BAD HOFGASTEIN - HOTELS & TOURIST INFORMATION

Bad Hofgastein Spa Holidays

The old, established spa of Bad Hofgastein (elevation 850 meters, population 6300) has long been a rival of Bad Gastein for the tourists. It's smaller than Bad Gastein but also so charming and interesting. The little resort is actually almost a satellite of the larger spa, as the thermal waters of Bad Gastein are pumped to its neighbor. Some hike-loving visitors like to follow a marked footpath on the 2 – 3 hour walk between the two resorts. The two towns attract almost as many visitors as Salzburg.

The Pfarrkirche (Parish Church) of this town is late Gothic, dating from the late fifteenth century, although it has a baroque altar. Some sights, such as old houses with turrets, are reminders of the gold-mining days of the Valley. In the sixteenth century, the nearby gold mines made Bad Hofgastein rival even Salzburg in opulent wealth.

Bad Hofgastein Skiing Holidays

The Gastein Valley and Bad Hofgastein are attracting more and more winter-sports fans. About fifty gondolas and ski lifts grant access to more than two hundred and fifty kilometers of well-marked and well-groomed ski slopes. Thanks to the high capacity of an updated funicular, a mono-cable rotation gondola lift with cabins for six passengers, two quadruple chairlifts, and a triple chairlift, skiers don't have to wait in long lines. The Dorfgastein-Grossarl connection and the lift network from Schlossalm via the Angertal and Jungeralm ski center up to the Stubnerkogel (the largest lift interconnection in Land Salzburg) provide some of the most enjoyable ski runs in the valley. Also available here are cross-country skiing on well-maintained tracks, tobogganing, skating, and riding in horse-drawn sleighs.

The nightlife in Bad Hofgastein, although it is not some large city is really attractive. One can go clubbing, sit in a tavern beside an open fire, or dance to the music of a live band at one of the hotels in the winter season. The latest information on which hotels or clubs are likely to have nightlife at any given time can be taken from the tourist office.
One of Bad Hofgastein's busiest night-spots is the Norica Bar - just off the lobby of the Hotel Norica.

Bad Hofgastein is a major stop on the main rail lines connecting Munich and Salzburg with Klagenfurt and Venice. Most efficient are the express trains from Salzburg, which depart almost on every hour throughout the day (trip takes about 80minutes). Night trains might require a transfer at Schwarzach-St. Veit, (about 70 kilometers) south of Salzburg. Dozens of trains traveling from Innsbruck also stop in Schwarzach-St. Veit.
One daily bus runs in both directions between Salzburg's Mirabellplatz and the railway station in Bad Hofgastein. This bus also continues on to Bad Gastein.
If you are driving, take the A10 south of Salzburg, cut right onto Route 311, and continue west to the junction with Route 167, where you head south to Bad Gastein.