Salzkammergut, Austria
Last week I decided to chase some fall colours in the Salzkammergut in Austria. This area is also known as the lake region because it’s home to some of the most beautiful lakes Austria has to offer. I decided to do a small write-up with some of my favorite spots I’ve seen during the week. Perfect spots for any photographer, Instagrammer or outdoor enthousiast really. Enjoy!
Loser
Have you ever dreamt of Alpine views while being over the clouds? Well, the Loser Panorama Strasse is quite a special place where dreams somehow seem to become reality. Drive up here in the morning, or even better, camp up here and wake up with one of the best views you’ll ever see. The ticket to enter this beautiful road costs €16, but it’s definitely worth it. There’s a small wooden platform at the top of the mountain which is probably the perfect place for some photo opportunities with your loved-one or with your dogs! Don’t forget your zoom lens, as both the little towns in the valley and the high peaks in the distance make up for a beautiful subject. Thank me later!
Alstaussee
This lake is the perfect stop after you’ve just enjoyed a beautiful sunrise on top of Loser. Park your car at the big parking spot when you enter the town and enjoy a nice morning walk around the lake. There’s a beautiful pier from which you have some nice views on the lake and if you’re up for it, you can even go for a quick dip in the cold water at the end of the pier.
Grundlsee
Grundlsee is a pretty big lake, but really a must-see when you’re in the area. There’s tons of photo opportunities around. During summer, it’s also a popular lake for swimming and the several castles and mansions around the lake show that this is an area for the more rich people of Austria. One of these castles used to be the private mansion of Nazi politician Joseph Goebbels, who used it as a hideout during the second world war.
Don’t forget to drive to the end of the lake to make a walk through Gossl, a picturesque village with a view that strongly reminds of Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland.
Hallstatt
Probably a name you’ve heard before, this is Austrias most famous little mountain town. It’s most popular with Asian tourists, as the Chinese actually built a copy of this town in their own country. An estimated 30,000 people visit Hallstatt daily, insane! It was pretty special to walk around this place during Covid-times, as we were the only people on the street. I could go on about how beautiful this place is, but you should just Google it because there’s much more beautiful photos taken here than the ones I made.
Traunsee
Traunsee is another big lake with 2 very interesting photo spots:
Traunkirchen, which is a romantic Church on top of a cliff, an easy roadside stop or the perfect place to enjoy your lunch while sitting in a soft patch of grass at the edge of the lake.
Schloss Ort, an old castle located in Gmunden. We decided to visit this place during blue hour and I personally thought this was the right choice as both the castle and are illuminated by lights.
Gossausee
I’m going to add Gosausee to this list as it’s an insanely beautiful place but I’ve never caught it under the right conditions. I’ve seen truly beautiful photos from there, but I guess you need to get lucky. My advice would be to come here on a quiet and clear morning and enjoy the first light peaking over the high mountains.
As for accomodation: we decided to stay in a pretty cheap AirBnb which was located near Bad Goisern, very centrally in the area. All in all, we had a great week in an area that definitely took me by surprise as every location had a completely different vibe, depending on the weather conditions!
