Winter delights with a dif­fe­rence

Every winter Lake Weis­sensee in Car­inthia, Austria fasci­nates locals and guests alike with the largest pre­pared natural ice-skating rink in Europe. Here you can lite­rally com­plete your ice skating marathon. Or you can take a lei­surely spin across the ice. Wha­tever you prefer: Host Angela Frey’s six apart­ments for 2 — 6 people in her holiday home Alte Säge are situated within view of the lake.

Down the mountain on two skids: This expe­rience is offered by the Preda-Bergün toboggan run with its six-kilo­metre-long descent. A sui­table starting point is the Chesa Wazzau, a heritage building in the village of Bever which can accom­modate up to 12 guests. From here you can reach Preda com­for­tably by train on the Rhaetian Railway. The journey over via­ducts and through helical tunnels is an expe­rience in itself. Those who like it glamorous can go to the “White Turf” in February, which takes place on the frozen Lake St. Moritz and offers inter­na­tional equestrian sport in a winter setting.

Ski in/ski out is pos­sible from the Anders mountain suites on the Plose massif. This gives you direct access to South Tyrol’s longest valley run. Other winter acti­vities also start right on the doorstep or nearby: a 12 km toboggan run and 12 km winter hiking trails attract winter fans who want to live in style.

The rangers of Central Europe’s largest national park, the Hohe Tauern, also offer various hikes and snowshoe tours to the natural tre­asures of the area in winter. How con­ve­nient that the Hotel Hin­ter­egger is only a few steps away from the National Park Centre! Here, in a mul­ti­media exhi­bition, you can find out more about daily events and get to know the National Park in advance.

There are 13 inha­bi­tants in the hamlet of Mar­tisberg in the German-speaking part of the canton of Valais in the imme­diate vicinity of the Aletsch Glacier, the UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site. Those staying in the Faa­zihaus or the neigh­bouring Josihaus can set off on winter and snowshoe hikes right from the front door. Or simply enjoy the mountain scenery in silence…

The Bregenz Forest is always worth a visit simply from an archi­tec­tural point of view. If you stay here, for example, in the Schnepfegg 52 farm­house moder­nised by architect Oskar Leo Kaufmann, the sauna, the hot tub or the views from the house including the yoga room are pure enjoyment even when there is no snow.