Bad Gastein

There’s a certain kind of light that only October brings to Bad Gastein.

Soft, golden, almost cinematic — falling on the mountains, the grand old houses and forests slowly turning shades of amber and rust.

The days are still pleasantly mild, the weather often beautifully settled, and afternoons invite you to stay outside just a little longer. Mornings are crisp, the air feels clearer, and the whole valley seems to settle into a gentler rhythm.

Yogaherbst in Gastein is about to arrive — and with October, the valley slows down a little. The light grows softer, the air turns crisp, and there is no mistaking it for an Indian summer anymore: autumn has arrived.
For some, yoga is a sport. For others, it is a way of life. But perhaps the beauty of yoga lies precisely in the fact that there is no need to compete. No finish line, no personal best — this is one place where ambition matters less than awareness.
This autumn, the Gastein Valley once again becomes a meeting place for yoga lovers from all over Europe. From complete beginners to experienced yogis, Yogaherbst offers a remarkably diverse program for every level, with sessions taking place throughout the valley from 16 to 26 October.
And while yoga can be practiced almost anywhere, for many there is something incomparable about taking it outdoors. Breathing mountain air, feeling the ground beneath you and allowing the energy to flow freely, without four walls around you.
Autumn might be one of the most beautiful seasons for it, as the mountains around Bad Gastein slowly change their colors. Sessions take place in studios, but also out in nature — in the forest, by the water, in the mountains and at some of the valley’s most beautiful natural spots.
YOGAHERBST GASTEIN
16–26 October 2026
Bad Gastein & throughout the Gastein Valley
Find the full program, sessions and further information via the link in bio.

What could be lovelier than a slow autumn stroll along the Kaiserin-Elisabeth-Promenade, leading from Bad Gastein towards the historic village of Böckstein?

For much of the way, the Gasteiner Ache keeps you company — its crystal-clear waters flowing down from Sportgastein, filling the valley with the gentle, constant sound of a mountain stream. Along the way, horses graze on the last lush alpine meadows of the season. In autumn, when the trees begin to turn and the afternoon sun falls softly through the valley, the walk takes on an almost meditative quality.

And then there is Böckstein itself. Once at the heart of Bad Gastein’s centuries-old gold-mining history, the small village has retained a remarkable sense of place. Its historic ensemble surrounds the baroque church of Maria vom Guten Rat and the Montanmuseum.

A rather unexpected detail can be found in the heart of the village: the ornate cast-iron fountain, once exhibited at the Paris World’s Fair of 1878 and brought to Böckstein by Emperor Franz Joseph I, who had it installed here in 1881.

And all that, just a short walk from the lively centre of Bad Gastein — and yet a world of its own.

We couldn’t be more proud to see Bad Gastein featured in one of Germany’s most respected newspapers, the Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Under the title Auf in die Berge, the newspaper travels to ten Alpine destinations where autumn reveals itself at its very best — and we are delighted that Bad Gastein is among them.

And they are right: there is something quite particular about this moment of the year. When summer slowly takes its leave, winter is still somewhere in the distance, and the seasons seem to click almost imperceptibly into place. Warm sunshine during the day, cooler nights, clear mountain air and a landscape gradually turning from green to gold.

Perhaps this is when Bad Gastein is most itself. A long walk or hike during the day, followed by an afternoon in one of the cafés, sitting in the autumn sun while life continues around you in the historic centre. That rare combination of mountains, architecture and a lively town is what makes autumn here feel so distinctly Bad Gastein.

As Max Scharnigg so beautifully puts it, there are places that seem as though they were made for autumn. We couldn’t agree more.

Thank you, Max Scharnigg Max Scharnigg for your wonderful words, and Süddeutsche Zeitung Süddeutsche Zeitung for this beautiful feature.

On your newsstands now.

The iconic German chanteuse Hildegard Knef in the first image is only a glimpse of all the remarkable personalities brought together in this exhibition. Claudia Schiffer, Nadja Auermann, Pete Doherty, Paul Stanley — faces that have become part of the visual history of magazines.
This autumn, GLOSSY — The Era of Magazines comes to Bad Gastein, bringing together remarkable works by photographers who helped define an extraordinary chapter in magazine culture.
Presented as part of our art festival sommer.frische.kunst, the exhibition finds its home in our beloved art space, the Radon Pavillon. GLOSSY celebrates a time when magazines were cultural events in their own right — when you eagerly awaited the arrival of the next issue. Hundreds of pages, ambitious productions, extraordinary locations, generous budgets and photography created with immense craft and imagination — long before AI entered the picture.
Following its successful debut in Hamburg earlier this year, GLOSSY arrives in Bad Gastein with works by internationally renowned photographers including Hubertus von Hohenlohe, Esther Haase, Peter Rigaud, Paulina Hildesheim, Frank Zauritz, Simon Lohmeyer, Paul Schirnhofer, Oliver Mark, Josef Fischnaller and Joachim Baldauf Joachim Baldauf , among many others.
Initiated by journalist and author David Baum and curated together with photographer Jan Riephoff and Creative Director Constantin Rothenburg, GLOSSY looks back at an era when photography, fashion, journalism and art came together on the printed page.
GLOSSY — The Era of Magazines
Opening & Vernissage: Saturday, 26 September 2026, 17:00
Radon Pavillon, Bad Gasteinbaum
photographs by © Jan Riephoff

sommer.frische.kunst. art:badgastein

We are thrilled to see Bad Gastein featured across a full page of the travel section of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Frankfurter Allgemeine — one of Germany’s most renowned newspapers.

At its heart is STEIN, the new book by photographer and artist Gerrit Engel Gerrit Engel, who has previously exhibited in Bad Gastein as part of sommer.frische.kunst. art:badgastein His photographs look beyond the familiar image of the town to what lies at its very foundation: rock, architecture and water.

Few elements have shaped Bad Gastein more profoundly. The stone on which the town was built, the waterfall carving its way through it, and the thermal waters that laid the foundation for centuries of spa culture, summer retreat and the extraordinary architecture that followed.

We are very proud to see Bad Gastein and STEIN given such wonderful space. Thank you, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, for this beautiful feature — and Freddy Langer for your words and perspective.

On newsstands now.

STEIN by Gerrit Engel is published by Walther und Franz König, Cologne, and is available through the publisher and selected bookshops.

This Saturday, the Genussmeile returns for its second edition. From Straubingerplatz through the historic centre and up towards Bahnhofsplatz, Bad Gastein’s hotels and restaurants serve regional specialities, creative dishes and drinks, while live music accompanies the afternoon at every turn.
Rather than choosing a single table, the Genussmeile offers the opportunity to discover many of the town’s kitchens at once — moving from place to place, meeting the people behind them and experiencing Bad Gastein through its food.
We look forward to welcoming you!
Saturday, 19 September 2026
From 12 pm
Historic centre of Bad Gastein
Admission free

At 1,825 metres, hidden in a quiet basin beneath the Graukogel, lies the Reedsee — one of the great natural jewels of the National Park Hohe Tauern.
Surrounded by stone-pine forests, the lake sustains a remarkably delicate ecosystem. Spring mosses grow far beneath its clear surface, Arctic char inhabit its waters and a small fen, home to grey sedge, lines its north-western shore.
Its beauty has long drawn visitors from Bad Gastein and beyond. In the late 19th century, painters Anton Romako and Johann Varrone captured the lake in their work; in 1889, Kaiserin Elisabeth, her daughter Erzherzogin Marie Valerie and Gräfin Kornis reached it on an eleven-hour mountain tour.
The ascent through the Kötschachtal is steep and demanding, making it best suited to experienced, sure-footed hikers. Yet the effort is amply rewarded with perfect stillness, the reflection of snow-dusted summits and a landscape that feels almost untouched.

This autumn, the historic Wiener Saal at the Grand Hotel de l’Europe becomes the setting for Kammermusik:Reihe — a series of intimate musical encounters inspired by the world of Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann.
Marking the 250th anniversary of the celebrated writer and composer, the series brings together music, literature and fairy-tale imagination. Across five Wednesday evenings, changing ensembles explore different periods and moods — from delicate guitar and cello to piano, strings, horns and the unexpected pairing of guitar and tuba.
Five evenings devoted to the pleasures of chamber music, set within one of Bad Gastein’s most atmospheric interiors.
16 September – 14 October 2026
Every Wednesday at 8 pm
Doors open at 7.30 pm
Wiener Saal, Grand Hotel de l’Europe
Free admission
Link in Bio