Travel to Bad Gastein with travel insurance from Essential Travel

Located in the centre of the Gastein Valley, to the south of Salzburg, Bad Gastein first became famous in the 19th century for its radon-rich hot springs. Today the ski area, with its four domains, provides an extensive array of pistes, a World Cup downhill run and great off-piste powder.

The town occupies a splendid site on the northern slope of the Sauern Alps, with a natural waterfall at its centre. The main street is lined with hotels, luxury shops and quaint old buildings; while several promenades on the outskirts invite quiet walks through a meticulously tended landscape commanding beautiful views.

Bad Gastein boasts 250kms of prepared runs, the longest of which is eight kilometres. Skiing favours good intermediates, with lots of challenges and tree-lined skiing available. For experts, there is a wide range of off-piste, and great powder can be found on the Kreuzkogel. One funicular train, one cable car, nine gondolas, 19 chairlifts and 18 surface lifts provide access to all pistes.

There are 17,000 beds available in the Gastein Valley, with accommodation ranging from pensions to luxury hotels. Facilities are very good and, in addition to the skiing, there is ice-skating, swimming and saunas, while numerous excellent restaurants provide nourishment. The nightlife is quite varied, with dancing, a cinema, folklore evenings and several bars and discos.

For alternative skiing, it is possible to ski from Bad Gastein to Bad Hofgastein, and return by train. A ski circus also connects Dorfgastein, another village in the Gastein Valley, with the Grossarl Valley. Nearby Salzburg, known for its connection with Mozart and its churches, palaces, castles and art collections, makes a great daytrip away from the slopes. Villach is also another interesting excursion.

The ski season at Bad Gastein ski resort runs from December to May, with the best snow conditions in February. The most convenient means of getting to Bad Gastein is to fly to Salzburg and take a train to the resort.

Skiing in Bad Gastein

Bad Gastein is one of the most highly visited areas in Austria, with skiers drawn to the 250kms of excellent ski and snowboard terrain, and spa enthusiasts coming for the world famous 19th century hot springs.

The 250kms of pistes at Bad Gastein are divided into 30 per cent for beginners, 58 per cent for intermediates and 12 per cent for advanced skiers and snowboarders. Forty-eight lifts can carry up to 70,000 people per hour to all pistes, and the longest run is eight kilometres. Snowboarders also have a park and half-pipe, while cross-country skiers have 91kms of Nordic tracks, and experts have lots of powder.

The December to May ski season at Bad Gastein has its best snow in February and cheaper low season rates in mid-December, mid-January and April. Salzburg and Munich are the gateway airports; while car hire is the most convenient transfer option to Bad Gastein, rail transfers are the most practical

Apres-ski in Bad Gastein

Other winter activities and facilities at Bad Gastein ski resort include: hiking; horse-drawn sleigh rides; horseback riding; natural ice-skating; local curling; paragliding; and hang-gliding. In addition, there are thermal indoor and outdoor pools; saunas; tennis; a sports centre; and winter golf. Après-ski is varied and exciting, with regular folklore evenings, dancing, cinema and plenty of restaurants and cafés, as well as bars and discos.

Gastein is the main town in the Gastein Valley, a year round spa town that attracts visitors from around the world (only Vienna has more overnight guests). Excellent childcare, an array of shops and a wide range of accommodation to suit every budget, help make this a great resort town. There are 17,000 beds in all, from top class hotels to comfortable pensions and apartments.

Transportation to Bad Gastein

Bad Gastein ski resort is located 90kms south of Salzburg, in the Gastein Valley, and is train-linked. The quickest way here is to fly to Salzburg Airport and hire a car, while Bad Gastein’s proximity with the A-10 autobahn makes self-drive straightforward; international rail travel is also popular.

Bad Gastein is 400kms from Vienna, 230kms from Munich and 1,070kms from Paris. Driving here is relatively easy due to the excellent autoroutes and autobahns that furnish the area, and the quickest route from Calais goes via Reims, Metz, Strasbourg, Stuttgart, Munich and Salzburg. From here, head south on the A-10, and then exit on to the B-311 for the resort (1,200kms; 11 to 12 hours).

By train from the UK, there is a regular Eurostar service from London (Waterloo) to Paris (Nord). An overnighter then goes to Munich from gare de l’Est, from where a Eurocity service then goes to Salzburg, or direct to Bad Gastein. Regional trains then make the short hop to the resort. Trains leave every hour from Salzburg and Munich. The trip from the UK takes around 17 hours in total.

Salzburg has the closest international airport and has a regular train service to Bad Gastein. Munich-FJ Strauss Airport receives more flights than Salzburg, making it the preferred choice for many. Munich also has a rail terminal at its airport with regular departures, via Munich city, to the resort. By car, Bad Gastein is 1 hour, 30 minutes from Salzburg Airport and three hours from Munich-FJ Strauss Airport.

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