I always wanted to see firsthand small Austrian towns decorated with Christmas lights and to feel their fabulous atmosphere. And finally, this year we got lucky: thanks to the project manager of the “Friends in Vienna” Ms. Oksana Polianskaja, who is a professional guide accompanying Russian-speaking travelers to Austria, our family spent Christmas holidays in Upper Austria, in a place called Gosau. Our vacation was extremely successful, and the impressions we gained during this trip will remain in our memory for a long time!
We were not only skiing a lot, cheerfully and romantically celebrated New Year’s Eve, but also managed to visit three charming towns located in Salzkammergut, not far away from our hotel.
The first town we visited was the famous Hallstadt. It is an amazing tiny settlement of about only a thousand people population. It is a fantastically beautiful place with charming houses placed in several tiers just on the rocks. This place is a target for many oversea tourists.
Tours to the other two towns were exciting as well: Bad Ischl, where a summer residence of the former Emperor Franz Josef, his wife Elizabeth and their family used to be. The third town was St. Wolfgang am See, located close to Lake Wolfgangsee. Parts of the legendary musical comedy “Miracle of the White Stallions” were shot there. The town is incredibly interesting in winter. St. Wolfgang met us with its festive illuminations, Christmas souvenir shops decorated with garlands, carved wooden kiosks, where one can buy both handmade souvenirs and hot dogs with mulled wine. Impressive and festive! We did feel the spirit of Christmas in this snow-capped Austrian town.
Each of our tours was unique. Our brilliant guide Oksana Polianskaja revealed us history, culture and traditions, as well as various legends and historical facts from the life of famous people who used to live there.
We are very grateful to Oksana for the perfectly organized holiday in the Alps, we are thankful for attention paid to all our preferences, as well as for her care about each of us during the trip, starting from accommodation, organization matters and up to the planning of the ski slopes and arrangements with the ski instructors.
We recommend visitors of www.friendsinvienna.com site to explore Austria in a pleasant company of Friends in Vienna and their experienced attendants.
Olga, Sergei und Alexander Zakharov
Novosibirsk, Russia
Fabulous town Hallstadt in winter
Hallstadt. Getting to know Austria with Friends in Vienna
On skis in Austrian Alps. Oksana Polianskaja with guests in Gosau
Olga Zakharova in St.Wolfgang
