Into the Salzkammergut

After 6 weeks in Italy it was time to move on. Not only did our non-refundable train tickets say it was time, but although we had fallen in love with all things Italian, our heads were starting to spin from all the cathedrals, frescoes, and day-trips. "What city were we in yesterday?" Ho

Two weeks earlier, we purchased our train tickets from Verona, Italy to Bad Ischl, Austria. Bad Ischl is in the Salzkammergut, the Austrian Lake District near Salzburg and a good base from which to visit the scenic and historic lakeside salt-mining town of Hallstatt, plus do some hiking. We booked a morning train so we would be able to enjoy the scenery as the train traversed the Brenner Pass on the Italy/Austria border. Since Brenner is one of the lower passes in the Alps, the railroad is, for now, mostly without tunnels, therefore views. A series of longer rail tunnels is scheduled for completion in 2025.

The travel day was smooth; the Brenner Pass scenery awesome, and the Austrian OBB Railjet service from Innsbruck to Salzburg was fast, new, comfy, and with free Wi-Fi. Although we were reminded of the struggle of daily life when just after the border crossing, police came down the aisle leading 3 young African men to the back of the train. We suspect their papers were not in order.

Rolling north from Verona to the Brenner Pass.






With snow-capped mountains in the distance and Sun-Ling's ghost in the window.


Inside the RailJet coach...


...where Henry the Coffee Guy (who was smiling - just not in this photo) rolls his Nespresso machine down the aisle and plugs it in at your seat if you want a fresh cup.


We rolled into Bad Ischl on time at 16:50; the last segment from Salzburg by OBB bus. We had prebooked a room so were strolling around the town by 17:45, admiring the flowers and river views. Bad Ischl is located on the Truan River.






The view from our balcony.


And the town spa.