumn holiday venues such as New England. Walk through forest tracks, along the alms and stop to wonder at the breathtaking views, kick up the autumn leaves, stop for a coffee and a piece of apple strudel, served with lashings of whipped cream. Take in the alm-festivals when the cows are brought down from their summer pastures, wearing garlands of flowers or visit one of the many harvest festivals held in almost every village and town throughout the Autumn, "Bauern-herbst", is a really special time of year in Salzkammergut. Why not book a short break or even a long one, you are sure to find it a magical experience and take home memories you will treasure.