Austria is an absolute paradise when it comes to a relaxing break close to home. When I want to switch off completely for a few days and warm my bones, this is exactly where I head — it’s just a short hop away, and the standard of service is simply unbeatable. People come for top-tier wellness in Austria for the hot thermal springs, the perfectly designed sauna worlds and the breathtaking views of the Alpine peaks.
Every good wellness hotel in Austria prides itself on honest, hearty cuisine and enormous relaxation zones. A generous half-board package included in the room rate is pretty much standard here, so you don’t have to worry about a thing during your stay. If you’re after genuine, no-compromise quality, it pays to follow the ratings of the independent RELAX Guide, which awards the very best resorts its prestigious lilies.
I’ve picked out twelve exceptional places spread across the various federal states. Among them you’ll find sprawling thermal resorts, luxurious adults-only mountain spas and a few unusual architectural gems. Let’s dive in! ☺️
TL;DR
- AQUA DOME – Tirol Therme Längenfeld — the iconic floating thermal bowls with Alpine views, from €180/person.
- Bio- und Wellnessresort Stanglwirt — the legendary luxury organic farm with a rock pool near Kitzbühel, from €250/person.
- Posthotel Achenkirch — an enormous Asian-inspired adults-only spa by Lake Achensee, from €220/person.
- Hotel Krallerhof – ATMOSPHERE — a spectacular 50 m infinity pool set inside a natural lake, from €300/person.
- TAUERN SPA Zell am See–Kaprun — the largest panoramic spa beneath a glacier with great value for money, from €124/person.
- MONDI Hotel Bellevue Gastein — beautiful belle époque architecture just steps from the cable cars and thermal baths, from €110/night.
- Rogner Bad Blumau — a work of art full of colour and curves with its own volcanic springs, from €180/person.
- Hotel & Spa Der Steirerhof — the absolute pinnacle of Austrian wellness, with a huge private thermal area for guests only, from €268/person.
- Thermenwelt Hotel Pulverer — a Carinthian family-run hotel with a thermal spring rising right in the resort, from €330/night.
- Mountain Resort Feuerberg — pools above the clouds at 1,769 metres with views over mountain lakes, from €220/person.
- Hotel Fernblick Montafon — the best wellness in Vorarlberg, with an incredible rooftop sky pool, from €180/person.
- ST. MARTINS Therme & Lodge — thermal relaxation amid the pristine nature of a national park, safari-lodge style, from €150/person.
How to Choose a Wellness Hotel in Austria
Thermal resort vs. Alpine wellness — what’s the difference
The basic distinction is simpler than it sounds. Thermal resorts draw on natural healing springs and you’ll typically find them in Styria, Burgenland, Carinthia or the Gastein Valley. The water is naturally hot and rich in minerals that work wonders on tired muscles.
Classic Alpine wellness hotels in Tyrol or Vorarlberg, on the other hand, usually don’t have their own thermal water. But they more than make up for that small shortcoming with enormous heated pools overlooking the glaciers and elaborate sauna worlds.
When to visit Austria’s spas
Austrian spas run year-round and every season has its charm. In winter, guests love the combination of skiing and the sauna — there’s nothing better than warming up in hot water after a day on the slopes. The winter months are naturally the priciest, and hotels fill up fast.
Summer is ideal for pairing your stay with high-altitude hiking and a dip in the outdoor natural pools. If you want to save money, I’d recommend going in the shoulder season — November or April dates offer much friendlier prices and a calmer atmosphere.
Price ranges and what’s included
When comparing prices, bear in mind that in Austria you’re paying for the complete experience. In most cases the rate includes a generous half-board package and unlimited access to the hotel spa, often even to the adjoining public thermal baths.
You can book a quality four-star thermal hotel for roughly €150 to €300 per person per night. Five-star luxury with the highest ratings runs between €300 and €600 per person, depending on the season and room type.
RELAX Guide — how to spot a truly great hotel
The independent RELAX Guide is a huge help when finding your way around the market. Inspectors visit hotels anonymously and rate them on a strict points system out of a maximum of 20. As a mark of quality, they then award one to four lilies.
Achieving a perfect score is extremely difficult. The absolute summit — 20 points and four lilies — has long been held by only a handful of exceptional places, among them Der Steirerhof, Mountain Resort Feuerberg and the prestigious Lanserhof.
The sauna world: in Austria you go without swimwear
The local sauna culture is very similar to the German one. Swimwear is strictly forbidden in all saunas and steam rooms — for hygiene reasons you go with just a towel. If you’re feeling shy, don’t worry: it’s completely natural here and nobody bats an eyelid.
What’s more, most of the better hotels accommodate women by offering dedicated ladies’ hours, or they have a separate smaller spa just for women. Swimwear, of course, is the norm in the pools and relaxation rooms.
Comparison table of all 12 hotels
| Hotel | Region | Stars | Thermal water | Price/night (person) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AQUA DOME | Tyrol | ⭐⭐⭐⭐S | Yes | from €180 | Lovers of mountains and architecture |
| Stanglwirt | Tyrol | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | No | from €250 | Fans of organic luxury and tradition |
| Posthotel Achenkirch | Tyrol | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | No | from €220 | Couples seeking Asian calm (14+) |
| Hotel Krallerhof | Salzburg | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | No | from €300 | Fans of modern design |
| TAUERN SPA | Salzburg | ⭐⭐⭐⭐S | Yes | from €124 | Families and active sportspeople |
| MONDI Bellevue | Salzburg | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Only in the neighbouring baths | from €110 (room) | Lovers of history and spa towns |
| Rogner Bad Blumau | Styria | ⭐⭐⭐⭐S | Yes | from €180 | Artistic souls and colour lovers |
| Der Steirerhof | Styria | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Yes | from €268 | Discerning adult guests (12+) |
| Hotel Pulverer | Carinthia | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Yes | from €330 (room) | Fans of a family atmosphere |
| Mountain Resort Feuerberg | Carinthia | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | No | from €220 | Seekers of high-altitude quiet |
| Hotel Fernblick | Vorarlberg | ⭐⭐⭐⭐S | No | from €180 | Hunters of perfect panoramas |
| ST. MARTINS Therme | Burgenland | ⭐⭐⭐⭐S | Yes | from €150 | Lovers of nature and birdlife |
Tyrol: Alpine wellness at the highest level
1. AQUA DOME – Tirol Therme Längenfeld
This futuristic complex in the Ötztal valley is easily the most famous of the bunch. Say the words Aqua Dome and most people immediately picture those iconic floating “bowls” of outdoor pools. Bathing in hot water under the stars with a view of three-thousand-metre peaks is an experience you simply never tire of.
The resort sits on the only thermal spring in western Austria. Guests have access to an enormous public thermal area with twelve pools and eleven saunas, as well as a far calmer, exclusive spa reserved for residents only. As a vegetarian, I really appreciate being able to request the excellent vegan and gluten-free menus.
Prices and practical info: A night with half board and thermal-bath access works out at €180–290 per person. From London, your easiest bet is to fly into Innsbruck (with British Airways or easyJet) and then drive the roughly hour-long stretch up the valley, or hire a car from Munich. It’s also a great base for families with children.
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2. Bio- und Wellnessresort Stanglwirt
The Hauser family has built an absolute legend near Kitzbühel. Their luxurious organic farm is the only Austrian hotel on the prestigious Gold List of Condé Nast Traveler magazine. Stanglwirt keeps its traditional character while delivering service on a par with the world’s finest resorts.
The biggest draw is the iconic Felsenbad, a natural rock pool with stunning views of the Wilder Kaiser massif. The entire wellness area sprawls across more than 12,000 square metres. The on-site organic kitchen, using produce from the farm itself, is famous — and it has no trouble whipping up top-notch meat-free dishes.
Prices and practical info: You’ll pay a premium for this kind of luxury, with rates running between €250 and €450 per person. The grounds also include tennis courts and Lipizzaner stables.
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3. Posthotel Achenkirch
Just steps from Lake Achensee you’ll find an enormous spa aimed exclusively at adult guests. This hotel stands out for its Asian-inspired atmosphere and incredible sense of calm. The wellness zone here spreads across an impressive 7,000 square metres and offers everything from a hammam to a quiet Zen garden.
People come here not only to unwind in the saunas but also for special traditional Chinese medicine programmes and longevity treatments. The cuisine is top class, and vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free menus are treated as a matter of course rather than a problem to be solved.
Prices and practical info: A stay costs roughly €220–430 per person. The hotel only admits guests aged 14 and over, which guarantees completely undisturbed relaxation.
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Salzburg: from design spas to mountain thermal baths
4. Hotel Krallerhof – ATMOSPHERE
The new ATMOSPHERE spa in Leogang, designed in 2023 by star architect Hadi Teherani, is breathtaking. The building flows seamlessly along the contours of the mountains, and at its heart lies a huge natural bathing lake. Set into it is a year-round heated 50-metre infinity pool of Olympic dimensions.
The relaxation zones — with a blue grotto and nine saunas — are reserved for adults from 15 only. The design is clean and minimalist, letting the surrounding Alpine landscape take centre stage. The hotel restaurant offers a complete and beautifully thought-out vegetarian menu that will please even the most demanding gourmets.
Prices and practical info: This luxurious experience is reflected in the price of €300–600 per person. Guests are particularly fond of the morning yoga sessions with mountain views.
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5. TAUERN SPA Zell am See–Kaprun
Right beneath the Kitzsteinhorn glacier lies a sprawling complex boasting the largest panoramic hotel spa in Austria. The facilities cover an incredible 20,000 square metres. Your best photos will come from the glass-walled rooftop Skyline pool, which looks straight out onto the snowy summits.
The hotel is connected to a huge public thermal complex with twelve pools and a separate children’s world. Personally, I think this resort offers absolutely fantastic value for money. The evening buffets also hide a wide selection of tasty meat-free options.
Prices and practical info: A night with half board starts from just €124–160 per person. Note that in spring 2026 (12 April – 10 May) there will be a partial renovation and the spa will be closed.
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6. MONDI Hotel Bellevue Gastein
A gorgeous belle époque hotel stands right in the centre of this iconic spa town. If you’re after a classic Bad Gastein wellness experience, this place will win you over with its history and location. You’re just a few steps from the famous waterfall, the cable cars and the renowned Felsentherme radon baths.
The building itself houses a pleasant in-house hotel wellness area with two indoor pools, a whirlpool, a sauna and a steam room. It’s an ideal choice if you want to spend your days hiking in the mountains and your evenings soothing tired muscles. The buffet dining offers plenty of fresh vegetables and vegetarian dishes.
Prices and practical info: A very pleasant price tag of around €110–180 per night (per room). On Booking.com the hotel boasts a high rating of 8.9.
👉 Check availability and prices
Styria: Austria’s thermal paradise
7. Rogner Bad Blumau
This isn’t just an ordinary hotel — it’s the largest inhabitable work of art in the world. The Rogner Bad Blumau complex was designed by the famous architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser, so you won’t find a single straight line here. Golden domes, colourful façades and grass roofs make it look like something out of a fairy tale.
The resort draws water from its own volcanic Vulkania spring, at a pleasant 36–38 °C. You can bathe in fourteen different indoor and outdoor pools and explore the extensive sauna world. The whole operation holds a strict organic certification, and the kitchen is heavily geared towards vegetarians and vegans.
Prices and practical info: Stays with half board range from €180 to €340 per person. The resort has been voted the country’s most popular thermal bath nine times.
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8. Hotel & Spa Der Steirerhof
This is the absolute pinnacle of Austrian wellness. In the RELAX Guide it holds a fantastic 20 out of 20 points and four lilies. The hotel’s biggest advantage in Bad Waltersdorf is its private thermal world, covering 3,000 square metres and available exclusively to residents.
Alongside seven pools and ten saunas, you’ll also find the first ladies’ spa in Austria. The hotel only admits guests aged 12 and over, so true peace reigns here. The local healthy regional cuisine, which has held the “Grüne Haube” award for over 25 years, is a paradise for lovers of quality vegetable-based and meat-free fare.
Prices and practical info: For this flawless service you’ll pay from €268 per person. The atmosphere is very personal here, and the staff remember the preferences of returning guests.
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Carinthia: thermal baths among mountains and lakes
9. Thermenwelt Hotel Pulverer
This family-run five-star hotel in Bad Kleinkirchheim is unique in that it has its own thermal spring — quite literally straight from the tap. The healing water fills every pool in the spacious spa area, whose centrepiece is an enormous natural bathing pond with a heated infinity pool.
The spa itself spans 4,200 square metres and conceals ten different saunas as well as a rich range of treatments. The atmosphere here is wonderfully relaxed and warm. In the hotel restaurant, guests rave about the wide choice of fresh dishes, including inventive vegetarian options.
Prices and practical info: A night in this Carinthian gem costs roughly €330–420 per room. It’s an ideal base for exploring the nearby lakes.
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10. Mountain Resort Feuerberg
Wellness quite literally above the clouds. The resort sits on the Gerlitzen Alpe mountain at an altitude of 1,769 metres. It has long held a place among the TOP 5 hotels in Austria and boasts four lilies from the RELAX Guide. Bathing in the 25-metre infinity pool with a view down into the valley is a truly unforgettable experience.
The 4,500-square-metre complex caters to everyone. You’ll find quiet zones reserved for adults and teens from 14 only, as well as a wonderfully equipped family spa. The award-winning regional cuisine offers a varied menu from which guests preferring plant-based food can easily choose.
Prices and practical info: Prices range between €220 and €400 per person. In winter you can click into your skis right outside the hotel; in summer you can jump straight into a mountain lake.
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Vorarlberg: design and panoramas in the west
11. Hotel Fernblick Montafon
Experts rate Fernblick as the very best wellness oasis in Vorarlberg. Even though the hotel has no thermal spring of its own, it makes up for it with spectacular pool architecture. The heated Sky Pool is set on massive pillars high above the valley and offers fascinating views of the mountains.
Besides five different pools, there are five saunas, a steam room and beautifully light-filled quiet lounge zones. The whole concept of the hotel revolves around nature and views. At dinner you can look forward to modern, light cuisine with plenty of delicious meat-free courses.
Prices and practical info: A stay works out at roughly €180–320 per person. I’d recommend coming for a longer break — this corner of Austria is a fair way to reach, so the easiest option from the UK is to fly into Zurich or Friedrichshafen and hire a car for the final stretch.
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Burgenland: sunny thermal baths by Lake Neusiedl
12. ST. MARTINS Therme & Lodge
This place is utterly unique in the Austrian context. The complex is built in the style of an African safari lodge and sits right in the middle of the pristine nature of the Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park. Here you can easily combine relaxing in the thermal baths with guided nature expeditions to spot birdlife.
The water in the indoor and outdoor pools is a lovely 32–35 °C. Alongside the classic saunas there’s also a large natural bathing lake that’s wonderfully refreshing in summer. The kitchen works brilliantly with local ingredients and takes care to offer a rich choice of quality vegetarian dishes.
Prices and practical info: A stay with half board starts at €150–280 per person. The resort is hugely popular with nature photographers and families looking for something a little different.
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Big public thermal baths in Austria
If you’re not planning to stay at a spa hotel but just want to relax for a day trip, Austria is full of huge public spa complexes. They tend to be brilliantly equipped, but be aware that they can get quite busy at weekends and on public holidays.
- Aqua Dome Längenfeld — a Tyrolean architectural marvel with its floating outdoor bowls.
- Therme Loipersdorf — the largest thermal baths in all of Austria, with a huge water park and a quiet zone.
- Tauern Spa Kaprun — a modern complex with a view of the Kitzsteinhorn glacier and a great sauna world.
- Felsentherme Bad Gastein — the famous radon baths carved directly into the rock face.
- St. Martins Therme — calm, sunny baths set in the flat landscape by Lake Neusiedl.
Practical tips for a wellness holiday in Austria
How to get there from the UK
The simplest way to reach most of these resorts is to fly into one of Austria’s gateway airports — Innsbruck for Tyrol, Salzburg for the Salzburg region, or Vienna and Graz for the thermal baths of Styria and Burgenland — and then hire a car for the final leg. British Airways, easyJet and Eurowings all serve these routes from London and other major UK airports. For the Vorarlberg spas in the far west, flying into Zurich or Friedrichshafen and driving across is often the quickest option. A car is by far the most comfortable way to get around once you arrive — just remember you’ll need a motorway vignette to use Austria’s motorways.
Half board and what to expect from Austrian cuisine
Austrian hotels are renowned for their generous half-board offerings. In the morning you’ll be greeted by an enormous buffet of local cheeses and breads; in the evening, a multi-course served menu. As a vegetarian, I always appreciate that here the meat-free dishes aren’t a dull afterthought but a fully fledged, creative culinary experience.
What to pack
The basic rule: a hotel bathrobe, towels and usually a pair of flip-flops will be waiting for you in your room, neatly packed in a practical canvas bag. 🎒 So all you really need to bring is two swimsuits for the pools. In Austrian saunas you go strictly without swimwear — just a large towel or sheet.
Combine wellness with skiing or hiking
I love being able to balance lounging in warm water with some active movement. Most Alpine resorts lie right next to the cable cars. So you can enjoy empty ski slopes or high-mountain treks in the morning, then move your tired body straight into the bubble bath in the afternoon with a clear conscience.
🚗 Car rental on the roadVerified rental cars in AustriaSearch with the DiscoverCars comparison engine — it compares prices from dozens of local and international rental companies, and most bookings come with free cancellation.
Compare car prices in Austria →Které jsou nejlepší wellness hotely v Rakousku?
K naprosté špičce patří resorty Der Steirerhof, Mountain Resort Feuerberg a bio-hotel Stanglwirt. Tyto hotely dlouhodobě dosahují nejvyšších hodnocení v nezávislých testech kvality a nabízejí prvotřídní spa zázemí i gastronomii.
Co je to RELAX Guide a co znamenají lilie?
RELAX Guide je přísný a nezávislý rakouský průvodce hodnotící wellness hotely. Inspektoři udělují body (max 20) a symboly lilií (1 až 4) za kvalitu služeb, čistotu a vybavení. Čtyři lilie znamenají absolutní luxus bez kompromisů.
Má Aqua Dome vlastní termální vodu?
Ano, Aqua Dome v Längenfeldu využívá vlastní pramen s léčivou termální vodou. Je to vůbec jediný horký termální pramen, který se nachází v západní části Rakouska.
Kolik stojí wellness pobyt v Rakousku?
Kvalitní čtyřhvězdičkové resorty seženete zhruba od 150 do 300 € za osobu na noc, většinou včetně bohaté polopenze. Luxusní pětihvězdičkové hotely s nejlepším hodnocením mohou stát 300 až 600 € za noc.
Chodí se v rakouských saunách nahatý?
Ano, rakouská saunová kultura je striktně bezplavková. Z hygienických důvodů se do saun a parních lázní chodí pouze s čistým ručníkem. Plavky si berte výhradně do bazénů a venkovních jezírek.
Tips and Tricks for Your Vacation
Don’t Overpay for Flights
Search for flights on Kayak. It’s our favorite search engine because it scans the websites of all airlines and always finds the cheapest connection.
Book Your Accommodation Smartly
The best experiences we’ve had when looking for accommodation (from Alaska to Morocco) are with Booking.com, where hotels, apartments, and entire houses are usually the cheapest and most widely available.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Good travel insurance will protect you against illness, accidents, theft, or flight cancellations. We’ve had a few hospital visits abroad, so we know how important it is to have proper insurance arranged.
Where we insure ourselves: SafetyWing (best for everyone) and TrueTraveller (for extra-long trips).
Why don’t we recommend any Czech insurance company? Because they have too many restrictions. They set limits on the number of days abroad, travel insurance via a credit card often requires you to pay medical expenses only with that card, and they frequently limit the number of returns to the Czech Republic.
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