A hiking section with views over Maria Alm is part of the panoramic circular trail; at the same time, the town is known for a cross-border high-alpine pilgrimage. These different scales help distinguish cultural history from outdoor activities when planning your trip.
Pilgrimage and Cultural History
The Maria Alm pilgrimage, also known as the Bartholomä pilgrimage, is one of Europe’s oldest high-alpine pilgrimages. It takes place every year with a large number of participants and is considered a cultural and spiritual event. Its route leads from Austria across the Steinernes Meer to St. Bartholomä on Lake Königssee in Germany. Its cross-border route distinguishes this pilgrimage from hikes that start locally and lead to chapels.
The Church of Maria in der Almb in Maria Alm was first mentioned in a historical document; it was a single-nave church built in the Gothic style. The terms describe two different features: “single-nave” refers to the layout, while “Gothic” refers to the style. Rich votive offerings attest to the pilgrimage site’s significance beyond the region; most can now be viewed at the Heimatmuseum Schloss Ritzen. The church and votive offerings complement the story of the pilgrimage with architectural history and evidence of religious devotion.
Hikes to Chapels
The Maria Alm panoramic circular trail starts in the town center and leads to Gasteg Chapel. It includes a hiking section with views over Maria Alm. The hike to Kaseregg Chapel starts at the Gemeindeplatz and follows the village road along Trail No. 23 toward Krallerwinkl. Kaseregg Chapel is a very old farmers’ chapel at the foot of the Steinernes Meer, at an altitude of 1,049 meters. The hike can be extended to the Kaseregg Grotto, with its interesting rock formations.
Starting point and destination are helpful ways to distinguish between the routes: the panoramic circular trail starts in the town center and leads to Gasteg Chapel, while the other hike starts at the Gemeindeplatz and leads to Kaseregg Chapel. The first route connects its starting point in town with views over Maria Alm; the second can be extended to the grotto. This lets you choose based on your chapel destination, the views, or the option of a detour to the rock formations.
Summer, Mountain Biking and Bauernherbst
In summer, the Natrunbahn takes visitors from Maria Alm’s town center up to Prinzenberg Natrun. The Resi Trail and the Primbach Trails are mountain biking trails in Maria Alm; their opening conditions vary by season. This offers a choice of different activities: a cable car ride up Natrun or mountain biking on trails with seasonal opening conditions.
The recurring Bauernherbst festival in the Hochkönig region around Maria Alm features traditional celebrations, parades, folk music and demonstrations of traditional crafts. This offers a different cultural focus from pilgrimages and church architecture: the emphasis here is on regional celebrations, music and crafts. If you’re interested in culture, you can distinguish between religious traditions and regional celebrations and crafts.
Different activities have different planning considerations: the Natrunbahn operates in summer, mountain biking trails have seasonal opening conditions, and for Bauernherbst you’ll need to check the specific event dates. If one of these activities is central to your visit, check the relevant dates or operating period.
Discover more destinations: Kaprun, Gumping, Embach, Sulzau, Rain, Rauris, SchĂĽttdorf, Aufhausen
Return to the main travel overview: Zell Am See.
