Traveling to Bad Gastein?
Enter your dates and see what NoStressTravel has for your exact stay.
📷 Thomas Ledl / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Bad Gastein is a spa town in the Gastein Valley in the Salzburg region, built on steep slopes around a waterfall that plunges through its very centre. Belle époque hotels stand on the cliffs one above another — it is this dramatic vertical arrangement that earned the town its nickname, the Alpine Manhattan. Thermal water from the Gastein springs is the reason the town exists and remains its defining identity: visitors bathe in thermal pools hewn into the rock, and the valley is also home to a former mine where radon therapy is offered. Above the town, a cable car leads to the summit of Stubnerkogel, while the valley extends further to Sportgastein and the Hohe Tauern National Park. The town is entirely vertical — movement between levels means staircases and steep climbs.
Everything you need for Bad Gastein in one place
The Gasteiner Ache river drops through the very centre of the town in three tiers, with a total height of 341 metres. This is a rare sight: the waterfall is not situated outside the settlement but forms its very axis — bridges and stairways lead right alongside the water, and hotels stand on the rocks on either side. The roar can be heard from the upper streets, and at night the middle tier is illuminated. Access is short and requires no hiking equipment.
A hotel building from the early 20th century, constructed in the spirit of late historicism, one of the largest in the row that earned Bad Gastein its nickname 'the Alpine Manhattan'. Today it houses the Gasteiner Museum, which traces how the town transformed from a bathing resort favoured by emperors and Sisi into a winter retreat, then an abandoned belle époque backdrop, and once again into a lively destination.
A thermal complex carved into the rock above the town, featuring both indoor and outdoor pools; from the outdoor pool, swimmers enjoy views over the valley and surrounding peaks. The water flows from the Gastein springs, making bathing here a core part of the town's identity rather than merely a hotel amenity.
A former mining tunnel beneath the mountain near Böckstein, accessed by a small train, where therapy is administered to patients lying down in warm, humid air rich with radon.
See the day trip →
📅 7 days · 🗓️ mid-December – March
📅 8 days · 🗓️ May–September
Three tall peaks of whipped egg white, baked until golden on the outside while remaining soft and warm within. Served straight from the oven, as it quickly deflates.
Unlock access to see what else is worth trying.
Register for free and explore Bad Gastein.
