Overview
This walking holiday follows one of the routes of the Way of St James in Tyrol, crossing parts of Austria and Germany. While the pilgrimage routes of El Camino de Santiago in Spain and France have become increasingly popular in recent years – which often means overcrowded refuges and paths – the Tyrolean section of the Way of St James offers unspoilt nature, quiet villages and immersive experiences.
Village nameplates en route are often decorated with a scallop shell crest (the symbol of the St James Way). Weathered milestones testify to the centuries-old history of St James pilgrims passing through Tyrol. Here you can experience this pilgrimage in its purest form, and the hiking trails are just perfect.
- Salzburg
- Bad Reichenhall
- Saalach River
- Lofer
- Loferer Steinberge
Click to view map
Itinerary
Day 1: Seekirchen am Wallersee
Welcome to Lake Wallersee. Seekirchen is easily accessible by train from Salzburg (15min / 20km, Euro 6-10).
- Accommodation in Seekirchen (Gasthof zur Post, Il Mulino or similar)
Day 2: Oberhofen – Eugendorf | 22km
Take the train to Oberhofen at the Austrian/German border, where the St James Way trailhead is located. Initially, you will walk past soft green hills down to Lake Wallersee. Then follow the lakeshore until you reach Eugendorf.
- Walking for the day: 22km, 6-7h, ↑450m ↓550m
- Accommodation in Eugendorf (Landhotel Santner or similar)
Day 3: Eugendorf – Salzburg | 15km
A pleasant path brings you downhill to Salzburg, where a wealth of churches and religious monuments wait to be discovered. A detour to Maria Plain, a baroque pilgrim church towering high over Salzburg is worth the extra effort.
- Walking for the day: 15km, 4h, ↑250m ↓350m
- Accommodation in Salzburg (Goldenes Theater or similar)
Day 4: Salzburg – Großgmain/Bad Reichenhall | 19km
Across the city of Salzburg, you walk in the direction of Mount Untersberg. At the little town of Großgmain, you cross the German border, and afterwards, you reach the Bavarian spa town of Bad Reichenhall. Bad Reichenhall was awarded Alpine Town of the Year 2001. It is a traditional centre of salt production, obtained by evaporating water from brine ponds.
- Walking for the day: 19km, 5-6h, ↑250m ↓200m
- Accommodation in Bad Reichenhall (Brauereigasthof Hotel Bürgerbräu, Dora or similar)
Day 5: Bad Reichenhall – Unken | 19km
Today you follow the river Saalach back into the county of Salzburg. Past Lake Salzachsee, you will walk deeper and deeper into the mountains. The winding path partly follows the picturesque river bank, the river wildly running between steep rock walls.
- Walking for the day: 19km, 5-6h, ↑300m ↓200m
- Accommodation in Unken (Kirchenwirt Landhotel or similar)
Day 6: Unken – Waidring/St Ulrich | 22km
At first, you follow the river Saalach into the widening valley around the picturesque mountain village of Lofer. The steep ridges of the Loferer Steinberge mountain range seem to scrape the sky in front of you. Through Strubpass you cross back into Tyrol.
- Walking for the day: 22km, 6-7h, ↑500m ↓300m
- Accommodation in Waidring/St Ulrich (Pension Gschwentner or similar)
Day 7: Waidring/St Ulrich – St Johann | 16-26km
Today you can choose one of two alternative routes. You can walk on the dyke path to St Johann, or you can hike past Lake Pillersee and St. Jacob’s church to St Johann.
- Walking for the day: 26km, 7h, ↑370m ↓500m (shorter option: 16km, 5h, ↑100m ↓200m)
- Accommodation in St Johann (Gasthof Mauth, Hotel Theresia or similar)
Day 8: Departure or Onward Travel
Departure on your own or extension upon request.
What to expect
Accommodations
3-star hotels, country inns and guesthouses as indicated in the itinerary, including one night in a 4-star hotel in Salzburg. 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.
Click to view hotels for this trip
- Gasthof zur Post
- Il Mulino
- Landhotel Santner
- Goldenes Theater
- Brauereigasthof Hotel Bürgerbräu
- Dora
- Kirchenwirt Landhotel
- Pension Gschwentner
- Gasthof Mauth
- Hotel Theresia
*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
Breakfast is included. When no restaurant location is available on route lunches and snacks should either be bought from local shops, or packed lunch can be pre-ordered from your hotel the night before. Dinner is available either from the restaurant in your hotel or restaurants in the village near your hotel.
Difficulty and terrain
The tour is appropriate for experienced walkers and requires a sound level of fitness. Total walking is 112km, on average 19km (6h) per walking day. Overall elevation gain is 1,850m, average elevation gain per walking day is 300m (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 March until October. The flexibility of self guided holidays means that there are no fixed dates and you can start your trip on any date in the season – so please indicate desired beginning date when booking.
Late spring, the whole summer and early autumn are beautiful in the Tyrolean Alps. The best months for walking are in the summer months between June and September when the weather is most stable. The climate in the region is continental, cold and temperate. 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. Seekirchen is 15min from Salzburg by train. The train ride from St Johann back to Salzburg takes 2-2.5h. 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
- 6 nights in a mix of 3-star hotels, country hotels and guesthouses
- 1 night in a 4-star hotel in Salzburg
- 7 breakfasts
- Detailed pre-departure holiday information pack including GPS-checked and regularly updated route descriptions, road notes and maps
- Train fare Seekirchen – Oberhofen on Day 2
- Luggage transfers from hotel to hotel on all walking days (1 piece per person, up to 20kg)
- 24/7 assistance by phone
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
- If you’re travelling in a group, a supplement applies to group members who would like to have a room of their own
- 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)
- Extra nights in Seekirchen, St. Johann/Tyrol and Salzburg available upon request
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