Three Weeks' Tour from Dresden to Munich, including the Salzkammergut District
Austria is generally entered by travelers from the north, in continuation of the tour through Germany, but of course can be equally as well approached from the west or south, and the following order of travel be reversed.
| 1st day 2d |
Prague (four hours from Dresden) , the beautiful capital of Bohemia, remains one of the most characteristic cities of the middle ages. In the Alfstadt, or old town, are the Rathaus, the Clementinum and University Library, the Rudolphinum, the Museum of Industrial Art, the Crusaders' Church and the Clam-Gallas Palace. In the Neustadt, or new town, are the Bohemian Museum and many fine buildings, parks and squares, backed by Hradschin Castle Hill, crowned with the Imperial Palace. The Josephstad, or Jews' quarter, is one of the oldest Hebrew settlements in Europe. |
| 3d day 4th 5th 6th |
Vienna (seven hours from Prague), the hand- some capital of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, on the River Danube, the home of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. The Ring-Strasse is one of the finest streets in Europe. Palaces, parks and gardens abound, one of the finest of the public parks, known as the Prater, covering 4,270 acres. The environs are charming, and include Schonbrunn, the Bruhl, Laxenburg, Baden, etc. In the neighborhood of Dobling is Beethoven's Walk. |
| 7th day | Gmlinden (six hours from Vienna), the capital of the Salzkammergut, a favorite watering place at the foot of Lake Traunsee. |
| 8th day 9th 10th |
Ischl, the most fashionable watering place in Austria and one of the brightest gems of the Austrian Alps, is reached preferably by boat up Lake Traun to Ebensee, thence by rail along the river valley (time, about two hours). Ischl is beautifully situated on a peninsula formed by the Traun and the Ischl, and is surrounded by wood-clad mountains and romantic glens. No words can convey a picture of the magnificence with which prodigal nature has endowed this lovely spot. |
| 11th day | St. Wolfgang (one hour by rail). Ascend the Schafberg (5,840 feet) by mountain railroad. The view from the summit is remarkably fine, and deservedly celebrated as one of the most picturesque panoramas in Austria. |
| 12th day | Hallstatt (twelve miles by rail), on the side of a mountain which rises abruptly from the edge of the lake, the houses being built one above another like swallows' nests against a wall. Owing to its position, Hallstatt does not see the sun from the middle of November to the beginning of February. |
| 13th day | Drive to Gosau, where to the south are seen the barren pinnacles of the Donnerkogel tower, between six and seven thousand feet. From Gosau an excursion on foot can be made to the beautiful Vordere Gosau-See, a small lake that is hardly to be surpassed for grandeur of the scenery around it. |
| 14th day 15th |
Drive over the Gschiitt Pass to Golling, passing en route the Aubach Fall, which descends 230 feet in three stages. At Golling the famous Schwarzbach Fall gushes through an aperture in the rock over a cliff 200 feet high, in two vast leaps. Another excursion is to the Salzach- Oefen to the south of Golling, picturesque ravines worth a visit ; and the Pass of Lueg, which is a grand and romantic defile of the Salzach, six miles in length, protected at its entrance by two small forts. This pass is frequently mentioned in the records of the Napoleonic wars. |
| 16th day 17th |
Leave Golling by carriage, through the Salzach Valley to Berchtesgaden (a small Bavarian town), whose special attractions are its brine baths and salt mines, and the picturesque mountain lakes in its vicinity. A beautiful drive can be made to the Konig-See, the undisputed king among the lakes of the Eastern Alps. |
| 18th day | Drive twenty miles to Reichenhall, through the Valley of Ramsau, an artist's Eldorado, passing the mighty Watzmann (8,700 feet) and Hochkalter (between 8,000 and 9,000 feet). From Reichenhall the rail is taken to Salzburg. |
| 19th day 20th |
Salzburg, beautifully situated on the River Salzach, protected by a semicircle of lofty mountains. The city is full of attractions, the chief of which are the Cathedral, in white marble, in imitation of St. Peter's at Rome; the birthplace of Mozart, and the Mozart Museum ; the Franz- Joseph Park, and the Kurgarten. Three miles to the south of Salzburg is the imperial chateau of Heilbrunn. |
| 21st day | Munich (three hours from Salzburg), justly termed the city of palaces. Its elegant architecture, fine libraries and splendid collections of art work render it one of the most delightful places for residence in Europe. En route from Salzburg to Munich, stop off at Prien to visit the magnificent Schloss Herrenchiemsee, built by Ludwig II, King of Bavaria, after the model of Versailles, but -not completed. |
