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Bad Ischl

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kylebarber
kylebarber
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4 out of 5
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Editor Pick

Bad Ischl

  • May 3, 2007
  • Rated 5 of 5 by becks from Mexico City, Mexico
Bad Ischl

Bad Ischl is famous in both Austria and Germany far beyond what its size or attractions warrant. It is in this spa town that future Emperor Franz Joseph met his future wife, Elisabeth, duchess in Bavaria, or better known as Empress Sissi. It was arranged that then Crown Prince Franz Joseph meet Duchess Sophie while on holiday in the spa town Bad Ischl with the intention of securing a tie between the royal families of Austria and Bavaria. The two mothers were colluding but to their surprise, but not immediate disappointment, Franz Joseph fell in love with Sophie’s younger sister, Elisabeth, instead. Although hardworking, Franz Joseph is not best remembered for his political skills or intellect. Sophie would have been the better choice. Sissi, although beautiful, never had the demeanor an empress needed for the Viennese court.

Travelers to Bad Ischl still come to town for the same reasons as the royals did, to take to the waters and enjoy the pleasant mountain location. Although without significant historical sights, it is a pleasant town to stroll around in. As is common in Austria, parks and street-side paving are in excellent state of repair.

The Kurpark is particularly meticulously maintained. We enjoyed coffee with elaborately served desserts on the veranda of the very posh Kongreßhaus while nearby a street-side restaurant almost resembled a street-side party with the bottles of beer being cooled in what seemed like a public fountain.

The town has numerous elegant buildings. Although some buildings have Baroque facades, I suspect that they were 19th century rather than real Baroque. The Kaiservilla, where the royal family used to stay, is open for the public but, after spending the previous week in Vienna, seeing it would have been one palace too many. Numerous small restaurants, cafés, and Eiscafés are scattered through the old town.

The pedestrian shopping street turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. We were not planning on going there at all but I lost a screw in my glasses and after a breakfast, where I had to push my nose almost into the plate to distinguish the cheese from the bacon, we headed to Pfarrgasse, just across the stream from our hotel. Fortunately, the optician was one of the first shops and, after replacing the screw for free, she insisted on adjusting the general fitting too. In a nearby drug store, we found sunscreen, just in time for the coming summer, at a third of the normal price. The adjacent bookstore had fantastic specials on children’s book and in a nearby boutique, we found further bargains in working attire for my wife and summer wear for the children. We did more shopping here in an hour than we did in a week in Vienna.

Bad Ischl has a fantastic location, especially for drivers. It is a short drive to Hallstatt or to the Wolfgang See. Salzburg itself is around 60km to the west.

From journal Hallstatt & Salzburger Land

Editor Pick

Bad Ischl

  • November 28, 2000
  • Rated 2 of 5 by kylebarber from Seattle, Washington
Bad Ischl is a cute medium-sized village that is fairly close to Hallstatt. If you are taking the train and ferry route to get to Hallstatt you'll pass Bad Ischl along the way. Many people find this Austrian village in the mountains quite charming and special. But because it is not lakebound and surrounded by mountains, it isn't remote and isolated like the more magical village of Hallstatt. It is also noticeably larger in size, robbing it of the same charm as a land that time forgot.

From journal Austria: Hallstatt

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