[Resort Insider] Bad Gastein

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 Bad Gastein 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 (2,700m) 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 10.4km 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 Schnaps, 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 chairlift up for supper. Go easy with the house Zirbenschnaps 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 “fifth 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 Bräustüberl, while the steaks and schnitzels sizzle over the flames of an open fire.

Best Folklore

Squeeze into the tiny Hexenhäusl 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.

By Martina Ellmauer