Peaceful days of camping at Attersee, Austria

Hello everyone,

How have you been? There is a lot happening in the world right now, but somehow, the more external factors appear that would normally push me around, the more I go within encouraging myself to rediscover the simple and little things to bring peace and calmness back in my life.

Some of those things are music, reading, nature, swimming, mountains, camping, spending time with loved ones. Somewhere mid-August I was choosing a lot of stress in my life by creating urgency from procrastination and not respecting the deadlines (imposed by myself). So yea, it’s me – I’m my worst obstacle sometimes. But I’m also my greatest potential.

So I called my bestie, Teo, and I asked her what she thinks about taking few days off, no screens (we both work online), no social media, just us, the tent, and a gorgeous lake. She thought it’s a great idea and researched some options for us. When I saw a photo of the most beautiful lake I’ve ever seen in my life I was sold.

It’s called Attersee.

“Attersee, also known as Kammersee, English sometimes Lake Atter, is the largest lake of the Salzkammergut region in the Austrian state of Upper Austria. It is Austria’s third largest lake by area, surpassed only by Lake Constance and Lake Neusiedl, which, however, both extend beyond national borders.” Source Wikipedia.

Or in simpler words, a turquoise lake surrounded by tall mountains that felt like the best infinity pool in the world.

How to get there:

For anyone traveling to Austria without a car, I encourage you to use the ÖBB app (the national railway system of Austria). The app is super easy to use, in English, and you can even purchase tickets for buses or metro in Vienna for example. And if you’re staying more days while traveling around, you should purchase an ÖBB Vorteilscard, which costs around 25€. It will be valid for a year, and it will discount all other tickets even up to 50%. It’s the best deal. But if you’re not interested in that card, I suggest that you look for a ticket (also in the app) a few days prior, because sometimes they have offers for certain times so you can catch a good deal (but those aren’t available last minute or the same day).

Depending on where you’re coming from, you can check in the ÖBB app and Google maps.

In our case, we arrived by car, because my boyfriend was kind enough to give us a lift from Salzburg. And when we left, we took a bus from Seefeld/Attersee Gh Föttinger to Kammer-Schörfling Bahnhst (if you’re taking a bus too, the bus stop is exactly at the train it will take you 5 seconds to hop on) and then a train from there to Vöcklabruck. That’s where I and Teo split. She went West, the direction of Munich, and I went East, the direction of Vienna.

Preparation

Well, we didn’t prepare that much to be honest. Teo brought a tent and 2 blankets. Each of us had a tent mattress. Rain jackets and other ticker clothes like long pants and sweaters (always check the weather when going camping. We did and it said it was gonna rain but that didn’t stop us because we were going to a camping site with lots of “fancy” facilities like a restaurant and washing/drying room). And most importantly, our bathing suits.

On our way there we stopped at a supermarket and bought some essentials: oats, almond milk, nuts, and fruits (bananas, apples, nectarines, blueberries) for breakfast. Hummus, bread, pickles, tomatoes for lunch, and then we also got some beans with tomato sauce for dinner. And of course some snacks like gingerbread, chocolate, and biscuits.

Where we stayed

We stayed at Camping Grabner and in all honesty, it was their photos and their gorgeous wooden lake deck that convinced us to spend our weekend there.

But there are plenty of other beautiful camping spots around the lake, just a Google search away.

What to do at Attersee

If you ask me, just relax. Bring a book, enjoy the view, have a picnic, talk for hours with your friend, go for a swim, watch the rain, feed some grass to the swans, walk around to see the cute houses of the region.

That’s what we did.

It was a beautiful time of unwinding and doing nothing. And it was so sweet.

On the first day, Friday: we got settled in until around 4 pm and then we went to the lake deck and had dinner enjoying the view.

Saturday morning we woke up after a night of heavy rain (I was surprised that the tent was so resistant), and we had cozy porridge on the deck. Afterward, we went for a swim and enjoyed each other’s presence and the view.

On Sunday we went for a little walk around the nearby village, and we were paying a lot of attention to every little heart, beautiful flower, and the interesting architecture and gardens. Try to do this even around the area where you live. Pretend you’re a tourist from a far far away land and it’s the first time you’re experiencing the city, village, or surroundings. Try to put on the view of a child who’s always excited and amazed by everything. And you’ll be overwhelmed by awe and bliss. Even just by seeing a few little sweet flowers or orange leaves (in autumn).

We had a gorgeous time! I’m so grateful for my best friend and our inspiring conversations. Whenever times get tough I know we can count on each other for support and contribution. That’s one of the greatest gifts in life. Find your people, cherish and treasure them with quality time and lots and lots of love and appreciation.

Here is a little video I put together to share the inner peace we felt during our time at Attersee.

What was your favorite trip this summer? Let’s talk about our beautiful memories in the comments.

Thank you for reading and join my email list if you’d like to receive interesting articles, videos, updates, or just be in touch!

grateful for you,

Andreea