Bad Ischl is the town where an Emperor went on holiday and accidentally changed European history. Franz Joseph spent summers here for decades, in a villa given to him and Sisi as a wedding present, and it was from here, in July 1914, that he signed the declaration of war on Serbia that began the First World War. Today the Kaiservilla is a museum with a park, filled with hunting trophies, and a visit gives you a glimpse of how a monarch spent a holiday: shooting chamois and grumbling over paperwork.
The town grew rich on two things, salt and spa water. The salt mines of the Salzkammergut gave the region its name, and in the nineteenth century physicians prescribed brine baths and mountain air to the wealthy of the empire, who responded by building villas, theatres and a famous pastry shop. Konditorei Zauner, on the main street, is still serving cakes and the little chocolate-covered Zaunerstollen to people who remember their grandparents recommending them. Composer Franz Lehár also lived here and wrote some of his operettas in the town.
The setting is a pocket of flat land at the meeting of the Traun and Ischl rivers, with forested hills pressing in on every side. Roads fan out in several directions, which makes Bad Ischl a good base for exploring the lakes, and also a good place for a break. You will find fuel, supermarkets and plenty of cafes; this is a proper small town, not a hamlet, and it copes easily with riders. Parking in the centre can be tight on summer afternoons, so use the larger car parks at the edges.
The nearby roads give a lot of choice: east and south through the Traun valley toward Bad Goisern and Hallstatt, north to Gmunden and the Traunsee, or west toward the Wolfgangsee. The surfaces are mostly good, and the corners are generous, but weekend traffic and caravans can slow things. The best days are weekday mornings in late spring and early autumn, when the beech and maple on the hillsides turn colour.
Take time for a walk by the river and a coffee, because this is a place where things have always been done at a leisurely pace.