With the great lakes, the lush vegetation and the breathtaking peaks from the Alps rising in the background, the Austrian Salzkammergut is an incredibly picturesque place for walking. UNESCO has also put the whole Hallstatt area on both its natural and cultural World Heritage lists, and this walking holiday is a great opportunity to see and enjoy the magnificent scenery in your own pace.
The well maintained walking paths lead you amongst others to the imperial town of Bad Ischl, the famous villages of St. Wolfgang and Hallstatt, which is beautifully situated on each their own lakeshores, surrounded by a stunningly beautiful landscape.
8-day walking holiday. You will stay at three-star tourist class hotels, where breakfast is included and your luggage will be transferred between hotels.
You arrive at your first hotel in Wolfgangsee or Abersee. Upon arrival you are given your welcome pack which contains the roadbook, maps, vouchers and other essentials.
Category A - Hotel (example): Aberseehof***
Charme - Hotel (example): Weisses Rössl****
You begin the day by taking a boat to St. Wolfgang. In addition to its beautiful surroundings this village is also known for its small hotel "The White Horse Inn" about which an operetta by the same name is written. From here the route leads you up to the rock wall of Flakenstein, from where there are spectacular views over the Wolfgangsee lake. A charming path leads you along the lakeshore into the Mozart village of St. Gilgen. From there you will take the boat back to the hotel at Wolfgangsee.
Walking time: approx. 3½ hours
Distance: 10km
+250 / -250
Category A - Hotel (example): Aberseehof***
Charme - Hotel (example): Weisses Rössl****
Walking time: 4-5 hours
This day’s hike leads you from St. Wolfgang to Schwarzensee, which is fully surrounded by small mountain peaks, rising up from the green vegetation. Here at the lakeshore, it is ideal to taste one of Madame Lore's homemade snacks in the cozy café. Through the Wirer gorge the trail goes down in the valley and around Bürglstein, from where the path spectacularly winds through the cliffs to Strobl, with its pretty lakeside promenade. The day ends with a bus ride to Bad Ischl, where you check into the hotel.
NOTE: In 2024, Bad Ischl has been designated as the European Capital of Culture. This means that there will be numerous local events throughout spring and summer (across much of Salzkammergut). However, in Bad Ischl specifically, hotels in our Category A are quickly selling out. We have no way of predicting when this will occur, so it may be necessary for us to upgrade or downgrade the hotel for nights here. In that case, there will be a corresponding price adjustment. We will contact our guests in connection with confirming the trip, where relevant.
Walking time: approx. 4½ hours
Distance: 12km
+300 / -300
Category A - Hotel (example): Goldenes Schiff***
Charme - Hotel (example): Villa Seilern****
This is a free day in Bad Ischl, where you can chose the experiences of your interest. There are plenty of things to visit such as the old Imperial Villa, which used to be the summer residence of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Elisabeth of Austria. Café Zauner is a recommendable place for a coffee break, with its famous delicacies. The name Bad in Bad Ischl, means bath, and refers to the thermal baths in the city. Should you be up for a relaxing visit to the warm waters, the Salzkammergut Thermal Spa is worth a visit.
Category A - Hotel (example): Goldenes Schiff***
Charme - Hotel (example): Villa Seilern****
Walking time: 3-4 hours
Salt has always been an important source of income in the area of Salzkammergut. The oldest active brine pipeline stretches 39 kilometers from the salt mine of Hallstattt to the salt factory in Bad Ischl. The day begins with walking along the promenade of Bad Ischl to Kaltenbachau, a cozy area where horse races are held. From here the walk begins to follow the path running along these pipes of brine, called the Brine Pipeline Trail (some locals call it "the Strähn") and the trail is featured on the UNESCO heritage list. As you approach Bad Goisern, you will turn off the trail and reach your hotel for the night.
Walking time: approx. 3-5 hours
Distance: 11km
+50 / -50
Category A - Hotel (example): Hotel Goisererhof***
Charme - Hotel (example): Heritage Hotel Hallstatt****
Walking time: 4-5 hours
Today’s walk will bring you back on the "Brine Pipline Trail" where it will lead you to the salt mountain of Hallstatt. This salt mine is the world’s oldest active mine of its kind, and it dates back to the celtic Hallstatt-culture that arose around 800-400 BC.
From the trail there will be magnificent views of both Lake Hallstatt and the Dachstein Massif, which is beautifully situated in the background. When reaching Hallstatt, take the Salzbergbahn - a funicular, up the hill from where the view is superb. It is recommended to visit the salt mine, which offers historical information, shows you the mining area, and brings you to the top of Rudolf's tower, which was originally built to defend the salt mine from attack. Today, you can safely enjoy the brilliant view from the top of the tower, overlooking the fantastic alpine landscape.
The trip back to Bad Goisern is done by boat across Lake Hallstatt.
Walking time: approx. 4½ hours
Distance: 12km
+400 / -100
Category A - Hotel (example): Hotel Goisererhof***
Charme - Hotel (example): Heritage Hotel Hallstatt****
You will begin the day by taking the train to Bad Ischl. Along the romantic Sissi path, you will walk to the small idyllic lake Nussensee, and from here along the Ischl River and continue to Wolfgangsee Lake. On this part of the walk you come through one of Austria's finest marshlands called Blinklingmoos. The route then follows Lake Wolfgang for the last stretch back to Wolfgangsee for a final night.
Walking time: ca. 5½ hours
Distance: 18km
+300 / -200
Category A - Hotel (example): Aberseehof***
Charme - Hotel (example): Weisses Rössl****
After breakfast you will check out of the hotel for departure.
The price is based upon two people sharing. It is also possible travel alone in a single room. Simply choose "1 person" in the booking form and it will automatically add the single room surcharge.
On this tour you will be on your own supplied with maps, route descriptions and luggage transfers. That means that your time is your own and you have plenty of time to enjoy the stages in your own pace.
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The process of your booking
When you book, we will start booking hotels and arranging all the practical details of the trip. This process typically takes 2-5 working days, but some bookings may take longer. If you are arranging your own transport, we recommend that you wait until we have confirmed your booking before arranging this.
Dates
If you can select the date in the tour calendar at the top of this page, this is a possible start date. We continually update the tours with sold-out dates, after which those dates will turn red and cannot be selected.
The flights to/from Salzburg are not included in the price. You can easily find a suitable flight via a flight booking engine such as Momondo or Skyscanner.
Notice: we recommend that you book with us and wait for the confirmation before you book your flights.
Book a quote
If you prefer that we handle your flight, then we would be happy to arrange this for you. You simply book a quote below the map on this page and we will return with a quote as soon as possible (usually within 48 working hours). Please note that we add a handling fee of 45 euro to each flight and this means that the flight will be cheaper if you book it yourself.
Getting from the Airport
You can fly to Salzburg and from there take a bus to the Wolfgangsee (about 1 hour) - Alternatively, take the train to Bad Ischl and bus to the Wolfgangsee from there (about 30 min.)
Alternatively you can fly to Munich, and take the train to Salzburg from there.
Private Transfer
It is possible to book a private transfer from Salzburg airport or train station to the first hotel. It is also possible to arrange a return transfer after the tour. This can be selected on the booking page.
Luggage transfer is included on this tour. Upon arrival at the first hotel you will be given luggage tags along with the rest of the welcome package. You fill out the luggage tags and put them on your bags where they will remain for the duration of the tour.
Your luggage is picked up from the hotel lobby around 9am every morning and will arrive at your next hotel at 6pm at the latest (often long before that). If there are any special exceptions to the luggage transfer you will be notified upon arrival.
Luggage transfer includes one bag per guest and the bags can weigh 20kg each.
You will stay at 3-star tourist class hotels in respectively Wolfgangsee/Abersee, Bad Goisern and Bad Ischl. It is possible to upgrade to even better hotels by selecting the Charme category when booking the tour. In the itinerary on this page you can see the hotels we most often use.
It is possible to booke extra nights before or after the tour. This is also selected on the booking form.
Breakfast is included in all hotels.
The daily walks on this trip is a grade 2. Read more about our grading system here.
Here you can get an overview of the entire route and the elevation profile for each day. The data shows the data from the GPX-files related to the tour. Notice that the routes are sometimes updated, which means that there might be small variations.
Colors
Blue routes: The route as normal
Red routes: Variations/options (such as shortened or extended routes)
On this trip it is possible to bring your dog. Should this be of interest, please make a note of the dogs breed and size. You can provide this information in the comments section when booking the trip. Possible additional cost are payable locally on site.
It can be hard to plan your trip according to the weather, but to give an idea of the local climate you can see the data from yr.no below:
We are members of the Travel Guarantee Fund (nr. 2529) and have all available insurances. This covers you regardless of your nationality. Read more about that here.
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