Steam around the Austrian Lakes

Paddle steamers, steam trains, mountain railways and, best of all, fantastic Alpine landscapes all feature on this wonderful holiday tour of the Austrian Lake District.

• Conveniently based in Salzburg throughout, you’ll enjoy a truly relaxed and refined tour itinerary, with ample time for personal leisure and travel exploration of the city’s many attractions, including castles, funiculars, palaces and
  mountain railways.
• Experience Austria’s finest and most tranquil mountain lakes on private charter cruises featuring genuine paddle steamers, vintage motor vessels and elegant salon ships, including the iconic steamboat ‘Gisela’ from 1871.
• Combine scenic journeys by water with mountaineering excursions on steam-powered rack railways, steep funiculars and panoramic gondolas, taking you to some of Europe’s most spectacular peaks, all in comfort and style.
• The fabulous ‘little trains’ of Austria feature prominently on this holiday, and journeys on the idyllic Zillertalbahn, Pinzgauerbahn, Steyrtalbahn and Pöstlingbergbahn and Achenseebahn narrow-gauge railways let you sample both ‘Plandampf’ and private charter travel with plenty of run-pasts and photo stops.
  

Wednesday 9th July
Arrive in Salzburg; exploration with all-inclusive Salzburg Card
After a direct morning flight from London to Salzburg you arrive in the birth city of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart by mid-day. After transfer to your hotel, you enjoy a welcome lunch and receive a Salzburg Card all-inclusive access pass, allowing full access to the city’s local trolleybus network, the popular fortress funicular and vertical elevator to the top of the Mönchsberg, from where you can enjoy views of the spires and rooftops of this UNESCO World Heritage site. The Salzburg card also covers admission for all city museums, the Mozart sites and the historic Stiegl brewery. Following your discovery of Salzburg, there’s an evening dinner back at the hotel. (L D)

Thursday 10th July
The palaces and mountain railways of Salzburg
Salzburg is packed and stacked with a unique variety of attractions that will appeal to both the common traveler as well as the railway enthusiast. This includes the ornate palace at Hellbrunn with its famous fountains and water displays. From Hellbrunn you continue to the nearby Untersbergbahn, a scenic aerial cableway in the south of Salzburg that takes you to the top of the cragged Untersberg summit at a height of 1972 m above sea level.From there you have stunning views of both the Austrian and Bavarian Alps. After the descent back down you can return by trolleybus to the city centre, for more individual discovery and cultural exploration of Salzburg. For all railway enthusiasts there is also an inclusive ticket for the Salzburger Lokalbahn, the scenic local railway that serves two branches to the north of the city using vintage stock and passing over several impressive viaducts. In the evening there’s another dinner back at the hotel. (B D)

Friday 11th July
Paddle cruise on Wolfgangsee and steam charter at the spectacular Schafberg rack railway
In the morning there is still time to use your Salzburg Card for all the countless city attractions you might now have yet been able to see and do on the previous two days.
Then in the early afternoon you transfer to the nearby Alpine lake Wolfgangsee for a charter cruise on this serene mountain lake aboard the historic 1873 paddle-wheeler Kaiser Franz Josef. This white-funnelled ship will take you back in time to the glory days of the late 19th century. Afterwards you ascend to the summit of nearby Mount Schafberg by private steam train on its famed rack and pinion railway, the steepest steam-powered rack railway in Austria, dating from 1893. From the top you’ll have stunning evening views of lakes and distant glaciers.
You have dinner at the summit restaurant before you descend back down the mountain by steam train just in time for sunset. Then you return by private coach to Salzburg. (B D)

Saturday 12th July
Alpine steam at Zell am See on the Pinzgauer Lokalbahn
After breakfast you travel by ÖBB train to the famed mountainous resort town of Zell am See, a chalet village framed by tall peaks and situated on the banks of a small lake. After a look around the village you have a private steam charter train from Zell am See to the railways’ current end-point at Mittersill with the unique ‘Express’ steam locomotive 73-019. This magnificent 2-6-2 tender locomotive is the fastest narrow gauge steam locomotive in Austria and was built in 1913 for use in Bosnia. Typical Austrian apple strudel and other light refreshments will be served in the bar car of the train at mid-day. In the late afternoon you return to Salzburg by ÖBB service train, which is likely to be hauled by a classic Class 1144 electric locomotive. Tonight you are free to dine at leisure at a local restaurant of your choice. (B L)

Sunday 13th July
Steam at the Steyrtalbahn and Pöstlingbergbahn mountain railway in Linz
Today you take a late morning ÖBB express train from Salzburg to Linz, before continuing by coach to Steyr. Here you experience one of the oldest preserved railways in Austria and one its most idyllic ‘little trains’. The line leads along roughly 16 km (10 miles) through a pretty valley to Grünburg. There will be ample opportunities to photograph the rustic tank engine dating from the early 20th century, before returning to Linz by private coach.
There you board a vintage electric tramway on the panoramic Pöstlingbergbahn mountain railway. This engineering marvel from 1898 is one of the steepest adhesion-only railways in the world with gradients up to 1 in 8.6 (11.6%).Your stylish train first crosses the River Danube, offering a full view of the urban landscape, before making the climb to the mountain-top at 519 m above sea level. From the top you will have sweeping views of Linz, the Danube and the pretty hillside scenery of Upper Austria. Then you descend back down the Pöstlingbergbahn, with its total length of 4.1 km. At the main square in Linz you enjoy a traditional Austrian dinner at a local Brauhaus, with ornate wooden panelling and tall ceilings. Afterwards you return by ÖBB Railjet to Salzburg. (B D)

Monday 14th July
Paddle steamer cruise on the Traunsee, Gmunden tramway
This morning you travel to the beautiful lakeside town of Gmunden in the heart of the Austrian Alps, to enjoy a private charter cruise on Lake Traunsee aboard the iconic paddle steamer Gisela of 1871, one of the oldest operational steamboats in the world. You’ll enjoy a buffet lunch aboard the ship surrounded by incredible scenery with amazing Alpine views. Gmunden is also famous for featuring one of the smallerst urban tramway’s in Austria and you take the scenic tram back to the main line railway station, before returning on ÖBB service trains to Salzburg. In the evening you may enjoy more time at leisure in the city. (B L)

Tuesday 15th July
Steam in Tyrol at the Zillertalbahn and steam at the Achenseebahn
Your tour concludes with double steam highlights as you travel in First Class on an OBB service train from Salzburg to Jenbach, where you first ride on the narrow-gauge Zillertalbahn to the mountain terminus of Mayrhofen.
The Zillertalbahn is renowned around Europe for its regular ‘Plandampf’ trains in summer and offers beautiful views of the typical Tyrolean landscape. Once back in Jenbach, you travel on the other local line, the antique rack railway, for the ascent up to the Achensee. At the Achensee, you board a vintage motor vessel dating from the early 20th century for a private charter cruise, capping your memorable holiday.
You return from Achensee to Jenbach on the rack railway, and then travel back to Salzburg once again in First Class on an OBB service train. A farewell dinner will be served at your hotel this evening. (B D)

Wednesday 16th July 2025
Return to London
After breakfast, you have a direct transfer to Salzburg airport, for a morning flight back to London. (B)