A winged altar 12.5 metres high, a boat trip between three towns and mountain railways with different journey times: Wolfgangsee brings together a wide variety of discoveries. It stretches across Salzburg and Upper Austria and lies among forests, mountain landscapes and small towns. In the Salzkammergut, it is one of the swimming lakes. A stay here can therefore take in culture, water and mountains, without you having to focus on just one of them.
The lake and its towns: getting around by water and bus
The WolfgangseeSchifffahrt connects St. Gilgen, Strobl and St. Wolfgang, linking the three towns by boat. Timetables vary by season; check the schedule for your visit. The towns are also connected by bus: Route 150 stops at the relevant stops in St. Gilgen and Strobl. To reach St. Wolfgang, take Route 546 from the Strobl bus station.
Two combinations are described for travelling by train: you can go via Salzburg Central Station and then take bus Route 150 towards Bad Ischl/Wolfgangsee. Alternatively, travel via Bad Ischl station; from there, Route 150 runs towards Salzburg/Wolfgangsee. As timetables can change, it is worth checking the connections before you travel.
Water and mountains at different paces
Activities at Wolfgangsee include sailing, surfing, diving, stand-up paddleboarding, water skiing, wakeboarding, and canoeing and kayaking; according to regional information, these activities are available year-round. Individual operators and availability may vary. Water sports centres offer surfing for beginners and advanced surfers; pedal boats and electric boats are also available. The range extends from self-piloted boat trips to sporting activities on the water.
The two mountain railways offer different journey times and destinations: the SchafbergBahn takes about 35 minutes to a point below the 1,783-metre Schafberg summit. The 1,522-metre Zwölferhorn can be reached in 11 minutes by the Zwölferhorn cable car; its operating times vary by season. The Pillstein Panorama Circular Trail also runs across the Zwölferhorn. Twelve stations explain natural phenomena and traditional lore in a playful way.
The winter trails have their own appeal, too. The five-kilometre Lienbach cross-country ski trail on the Postalm can be used for both classic and skating styles. The Postalm is also home to a one-kilometre natural toboggan run with a vertical drop of 200 metres, which passes the Strobler HĂĽtte. Trail conditions, grooming, snow conditions and operating times depend on the season.
Wildpark Kleefeld has an educational bee trail. The circuit takes about an hour and is suitable for pushchairs. At the wildlife park, you can see red deer, fallow deer and ibex. The combination of an educational trail and wildlife watching offers a different focus from the longer mountain and winter routes.
Churches, art and local stories
The Catholic parish and pilgrimage church of St. Wolfgang dates back at least to the 12th century. Its special features include a stone shrine of religious significance and Michael Pacher’s famous Gothic winged altar. Pacher completed the altar by 1481. When opened, it is more than six metres wide and 12.5 metres high; its wings depict scenes from the lives of Jesus and St. Wolfgang. Its dimensions and subject matter give a visit a clear art-historical focus.
St. Wolfgang is also the destination of the Wolfgangweg pilgrimage route, which runs 274 kilometres from St. Emmeram in Regensburg to here. Cyclists can follow a 324-kilometre variant. The route is named after St. Wolfgang, Bishop of Regensburg, who lived from 924 to 994. The distances distinguish the pilgrimage route from its cycling variant, while both share the same starting point and destination.
In Strobl, the Aberseer Heimathaus Lipphaus tells a different kind of regional story. The building by the Breitenbachbauer dates from around 1500. After being used as a residence until 1977, the Aberseer Museumsverein converted the Lipphaus into a museum; it opened as the Aberseer Heimatmuseum Lipphaus in 1978. The Zinkenbach artists’ colony is also part of Wolfgangsee’s cultural history: artist friends chose Zinkenbach/Abersee as their summer and winter residence from 1927 to 1938, and the colony included up to 27 artists.
Since 2000, the Deutschvilla has enlivened the regional cultural scene with exhibitions, concerts and exhibition openings; individual exhibitions change. The Wolfgangsee Advent market is held annually in St. Gilgen, Strobl and St. Wolfgang. Exact dates vary from year to year. Local cuisine is characterised by fresh fish from local lakes, mushrooms from the forest and handcrafted specialities made from natural ingredients.
Discover more destinations: Kirchdorf An Der Krems, Eferding, Ried Im Innkreis, Schärding, Rohrbach, Braunau Am Inn, Grieskirchen, Freistadt.
Return to the regional travel overview: Upper Austria.
