Vorarlberg – Bregenz-Feldkirch-Montafon … Bregenz on Lake Constance, with the nearby Bregenz Forest is a highlight of Austria’s westernmost province, Vorarlberg. An ancient Celto-Roman town, provincial capital, it has both a quaint old quarter and a beautiful lakeside esplanade providing modern diversions. The Bregenz Festival is held from July 22 to August 20. This city is a fine base for exploration of the Lake Constance area and starting point for the Bregenz Forest trip.
Castle Rosenberg in Zell-am-See on the main square is worth seeing, as is the thousand-year-old church tower. There is an excellent bathing beach, tennis courts and good shops. The main thing is to take a trip by cable railway up the Schmittenhoehe. It takes only fifteen minutes to reach the top of this mountain. Here there is a small chapel and a meteorological station. Zell-am-See is a winter resort, too. There are excellent accommodations and a good sparkling climate.
Bad Gastein … High in the Alps, 47 miles south of Salzburg, is this famous old cure resort. In addition to being .a summer place, it is also developing into one of Austria’s excellent winter resorts. There are good shops, theaters, cinemas and, of course, the casino. Beautiful mountain walks abound. Go via cable car up to the tops of the Stubnerkogel for a breath-taking view of the Tauern. The radioactive springs of Bad Gastein are famous for their rejuvenating powers. The Bellevue Hotel and the Hotel Europe are excellent; the bar and orchestra of the Bellevue make the wintertime particularly gay. Above Bad Gastein, reached by chair-lift, is the Bellevue Alm – and if you have a longing to stay in a small Tyrolean lodge high up in the mountains with the world outside your balcony, make your reservations for the Alm early. It has a small swimming pool for summer – and in winter a roaring open fireplace in the bar.
Kitzbuhel … Situated between Zurich and Vienna on the main railway line is Kitzbuhel, one of the best-known Austrian towns among tourists. In winter it is an outstanding skiing resort, considered second only to the Arlberg resorts by expert skiers. The town has every kind of a ski slope, a cable railway up the Hahnenkamm, ski lifts, any number of ski runs, including, of course, the famous Hahnenkamm run. There are excellent ski schools, with expert instructors and guides. For skaters there is an ice rink. First-class hockey matches are staged there frequently. Kitzbuehel is the scene of many important international winter sport competitions. There are a great many good hotels. The Grand is luxurious. Inns and pensions abound. If you book well in advance you can be a guest of Toni Sailer who has opened his pension recently. One of the best pensions is a castle where the paying guest may have every comfort. Some of the places of interest to see are the Church of St. Andreas and the Frauenkirche. You should take a side trip to the Kitzbuehler Horn and to Fieberbrunn, where there are a health spring and peasant festivals. The shops of Kitzbuehel are extremely interesting. It has been said of Kitzbuehel that despite its yearly influx of nobility and celebrities, the natives have remained unspoiled.