Overview
Explore Austria’s Lake District’s beauty, where dramatic mountains plunge into sparkling blue glacial lakes, creating fjord-like landscapes. Salzkammergut lies to the east of Salzburg, Mozart’s city, in the Dachstein Summit’s shadow (2,995m). It certainly belongs to one of the unique natural treasures of Europe and a significant part of this beauty can be reached and seen only by foot. The area offers impressive mountain scenery, traditional villages scattered in the valleys, and well-marked alpine lakeside walking trails. If you do not have time to do the full itinerary shown here, you can have a look at our Salzburg Lake District Short Break.
- Salzkammergut
- Bad Ischl
- Wolfgangsee
- Strobl
- Bad Goisern am Hallstättersee
- Hallstatt
Click to view map
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival at Abersee/St Wolfgang
Welcome to Abersee. It is a village located on the west side of Lake Wolfgangsee – one of the most beautiful in the Salzkammergut region. It is easily accessible by bus from Salzburg.
- Accommodation in the Abersee area (Carossa, Kirchenwirt or similar)
Day 2: St Wolfgang – St Gilgen | 10km
Take a boat across Lake Wolfgangsee to St Wolfgang where your walk starts. Follow the trail up to the Falkenstein Wall where you can enjoy panoramic views down to the lake below. Then the idyllic Fürberg path heads down to follow the lakeside into the Mozart village of St Gilgen. Walk around the village and go back on the boat to Abersee for your overnight.
- Walking for the day: 10 km, 4 hours ↑350m ↓350m
- Accommodation in the Abersee area (Carossa, Kirchenwirt or similar)
Day 3: St Wolfgang to Strobl/Bad Ischl via Schwarzensee | 12/15km
Today you will go again by boat to St Wolfgang. Walk along the saddle on a forested path to the lake Schwarzensee, where you can stop for a refreshment at Madame Lore’s lake cabin. Walk down into the valley through a gorge and around the Bürglstein (optional detour) to the lake promenade in Strobl. Then take the bus to the Emperors Town of Bad Ischl.
- Walking for the day: 15 km (12 km), 6 hours (4.5 hours) ↑390m ↓390m (↑240m ↓240m)
- Accommodation in Bad Ischl (Stadt Salzburg, Sandwirt or similar)
Day 4: Rest Day in Bad Ischl
Spend the day in the beautiful spa town of Bad Ischl. Emperor Franz Joseph spent his summer holidays here, and you can take a tour of the Kaiservilla – his summer residence. There are plenty of city walk options, or you can relax in a thermal spa. Visit Café Zauner or Austria Hotel, where once upon a time the engagement of Emperor Franz Josef and Elisabeth of Bavaria (Sissi) took place.
- Accommodation in Bad Ischl (Stadt Salzburg, Sandwirt or similar)
Day 5: Brine Pipeline Walk Bad Ischl to Bad Goisern | 11km
Salt always has been an essential commodity in Salzkammergut. You will follow an old brine pipeline for most of the route today, and you will learn about its history. You will pass a former church as you head down to the market town of Bad Goisern, a world architectural heritage site.
- Walking for the day: 11 km, 4 hours ↑260m ↓180m
- Accommodation in Bad Goisern (Goisererhof, Lindwurm or similar)
Day 6: Lakeside Trail Bad Goisern to Hallstatt | 15km
First, you will follow the river trail to Lake Hallstatt, where you will walk along the lake into the fjord. After a while, you will see the first houses of Hallstatt and the Salt Mountain. Enjoy the ferry to the Hallstatt centre, walking around the little alleys or take the funicular up to the salt mine. Look around to see Mount Dachstein, the highest peak in upper Austria. The day ends with a pleasant boat and train ride back to your hotel in Bad Goisern.
- Walking for the day: 15 km, 5 hours ↑450m ↓90m
- Accommodation in Bad Goisern (Goisererhof, Lindwurm or similar)
Day 7: Bad Ischl to Lake Wolfgangsee | 18km
On this last – and most strenuous – walking day, first you take the train to Bad Ischl. Walk on the Elisabeth path to the idyllic little lake of Nussensee and than along the river Ischl to Strobl. Then continue along the lake, and through the Blinkling Moor natural reserve, you will reach the peninsula of Abersee offering beautiful views to St Wolfgang, Schafberg and the lake.
- Walking for the day: 18 km, 6-7 hours ↑300m ↓100m
- Accommodation in the Abersee area (Carossa, Kirchenwirt or similar)
Day 8: Departure or onward travel
What to expect
Accommodations
Accommodation is in a mix of comfortable family hotels, guesthouses and country inns, located as close to the trails as possible. We have carefully hand-picked all places and regularly monitor their quality. We have tried to choose accommodations that offer friendly service, clean and comfortable rooms and local flavour. You can optionally upgrade the hotels for some extra luxury.
Click to view standard hotels
- Sample standard hotels: Carossa, Kirchenwirt, Stadt Salzburg, Sandwirt, Goisererhof, Lindwurm
Click to view upgraded hotels
- Optional upgraded hotels: Seehotel Huber, Goldenes Schiff, Moserwirt, Goiserermühle or similar
*Hotels are subject to availability. In case a particular hotel is fully booked for your desired dates, we will replace it with a hotel of equal value and quality level. We will provide exact accommodation details to you upon booking confirmation.
Meals
Accommodation is on a bed & breakfast basis. Picnic lunches are optional at an extra charge and can be ordered locally; on most routes there are numerous places where you can eat or buy food during the day. You can have dinner at your hotel or nearby restaurants.
Difficulty and terrain
This is an easy to moderate walking holiday, appropriate for novice hikers and families. Total walking is 69 km, on average 14 km per walking day (4-5 hours). The longest walk is 7 hours (18 km) on Day 7, but you can easily skip it or shorten it using local transport (read more about difficulty grades). We strongly advise you to follow only marked trails and never try to shorten the path through the unknown and unmarked terrain. We will provide you with detailed road notes and maps, and you can call our 24/7 local assistance phone number anytime.
When to go
This trip is available from April until October; you can start on any date. Late spring, the whole summer and early autumn are beautiful in the Alps. The best months for walking are in the summer months between June and September when the weather is most stable. Depending on location and altitude, temperatures vary, but, in the May-September period, the daily averages are 15-25C. Spring and autumn are cooler with occasional rain. Expect the weather to change rapidly during the day.
Getting there
Our recommended airport for this tour is Salzburg. Take the bus no. 150 to Abersee from Salzburg bus station (1 hour). Alternatively, you can take the train to Bad Ischl (1.30 h) and then a bus to Wolfgangsee (30 minutes). Visit the OBB website for up-to-date timetables and fares, or check the Omio planner below.
Click to view travel options
By plane
By train or bus
Inclusions
Included
- 7 overnights in comfortable family hotels, guesthouses and country inns as listed in the itinerary
- 7 breakfasts
- Detailed holiday information pack including GPS-checked and regularly updated route descriptions, road notes and maps
- Boat fares on the lakes Wolfgangsee and Hallstätter See
- Train fare Hallstatt – Bad Goisern and Bad Goisern – Bad Ischl
- Luggage transfers from hotel to hotel on all walking days (1 piece per person, up to 20 kg)
- 24/7 phone assistance by our local representative in Abersee
Excluded
- Airfare and connecting land transfers
- Optional bus rides to shorten the walks
- Lunches, dinners, drinks and snacks
- Travel insurance (required – get a quote online)
- Personal expenses
- Local tourist taxes and attractions’ entry fees (payable on-site)
- Any items not specifically mentioned as included in the programme
Options, extras and supplements
- Where individual members of a group require a single room, a supplement is applicable
- This holiday is available for solo travellers; a supplement will be charged as accommodation and luggage transfer costs are not shared (we never mix and match – solo travellers will be accommodated in single rooms)
- Private airport transfers from/to Salzburg Airport
- Upgrade to 4-star accommodation in Bad Ischl (2 nights)
- Upgrade to 4-star / best 3-star accommodation (full itinerary)
- GPS rental
- Extra nights
Gallery
