Christmas Recommendations in Austria- suggestions...

Hi,

we are two brits recently married and going to be having our first christmas together. As our respective children are grown and left home we tought it would be great to go somewhere where there would be snow and a real christmassy atmosphere. From what I have read, Austria seems ideal. We both have skied in the past but not sure how we would get on now so are looking for somewhere with a variety of things to do in case we dont ski too much. We would be staying for about 10 days. Any recommendations, particulalry in regard to hotels would be greatly appreciated. Does anyone recommend anywhere really full of Christmas Spirit and a hotel to match?

Thanks to all who may reply K %26amp; B

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Hi,

We%26#39;ve been looking to do much the same thing. My husband doesn%26#39;t ski and we have an 18month old daughter. A couple of places that look good are Zell am See, or Bad Hofgastein - a large spa complex for a bit of r %26amp; R if you don%26#39;t fancy too much skiing. Mayhofen in the Ziller valley is also quite an interesting place and there%26#39;s a steam train that runs up and down the valley for days out - not too far into Innsbruck. I%26#39;d get a move on though - I%26#39;m looking for a larger family room, or suite but finding that a lot of my selections are already booked. Good luck!

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Zell-am-see is great for the whole romance thing. Pretty little village with Christmas market in the square, nice tree lined runs etc etc. The Grand Hotel (which sticks out into the lake) is a nice (but quite pricy) option. The down side is that the skiing is limited and also has an average snow record.

Ischgl is a great place with loads of stuff to do but not sure how it fairs in the romantic arena. Some lovely hotels there though - the Trofana Royal (5*) and the Madlein (4*) and the Elizabeth (4*) are all really nice.

Maybe you would be better off hiring a car and doing a multi stop trip. Maybe start down at Lech/St Anton area, possibly a couple of days at Ischgl (30 minute drive), then up towards the Gerlos Pass and then head down towards Zell-am-see maybe taking in Neukirchen and/or Mittersil/Pass Thurn en-route. Some of the scenery is mindblowing. Make sure you have chains if you%26#39;re going over the Gerlos Pass though - can get a bit hairy in bad weather.

You could also check out some of the Bavarian resorts. Not as good for skiing as the Austrian resorts but the same atmosphere - Oberjoch, Fellhorn, Obersdorf to mention a few. Maybe even try and work your way across to Fussen to the Neuschwanstein castle (the real castle that Walt Disney based his fairytale castles on). An absolute sight to behold - especially when there is snow on the ground. Nothing nicer than being towed up to the castle in a horse drawn carriage. Magical !

All the best wherever you end up. No matter which resort you go to in Austria you%26#39;ll have a nice time :-)