Summer holidays in Schladming – Dachstein are perfect for everyone enjoying nature, great hiking paths, outdoor summer sport and adrenalin too.
When we heard that tourism in Austria brings more visitors during the summer than during winter, we were truly surprised. After all, we mostly know Austria because of its splendid ski areas and other winter fun activities. But the fact is that summer has been inviting tourists because of its historical towns and cities and also because of its amazing nature.
We had never visited Austria’s »winter« towns during the summer until now and mildly said we loved it! We spent 3 days in Schladming and were wondering how would we like it. Now we would recommend it to everyone traveling around Austria.
Best reasons to spend your summer holidays in Schladming-Dachstein
Hiking
Pack your hiking boots and explore the beautiful areas around Schladming. If you already visited Schladming because of skiing, you will now be able to take different hiking trails on the “green slopes”. The Schladming-Dachstein area offers more than 1000 kilometers of marked hiking trails.
Our little munchkin at 1900 meters for the very first time (Summer holidays in Schladming-Dachstein)
If you are traveling to Schladming-Dachstein with kids, we would definitely recommend you to hike up to Bachlalm hut, where wild marmots can be seen. They are so familiar with people, you can even feed them, so don’t forget to take an apple or some carrots with you when doing the hike.
Hiking paths are interesting to young and old (Summer holidays in Schladming-Dachstein)
Schladming
Schladming might not be a big town, but that’s why it is even more charming. Make sure to also see it from a nearby hill, as the views down, makes Schladming even more colorful.
The view down to Schladming (Summer holidays in Schladming-Dachstein)
Dachstein Sky Walk
The Dachstein Sky Walk is among three most visited tourist attractions in Austria, so it should definitely be put on your travel bucket list as well. More about the Dachstein Sky Walk in a separate blog post here.
The longest suspension bridge in Austria (Summer holidays in Schladming-Dachstein)
Cycling
No matter if you are street our mountain cyclist, you will have plenty of trails to choose from. There are even some mountain bike paths, which will run adrenalin through your veins. To top everything up, the sceneries are amazing!
Skiing and cross-country skiing
Oh yes, we did not do a mistake and you can really ski during the winter at the Dachstein glacier. To make skiing even more unique, you’ll be able to say, you were skiing at one of the UNESCO World Heritage site.
Dachstein glacier – year-round skiing (Summer holidays in Schladming-Dachstein)
Activities for kids
We were really surprised how many activities for kids can be found in Schladming-Dachstein. Almost every stop, hut, hill, path has something for kids. We loved best the sport center at Rittisberg and a round walking trail at Planai, full of playgrounds for the little ones.
Take a walk on the Fairy tale path in Rittisberg (Summer holidays in Schladming-Dachstein)
Meet Hopsi – the World Championship’s rabbit mascot from 1982 (Summer holidays in Schladming-Dachstein)
Meditation along rivers, waterfalls and lakes
Promise us peace and quiet along the river, waterfall or lake and you bought us for sure. The Schladming-Dachstein area has lots of different spots like this. Unfortunately we only spent 3 days in the area, so we visited just one lake – Styrian Bodensee, which was definitely worth the time. (The path around the lake is 3 kilometers long and is suitable for baby strollers.)
Enjoying the views at Styria Bodensee (Summer holidays in Schladming-Dachstein)
Breathtaking views
No matter where did we hike to or drive around, we were welcomed with amazing views over valleys and mountains… pastures and meadows… Gorgeous!
Amazing views everywhere (Summer holidays in Schladming-Dachstein)
The view from Planai mountain top (Summer holidays in Schladming-Dachstein)
Food and the Schladminger beer
We love hiking also because of the huts, build in traditional Alpine style and the Schladming-Dachstein has many of those as well. In fact, there are more than 50 huts, where food and beverages are served. Make sure to order Apfel or Blueberry strudel. And don’t even forget on the local beer Schladminger.
You cannot leave Austria without the famous Apple strudle in vanilla sauce (Summer holidays in Schladming-Dachstein)
No matter where we travel, there are always places which charm us instantly and the ones, that don’t make any big impression. Well, the Schladming-Dachstein was simply amazing and we will definitely be back for some more exploration soon.
We loved our summer holidays in Schladming-Dachstein
Schladming-Dachstein Sommercard for cheaper holidays
If you decide to visit Schladming-Dachstein area, make sure to spend at least one night there in a hotel, which has the Sommercard included in the price. You will save a lot of money with the Sommercard, as you get one lift/cable-car per day for free, including the one to the Dachstein Sky walk. There are also local buses, public outdoor pools and some mountain roads for free. Traveling with kids, you’ll get lots of children’s activities free of charge (horse riding, climbing, archery…) or at least with a discount.
Some of the recommended accommodations, which have the Schladming-Dachstein Sommercard included in the price (all are also family friendly):
You can read more about the Schlkadming-Dachstein Sommercard and about the above accommodations at the end of the blog post about Dachstein Sky walk.
Those are beautiful mountains, accompanied by cows and the ubiquitous clinking of cowbells!
Henry, it sure was a great sight and exploration. We really enjoyed Schladming and Dachstein, so hoping to be back soon. 🙂