7 Days in the Austrian Alps: Tirol, Lakes & Glaciers

Arrive and settle into Innsbruck, the Tirol capital that sits dramatically wedged between the river and the rampart of the Nordkette. Spend the evening wandering the compact old town beneath the Golden Roof, the late-Gothic loggia with its gilded copper tiles, past the pastel townhouses and the Hofkirche. As the light fades, the Nordkette glows above the rooftops, a reminder of how close the high mountains sit to the cafe tables. Keep the first night easy and grab dinner in the old town; tomorrow you ride straight from the city into the Alps.

Ride the Nordkette up in stages straight from the center of town: the Hungerburg funicular from near the old town, then two cable cars to the Hafelekar ridge at around 2,300m, where the city lies mapped out below and the Tirol peaks roll away to the south. It is a rare thing to step from a coffee in the old town to a high alpine ridge in well under an hour, with no car needed all day. Go up in the morning for the clearest air, walk a short stretch of the ridge if your legs and the weather allow, then drop back down for an afternoon of museums, cafes, and a slice of strudel. Check the top-station webcam before you buy your ticket; the ridge is worth waiting for a clear window.

Make the scenic transfer east to Zell am See, a lakeside town where the mountains rise almost straight out of the water at the foot of the Kitzsteinhorn glacier. Whether you come by train through the valleys or by car, the run is an easy one, so arrive with the afternoon free for the lake. Walk the flat shoreline promenade that rings the water, rent a pedal boat or take a dip from one of the lakeside bathing spots, then find a terrace for the evening light on the peaks. Keep tomorrow's big day in mind and turn in early; the glacier and the great road ahead deserve a fresh start.

This is the day everyone remembers, so start early and watch the forecast, both highlights need clear skies. Ride the lifts up the Kitzsteinhorn to the glacier in the morning for snow underfoot in summer and a viewing platform that looks across to the Hohe Tauern peaks. Then drive the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, a toll route of stacked hairpins, alpine meadows where marmots whistle, and pull-outs facing Austria's highest peak and its glacier at the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Hohe. It is a long, full day with a lot of driving, so leave time for the many stops and check that the high road is open before you commit; it closes overnight and in bad weather.

Transfer north through the Salzkammergut, Austria's storied lake district of glassy water and wooded hills, toward Hallstatt and its famous spire above the lake. Time the drive so you arrive in the late afternoon, once the tour buses and day-trippers have cleared and the village settles back into its quiet, lamplit best. This is the whole reason to stay over rather than visit on a day trip: the classic lakeshore view belongs to those who linger past sunset and wake before the crowds. Note that the village core is essentially car-free, so check where your accommodation expects you to park, often in a lot just outside, and walk in.

Start at sunrise on the empty lakefront, when the village belongs to you and the early light is at its softest for the classic photograph from the northern shore. By day, ride the funicular up to the Salzwelten salt mine, one of the oldest in the world, and step out onto the Skywalk platform that juts over the rooftops and the lake far below. Hallstatt has mined salt for thousands of years, and the mine tour is the cultural anchor of the place beyond the postcard view. Close with a slow lakeside dinner as the water turns pink, the reward for staying the night while everyone else has gone.

Take a final slow morning by the water, then drive out of the lake district toward Salzburg, an easy run of well under two hours, for your flight home. If your schedule allows, add a night in Salzburg as a coda: the baroque old town, Mozart's birthplace, and the Getreidegasse make a graceful contrast to the mountains and lakes behind you. Salzburg's compact airport also makes a convenient departure point, so you can fly out without a long backtrack. Build in buffer before check-in on a travel day, and let the trip end at a gentle pace rather than a dash.