Austria | Hallstatt & Alps

5 September 2017




7 DAYS 6 NIGHTS IN AUSTRIA & THE ALPS


This was it - my first ever holiday after I joined the company! Just before my birthday, I had this idea of traveling somewhere to celebrate. I thought I would have to celebrate this day alone, until two of my close friends agreed to join me on a last minute trip. We literally booked our flight tickets and accommodations just a week before.

I like to see mountains and nature, and it's actually not that easy to find friends especially female friends to go on a trip with me. Thank God I had KW and ST who have the same travel interests as me! We came up with a lot of suggestions, and finally we decided on the Austrian Alps, which turned out to be the PERFECT choice!

Grossglockner, the highest mountain in Austria is INSANELY beautiful! We also went to Salzburg and Hallstatt.

Travel Period: June 13 - 19, 2015




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Day 1

Arriving in Vienna at 10pm


We stayed at the airport until the next early morning to collect our car (booked in advance). It was a long night and of course I didn't sleep. *sigh




Day 2

Vienna - Salzburg - Zell am See


The first thing in the morning was to collect the car at the airport. We then set out and head to the west of Austria! Vienna was not of our interest so we skipped it. Vienna to Zell am See is around 400 km apart. On our way to Zell am See, we thought it was a good idea to stop by Salzburg for a while to get lunch or something.

Salzburg is an Austrian city on the border of Germany. It is the birthplace of Mozart and it became famous with the 1965 production of The Sound of Music.








One particular building in the bustling heart of Salzburg's Old City, always draws particular attention: No. 9, the house in which Mozart was born.


Mozart's birthplace

After a little sightseeing in the Old Town of Salzburg, we continued our journey to the south.


Getting closer to the Alps! *screaming*

The ride from Salzburg to Zell am See was getting more and more scenic. From someone who was tired and falling asleep in the car already, I immediately became energetic when I saw the mountains!
Poor KW the driver who couldn't enjoy the view but only hear us getting all excited and taking pictures from the car. Haha!



After a long drive, we finally found our accommodation in Zell am See. It was in the middle of nowhere but the view was stunning! A very peaceful lakefront house with the Alps in the background, what else could we ask for? Our house is on the right of the picture below.










Day 3

Grossglockner High Alpine Road | Pasterze Glacier


That morning, we woke up to a drizzly and gloomy weather. Sometimes things do not go as smooth as planned. Having a good weather today was important because we needed to drive up the High Alpine road. Our host advised us not to take the risk as it might get too foggy and the mountain road would get slippery too. I'm not sure if it's a good thing to have friends as stubborn as me, we still decided to go with the plan. We took our car, set out in the morning, and prayed for the best.

Großglockner Hochalpenstraße (Grossglockner High Alpine Road) is probably the most famous alpine road. It takes you right into the heart of the Hohe Tauern National Park and to the highest mountain in Austria, the Großglockner (3,798 m) and its Pasterze glacier! The panoramic road is 48 km long and you get to drive through a unique mountain world.

We were quite worried at first about the weather and road condition, but fortunately it turned out not too bad at all. The rain and fog did not render the view less beautiful.






It totally looked like a dream to me.






Finally we reached the top, where Pasterze Glacier lies! Pasterze is the longest glacier in Austria and in the Eastern Alps. It lies directly beneath Austria's highest mountain, the Grossglockner.

We managed to walk going closer to the glacier. It felt totally amazing to sit next to the glacier watching its beauty.

Pasterze glacier



The weather improved towards the mid-day. It was another breathtaking ride going downhill from the glacier.






Halfway through the drive, we found a beautiful spot where we decided to stop. I loved how peaceful and surreal the landscape was: fresh hill water flowing, the Alps mountain range, the greenery, and the slight fog that made it look more like a paradise! Another good thing is there was no one else at all!

The guys drank the water from the mountain, and even packed it in bottles! I was so skeptical and did not want to try it at all, until one point in the car we were running out of water, I was too thirsty I had to drink this out of the bottle. I swear I was totally amazed by how tasty the water was! It just tasted so refreshing and pleasant!






Day 4

Zell am See - Hallstatt


We checked out from Zell am See and headed to Hallstatt, which is around 100 km away. It was another rainy day, but again we got a nice countryside view to enjoy from the car.



We did not really do much today because we wanted to take it slow. We checked in to our accommodation in Hallstatt and cooked dinner. When the clock hit 12 at midnight, the guys surprised me with a little birthday cake! The funniest part was, they could not find any candles at all they had to use this lighter as my birthday candle! ♥ Thanks you two!





Day 5

Lake Hallstatt | Market Square | Hallstatt Skywalk


My big day today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Spending my birthday in Hallstatt is one of the happiest things I've done!



Today we went to the Hallstatt Lake and Marktplatz (Market Square) which is also a UNESCO World Heritage town. Hallstatt is usually on the must-go list when people come to Austria. Coming from Grossglockner, we could immediately notice the big difference in the amount of tourists. Hallstatt was so much busier and more touristy than where we just came from.



The famous Lake Hallstatt




I felt like I was in a fairy tale storybook!


The Skywalk offers a unique panoramic view over Lake Hallstatt and the impressive mountain scenery. To get up to the Skywalk viewing platform, you can always take a funicular. However, we decided to hike to the top instead to save a few euros. I genuinely enjoyed the scenery hike more than the standard view from the skywalk itself. The hiking trail is not difficult and it takes around an hour.


Hallstatt underneath me!



Day 6

Krippenstein | 5 Fingers Lookout Point | Dachstein Ice Cave


Today, we took a cable car to Obertraun’s local mountain, the Krippenstein at 2100m. You can do hikes here, but we did not do that. We came to enjoy the fantastic panoramic view.





It could get really really windy up here. Even KW could not stand the wind and coldness he had to hide under the rocks.

5 Fingers Look-out Point


The view was AWE-INSPIRING from up here I could not believe it was real. They say this is probably the most spectacular viewing platform in the Alps. It was terrifying to stand on top. It's actually warned by the officials that this place is not for the faint-hearted. I could immediately feel the adrenaline rush and it's the scariest thing to imagine myself tripping/slipping off the cliff. This place is definitely testing your fear limit of height!


We also went to the Ice Cave which was a guided tour. There's a limit of how many people can enter the ice cave at one time accompanied by an experienced cave guide.

These magnificent giant ice palaces rank among the greatest natural wonders of the Alps.









Day 7


Hometime.

We left Hallstatt and drove back to Vienna to catch our flights back home (unwillingly). It's around a 300 km journey.

Couldn't believe that it had come to an end. I can't express how much I enjoyed this trip - it has become one of the most unforgettable trips I've done. The High Alpine road in Grossglockner is my favourite and I definitely recommend people to visit! Don't just stop at Hallstatt. Continue to Hohe Tauern National Park and you will find more hidden gems than you can imagine.

My birthday turned out much better than I imagined it to be, how blessed am I?
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Accommodation:


Booked on Airbnb - Click to earn travel credit!

  1. Zell am See: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/207968

  2. Hallstatt: https://www.airbnb.ae/rooms/1615313

6 comments

  1. Hi. May I know roughly how much you spent in austria for the days? thank you very much :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Around RM1k+ per person excluding flight tickets

      Delete
  2. Nice travel blog you have here :) Glad to have a Malaysian travel blog to read because RM included hehe! Keep blogging babe! My name has a "chu" too behind haha not sure if we share the same chinese word though

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you!! I'm happy to know. This is encouraging.
      My 'chu' is in the middle 楚 :)

      Delete
  3. Hi. May I ask the link of your accommodation is it upside down? As I checked the link you provided in zell am see, it's near to Hallstatt

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi. May I ask the accommodation link you provided is it upside down?As I checked the link in zell am see, the location is near to Hallstatt

    ReplyDelete

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