A Relaxing Respite in the Austrian Alps: Schloss Fuschl on Fuschlsee
- Brooke
- Dec 22, 2022
- 6 min read
One of the most beautiful places I have ever been to was the Salzburg area of Austria. We rented a small white Mini Convertible (which inspired me to buy one when I eventually moved back to Hawaii), cruising with the top down from the airport in Salzburg to our hotel right on the cusp of the Austrian Alps in Fuschl am see. The mountains here were not the most towering (though we did see a few more as we continued on on the trip), nor the most dramatic, but certainly combined with all the charms of the Austrian countryside, it left an indelible impression.
Perched along the northwestern flank of this charming little lake is Schloss Fuschl, a castle turned into a hotel (schloss is "castle" in German), part of Marriott's (then Starwood's) Luxury Collection. As part of our whirlwind summer of 2012 European extravaganza, we opted to start the beginning of the end of our trip here, to relax in the mountainy scenery and just enjoy the comforts of life that only staying in a (well-tended) 15th century castle can provide, before heading on to our final destination, Venice.
Even though our goal was to spend time in Salzburg, the castle is a little bit too far removed to make this really a "Salzburg" hotel. Still, I don't think you would regret this decision, unless you really really really needed to be in the middle of the hustle and bustle. And perhaps you might - we really didn't get to see all there was to see and do in the city. If you are planning on spending a lot of time in the region, or are okay dipping in and out of the city as you require, Schloss Fuschl is a great place to stay when in the area.
Let me show you around.
Property
First things first. Schloss Fuschl is a castle. I mean, how cool is that? While we didn't stay in the big yellow towering building but in one of the other buildings, we can still cross off the ol' "stay in a castle in Europe" off our bucket list. Built in the 1450s, the castle and former hunting lodge has had a checkered history, from Archbishops, eventually falling into disrepair and being given to the Austrian state, then to a family (von Remiz) who were killed by the Nazis, followed by the Nazis confiscating it and using the property for diplomatic receptions. After WWII, the property was restored to the von Remiz family, and then ultimately the hotel you are reading about now.
For film or history buffs (or both!), Schloss Fuschl was also the setting for the movie trilogy "Sissi," which details the early life of Sissi - aka Empress Elizabeth - and her romance with Emperor Franz Josef of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Starring a young Romi Schneider, the series helped to put her on the map in the mid 1950s. If you like your Salzburg scenery from movies like the Sound of Music, you will also like seeing the castle in this miniseries as well. I recommend watching the movie to get a better understanding (even if there are some creative licenses taken, of course) of not only this particular castle, but also the region and one of it's most famous rulers. And note: the hotel even has a "Sissi" museum, so even better to come prepared!
Let's go explore the property - from the main castle building itself, to various off-shoot buildings, to the "pool" and neighboring areas - Schloss Fuschl really is an alpine dream come true.
Insider the Jägerhaus is the aforementioned Sissi Museum, definitely worth a peek even for those who have never seen the trilogy.
Even without the museum, the building is adorable
Below, the main part of the castle, which also hosted the restaurant. Above, the building on the left hosted the reception desk as well as our room on the top floor.
Curving around the main buildings, you can look down at Lake Fuschl below, as well as the hotel's "pool" (also the lake).
Taking the stairs down to the lake level leads you to the "pool" area as well as the boathouse, which I will share more about later in the post.
It's a charming place to explore, with glorious views of the lake all around.
Later, Ben and I will hire our own boat, but for the present, it was amusing to watch others cruise around (very slowly!) on the calm waters.
As I mentioned, the hotel's "pool" is simply the lake, but that hasn't stopped them from setting up a pool like environment around the lake with comfy beach chairs and umbrellas.
Fancy a dip in the cool lake waters?
Though we ourselves did not go in, we found ourselves continually drawn to the area as a peaceful place for relaxation and enjoying the lovely views.
Further down the lake shore, we walked towards the boathouse and cottages. There, we caught glimpses of some of the locals who call this area home, including the man below, piloting his own boat.
Viewing the castle from further down the path the hugs the lake's shores.
We stumbled upon the castle's fishery.
The lake is part of a larger walking path, which had we had a bit longer, would have been a wonderful place to explore more.
Next, we found the boathouse, where we would later rent one of the motor boats to ply the lake's waters.
If the "pool" area didn't entice you enough to take a dip in the lake, perhaps this tempting looking dock just might do the trick?
As you can see, Schloss Fuschl's surroundings are some of the loveliest we've ever visited. Now, we'll explore the property a bit further.
Room
I won't claim that we got the best room - that's pretty typical when you book the employee rate at these various hotels - but we were blessed with a view of the lake and the main part of the castle, that also features the main restaurant that overlooks the water and mountains beyond.
Now, because this is a castle, you might be thinking that the property is cold, outdated, lacking running water (never mind it being hot), and just being overall unpleasant. Au contraire, my friends. The room we stayed in was quite comfortable, with all the warm water we needed, nary a draft, and comfortable furniture. Let's take a peek below.
Below we see a picture of our view overlooking the main building of the castle and the lake beyond.
It will do, I guess! :)
Dining
We dined at the hotel only once, and went ahead and splurged at the fancy restaurant located in the main castle building. The vibe is definitely fine dining (as one would expect in a castle, obvs), and the views of the lake are spectacular.
Looking out towards Fuschl am See, the small town across the way from the castle, where we would have dinner a few days later.
We ordered a steak to share, along with all the expected accoutrements. The steak was carved tableside.
Our dining experience here did include a first for us as well - a Salzburger Nockerl. This delightful soufflé is light and airy, not over-poweringly sweet, and paired perfectly with berries to add a hint of tartness. The interior is like a cloud, and it reminds me of a stiffer îles flottantes - but just as delectable. We were so enamored with this dessert, that we immediately sought out an Austrian restaurant back in our home at the time, New York City, just to eat the dessert again. While it was delicious back in NYC, nothing compared to our first experience enjoying this memorable dessert in its home.
Overall, dinner here was a delicious experience.
Boat Tour on the Lake
Aha! The time had come for Ben and I to take a turn about the lake and pilot our own boat. Down to the boathouse we went, and secured ourselves one of these fine vessels. Each boat maxes out at a top speed of about 2 MPH, so hold on to your hats, folks!
Of course, seeing the lake from the castle and its property provided incredible views, but nothing can compete with the views from the lake itself.
It's a complete Austrian countryside dream, with typical architecture and farmland sprinkled upon the alpine hills.
...as well as beautiful views of the castle, too.
On our day of sailing, the waters were incredibly still and peaceful, allowing for mirrored reflections upon the still surface.
Overall, it was a beautiful way to spend an hour or two, becoming more familiar with the stunning surroundings, pinching ourselves that we had found such a lovely place, and determined to make it back to its shores and the castle again someday in the future.
Schloss Fuschl Details
Schloss Fuschl is located about 20 minutes away from the city of Salzburg. We used it as a base for our explorations of the area, and would immediately return here in a heartbeat. The entire experience was charming, relaxing, and memorable.
We rented a Mini convertible for this part of our trip, and would highly recommend a similar vehicle to admire all the beautiful scenery with the top down. In fact, we loved the car so much we went and bought one as soon as we moved back to Hawaii a year later after this trip.
We took an excursion to Halstatt, an incredibly cute lakeside town, and is about an hour away from the hotel.
We dined one night in the town of Fuschl am See, right on the other side of Fuschlsee, which provided an option beyond the hotel/resort. It was one of my more memorable meals in my travels, but I'll save that story for another post.
Days of this trip: July 9 - July 12, 2012
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