Cruising around the Austrian Lakes

Paddle steamers, steam trains, mountain railways and, best of all, fantastic Alpine landscapes all feature on this wonderful holiday tour of the Austrian Lake District.

• Conveniently based in Salzburg throughout, you’ll enjoy a truly relaxed and refined tour itinerary, with ample time for personal leisure and travel exploration in the city included.
• Experience no less than six of Austria’s finest and most tranquil mountain lakes on private charter cruises featuring genuine paddle steamers, vintage motor vessels and elegant salon ships..
• Combine scenic journeys by water with mountaineering excursions on steam-powered rack railways, steep funiculars and panoramic gondolas, taking you to some of Europe’s most spectacular peaks.
• The iconic ‘little trains’ of Austria feature prominently on this holiday, and journeys on the idyllic Taurachbahn and Zillertalbahn narrow-gauge railways let you sample both ‘Plandampf’ and private charter travel with plenty of run-pasts and photo stops.

Wednesday 3rd July
Arrive to Salzburg; leisure in the city with rover ticket

After a direct morning flight from London to Salzburg you arrive in the birth city of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart by mid-day. After a quick transfer to your comfortable centrally located hotel, you enjoy a light lunch and receive a Salzburg Card local transport rover ticket, allowing full access to the city’s local train and trolleybus network, as well as the popular fortress funicular and vertical elevator to the top of the Mönchsberg, from where you can enjoy some of the fine views of the spires and rooftops of this UNESCO World Heritage site, as well as the nearby mountains. The rest of the afternoon and evening are yours to spend at leisure before returning to your hotel for a welcome dinner.

(L D)

Thursday 4th July

Paddle cruise on Wolfgangsee and steam at the Schafberg rack railway

After breakfast you transfer by coach to Wolfgangsee, for an enchanting charter cruise on this serene Alpine lake aboard the historic 1873 paddle-wheeler Kaiser Franz Josef. You then ascend to the summit of nearby Mount Schafberg by steam locomotive on its famed rack and pinion railway, the steepest steam-powered rack railway in Austria. From the top you’ll have stunning views of a myriad of glistening lakes and distant glaciers. You descend back down the mountain by steam train and then return to Salzburg in the afternoon, where dinner is served in the hotel restaurant. (B L D)

Friday 5th July

Private charter cruises on the Mondsee and Hallstättersee

More cruises on tranquil lakes await today, as you venture south from Salzburg to the so-called Salzkammergut region. You first have a cruise on the idyllic Mondsee, including lunch aboard the ship, before venturing to Hallstatt for a private cruise on the namesake Hallstättersee. With its tall church spire and colourful houses, Hallstatt is a picture-perfect mountain village, probably the most-photographed small town in Austria. You get the best of views of Hallstadt from the boat, but also have time to look around the town centre of this UNESCO World Heritage site.In late afternoon you return to Salzburg with a scenic drive over pretty mountain roads. Dinner is served tonight in the hotel restaurant. (B L D)

Saturday 6th July

Salzburg at leisure and Alpine steam at Taurachbahn

This morning you have time to relax and enjoy all that Salzburg has to offer, and the attractions are indeed plentiful! Then in the afternoon you head south to the mountains and visit the quaint village of Mauterndorf. Up next you enjoy a steam-hauled round-trip on the narrow gauge Taurachbahn. An ancient tank engine will haul your private charter train, pausing for photos and run pasts along the way. Enjoy the very best of Austria’s famed ‘little trains’ on this enchanting line. After returning to Mauterndorf there’s time to have a look around the historic town centre and the local castle, before making the coach transfer back to Salzburg. (B L)

Sunday 7th July
Steam at the Steyrtalbahn

After breakfast you travel by service train from Salzburg to the medieval city of Steyr in Upper Austria. Here you experience one of the oldest preserved railways in Austria and one its most idyllic ‘little trains’. The line leads along roughly 16 km (10 miles) through a pretty valley to Grünburg. Once again run-pasts and photo stops will add action and spectacle to the proceedings. After an al-fresco lunch, you return to Salzburg by OBB service train. (B L)

Monday 8th July
Paddle steamer cruise on the Traunsee, Gmunden tramway
This morning you travel to the beautiful lakeside town of Gmunden in the heart of the Austrian Alps, to enjoy a genuine paddle steamer cruise on Lake Traunsee aboard the iconic Gisela of 1871, one of the oldest operational steamboats in the world. You’ll enjoy a buffet lunch aboard the ship surrounded by incredible scenery with amazing Alpine views. On returning to Gmunden there’s time for a stroll around town before making a mountain-top excursion on the aerial gondola to the summit of Mount Grünberg. At an altitude of 987 m above sea level, this panoramic vantage point affords fantastic views of the mountains to the south and Austria’s plains along the River Danube to the north.
After descending back down to Gmunden, you return to Gmunden railway station on Austria’s shortest urban tramway and then take an OBB service train onward to Salzburg. (B L)

Tuesday 9th July
Steam in Tyrol at the Zillertalbahn and steam at the Achenseebahn
Your tour concludes with double steam highlights as you travel in First Class on an OBB service train from Salzburg to Jenbach, where you first ride on the narrow-gauge Zillertalbahn to the mountain terminus of Mayrhofen.
The Zillertalbahn is renowned around Europe for its regular ‘Plandampf’ trains in summer and offers beautiful views of the typical Tyrolean landscape. Once back in Jenbach, you travel on the other local line, the antique rack railway, for the ascent up to the Achensee. You return from Achensee to Jenbach on the rack railway, and then travel back to Salzburg once again in First Class on an OBB service train. A farewell dinner will be served at your hotel this evening. (B L D)

Wednesday 10th July
Return to London
After breakfast, you have a direct transfer to Salzburg airport, for a morning flight back to London (B)