Bad Gastein

An international resort of town-sized dimensions, Bad Gastein in the Hohe Tauern mountains has a long history of tourism pre-dating winter sports by many centuries. Today it is a town of grand appearance with classically designed hotels with shades of white and pale yellow cutting up in to the skyline. The town grew up, as its name might suggest, on 17 natural healing thermal springs which still rise directly beneath it as they have for the past 3000 years. After a hard day skiing the 250km (170 miles) of trails on the Gastein Valley Pass it’s possible to bathe in the open air in the rock swimming pool complex filled by the hot natural springs.

Bad Gastein’s spa treatments were recognised as far back as the 13th century, but its skiing potential only came to light in the 1950s after the first cable car in Austria was opened here in 1950 and the Ski World Cup of 1958 subsequently drew further attention. However the resort remains as famous for its curative abilities as it does for its winter sports facilities, with the healing powers of the Gastein Thermal Gallery particularly highly praised. This was created by miners digging for gold who discovered that, despite the hard work, their rheumatic pains were getting less, not greater.

The sense of the importance of water to Bad Gastein – be it bubbling up through the rocks below or turned to snow on the mountains above, is everywhere, and emphasised most visibly perhaps by the spectacular waterfall that cascades down by the town.

BEST FOR LADIES
It was the spa business that put our beautiful valley on the map in the 16th century and put the Bad in Badgastein and Bad Hofgastein. With 17 hot springs, it’s still a big draw, although more people come for general wellness than a medical cure these days. Of the Alpen Thermal Spa’s six different spa experiences, one is ‘ladies only’ – a blissful way to unwind at the end of the day.

BEST FOR BREAKFAST
There’s no better way to build an appetite than a brisk hike to the Kreuzkogel (2700m) in the crisp morning air, after the comfortable lift ride from Sportgastein. A gourmet breakfast awaits in the designer capsule on the summit, with a gorgeous panorama of 400 peaks glistening in the early sun. After that, lay down first tracks on a corduroy piste or in back-country powder.

BEST SKI IN THE EASTERN ALPS
Be sure to ski the Hohe Scharte Nord – at 10.4 km and a top-to-bottom drop of 1440m, it is one of the longest downhill runs in the Eastern Alps, and one of the most beautiful. Ski it non-stop for a thigh-burning challenge. And if you like the latest in technology, link your lift ticket to the internet and track all your vertical stats.

BEST FOR GIN, AND SCHNSAPS, AND SUSHI and so on
Choose from 130 different gins from across the globe at Ginger n’ Gin. Drink straight, mix with tonic or martini or the secret ingredients of a Tante Lilli (knock-out cocktail). G&G also has the best sushi at a terrific (low) price. For a traditional fondue, the best place is Bellevue Alm; ski down to it for lunch or take the single-seater chair-lift up for supper. Go easy with the house Zirbenschnapps before tobogganing down.

BEST KARMA
The pretty hamlet of Dorfgastein boasts the only Feng Shui’d Restaurant in the Alps: the UnterbergerWirt, where the Berti Family invite sceptics and converts to sample their ‘5th element’ cuisine and stay in a pastoral setting that can’t fail to boost harmony and energy.

BEST GOURMET TOUR
Seven mountain huts, full of character and charm; seven of Austria’s leading chefs; seven specially created signature dishes. Ask for the Gasteiner Skihauben Guide from any ticket office in the valley, for directions to a different gourmet lunch each day of your stay.

BEST BEER
Bad Hofgastein has its own micro-brewery, Schmaranz. Enjoy the strong local biobrew in the cosy ambience of the Bräustuberl, while the steaks and schnitzels sizzle over the flames of an open fire.

BEST FOLKLORE
Squeeze into the tiny Hexen Häusl bar on Mozartplatz, its beams hung with ghoulish Krampus masks, gingerbread hearts, and other knick knacks. The music won’t be Mozart, but it rocks.