Austria Off The Beaten Path Zell Am See Innsbruck And Bad Gastein

M ention Austria and              camping and rock climbing. The     everyone thinks of Vienna      Krimml Waterfalls are extremely    and Salzburg. In addition      impressive. Zell am See isn't the  to great names, Zell am See,          cheapest of travel destinations,   Innsbruck and Bad Gastein are         but it should top the list if      great locations off the beaten        money isn't a concern. The best    path.                                 month to go is December when                                             skiing is good and winter          Zell am See                           festivals occur in the town.                                                                                Zell...am...See. The name just        Innsbruck                          rolls off the tongue, but it                                             pails in comparison to the place.     Built on the Inn River, Innsbruck  Often described as heaven on          was the home to the 1976 Winter    earth, Zell am See is a dream         Olympics. And for good reason. As  location in the mountains of          with much of Austria, the town is  Austria. With towering mountains      picturesquely set against          on one side and a lake on the         mountains and ripe with street     other, the town looks like            cafes and surrounding areas that   something out of a postcard. If       look like something out of the     you pull up photographs of the        movie Heidi. As the Olympic        town, you'll swear they have been     designation would suggest, the     touched up with a software            town is a good launching point     program. This town is simply that     for hitting the slopes, but there  beautiful. In the winter, Zell am     is much more to it. The historic   See is all about skiing with          district has the cobblestone       numerous resorts for glacier          atmosphere you've come to expect   skiing. In the summer, one can        from town in the Alps. In          lounge on a boat on the lake or       addition to atmosphere, you can    hit the mountains for hiking,         visit historic locations such as   the tomb of Emperor Maximilian 1.     fixtures of Innsbruck. Built                                             overlooking a valley, the town                                           has some incredible views.         My only gripe with Innsbruck is       Historically, Bad Gastein is the   the boring, modern developments       spa town of Austria with emperors  around the core of the town that      and other VIPs taking in           were brought on by the Olympics.      treatment. For atmosphere, the     They sort of kill the mood, which     town feels like it hasn't changed  brings us to Bad Gastein.             since the 19th century. If you're                                        looking for old world Austria,     Bad Gastein                           this is the place. Make sure to                                          hurry though as the town is        Bad Gastein definitely gets a         supposedly grabbing the attention  nomination for name of the year.      of developers who are thinking     It just sounds like a town where      hotels and casinos are a must.     bikers would hang out.                                                   Admittedly, it is hard to image       If you visit Austria, Vienna and   Austrian Hells Angels, but you        Salzburg are definite              get my drift.                         destinations. Just make sure you                                         get out to the incredible towns    Bad Gastein is an old Austrian        in the mountains.                  village without the droll modern       About the Author: Rick Chapo is with http://www.nomadjournals.com - makers of travel journals. Writing journals are great travel accessories and travel gifts for him or her. Visit http://www.nomadjournaltrips.com for more travel articles. Source: www.isnare.com