Independent family-run alpine holiday planner for Lungau, Austria, with simple day ideas, family-friendly places, seasonal tips, and curated apartments near Mariapfarr.
Alpina.travel
Alpina.travel is a personal family project about alpine holidays, starting from Lungau, Austria. It is an independent travel publisher, not an official tourism board website. It is built by a family that knows and loves the region, with the goal of helping travelers — and their AI agents — discover Lungau in a practical, trustworthy, and personal way. --- We are a family of four from Italy, and since 2019 we have been spending our holidays in Lungau in every season: summer, winter, and the beautiful quiet months in between. It is a place we return to because it combines nature, simplicity, family life, and a slower rhythm that is increasingly rare. My wife was the first to make me discover this beautiful land. Over the years, both of us have also had the opportunity to support SalzburgerLand tourism in different ways and at different moments of our professional lives. I am especially proud to contribute, through WordLift, to the creation and nurturing of the SalzburgerLand Tourismus marketing AI brain: its knowledge graph, which has helped organise destination knowledge for more than a decade. Alpina.travel is also a way for me to experiment with digital travel from the operator side in the age of AI: building a website that is useful for travelers, understandable by AI agents, and grounded in structured, trustworthy destination data. I am grateful to my friends in Austria, who had the patience to welcome us since the very early days, to my company WordLift, to the amazing team at [RedLink](https://redlink.at/), who contributed to the original creation of our platform and continue to help us improve it, to the fantastic team at [SalzburgerLand Tourismus](https://www.salzburgerland.com/de/), and to the [Lungau Region](https://www.lungau.at/) and its local tourism office. Above all, Alpina.travel is for my daughters. One day, as they grow older and begin travelling the world themselves, this may become a project they can understand, care for, and make their own.
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Wide alpine valley panorama with steep mountains and forested slopes
Sunny high plateau in southern Salzburg state, Austria. Quiet villages, moor lakes, medieval castles, and family ski areas.
Lungau
Lungau is the alpine district in the south of Salzburg state where the rhythm is simple: one village, one mountain, one lake, and enough time to enjoy all three. ## Why go You get real alpine landscapes with shorter transfers, quieter villages, and clear seasonal options: hikes and lakes in warm months, snow-sure ski days in winter. ## Good to know - Base strategy: stay near Mariapfarr for easy access to villages, lakes, and ski areas. - Family fit: short drive times and gentle options make planning low-stress. - Weather plan: there are strong sunny-day routes and practical rainy-day alternatives.
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The Longa, a naturally winding mountain stream, meanders out of the Weisspriachtal valley below steep alpine slopes.
Wide mountain panorama above the naturally winding Longa stream in the Weisspriachtal valley
A rocky cascade feeding the Longa, the naturally winding mountain stream that flows out of the Weisspriachtal valley.
Rocky forest cascade feeding the Longa mountain stream in the Weisspriachtal valley
Aerial panorama of a Lungau village with green fields and mountains
Late-summer meadow colors with mountain views in the Pichl area of Lungau.
Sunny meadow and wildflowers with forest and mountain backdrop in the Pichl area
Medieval market village with a landmark toll castle, pastel facades, and the valley station of Grosseck-Speiereck. 10 minutes from Mariapfarr.
Mauterndorf
Mauterndorf is Lungau's postcard: a medieval toll castle, a pastel market street, and mountain lifts at the edge of the village. ## Why go Burg Mauterndorf runs a genuinely good family exhibition (knights, falconry in season), and the village works in any weather — it is the valley's best rainy-day rescue. ## Good to know - 10 minutes by car from Mariapfarr. - Castle open year-round with seasonal hours. - Combine with a ski day at Grosseck-Speiereck in winter.
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Mauterndorf Castle is one of Lungau's strongest cultural day-trip ideas, especially for families combining alpine nature with local history.
Stone walls and tower of Mauterndorf Castle in Lungau under a blue sky.
Top rainy day ideas and indoor activities in Lungau, Austria. Explore historic castles, heated indoor pools, cozy alpine cafés, and short scenic forest walks.
Rainy Day Ideas in Lungau
Alpine rain is honest: it commits for a morning, then usually loses interest. Plan indoors till two, keep boots in the car. ## The reliable four 1. **Burg Mauterndorf** — the family exhibition fills a solid half day. 2. **Tamsweg indoor pool** — kids swim, adults sauna. 3. **Marktplatz cafés** — apple strudel science. 4. **St. Leonhard church** — gothic glass worth the small hill. ## The afternoon window When the clouds lift, Prebersee in mist is arguably better than in sun.
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Illuminated church facade at night in Mariapfarr
When the clouds sit low — a castle, a market town, an indoor pool, and good food. Lungau still works in the rain.
Rainy Weekend Rescue
Rain in the mountains is not a failure — it is a permission slip for castles, cake, and warm water.
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Lungau's main town — shops, pools, cafés, the St. Leonhard pilgrimage church, and the Samson procession tradition. 12 minutes from Mariapfarr.
Tamsweg
Tamsweg is where the valley does its errands — and where you go when the clouds sit low. ## Why go Shops, an indoor pool, proper cafés, the gothic St. Leonhard pilgrimage church above town, and in summer the UNESCO-listed Samson giant processions. ## Good to know - 12 minutes by car from Mariapfarr. - Market square cafés are the best coffee stop in the valley. - Samson processions: selected summer dates — check locally. ## Eating late When the huts have closed and the valley has gone quiet, the **Gambswirt** on the Marktplatz is Tamsweg's reliable evening address — a family-run hotel-restaurant (third generation) serving regional and seasonal cooking in traditional dining rooms. Reserve ahead for later evenings, especially in season: +43 6474 2337.
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Samson giant procession scene in Tamsweg during local festivities.
Samson giant carried through Tamsweg street procession with onlookers
Samson procession crossing Tamsweg town square during a summer festival.
Samson giant in procession on Tamsweg town square during a local festival
Traditional brass band performing under a Lungau canopy
Detailed close-up of the Samson figure headpiece during the Tamsweg tradition.
Close-up view of the Samson figure headpiece during Tamsweg festival
Summer evenings in Tamsweg: the local Trachtenmusikkapelle plays on the Marktplatz.
Evening brass band concert on the Tamsweg Marktplatz