When a magazine crew from five countries decamps to one region for a cover shoot, it's usually a good sign the place photographs well. That was the case for a recent Fall/Winter fashion shoot around Salzburg and the Salzkammergut lake district — and the locations on the call sheet double as a tidy itinerary for anyone planning an Austrian trip with scenery and cake in equal measure.
First stop: Traunkirchen, a small village on the western shore of Lake Traunsee, sitting directly opposite the dramatic Traunstein peak. It's a favourite with Instagrammers for obvious reasons, and the best vantage point is the dock at Das Traunsee hotel, whose owner Wolfgang Gröller keeps a collection of vintage boats and occasionally takes guests out on the water. The Gröller family also runs the Hotel Post am See, where the Belétage bar pours a basil cocktail worth starting an evening with.
Just inland, the Feuerkogel mountain delivers the region's moodiest weather. At its 5,200-foot summit, clear sunlight can turn to thick fog within minutes — which, if you're not mid-photo-shoot, is part of the charm. Hike up or take the cable car, and if clouds close in, a short walk west to Alberfeldkogel puts you in fir trees and mist with a properly otherworldly feel. It's classic Sound of Music territory.
For the sugar stop, Bad Ischl — about 30 minutes from Traunkirchen — is home to Konditorei Zauner, trading since 1832. It claims Austria's largest cake selection, around 250 creations, plus roughly 60 kinds of truffles and pralines. Order a melange, and don't leave without trying the Zaunerstollen (hazelnut-chocolate wafer) or the Ischler Törtchen, a fruity shortbread.
On Lake Fuschl, the Rosewood Schloss Fuschl hotel doubles as a film location — the Romy Schneider Sissi trilogy shot here, and a small museum on site covers it. The lake itself is quieter than its neighbours because motorboats are banned, so swims and paddles come with proper silence. Indoors, there's a handsome dark-wood bar with hand-painted murals, oil paintings and a long whisky list.
Finish in Salzburg itself. The Hotel Goldener Hirsch, first documented in 1407, is the spot for coffee and newspapers in full gemütlich mode; backhendl (breaded fried chicken) is the classic dinner order. On the Getreidegasse — Mozart's birth street — the Kirchtag workshop still makes umbrellas by hand, and polite visitors may be rewarded with rooftop terrace access and a view over the old town.
Why it matters: this cluster of stops is genuinely compact. Lake villages, a cable-car mountain, a heritage patisserie town and a baroque city all sit within about an hour of each other, making the Salzkammergut an easy base for a trip that mixes Alpine hikes with coffee-house culture. Just pack for all four seasons — the shoot crew reportedly needed everything from silk to faux fur in a single day.