Austria Destinations

Winter Wonderland in Bad Gastein

January 7, 2017
Bad Gastein winter holiday

I hope you had a great start into 2017 everyone! I spent some relaxing days with my bf and family in Salzburg, before we headed off to the mountains of the beautiful Gasteinertal. I was especially excited about taking my snowboard out for the first time this season but also because it should be the first time in 25 (!) years that my bf is back on skis! I was a bit skeptical at first, but then – he pretty much left me speechless while I had a hard time catching up with him… (is skiing that much easier than snowboarding?)

But first things first: We stayed near the centre of Bad Gastein and the snow situation when we first arrived wasn’t like we hoped for. However there’s lots of pretty things to discover, like a waterfall, valley views and some interesting Aprés Ski bars. But the most fascinating part to me were the historic and grand buildings which resembled the prosperity of health tourism until WW II, thanks to the healing effects of the thermal springs found there. Until today, water plays a major role in Bad Gastein, although the grand public baths and hotels in the historic centre are mostly closed and abandoned. The action has moved to the “new” centre near the railway station, where the ski lifts and spa are located as well.

The next day we woke up to fresh snow which turned everything into a winter wonderland!

Bad Gastein zentrum

Up the mountain it wasn’t that comfortable anymore: We were greeted by strong, icy winds but they didn’t stop us to check out the suspension bridge on the top of Stubnerkogel (2.300m). The views supposed to be spectacular from there but we were pretty much “whited out”.

Fortunately it cleared up during the day and we could finally enjoy some fun on the slopes…

Bad Gastein mountains

The icing on the cake after an exhausting ski day is a warm bath… In Bad Gastein you can almost slide from the slope to the pool of the Felsentherme, it’s that close! And a heated pool with a mountain view makes winter quite bearable doesn’t it?

Directions:

From Salzburg it takes 1.5 hours by car or train (Railjet or Eurocity trains). Check tickets and schedule here.


If you’re visiting the Salzburg area, don’t miss these highlights:

Being a tourist in your own city: The ultimate year-round guide to Salzburg

The best half day trips from Salzburg


*Disclaimer: In friendly collaboration with Gastein Tourism who provided us with ski and spa tickets. The opinion remains 100% my own.

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28 Comments

  • Reply SueT唐 梦 琇 January 8, 2017 at 2:21 am

    I gasped when I saw these photos Julia; so (so) beautiful. I just cannot believe how it would be to wake up to those sights. WOW!! Fabulous photos.

    • Reply sileas January 16, 2017 at 11:48 am

      Yeah the snow in the morning was REALLY nice! Hardly any better way to wake up 😉

  • Reply The Wanderliste January 8, 2017 at 3:22 am

    Omg a hot pool next to the skiing slopes sounds like a dream come true! The view is amazing, I love the well preserved archaic buildings, I would not stop staring at the mesmerizing view if I were there! 🙂 xo~ Lena
    http://www.thewanderliste.com

    • Reply sileas January 16, 2017 at 11:51 am

      This place is pretty spoiled I admit. I miss the view already 🙂

  • Reply The Wayfarer January 8, 2017 at 11:26 am

    That looks beautiful! (Even though I hate cold and snow. I would probably enjoy all the views from inside.)

    • Reply sileas January 16, 2017 at 11:54 am

      I guess even for a non-winter person like you it’s hard to resist the views 🙂

      • Reply The Wayfarer January 16, 2017 at 11:56 am

        I mean you can always go on a short walk, then spend the rest of the day in the lodge enjoying hot cocoa by the fire 😛

        • Reply sileas January 16, 2017 at 11:58 am

          Yup, sounds perfect to me too 😛

  • Reply Paleica January 9, 2017 at 8:02 am

    ich hab soviele bilder über gastein gesehen, dass ich da jetzt auch irgendwann mal hin muss, haha. ich war ja auch seit 9 jahren nicht mehr schifahren und hoffe, dass ich heuer wenigstens einen tag mit einer freundin am semmering schaffe, weil langsam bezweifle ich, dass ich mich noch auf die brettln trau… sooo schöne bilder übrigens!!

    • Reply sileas January 16, 2017 at 11:57 am

      Dankeschön! Anscheinend ist es wirklich wie beim Schwimmen oder Radfahren – man verlernt es nicht. Aber ich kann deine Zweifel gut verstehen, mir geht’s jedes Jahr so… Ich glaube wenn du dich langsam herantraust hast du innerhalb kürzester Zeit die alten Schwünge wieder drauf 😉

      • Reply Paleica January 16, 2017 at 12:14 pm

        na dann hoffen wir, dass ich mal wieder afu die piste komme 🙂

  • Reply shootingvienna January 9, 2017 at 10:03 am

    Ich hab keine Ahnung wie schwer es ist zu Snowboarden aber Ski fahren verlernt man nicht, das ist ziemlich easy wenn man es mal gelernt hat 😀
    Tolle Bilder, ich war noch nie im Winter dort, es schaut aber wie eine zauberhafte Winterlandschaft aus <3

    • Reply sileas January 16, 2017 at 12:03 pm

      Beim Snowboarden hab ich so manchmal meine Zweifel 😉 Danke, ich hab mich gefreut wie ein Schneekönig (im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes), dass es dann doch geschneit hat 😀

  • Reply jewels January 10, 2017 at 10:21 am

    Wow, wow, wow! What a stunning, idyllic place! Love your photos and how it transported me there! Let’s go snowboarding together, Julia! I miss it soooooooo much!

    • Reply sileas January 16, 2017 at 12:24 pm

      Cool, you do snowboarding as well Julie?! We should hit the slopes together!!

  • Reply Sofia January 12, 2017 at 8:59 am

    Such stunning photos! I’ve never skiing, only snowboarded and I hated it! Its not my thing ok!!! LOL!!! I have to say though that everyone says I should try skiing because its “easier” they say. xxx

    • Reply sileas January 16, 2017 at 12:27 pm

      Fair enough, at least you tried! Winter can be fun without skiing or snowboarding too 😉

  • Reply PinaySkattebasse January 13, 2017 at 5:29 pm

    wow.. I wish I’ll tick off this skiing in my list soon. The place is awesome! Even though I love the tropical weather, the magic of a winter wonderland is hard to resist! Super nice photos. 🙂

    • Reply sileas January 16, 2017 at 12:31 pm

      I love tropical weather too (well only when I’m by the beach…) but snow has its own magic. It feels like being transferred back to childhood days 🙂

  • Reply tayonthemove January 16, 2017 at 6:32 pm

    Oh my, I am not too fond of winter but this view is so beautiful! I wouldn’t mind waking up to that! 🙂

    • Reply sileas January 18, 2017 at 3:23 pm

      Me neither actually but I do like snow. So yes, I was quite excited that morning 🙂

  • Reply Hanna January 20, 2017 at 4:45 am

    When I was reading this article, my mind was busy thinking how long drive would it be from our place (from Souther Sweden) to get there. Combination of the bath and the snow is so tempting!
    My skiing skills are really rusty but never too old to get better? (as your bf did!- WELL DONE).

    • Reply sileas January 20, 2017 at 11:24 am

      I enjoyed the scenery much more than the snowboarding part, because I’m pretty miserable too actually 😛

  • Reply wazwu February 3, 2017 at 11:54 pm

    What a beautiful winter wonderland! Your photos are so airy and dreamy. I’ve never been skiing or snowboarding, so which would you recommend for a first timer, haha.

    • Reply sileas February 4, 2017 at 12:15 pm

      Definitely skiing! Although I snowboard since many years it’s kind of frustrating to see how beginners in skiing are going faster than me, haha 😀

  • Reply Anna February 10, 2017 at 9:40 am

    Das sieht sehr kalt, aber auch sehr gemütlich aus. Schnee haben wir hier oben ja leider kaum. Vorgestern ist ein bisschen was runter gekommen, aber leider nicht liegen geblieben. Schöner Bericht!

    Herzlich,
    Anna

    • Reply sileas February 21, 2017 at 7:06 pm

      Danke Anna! Ja mit dem Schnee ist immer so eine Sache, was? 😉

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