Austrian lakes activity holiday

Planet

Activity:
Walking/cycling has minimal impact on the environment as you provide most of the energy yourself and, when you’re walking/cycling from village to village, you can enjoy a relationship with locals in a way motorists passing through never can. You get off the beaten track, and you’ll find that people treat you as a visitor rather than a tourist. Also, by walking/cycling independently, and not having to worry about keeping up with a group, you set the pace so you can soak up the sights, sounds and scents of your surrounds and really get under the skin of the place you’re visiting.

We proactively encourage our clients to think about travelling responsibly too: packing light, saving water, buying locally, re-cycling all maps and route notes at the end of their trip as well as to be mindful of not leaving any rubbish behind.

UK Office:
We are well aware of the impact tourism has at home and abroad, and we make every effort to balance the environmental impact of travelling with the immense benefits sustainable tourism can bring to destinations and the people who live there. So we start in the office: we turn off all electrical equipment every night; we use energy-efficient bulbs; we measure print and paper consumption, and re-cycle wherever possible; we print our brochures on paper from sustainable sources, and send them out in bio-degradable packaging.

People

Leaders & local suppliers:
Hotels on this holiday have been handpicked with your needs in mind as you stay as guests of Frau Zopf at the 4 star Hotel Bergrose. Set back from the river, and less than five minutes' cycle from the lake, the attention to detail is second to none. All of the 32 spacious bedrooms are beautifully decorated and the perfectly crafted wooden panelling, so typical of this region, extends right through the hotel. Chef Paul's creations rely heavily on fresh local produce, so expect aromatic wild herbs and garlic straight from the hotel's gardens. Locals manage a full range of watersports that can be booked and paid for locally, with tuition available for beginners. Alternatively, perhaps take a trip on one of the many hop on, hop off lake cruisers and soak up the views from the water. There's also a natural wide beach for sunbathing. Take time to visit Mozart's magical city of Salzburg: stroll through the Mirabell Gardens, lunch in an atmospheric cobbled square, then take the funicular to Hohensalzburg Fortress for the most amazing city views. As with all our holidays, we encourage visitors to buy from independently-run shops & establishments where possible, supporting the local people and their families.