Salzburg to Bad Ischl: Scenic Views and More Rock Hard Beds

With a stiff back the first thing I go for is a cappuccino. I reach over to grab the saccharine tablets, and whoever the last twat was never put the bloody cap back on. The whole canister has emptied out all over the floor, and a thousand little pellets have taken off in every direction.

I look around—no one has noticed yet. Luckily, the table has a nice full‑length tablecloth that reaches the floor. So there I am, standing there kicking all these little suckers under the skirt of the tablecloth, hiding them under the coffee machine and milk canisters. Job done. I go and sit down looking for the culprit who could possibly be giggling.

After a lovely breakfast we said our goodbyes to the wonderful staff, and we’d both highly recommend anyone visiting Salzburg to stay here. It’s in the perfect spot just outside the city, and you also receive a free rail and bus pass for your entire stay courtesy of the Airbnb.

Leaving Salzburg: The Bus to Bad Ischl

It was a perfect morning, it was time to leave Salzburg and make our way to another spa town called Bad Ischl, pronounced (Bard‑Ischl). We hadn’t booked any transportation for this, as we couldn’t decide between the train or the bus. In the end, we opted for the bus, as it only takes an hour and a half, whereas the train was a little longer— apparently the views are much better by bus.

The Scenic Route: Bus 150 to Bad Ischl

We walked up to the station and caught the train into Salzburg Hbf, the main city station to catch the bus to Bad Ischl. We already knew which one we needed—the 150—and it was parked at the stop ready to go. Perfect timing. I believe these buses leave every twenty minutes for Bad Ischl and still wise to book.

Once we were out of the city, the road opened up into the countryside, and the view from the left side of the bus shifted from rolling green hills to blue lakes, with little towns dotted along the opposite shore. We got a few photos which turned out pretty good, but missed so many. It really is a scenic trip by bus, and I’m so glad we chose it, as we would have missed all of this if we’d taken the train.

Good size Living area - Bad Ischl Accommodation

The Mystery of the Second Floor

On arrival at “Bad Ischl Hbf,” we were three hours too early for check-in. But I already had the combination to the locked key safe and if the room wasn’t ready we’d just drop our bags off and go into town. The accommodation was only a five-minute walk from the station, and it’s virtually smack in the middle of town anyway.

When the host says it’s on the second floor, you’d assume walking into the building counts as the “ground floor,” the next up being " 1st" and the following being "2nd" this would be logical world wide—except when you reach the first floor, there’s a set of stairs leading up on your left to a dead end on the "2nd" floor, and another set in front going up to "2nd" floor

The host gave us no unit number, as there are none. Some doors have names, others have nothing at all. So after knocking on random doors and trying keys in different locks like a pair of burglars, we had tried opening around six doors and were about ready to give up when one door finally went click. Yes, we were in. Their “2nd" floor was actually the first floor. (Argh!)

Exploring Bad Ischl: Rivers, Wraps, and Cold Beer

The apartment is a great size—very spacious and equipped with everything you need—even another hard bed with wafer‑thin pillows.

We decided to head out and grab some lunch and a drink, and ended up at Zum Knecht or simply the Cafe with the umbrellas out the front which is just around the corner from us. Having a look at the menu, we forgot about the beer and went for smoothies and chicken wraps instead. Both were very good. I especially loved the wrap—the chicken was freshly cooked with a little cheese, lettuce, some sort of mayo, and a few other bits thrown in.

After lunch we went back to the apartment to unpack, and then headed out again to walk the esplanade by the river. Along the way you pass little bars and restaurants lining the walkways, all overlooking the water under the canopies of the trees. We snapped a few photos and eventually found a bar not too far along where we could enjoy a nice cold beer and rest our feet again.

From what we’ve seen of Bad Ischl so far, we’re both really impressed—and there aren’t many people around either. Maybe the European summer holidays are over? Not too sure.

Tomorrow the weather takes a turn again, dropping to sixteen degrees with rain forecast. We were planning to do the lakes and ferries, but we’ll put that off until Wednesday when the sun returns and it warms back up to twenty‑four degrees. We might take a train ride to Ebensee tomorrow

Bus route from Salzburg to Bad Ischl