Austria Off The Beaten Path - Zell Am See, Innsbruck And Bad
By Rick Chapo, Thu Dec 8th

Mention Austria and everyone thinks of Vienna and Salzburg. Inaddition to great names, Zell am See, Innsbruck and Bad Gasteinare great locations off the beaten path.

Zell am See

Zell...am...See. The name just rolls off the tongue, but itpails in comparison to the place. Often described as heaven onearth, Zell am See is a dream location in the mountains ofAustria. With towering mountains on one side and a lake on theother, the town looks like something out of a postcard. If youpull up photographs of the town, you'll swear they have beentouched up with a software program. This town is simply thatbeautiful. In the winter, Zell am See is all about withnumerous resorts for glacier skiing. In the summer, one canlounge on a boat on the lake or hit the mountains for hiking,camping and rock climbing. The Krimml Waterfalls are extremelyimpressive. Zell am See isn't the cheapest of traveldestinations, but it should top the list if money isn't aconcern. The best month to go is December when is goodand winter festivals occur in the town.

Innsbruck

Built on the Inn River, Innsbruck was the home to the 1976Winter Olympics. And for good reason. As with much of Austria,the town is picturesquely set against mountains and ripe withstreet cafes and surrounding areas that look like something outof the movie Heidi. As the Olympic designation would suggest,the town is a good launching point for hitting

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the slopes, butthere is much more to it. The historic district has thecobblestone atmosphere you've come to expect from town in theAlps. In addition to atmosphere, you can visit historiclocations such as the tomb of Emperor Maximilian 1.

My only gripe with Innsbruck is the boring, modern developmentsaround the core of the town that were brought on by theOlympics. They sort of kill the mood, which brings us to BadGastein.

Bad Gastein

Bad Gastein definitely gets a nomination for name of the year.It just sounds like a town where bikers would hang out.Admittedly, it is hard to image Austrian Hells Angels, but youget my drift.

Bad Gastein is an old Austrian village without the droll modernfixtures of Innsbruck. Built overlooking a valley, the town hassome incredible views. Historically, Bad Gastein is the spa townof Austria with emperors and other VIPs taking in treatment. Foratmosphere, the town feels like it hasn't changed since the 19thcentury. If you're looking for old world Austria, this is theplace. Make sure to hurry though as the town is supposedlygrabbing the attention of developers who are thinking hotels andcasinos are a must.

If you visit Austria, Vienna and Salzburg are definitedestinations. Just make sure you get out to the incredible townsin the mountains.

About the author:Rick Chapo is with http://www.nomadjournals.com - makers oftravel journals. Writing journals are great travel accessoriesand travel gifts for him or her. Visithttp://www.nomadjournaltrips.com for more travel articles.