When to Go

Year-round, vacationers flock to the Lake District, but late fall is not the best time to visit the region. It could be rainy and cold, and many sights are closed or operate on a restricted schedule. By far the best months are July and September. August sees the countryside overrun with families on school holidays and music lovers from the nearby Salzburg Music Festival (even so, who can resist a visit to Bad Ischl on August 18, when Emperor Franz Josef's birthday is still celebrated). Others like to visit Hallstatt for its annual procession across the lake, held on Corpus Christi day (weather permitting, around the last weekend in May, or the Sunday after)—a Catholic, and therefore, national holiday all over Austria. December finds several small picturesque markets in the villages around the Wolfgangsee and traditional Adventsingen concerts in churches throughout the region.