Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WEST STYRIA
Like northern Styria, west Styria is a mountainous region divided by jagged ranges and
alpine streams. Murau is a picturesque town well placed for hikes and cycle trips into the
surrounding forests. If you're heading this way from Graz, consider a detour to
Seckau
or
Oberzeiring
. The former is famous for its
Benedictine Abbey
(
www.abtei-seckau.at
;
Seckau 1; tours adult/
child €5/3.50; 8am-8pm year-round, tours 11am & 2pm May-late Oct)
, a stunning Romanesque basilica
and the mausoleum of Karl II, while the latter is known for its old
silver mine
(
www.silbergruben.at
;
adult/child/family €9/5/18; tours 10.30am, 1.30pm & 3pm daily May-Oct, 3pm Wed Nov-
Apr)
, now resurrected as an exhibition mine and small health resort for sufferers of respirat-
ory diseases.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Schladming
03687 / POP 4370
Situated deep in the Ennstal (Enns Valley) in western Styria at the foot of the glacial Dach-
steingebirge (Dachstein mountains), Schladming is a winter ski resort that in summer also
offers glacier skiing and snowboarding, easy access to hiking trails, white-water rafting on
the Enns River and excellent mountain biking. On Hoher Dachstein (2995m), don't miss
the opportunity to walk through a glacier crevice in the Eispalast or to admire views over
the Ennstal from the Skywalk high-altitude panorama platform.
Sights
Dachstein Eispalast
(
www.dachsteingletscher.at
;
Ramsau am Dachstein; adult/child €10/5.50, gondola return adult/child €33/18;
8.30am-4.30pm, gondola every 20min 7.50am-5.10pm)
Situated in a crevice of the Dachstein Glacier at
the sheer cliff face of the mountains, the
Eispalast
(Ice Palace) creates the strange effect of
walking through an enormous, hollow ice cube. A
gondola
, one of the world's most spectac-
ular, whisks you up and terminates with a vertical thrust at the spectacular
Skywalk
viewing
platform. About 10 buses daily (€8.10, 45 minutes) leave Lendplatz or Rathausplatz in
Schladming for the base station near Ramsau.
GLACIER
