Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ON THE BEACH
There's no sea for miles, but nearly all of Austria's major lakes are fringed with
Strandbäder
(lidos) for an invig-
orating dip, many of which have beaches, outdoor pools and barbecue areas. Some are free, while others charge
a nominal fee of around €3 per day. If you dare to bare all,
Frei Körper Kultur
(FKK; nudist) beaches, including
those at Hard (
Click here
) on Bodensee, Hallstätter See, Milstätter See and even the
Donauinsel
(Danube Island;
Donauinsel) in Vienna, welcome skinny-dippers.
Water Sports
Austria may be landlocked but it offers plenty of watery action on its lakes and rivers in
summer. You can windsurf on Neusiedler See, white-water raft in Tyrol or scuba dive in
Wörthersee (
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)
. Zipping across lakes by wind power is the most popular water
sport in the country, and if Olympic medals are anything to go by, the locals aren't bad at
it either.
Rafting & Canoeing
Rafting, canoeing or kayaking the swirling white waters of Austria's alpine rivers are
much-loved summertime escapades. Big rivers that support these fast-paced sports in-
clude the Enns and Salza in Styria; the Inn, Sanna and Ötztaler Ache in Tyrol; and the
Isel in East Tyrol. Tours start from around €30 and usually include transport and equip-
ment.
Well-known rafting centres include Landeck (
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)
, Innsbruck (
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)
for
adventures on the Inn, Zell am Ziller (
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)
and St Anton am Arlberg (
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)
.
Windsurfing & Sailing
Sailing, windsurfing and kitesurfing are all extremely popular pursuits on Austria's lakes.
Close to Vienna lies Neusiedler See (
Click here
)
, one of the few steppe lakes in Cent-
ral Europe and the number-one place for windsurfing and kitesurfing thanks to its stiff
winds. It hosts a heat of the Surf World Cup from late April to early May.
St Gilgen (
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)
and Mondsee (
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)
in Salzkammergut are highly scenic
lakes for water sports; the latter harbours Austria's largest sailing school. Millstätter See
