I once saw a photo of Grundlsee on Instagram and immediately pinned it to my Google Maps and knew one day I'd want to make a day trip out there. It's a bit of distance away from my home in Salzburg and best reached by car so I had it tucked in my back pocket for the perfect opportunity.
Well, that opportunity came around this weekend and I got to take a mini roadtrip out to Altaussee and Grundlsee for the day as they're quite close to each other and can quite honestly say they are two of the most beautiful lakes I have ever visited in Austria. And I have visited many!
→ Check out all my other favourite lakes to visit near Salzburg!
By flight: The closest international airport to Altaussee and Grundlsee is in Salzburg.
By car: The easiest way to visit both Altaussee and Grundlsee is with your own car. Altaussee is 1.5 hours away from Salzburg by car, and then another 15 minutes further brings you to Grundlsee.
→ If you don't have your own car, you can rent one in Salzburg.
By train and bus: The lakes can be reached with public transport, but it can get lengthy depending on where in Austria you are traveling from. From Bad Aussee train station, bus 955 runs to Altaussee and 956 runs to Grundlsee. Local bus times can be researched and tickets purchased on Verbund Line.
We started our day at Altaussee with a game of tennis at the most beautiful tennis courts I've ever seen. Situated right on the shores of Altaussee, the Tennis Club Altaussee offers hourly rentals of the court, no membership required. All you need to do is bring your own racket and you can play with a surreal mountain backdrop. It was my first time playing tennis in 14 years and I have to say I am already re-hooked on the sport!
Following our game of tennis, we had lunch near the ferry dock, a tiny little boat that ferries passengers across the lake. I couldn't find the restaurant on Google Maps, but it was right where the ferry comes. And they do a surprisingly delicious spinach strudel.
Then of course, we spent the rest of our day lazing about lakeside swimming in the crystal clear water with some of the best views of a lake in Austria I've yet seen.
From Altaussee, we drove 15 minutes further to Grundlsee, another seriously beautiful nearby lake. We wandered around the lake a bit, enjoying especially the view from the little walk up near the MONDI Hotel.
There is a darling little swim spot on the edge of town and a staff-less grocery store where you can pick up picnic supplies and refreshments. During the summer, plays and other events take place around the lake.
We finished the evening with dinner at the lakefront Gasthaus Rostiger Anker. The food wasn't spectacular, but the restaurant is right on the water and we even got lucky with a little boat of men in lederhosen floating past playing their instruments and drinking beer - very Austrian, indeed!
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
