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THE LOCAL LIST

WINTER

10 unmissable places in Austria to visit this winter

Austria is undeniably beautiful in the summer months but it’s in the winter that its varied landscapes and historic towns and cities can be really spectacular. Here are our top winter destinations - from skiing in the Alps, to hiking in a winter wonderland, or enjoying some of Austria’s famed Gemütlichkeit (coziness).

10 unmissable places in Austria to visit this winter
Hallstatt. Photo: Bernd Thaller/Flickr

Hallstatt is a tiny lakeside village and UNESCO World Heritage Site in Upper Austria (in the Salzkammergut region). It looks all the more glorious when the nearby Salzburg mountain is blanketed in snow. It is often voted as one of the prettiest villages in the world. Home to less than 1,000 people, Hallstatt has been inhabited for thousands of years because of its deposits of natural salt that were mined.

Innsbruck. Photo: Karl Vidoni

Innsbruck in Tyrol really comes alive in winter, with Christmas markets, magical lights, and traditional food and drink in historic surroundings. Make sure you take the cable car and funicular via Nordkette to the Seegrube ski station at 2200 meters above sea level, where you can enjoy a wonderful panoramic view of the city. The futuristic Nordkettebahnen stations were designed by Zaha Hadid, who also designed the Bergisel ski jump.

Bad Gastein – this spa and ski town is a destination for all winter sports fans – families with children, hikers out on a leisurely winter stroll, and athletic ice climbers. Located in the Hohe Tauern mountains south of Salzburg, it’s known for the belle epoque hotels and villas built on its steep, forested slopes. There are four ski areas around Gastein which are popular with skiers and boarders, and there’s plenty of beautiful tranquil areas for cross-country skiing and snowshoers to enjoy as well. Afterwards, relax in one of the town’s thermal baths or spas.

Alpbach valley. Photo: Linda Reichsoellner

Alpbach is a picture postcard village in Tyrol. It’s beautiful location on a sunny plateau, around 1,000m above sea level, provides breathtaking views of the mountains. It’s been voted “Austria’s most beautiful village’, and with its typical timber houses and lovely floral decorations you can see why. It’s an ideal resort for winter sports activities such as skiing and hiking.

It has three ski lifts which take you to the Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau ski area – one of the biggest ski resorts in Tyrol. It also offers 20 km of immaculate cross-country skiing trails in scenic surroundings, untracked powder slopes for ski touring and cleared winter hiking trails. Other popular winter activities include tobogganing and paragliding.

Although they get crowded, the lanes and alleys of Salzburg’s Old Town are particularly charming during the Christmas and winter season – especially if it snows. In particular the shops along the Getreidegasse and Goldgasse are often beautifully decorated. Make sure you stop for a mug of Glühwein and munch on some spiced Christmas cookies, or Lebkuchen. Salzburg is also a good base from which to explore some of Austria’s finest ski areas, located in the south of Salzburg Province. You can also snowboard, go sledging, cross-country skiing or skating – winter sports are big in Salzburg.

St Anton am Arlberg. This village in the Tyrolean Alps is known as a gateway to the ski paradise which is the Arlberg region and is often called the “cradle of alpine skiing” for its role in inventing the sport. Lifts and cable cars provide access to the slopes of Valluga and Rendl. A network of mountain trails branches out from the town. The après ski is also legendary.

Feldkirch in Vorarlberg. This well preserved medieval city borders Liechtenstein and Switzerland, and is just minutes from Lake Constance (Bodensee) and Bavaria. The mountains rising up around it provide impressive views. A good place to stop and sample some traditional Austrian food, and a great starting point for ski trips in the mountains.

Pörtschach. Photo: woerthersee.com

Lake Wörthersee. In especially cold winters, it is not unknown for the Wörthersee to be transformed into Carinthia’s biggest outdoor skating rink. The areas around the lake are also great for hiking, tobogganing, cross-country skiing, and curling. Whilst you’re here explore some of Austria’s most enchanting Advent markets, the nearby ski regions, and delicious cuisine. The two Advent markets in Pörtschach and Velden are connected by a special bus. The Gerlitz Alps ski region can be reached from the lake by car in only 15 minutes and offers ideal conditions for the whole family.

Kartitsch. Surrounded by the foothills of the Lienz Dolomites to the north and the Carnic Alps to the south, Kartitsch lies at an altitude of 1,356m in the Gailtal Valley and is popular with walkers, hikers, mountaineers and backcountry (off-piste) skiers. Explore the Carnic Alps High Trail, a 155 km hiking path at over 2,000m altitude. The Obstanser Eishöhle ice cave is well worth a visit and gives visitors (with the correct safety equipment) the chance to climb 100 metres down into the earth. Winter sports enthusiasts will enjoy the small local ski area with easy slopes for beginners as well as challenging runs up to an altitude of 1,820 for intermediate and advanced skiers.

Photo: Rogner Bad Blumau

Bad Blumau. The striking architecture of this luxury spa hotel in Styria was designed by Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. It features colourful patchwork façades and green roofs, without a single straight line in sight. Arranged like a city with various districts, the indoor ring-shaped spa is the centre, with accommodation, swimming, bathing and restaurant areas branching out into the open landscape.

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PROPERTY

What will happen to Austria’s property market in 2022?

The property market in Austria performed well in 2021 with rising prices and high demand. Will this continue in Austria in 2022?

Austrian chalets
Whether you're looking to buy a first or second home in Austria, here's what experts predict for the property market. Photo: Finease Anton/Unsplash

As we near the end of 2021, Austria is in another national lockdown and many businesses are closed, but the property market is still riding high.

This means 2022 could be another strong year for property in Austria, although prices might start to stabilise over the next 12 months.

Here’s what you need to know.

READ ALSO: Why are property prices in Austria’s Tyrol region so high?

What can we expect from Austria’s property market in 2022?

Experts are predicting the high demand in the property market to continue throughout 2022, especially in rural areas and in the luxury homes market.

Justin Field, Marketing Director at property consultants Amazing Austria, told The Local: “The movement of people [as a result of the pandemic) created a demand for more country properties so people could work from home.

“Due to the uncertainty over the virus for the coming year, we would expect the local market to stay buoyant with demand for larger family homes in villages.”

READ MORE: Why are property prices in Austria’s Tyrol region so high?

Maizie Delaney Baird, Property Consultant at ski chalet specialists Lindforth, said they are receiving high numbers of enquiries from buyers looking for an investment property, despite the current national lockdown.

Maizie told The Local: “We still have a backlog of clients who wanted to buy last year but had to put their searches on pause. Additionally, many new buyers, especially Germans, have been inspired by the pandemic to invest in their family lifestyles. 

“Many of our clients want to buy a lifestyle investment property in Austria – a place they can holiday and “work from chalet” on occasion, but also rent out to earn an income.”

However, Justin at Amazing Austria predicts prices could start to stabilise or even drop during the next year.

He said: With the uncertainty of corona, and as personal debt ratios in Austria rise, my own thoughts are that the property market will level out in 2022, or even reduce as debt catches up with people and businesses.”

READ ALSO: Can foreigners buy property in Austria?

Property market trends and hot spots in Austria

Since the start of the pandemic in spring 2020, the Alps region in western Austria has been experiencing a real estate boom as both Austrians and foreigners have sought to buy property in the mountains.

Maizie told The Local it is a seller’s market right now with high demand and a shortage of supply.

She said: “With few chalets becoming available to buy there is a lot of competition so buyers need to be quick and determined if they wish to find their dream chalet, especially in the top resorts.

“In terms of prices, property in world-famous and glamorous Lech am Arlberg [Vorarlberg] are some of the highest in Austria and average around €20,000 per square meter. 

“Whereas, in sporty Zürs am Arlberg, sharing the same ski region and just five minutes away by car, prices average around €15,000 per square meter.”

FOR MEMBERS: Altbau vs Neubau: What’s the difference and which should I rent in Austria?

Elsewhere in Austria there is a similar story, although prices aren’t rising to the same extent as in the Alps.

For example, in Vienna prices have risen by around 12 percent in all districts to an average of €5,800 per square meter (sqm), and luxury properties have gone up by 23 percent to €14,500 per sqm.

In Penzing, prices have gone up by 19 percent in the past year after the average price per sqm exceeded €5,000. In Donaustadt, prices rose by 15 percent to €4,870 per sqm.

What happened to Austria’s property market in 2021?

In the first half of 2021, the House Price Index (HPI), which measures changes in residential property prices, increased from 142.85 in January to 150.77 in July – an all-time high. 

To compare, in June 2020 the HPI in Austria reached 135.11. This was the highest ever recorded level at the time.

Earlier this year, a study by Deloitte showed that new apartment prices in Austria were the most expensive in Europe with a 70 sqm apartment costing an average of 10.6 times the national annual salary.

Gabriele Etzl, real estate expert and partner at Jank Weiler Operenyi / Deloitte Legal, said: “The rising construction costs and the high attractiveness of real estate as an investment form are the main reasons for this price development.”

FOR MEMBERS: Seven common mistakes to avoid when buying a home in Austria

Rising prices have since prompted the Österreichische Nationalbank (OeNB) to warn of overheating in the housing market after it was revealed property prices across Austria have doubled since the beginning of 2010.

The average price increase across the Eurozone in the past decade is just one third.

In fact, some experts say residential property prices are currently overvalued by around 30 percent and there are concerns about the steep growth in mortgages in Austria, which is outpacing the average across Europe.

Stefan Selden, banking advisor at 720° Restructuring & Advisory, told Der Standard: “The development of real estate prices is undoubtedly wild.”

However, according to ImmoScout24, the cost of rent in Austria in 2021 only rose by 1.6 percent, compared to 4.6 percent in 2020. The average cost for a 70 sqm apartment in Austria is €944.

Tyrol remains the most expensive province for rent, followed by Vienna and Vorarlberg.

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