Lakeside Vacation Like the Richest Man! No Need to Go to Switzerland, Get It Here at 30% Off!

The pandemic that hit the world has absolutely changed everyone's life over the past two years. Even Fire Rabbit herself thought, 'I wanted to roam the world with a sword, but ended up having a baby.' Seeing friends back home start to explore our great China, opening new horizons, many of you also miss the days when you could spontaneously travel abroad, right? Come on, those of you who want to come to Europe, let me see your hands! Fortunately, although I can't return to my motherland, I can console myself by playing around in Europe a bit and continue to provide travel guides for our Flower Fans. Today's theme is: 🌊 The Austrian Lake District 🌊. When talking about the Austrian Lake District, the first place everyone thinks of is certainly Hallstatt. How popular is this place? Fire Rabbit once passed through by train, and the previously empty train carriage was instantly filled with Asian tourists. It is said that hotel owners there just lie back and relax, because even if they do nothing, they are fully booked all year round—truly a win by lying down. 👇 This picture made the destination famous instantly. Is Hallstatt beautiful? Of course! But the Austrian Lake District certainly has more than just this one pearl. If you ask ten Austrians whether they would go to Hallstatt for a vacation, about nine would say no. Fire Rabbit once visited the lake town of Altaussee, where a 007 movie was filmed. There, you can enjoy a peaceful, undisturbed vacation. Today, Fire Rabbit recommends a few more lake towns for Flower Fans to arrange when visiting Austria after the pandemic. Give other pearls a chance. 🌊 You Can Also Play in the Water in Vienna 🌊 If you visit Austria, Vienna is likely your first stop. If you visit this comfortable city in summer, your water journey begins right here. Long-time residents of Vienna often arrange boating trips on the blue Danube in summer. Depending on the group size, if you want to exercise, a rowboat costs just over 20 euros per hour—a great price. For something more relaxed, you can choose an electric boat, which is not much more expensive. Besides renting boats, Viennese also bring out their own gear—sailboats, paddleboards—loudly playing dance music, swaying, taking a few sips. This is how Viennese spend their summer weekends. 🚍 Transportation Info 📝: The "Marina Hofbauer" is conveniently located. Just minutes from the city center, easily accessible by public transport, car, or bike. U-Bahn: The Marina Hofbauer is 50 meters from the U1 station 'Alte Donau'. For night owls, the U-Bahn runs 24 hours on Saturdays, Sundays, and before public holidays. Bus lines 20A and 20B, and night line N25 stop directly at 'Alte Donau' on the U1. After getting out of the water, head to Vienna's famous ice cream shop Tichy and reward yourself with a few scoops. Look for these two scoops! Order them, you won't go wrong! However, playing in the water is just the prelude in Vienna. Let's move on to the main course: Zell am See. Whether for a winter ski holiday or a summer family vacation, Zell am See is a great choice. The city of Zell am See belongs to the Salzburg region and is located at the foot of the Schmittenhöhe mountain. On normal days, it's a quiet town, but during summer and winter tourist seasons, the city has many more 'temporary' residents. For a long time, winter sports, especially ski holidays, have been the main motivation for visiting Zell am See. This article mainly provides useful information for Chinese tourists planning a summer vacation. Seriously, as soon as I arrived, my OP (route planner) soul started burning. I really feel that this place is perfect for Chinese travelers! You can arrange a rich and fun itinerary every day, and you can also get all kinds of stunning mobile phone photos to shine on your Moments! In summer at Zell am See, you can gaze out between three-thousand-meter peaks, walk by the lake, and there are countless hiking trails. In the Alps, whether it's mountain climbing, mountain biking, or rafting, it's suitable for the whole family. You might be drawn to the trails of Schmittenhöhe or explore the themed paths of the Großglockner hiking paradise. For summer visitors, I strongly recommend getting the Zell am See-Kaprun Summer Card. With this card, you get many benefits: free entry to scenic spots, free cable car rides, free shuttle buses, etc., saving you a lot of money. But! This card cannot be purchased; you can only get it by staying at accommodations that cooperate with the card program. This makes some hotels on booking platforms look a bit more expensive, but for travelers who are on the go (not just lying by the lake all day but visiting attractions and going up mountains) or for those staying two days or more locally, it's very worthwhile! 🛏 Accommodation Recommendation This time, following a local friend's recommendation, we booked the wooden cabin hotel Schmittental hotel & pension. No complaints—it also cooperates with the Summer Card. Upon check-in, you receive a city card with your name on it. Flower Fans can book it with confidence next time. 🏡 Traditional Austrian-style wooden cabin, family-run, with vintage and refined decorations, giving a pleasant feeling of staying at a friend's grandmother's house. The location is not in the traditional city center, but you can easily walk from the small (tiny) center up to the hillside. Along the way, you'll pass old wooden houses and gardens carefully tended by their owners, offering a typical Alpine European lifestyle scenery—never boring! In the morning, my husband Ou Dabao and I would even make the rare effort to explore the winding mountain roads. 🏡 The hotel offers a nice breakfast. Sitting in the morning light, chatting with friends, and planning the day's itinerary is the most leisurely time of the day. 🏍 Three-Day Itinerary Recommendation 🏍 DAY 1: SCHMITTENHÖHE ELISABETHKAPELLE / Sisi Chapel on the Summit For Chinese people, Sisi (Empress Elisabeth) is a name that cannot be avoided when traveling in Austria (or even Germany). The face of Sisi from the dubbed film on CCTV6 easily comes to mind. Visiting an old friend during travel is normal. From our Schmittental hotel & pension, we can walk to the cable car station Schimitten in Zell am See. Using the Summer Card, you can ride the cable car for free to the summit, where the views are spectacular. It takes about ten more minutes to walk to the Sisi Chapel at the top. Speaking of Sisi, she must be the original travel KOL. Although she has become the undisputed代言人 (spokesperson) for travel in Austria now, with various merchandise showing how beloved she is, in her own time, in the eyes of the people, she was just a capricious and unqualified queen who ignored state affairs and longed to escape court life and the responsibilities of her identity. Travel is an addiction with no turning back. Everyone's first departure is special. For Sisi, to escape endless coughing and court disputes, she 'departed' in 1860, roamed Europe, and returned 20 years later, transformed from a shy girl into a confident queen. The chapel on the summit was a gift in September 1908, the tenth anniversary of Sisi's death. Today, there is still a small plaque on the chapel commemorating Sisi's hike to Schmittenhöhe on August 9, 1885. Now, we can easily take a cable car up, and only the last short stretch requires walking uphill, which already leaves us breathless. In the 19th century, guests were brought to Schmittenhöhe by the Schmitten-Wagerl horse team. However, Sisi was not willing to ride leisurely up the mountain. She set off at 1 a.m. on August 9, 1885, with mountain guide Anton Ulmann from Zell am See to experience a wonderful sunrise. The ascent via the steep riding path took about 3 hours. As an enthusiastic hiker, Sisi completed the climb in just 2 hours and 16 minutes. She did everything to keep her figure slim and healthy, so she loved hiking and exercise. Many of her fitness machines can be seen in the Vienna palace; she was almost as fit as a professional athlete. Besides visiting the Sisi Chapel and enjoying the stunning views, you can also sit down at the summit hotel Berghotel Schmittenhöhe, face the beautiful scenery, and have a drink. Emperor Franz Joseph I, Sisi's husband, stayed overnight here after visiting Schmittenhöhe on July 1, 1893. Fire Rabbit also recommends checking out the toilet here—it might be the most scenic toilet view ever. Additionally, at the summit, you can also try paragliding. Taking off from 1,200 meters and gliding for 15–30 minutes costs 130 euros. What do you think of that price? DAY 2: Kaprun Hochgebirgsstauseen (Kaprun High Mountain Reservoirs) The Kaprun High Mountain Reservoirs are a must-see in summer. They have a winter break and reopen to visitors around May each year when spring arrives. When a local friend told us we were going to the reservoir, I was puzzled—what's so interesting about a reservoir? But after going, I found it was absolutely worth the trip. Let me show you a picture to prove how much you should take advantage of the Summer Card! The entrance fee plus transport costs 24 euros for adults! With the Summer Card, you just swipe and enter—all free! Taking the shuttle bus up the mountain, you see lush green everywhere. Soon, a sapphire-like artificial mountain lake appears before you. If no one told you, you'd never imagine such a lake is a reservoir lake, nestled among the three-thousand-meter peaks of the Alps, looking almost like a fjord. This is a power station of the Austrian energy company VERBUND. Besides the beautiful high mountain lake scenery, there is also a small reservoir model that teaches children the principles of hydropower generation. Here, besides the snow that remains in summer, you can also see marmots and even the Austrian national flower—the edelweiss. For adults, the snow-covered peaks reflected on the calm lake surface, lying on a wooden bench by the lake, enjoying the rare summer sun, is true enjoyment. The Mooserboden dam is 107 meters high and about 500 meters long, spanning the valley. In summer, the dam wall becomes a climbing paradise. The dam has also attracted many film shoots. You can also go inside the dam for a guided tour to truly understand the secrets of hydropower generation. Every Tuesday in July and August at 1:15 p.m., there is a special children's guided tour. Moms and dads can consider bringing their kids. Approaching the dam, you'll see a monument commemorating the Polish workers who were forced to build the dam during World War II. There are also cute interactive quizzes for kids, like guessing which hat belonged to a construction worker. When traveling, one pain point is having no one to take photos, especially when you have such a huge beautiful backdrop. A selfie stick about ten meters long would be enough! At some popular photo spots in Zell am See, there are high-up countdown selfie sticks. The finished photo can be downloaded for free from the URL on the sign. There is one next to the dam. At the other end of the dam is a museum, not only about the history of this power station but also about the popularization of renewable energy, including interactive installations. For example, using a handle to make water flow, pushing a spoon-shaped turbine to generate electricity and light up a bulb. These interactions are very interesting and educational. DAY 3: Top of Salzburg Let's go higher! Have you ever climbed a peak over 3,000 meters? Do you want to experience the charm of ice and snow even in summer? You must visit the Top of Salzburg. It can be considered the highlight of the entire Zell am See trip. The 'Top of Salzburg' observation deck is located at the Kitzsteinhorn summit station, at an altitude of 3,029 meters. This viewpoint is not only unique but also the highest point in Salzburg and the entire Hohe Tauern National Park region that is easily accessible to everyone, since you just take a cable car. Again, with the Summer Card, the cable car is free! The cable car is divided into several sections. The first fully enclosed cable car takes you from 911 meters to 1,976 meters. At this platform, there is a small children's playground and a restaurant. Although it's not yet 2,000 meters, you can already gaze into the distance. There is a row of benches facing the distant scenery. There is also a popular photo spot where you can capture the distant mountains in your picture. Next, you reach an altitude of 2,450 meters. From the cable car, you can already see the white snow on the ridges. Exciting! As a kid from the north who hasn't seen much snow, seeing snow in summer feels magical! At the second platform, since there is snow, of course you have to play in it. Prepared visitors bring their own snowshoes and hiking poles. The platform also provides free snow sleds, so you can race friends down the snowy slope. Then, it's time to head into the 3,000-meter zone! Unlike the previous panoramic cable car, the vehicle to Gipfelwelt is a funicular. Once at the top, you can reach the summit of the Top of Salzburg at 3,029 meters. When you step onto the terrace, you will be amazed by the magnificent view of the surrounding mountains. An overview board explains which peaks seem to be at your feet, and you can use special telescopes to identify the names of the majestic mountains. To the south is Austria's highest mountain, the Großglockner, at 3,798 meters. The glacier summit of Großvenediger shines in the sun to the west. In summer, free guided tours start daily from the Top of Salzburg. During this free National Park Ranger tour, you can comfortably hike from the observation point of the 'Top of Salzburg' to the viewpoint of the National Park Art Gallery. In the mysterious National Park Gallery information gallery, the ranger explains the formation of rock crystals, natural phenomena of the Hohe Tauern region like gold, silver, and permafrost, as well as the flora, fauna, and glaciers of the Hohe Tauern. This kind of educational tour is truly worthwhile! Extra Activity: Lake Zell Boat Cruise How can you be in a lake district without enjoying boating? In earlier times, Lake Zell boat cruises were just a form of public transportation for locals. For many merchants and farmers, boat transport was the fastest way to move goods. In 1947, the first tourist boat (Libelle) 'Dragonfly' made its maiden voyage and is still in service today. If you want to take a sightseeing cruise, find the departure schedule by the lake. For a simple boat ride, it's 15.5 euros for adults and 7.5 euros for children. 🦃 Food Recommendation 🍴 Hilberger's Beisl After coming down from the reservoir, you can try this place. 'Beisl' is an old typical Austrian term for simple cuisine, rustic food, and an informal atmosphere. The restaurant has a farmhouse-style wooden cabin feel, with a welcome sign in different languages at the entrance. You can relax naturally and feel at ease. If the weather is nice in summer, you can sit in the garden, which is next to a small stream, so you can enjoy your meal accompanied by the sound of the stream. Plus, the garden is perfect for photos! Take some pictures before eating. The dishes are exquisite—slow-cooked beef, Austrian pork chops—order with confidence, everything is delicious! 🍻 Toms Bar & Lounge The hottest little bar in the city center. Guess what the owner's name is? That's right, Tom. It's basically the busiest bar in the most vibrant area at night. The local owner Tom and his girlfriend Susi from Vienna are very nice. The interior is small, with a solid wood style reflecting the owner's love for nature. It's the best place to drink, relax, and meet friends. Next time you come to Europe, remember to visit the Austrian Lake District. Fire Rabbit's post-pregnancy itinerary is also secretly being planned. After a change in social status, there will be more family-friendly recommendations in the future. All moms and dads should pay attention! Where did you go on your last trip to Europe? Where will your first stop be when you return to Europe? Come and chat with Huahua about it!