Alpine Wellness Escape: Yoga and Hiking Retreat near Salzburg

DAS EDELWEISS is a mountain resort in the SalzburgerLand region of Austria, near the town of Mühlbach am Hochkönig and roughly 40 minutes' drive from Salzburg. The Hettegger family has run it for generations, and the EDELWEISS VITALITY concept is their take on a wellness hotel: yoga, meditation, spa, and food treated as one programme rather than separate add-ons.

Yoga is the core of the retreat offering. Group classes run daily and are included in your stay. The teachers are certified: Juliane holds a 500-hour AYA qualification and specialises in alignment, movement, and pranayama, with training in palliative care and experience from retreats in India. Johanna is a business health manager, personal trainer, mental coach and 400-hour certified yoga teacher who has been teaching meditation for eight years. Private lessons are available if you want to work on specific goals — back strength, stress reduction, or building a home practice. A 10-minute consultation is included before your first private session. Kids' and family yoga can be arranged on request.

Beyond the mat, the hotel runs a full activity programme. In summer that means guided hikes in the Hochkönig mountains — the area has well-marked trails for all levels, from valley walks to summit routes. In winter, the retreat pairs with skiing: the region is part of the Ski amadé network, and you can ski in the morning and do yoga in the afternoon. The hotel also offers fitness facilities, and Johanna's personal training background means strength and conditioning sessions are available if you want them.

The spa is a major part of the week. The Mountain Spa covers 7,000 m² and includes saunas, steam rooms, pools, and treatment rooms. It's the kind of place where you can easily lose an afternoon, and the retreat schedule deliberately leaves space for it.

Food is taken seriously. The hotel's restaurants serve Austrian cuisine with an emphasis on regional and seasonal ingredients, and dietary requirements can be accommodated. This isn't a detox or a calorie-controlled programme — it's good food in a mountain setting.

The retreat runs on fixed dates (for example, the EDELWEISS Vitality Retreat runs 9–13 November 2026, four nights from €1,315 per person) but the hotel also accepts bookings for individual yoga holidays on other dates. If you want a specific teacher or a particular focus, it's worth asking when you book.

What's included

- 4 nights' accommodation (for the 4-night retreat package) - Daily breakfast buffet - Daily group yoga sessions - Guided alpine hikes (weather permitting) - Access to the 7,000 m² Mountain Spa - Yoga mat in your room - Free Wi-Fi

What's not included

- Travel to and from the resort - Private yoga lessons - Personal training sessions - Spa treatments (massages, facials, etc.) - Lunch and dinner (unless specified in your package) - Alcoholic beverages - Travel insurance - Ski passes (in winter)