Austrian Alps in winter and summer

Austria is the country that will suit nature's active and active, calm and contemplative natures, romantic and loving natures ... In short, everyone. Because this rather modest country has a surprisingly diverse landscape, climate and relief. The lakes of Carinthia, the castles of Salzburg and Styria, the splendid Vienna and, of course, the Austrian Alps ... It is nice and comfortable at any time of the year, because Austria is a European country known for its Italian splendor and hospitality, German cleanness and punctuality, Slavic openness and sincerity.

Speaking of this country as a tourist destination, many mean primarily the Austrian Alps, namely the federal lands of Salzburgerland, Tyrol and Carinthia. About the ski tourism industry say one figure: the Alps occupy two thirds of the territory of Austria; The mountainous regions are divided into 71 ski regions, where from November to May there are 800 resorts, and 4 of them take skiers all year round. And not every high-situated settlement can be called a ski resort, but only one that is in the immediate vicinity of the ski lifts or connected with them by special transport for tourists-skiers.

And, of course, the service. European, impeccable, and at the same time unobtrusive, home-warm. Ski hotels in Austria are not just cozy and comfortable rooms, but also wonderful rooms with fireplaces, saunas where you can relax after a day's skiing, restaurants with sun terraces, ski schools and even kindergartens where children are looked after for free by children. And the ski resorts give the opportunity to climb the peaks and glaciers in a matter of minutes on the saddle lifts or on the cable car.

The ski runs of 350 km of any complexity make it possible to dash down in the high valleys of Stubaital, Viptal and Intal, on the slopes of the giant Patcherkofel, on the Groser Isidor mountain, on the Dachstein glacier or on the slopes of the ski resorts Schladming and Filzmoos. And do not necessarily know how to ski. The Austrian Alps have trails for cross-country skiing, and for sledding, and for dog sleds, and for skate lovers there are comfortable skating rinks. Also there are panoramic walks on snowshoes, and for fans of extreme sports - snowboarding, rock-climbing, snow-surfing, hot-air ballooning, descents from peaks on a parachute. Apres ski, that is, after skiing, also has something to do: restaurants and taverns, wellness SPA centers and cinemas, casinos and boutiques - all of them hospitably open the doors and glow with lights.

In the summer, the Austrian Alps are no less amazing. Many kilometers of hiking routes are developed here. Mountain trails are equipped with a marking and are designed as an easy walk for several hours, and for a serious trip in a few days with an overnight stay in special shelters-chalets.

No less vacationers are attracted to summer vacations in Austria on the lakes of Carinthia. There are more than 1200 of them, large and small, well warmed up, and in some lakes, according to the authorities, absolutely drinking water splashes. The largest lake in Carinthia is the Wörthersee. On its shores are numerous resorts, for example, Klagenfurt (the capital of this federal land, the airport of the city accepts international flights) and Velden (Velden).

The tourist infrastructure on the lakes is no less developed than in the ski resorts of Austria: guests are offered to ride on yachts, "bananas", catamarans, a musical laser show on the water for classical music. You can leisurely ride along the coast on a bicycle or roller skates, feed ducks and swans, eat at the restaurant trout, caught from the lake, enjoy the view of the harsh peaks on the horizon. And you want to pounce in the city's tumult - forward, to the noisy and merry Vienna, to the musical Salzburg and the high-altitude Innsbruck, where 11 churches and 5 monasteries took shelter in a small space.