Steam 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 of the city’s many attractions, including castles, funiculars, palaces and mountain railways.
• Experience Austria’s finest and most tranquil mountain lakes on private charter cruises featuring genuine paddle steamers, vintage motor vessels and elegant salon ships, including the iconic steamboat ‘Gisela’ from 1871 with its oscillating engine.
• 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, all in comfort and style.
• The fabulous ‘little trains’ of Austria feature prominently on this holiday, including the steam-hauled private charter on the idyllic Taurachbahn and ‘Plandampf’ at the Zillertalbahn.
• Take a side-step into neighbouring Bavaria for a visit to the famed-mountain top Eagles Nest and immerse yourself in fascinating World War II history, before enjoying a tranquil cruise on Lake Königsee at Berchtesgaden.

Wednesday 1 July

Arrive in Salzburg; exploration with all-inclusive Salzburg Card

Take a direct flight from London to Salzburg arriving into the birth city of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart around mid-day. You then transfer to your hotel, where you‘ll enjoy lunch at nearby restaurant. Once you have checked in at the hotel you will receive a Salzburg Card all-inclusive access pass, allowing full access to the city’s local trolleybus network, the popular fortress funicular and vertical elevator to the top of the Mönchsberg, from where you can enjoy views of the spires and rooftops of this UNESCO World Heritage site. The Salzburg card also covers admission for all city museums, the Mozart sites and the historic Stiegl brewery. You’ll have the rest of the day to explore the city at leisure. (L)

Thursday 2 July

The palaces and mountain railways of Salzburg

Salzburg is packed and stacked with a unique variety of attractions that will appeal to both the common traveler as well as the railway enthusiast. This includes the ornate palace at Hellbrunn with its famous fountains and water displays. From Hellbrunn you could continue to the nearby Untersbergbahn, a scenic aerial cableway in the south of Salzburg that takes you to the top of the Untersberg summit at a height of 1972 m above sea level. Here you embrace the stunning views of both the Austrian and Bavarian Alps. You are free to explore at leisure and your Tour Manager will be happy to advise! For all railway enthusiasts there is also the option of a journey on the Salzburger Lokalbahn, the scenic local railway that serves two branches to the north of the city using vintage stock and passing over several impressive viaducts. In the evening you have a group dinner at a typical Austrian restaurant near the hotel. (B D)

Friday 3 July

Paddle cruise on Wolfgangsee and steam charter at the spectacular Schafberg rack railway

In the morning there is still time to use your Salzburg Card to visit the city attractions. Early afternoon you transfer to the nearby Alpine lake Wolfgangsee for a charter cruise on this serene mountain lake aboard the historic 1873 paddle-wheeler Kaiser Franz Josef. This white-funnelled ship will take you back in time to the glory days of the late 19th century. Afterwards you ascend to the summit of nearby Mount Schafberg by private steam train on its famed rack and pinion railway, the steepest steam-powered rack railway in Austria, dating from 1893. From the top you’ll have stunning evening views of lakes and distant glaciers.

You have dinner at the summit restaurant before you descend back down the mountain by steam train just in time for sunset. You return back to Salzburg by coach. (B D)

Saturday 4 July

Alpine steam at Mauterndorf on the Taurach narrow gauge railway

Again today you have another free morning for sightseeing in Salzburg, before transferring by coach south to Mauterndorf. This beautiful castle town is the base of the narrow-gauge Taurachbahn. An ancient tank engine will haul your private charter train along this heritage railway from Mauterndorf to St. Andrä, 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 look around the historic town centre and the local castle, before returning by coach to Salzburg, passing the spectacular Hohenwerfen Castle en route. (B)

Sunday 5 July

The Eagles Nest and Alpine cruise at Lake Königsee in Bavaria

Today you may immerse yourself in fascinating World War II history with a visit to the spectacular Eagle’s Nest, Hitler’s famed mountain-top residence and command post at the Berghof, high above Berchtesgaden. From the facility, which was captured by American troops in spring 1945, there are stunning views of the Bavarian Alps. Later you continue to the famed Königsee for a tranquil cruise on this picturesque Alpine lake. In the late afternoon you return to Salzburg for an evening at leisure. (B)

Monday 6 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 private charter cruise on Lake Traunsee aboard the iconic paddle steamer 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. Gmunden is also famous for featuring one of the smallest urban tramways in Austria and you take the scenic tram back to the main line railway station, before returning on ÖBB service trains to Salzburg. (B L)

Tuesday 7 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. This unique railway originally dates from 1889 and still retains itis original 0-4-0 rack tank engines. At the top of the line, there are beautiful views of the nameksake mountain lake. 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 ‘Die Weisse’ Brauhaus back in Salzburg. (B D)

Wednesday 8 July

Return to London

After breakfast, you have a direct transfer to Salzburg airport, for a morning flight back to London. (B)