Located along the shores of Lake Wolfgangsee in the heart of the Salzkammergut, Austria’s beautiful lake district, the small town of St Wolfgang deserves to be discovered. Often playing second and third fiddle to nearby Salzburg and Hallstatt, what St Wolfgang might lack in terms of a rich historical background, it more than makes up for it in natural beauty and a more relaxed atmosphere than its busy neighbours. Many come to town to experience the unique cog train (Austria’s steepest cog railway) that whisks passengers to the summit of Schafberg Mountain, but there’s so much more to experience in St Wolfgang. To help you get the most out of your time here, we put together this travel guide on the Best Things to See and Do in St Wolfgang.
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You might also be interested in these pages:
Best Things to See and Do in the Salzkammergut
Perfect Road Trip Itinerary in the Salzkammergut
Best Things to See and Do in Salzburg
Best Things to See and Do in Hallstatt
Orientation – St Wolfgang Location
St Wolfgang, or St. Wolfgang im Salzkammergut as it is officially known, is a town in the heart of Austria’s Salzkammergut lake district, a short distance east of Salzburg.
By Car: St Wolfgang and the Salzkammergut region is definitely easier to explore by car. From Salzburg, St Wolfgang is about an hour’s drive away following road 158. From Hallstatt, it will take about 40 minutes, via roads 145 and 158.
If you need to book a rental vehicle for your travels, we highly recommend using Discover Cars to get the best rates on your rental in Austria.
We also highly recommend Airalo (eSIM card) for your connectivity needs when travelling abroad. Airalo is the world’s first and largest eSIM store with eSIM plans for 200+ countries and regions worldwide.
Important: All Austrian motorways (“Autobahn”) and expressways (“S” roads) are subject to tolls. All cars, motorbikes and camper vans must either properly display a toll sticker or have purchased online a digital vignette when they plan to drive onto a motorway or expressway. Vignettes with periods of validity of 10 days, 2 months or 1 year are available from more than 6,000 outlets in Austria and neighbouring countries, and digital vignettes can be purchased from the ASFINAG website. They are not prohibitively expensive — for instance, the 10-day vignette for cars costs €11.50.
By Bus: St Wolfgang can be reached by bus from Salzburg and the journey typically takes about 1h30, as you will need to transfer buses in Strobl. From Hallstatt, you will need to make at least one transfer in Bad Ischl and the journey typically takes upwards of 1h15. You can check the OBB website for timetables and tickets.
By Group Tour: This can be a great option if you don’t want to deal with the transit logistics. There are a few tours of Salzburg and/or the Salzkammergut area that include stops in St Wolfgang (see tour image links below).
Arrival by Car and Parking:
There are several small paid car parks scattered around St Wolfgang. Several small lots are numbered (Parkplatz P1 to Parkplatz P8). Parkplatz P5-P8 on the west side of town are particularly useful for those who are primarily interested in riding the SchafbgegBahn, the cog train that takes you up to the summit of Mount Schafberg (more on the SchafbgegBahn below). These small lots are generally the least expensive to park in, but they might not always have space. There’s also a large parking garage in the center of town, but it’s quite expensive and the spaces are very narrow.
Our preferred car park is the large car park on the east side of town. It’s the simplest to get to and almost always has space. It’s also a short 5-minute walk from the town center. If you have been or plan to go to Hallstatt, the parking in St Wolfgang is nowhere near the hassle it is there.
If you decide to stay overnight in St Wolfgang, your hotel or lodging hosts might provide you with prepaid parking cards.
About St Wolfgang & Wolfgangsee
The small town of St Wolfgang (population of about 3000) is located on the northern shore of Lake Wolfgangsee, nestled between the lake and the 1782 m high Schafberg mountain. The town is most famous for its SchafbergBahn, an alpine cog train that has been transporting tourists up to the mountain summit since 1893. It is also well-known because of the Operetta (musical comedy) “At the White Horse Inn”, which takes place in the hotel of the same name in St Wolfgang (Hotel Weissen Rössl).
Wolfgangsee is one of the most scenic lakes in the Salzkammergut, it stretches for about ten kilometres and is bordered by the towns of St. Wolfgang, St. Gilgen and Strobl, and several smaller villages such as Ried and Abersee.
St Wolfgang as a base to explore the Salzkammergut region: We spent 5 days in the Salzkammergut and chose St Wolfgang as our base for exploring it. We had several reasons for picking St Wolfgang:
1) It’s a beautiful and scenic lakeside town, with a great selection of accommodation options and restaurants, but without the crowds of nearby Hallstatt and Salzburg.
2) The town is somewhat centrally located relative to our main interests in the area: Salzburg, Hallstatt, the Gosau Lakes, and Dachstein Krippenstein.
3) The base station of the SchafbergBahn cog train is located in St Wolfgang – riding this train to the summit of Schafberg mountain was very high on our bucket list.
4) Since we were planning to visit most of the area by car, the fact that parking is also easier in St Wolfgang was an important consideration for our decision to base ourselves here.
Best Things to See and Do in St Wolfgang
Explore the Town Center
Although small, the center of St Wolfgang is filled with pastel-coloured buildings, car-free cobblestone streets, winding alleyways, welcoming plazas, and beautiful wooden-roof alpine architecture. It is also packed with various restaurants, lively cafés, souvenir shops and stores selling authentic Austrian goods. It’s the perfect place for aimlessly strolling around and taking your time.
Ferry Terminal Promenade – In the west end of town, near the Ferry Terminal and the SchafbergBahn station is this small but beautifully decorated promenade, the perfect place for a quick stroll or to take a seat and enjoy the lakeside views.
Doktor-Franz-Xaver-Rais-Promenade – This longer wooden boardwalk starts near the Wolfgang Marina and ends a few hundred meters later near a large wooden bathing platform.
From here, you can turn away from the water and the path will take you by St Wolfgang cemetery.
White Horse Water Front – A small lakeside plaza with several seating options to enjoy views of the beautiful Wolfgangsee, right by the famous White Horse Inn (Hotel Weissen Rössl).
Pilgrimage Church – Legend has it that in 976 AD, Saint Wolfgang of Regensburg threw an axe down a mountain and stated that wherever it landed he would build a church, and that axe landed where you’ll St Wolfgang’s Pilgrimage Church.
Photospot above St Wolfgang – this photo spot on a small hill behind St Wolfgang offers beautiful views of the town and the surrounding mountain scenery. It can easily be reached by a short trail from the road below.
Take a Ride Up the SchafbergBahn
This is a must-do activity in St Wolfgang, and many come to this small town especially to experience the Schafbergbahn cog train whisk you up to the Schafberg summit for stunning views of the Salzkammergut Lake region.
Austria’s steepest cog railway has been running from St. Wolfgang up the Schafberg since 1893. The train will climb 1,190 vertical meters at a maximum gradient of 26%, and the ride up will take approximately 35 minutes.
The scenery and the mountain views seen from the train are simply spectacular.
But if you thought the views from the train were great, the scenery from the summit is just out of this world—360 degrees of panoramic beauty.
At the top, there’s also a hotel and two restaurants, each with fantastic terraces from which you can enjoy refreshments and a snack in front of jaw-dropping scenery.
For more information on taking a ride up to the summit, check out our Schafbergbahn Travel Guide.
Hike up the Schafberg
You can also hike up to the Schafberg summit, but you should also know that’s a fairly challenging hike, particularly in terms of the elevation gain. Although we are avid hikers and climb many mountains during our travels, we didn’t do this trail as we wanted to experience the unique train ride up to the summit.
Distance: 13.5 km (combined ascent and descent)
Route Type: Out-and-back
Elevation gain: 1,180 m
Start point: Schafbergbahn Car Park
AllTrails rating: (4.7, 147 ratings (2024))
Duration: Most people complete the trail in about 6h30-7h
Access Fees: Free
For those interested in a shorter hike, the cog train makes an intermediate stop at a station about 3/4 of the way up, making it a great place to get off for those who would like to just hike up the last portion of the trail, which is significantly more manageable than the full trail but still is quite the uphill slog where you will gain nearly 400 m in just 1.5 km.
Distance: 3 km (ascent and descent combined)
Route Type: Out-and-back
Elevation gain: 390 m
Start point: Schafbergalm station
Duration: Most people complete the trail in about 1h15-1h30
Access Fees: Free
Go for a Lakeside Walk
Unlike the challenging hike up Schafberg, there are two lovely and easy walking trails that you can enjoy from St Wolfgang.
Pilgrimage Route – This route follows an old pilgrim’s trail between St Wolfgang and St Gilgen, though most stop and turn around in Fürberg. The first section follows the roadside from St Wolfgang to Reid, after which the trail turns inland and climbs up Falkenstein Hill. From there, you will cross several small chapels and religious artifacts placed alongside the trail. Apart from the short climb up Falkenstein, the trail is relatively flat and straightforward. You can follow this trail on Google Maps here.
Walking all the way to Fürberg will take most a bit more than 90 minutes each way, but you can stop whenever you want to head back to St Wolfgang since there is no actual endpoint to the trail — it will continue to loop around the lake. From Fürberg or St Gilgen, you can also hop on a ferry ride back to St Wolfgang (see below about the ferry options.
Bürglstein Rundwanderweg (Bürgl Panorama Trail) – This short trail starts east of St Wolfgang, just off the main road into town, and loops around a beautiful peninsula all the way to the town of Strobl. You’ll have beautiful views of Lake Wolfgangsee along the way.
To reach the trailhead, you can either walk along the main road from St Wolfgang (which adds about 45 minutes each way), or park by the nearby arena. Walking from the trailhead to the town of Strobl takes about 25 minutes each way and you can follow the path to take here.
Take a Boat Trip on the Wolfgangsee
A great way to enjoy the surrounding mountain scenery is from the middle of the lake on the paddle steamer Kaiser Franz Josef I, which has been in operation since 1873. It’s one of the 6 vessels of the Wolfgangsee boat fleet that link the towns and villages around the lake via the following docking stations: St. Gilgen, Fürberg, Ried-Falkenstein, St. Wolfgang Schafbergbahn, St. Wolfgang Markt, Gschwendt and Strobl.
Tickets can be purchased at the Schafbergbahn Valley Station (the cog train station) and directly on the ship. Although reservations are not needed, you can also book your tickets online on the WolfgangseeSchifffahrt Ferries website, where you will also find the ferry timetable (including where times are specific to the Kaiser Franz Josef steamer boat.
Hike to Schwarzensee
For a nice hike that is more challenging than the lakeside walks, but that isn’t as much of an undertaking as the climb up Scharferg, we can recommend hiking to Lake Schwarzensee. The trail starts about 4 km east of town, near where the Bürglstein Rundwanderweg walking trail (described above) departs. You can either add to the hike by walking to the trailhead from St Wolfgang (which adds about 45 minutes each way) or parking in the arena car park (linked below).
Distance: 9.5 km
Route Type: Out-and-back
Elevation gain: 218 m (cumulative gain of 297 m)
Start point: Schwarzenbach Arena Car Park
AllTrails rating: (4.4, 54 ratings (2024))
Duration: Most people complete the trail in about 2h30-3h
Access Fees: Free
Not an AllTrails member yet? We highly recommend signing up for either their free or paid membership plans. The free plan allows you to find new trails and plan routes but can only be used while hiking if you have access to mobile data. The paid membership plan (AllTrails+) allows you to download trail maps for offline use and provides live progress updates and off-route notifications.
If you are still uncertain – you should know that the All Trails mobile application was voted the 2023 iPhone App of the Year by Apple.
There are a lot of metal staircases on the return leg of the trail between the lake and the trail endpoint. If you would prefer to go up the stairs instead of down, then we would recommend doing the trail clockwise (instead of counter-clockwise as suggested by AllTrails). Because it was somewhat of a rainy day when we visited, we preferred to go up this direction to not have to descend slippery staircases.
Due to the rainy weather, we also saw several salamanders along the trail.
Once you reach the lake (on the western side), there’s a restaurant with a large outdoor seating area where you can take a break for refreshments and snacks.
If you decide to walk to the trailhead from St Wolfgang alongside the trail that runs parallel to the main road, you will enjoy beautiful views of Wolfgangsee along the way.
Rent a Bike and Cycle around the Lake
For an easy ride around the lake, you can rent e-bikes at SeeBike in St Wolfgang. Technically you can’t fully circle the lake as there is no road or path along the northwestern corner of the lake between Fürberg and Ried. So you will either have to do a back-and-forth route (about 20 km each way) or just ride in one direction and then connect St Gilgen and St Wolfgang by boat (see above).
Enjoy One of Several Water Activities
You can rent pedal boats, or electric boats, or organize private boat tours to enjoy a great time on the water with Rundfahrten Bootsvermietung, located here near the town’s marina. Towards the eastern end of the lake, you can also rent stand-up paddleboards (SUP) and take windsurfing courses at Appesbach SUP Center.
Where to Stay in St Wolfgang
St Wolfgang is such a small town that there is no wrong area to stay in, and there are several options both within the town and outside of it for more tranquillity, depending on your preferences. We ended up choosing a cozy Airbnb in the center of town (and the hosts were fantastic by the way!), with beautiful lake views from the apartment balcony. The hosts are also the owners of the delightful SODA! café a few blocks away in the heart of St Wolfgang, a favorite among town locals.
Alternatively, our second choice was one of the See Moment Apartments, also located in the town center along the lakeside. They have several units each equipped with kitchenettes and large modern bathrooms.
Where to Eat in St Wolfgang
There are several great restaurants and eateries in St Wolfgang. Some of our favorites were:
Restaurant Hubertuskeller – Fantastic place to discover Austrian cuisine with a relaxed rustic decor.
Ledererhaus – Genuss in der Seevilla – a more upscale restaurant with an elegant ambiance, deliciously crafted dishes, and an outdoor terrace with sublime lakeside views.
Dorf-Alm zu St. Wolfgang – Restaurant with traditional Austrian cuisine in a cozy setting within a large wooden building with beautiful ornaments and paintings. There’s also a large elongated terrace for outdoor dining.
Pizzeria Ristorante Mirabella – The best Italian restaurant in town with great wood-fire oven pizzas.
Bäckerei Konditorei Café Gandl – perfect stop for your morning coffee and pastries.
Gelateria-Stella – The best ice cream in town!
Best Time to Visit St Wolfgang
To enjoy nice weather with fewer crowds while taking full advantage of what the town and area have to offer, we would definitely recommend shoulder season (early June, September and early October). We visited in mid-September and felt that it was the perfect time to do so.
That being said, the winter holiday season can also be a great time to visit even though some shops and attractions may be closed, as the scenery can be quite beautiful under a blanket of snow and St Wolfgang Christmas Market (typically from late November until just before Christmas).
What to Do and Visit Near St Wolfgang
Visit Hallstatt
The picture-perfect postcard village of Hallstatt is only a 7km drive away. Although it can get overcrowded at times, it remains nonetheless a must-visit destination in our opinion. Fortunately, early mornings and evenings can be quieter making it more likely that you will enjoy a fun stroll through this historic small town. And even if it does get too crowded, there are activities where you can somewhat escape the crowds, such as visiting the world’s oldest salt mine and spending some time on Hallstatt’s impressive Skydeck. You can also easily combine Hallstatt (early morning) with a visit to Dachstein (late morning and afternoon) within the same day.
For more information and tips on visiting Hallstatt, check out our travel guide on the Best Things to See and Do in Hallstatt.
Visit the Dachstein Giant Ice Cave
The Dachstein Giant Ice Caves are one of the few places on Earth where tourists can easily access giant-sized ice caves. Located in the Krippenstein Mountain Range, the first sections of the Dachstein Ice Cave were discovered in 1910 and tourist access began only 2 years later. The ice in the cave is formed by water seeping from the Dachstein plateau down into the cave through various small cracks. When outside temperatures are above freezing the caves still contain really cold air, so the penetrating water freezes and forms rather splendid ice shapes. Although some water flow in the summer is warm enough to produce slight melting, it actually balances the winter growth, enabling a cycle of slight melting with growth that guarantees the survival of this magnificent natural phenomenon.
For more information on this attraction, check our Travel Guide on visiting the Dachstein Giant Ice Cave.
Visit the 5 Fingers Platform
Taking the cable car from the Giant Ice Cave (Mittelstation station) up to the next station (Bergstation; the second of three mountain cable car stations) brings you close to Krippenstein’s summit (2100m) where you will find a series of hiking trails, including a few short ones taking you to the World Heritage Spiral and the 5 Fingers viewing platform.
The 5 Fingers viewing platform offers an incredible adrenaline rush as you lean over a 500m drop below you. Built in 2006, this platform, as its name suggests, is shaped like a hand with 5 fingers and protrudes from a sheer rock face at an altitude of 2108 meters above sea level. It offers breathtaking views of the Salzkammergut region from above Lake Hallstatt and the Krippenstein Mountain Range.
For more information on this attraction, check our Travel Guide for Visiting the 5 Fingers Viewing Platform.
Visit Salzburg
Given Salzburg’s proximity to the Salzkammergut, it makes definite sense to visit this historic baroque town during your stay in the region. While many visit the Salzkammergut as day trips from Salzburg, many others do the opposite and visit Salzburg as a day trip from their base in the Salzkammergut.
Tucked away between scenic alpine landscapes near the German border and UNESCO-listed since 1997, the city has what many think is the best-preserved Baroque Altstadt (old town) and one of Europe’s best-preserved medieval castles towering above it. From the Sound of Music to Mozart’s childhood, the city has a rich cultural history and plenty of stories to share. Although the historic old town is fairly compact, its packed with attractions, museums and things to do. You can easily spend a full day here, if not more. The castle alone is worth a few hours.
For more information and tips on visiting this beautiful city, check out our travel guide on the Best Things to See and Do in Salzburg.
Stop by Reb Bull HQ
There isn’t much to do here but to stop and admire the unique layout and design of Red Bull HQ, located just outside Fuschl, roughly halfway between Salzburg and St Wolfgang. There are no tours available or a visitor center on-site.
Visit Schloss Ort and Traunsee
A short drive from St Wolfgang takes you to another of Salzkammergut’s most popular lakes, Traunsee. The drive along the lake’s western shore is quite scenic as the lake is surrounded by mountains, including the imposing Traunstein. The lake itself is the deepest and by volume the largest lake located entirely within Austria.
Near the northern end of the lake is Schloss Ort, a castle founded by Hartnidus of Ort around 1080 and is one of the oldest buildings in the Salzkammergut. It was built on a small island connected to the mainland by a 123 m footbridge. Today it is one of the most popular wedding venues in Austria.
Visiting hours are from 10 am – 4 pm each day. Admission costs € 5 (2024) per adult with discounted rates for children. You can also, For more information, see the the castle website.
At the northern of the lake lies the town of Gmunden, which has a small historical town center. It’s also from where you take a cable car to visit the Baumwipfelpfad Salzkammergut on Grünberg mountain, a tree-top path and 39-meter high observation tower, one which you can ride down from through its 75-meter-long tunnel slide.
Visit the Gustav Klimt Center and Attersee
Traunsee may be the deepest lake, but Attersee is the largest lake by surface area located entirely within Austria. The lake is one of the closest to Wolfgansee, but it is separated from it Traunsee may be the deepest lake, but Attersee is the largest lake by surface area located entirely within Austria. It’s also one of the few lakes of the Salzkammergut that has roads that fully encircle the lake (along with Mondsee) – you can loop around the lake without stopping in about an hour. The drive is slightly more scenic along the eastern side as the road hugs the shoreline more closely and there are a few more roadside car parks to stop and enjoy the view. There’s also an Alpaca farm that you can visit along the eastern shore.
Most of the main attractions are towards the northern end of the lake, however, such as the Gustav Klimt Center. The center honours the famous Austrian painter Gustav Klimt, who from 1900 to 1916, regularly spent his summers along the shores of Attersee. The center focuses on Gustav Klimt’s life and work in this region. Beyond the center, you can enjoy a pleasant stroll around the nearby boardwalk and visit Klimt’s old family home.
Planning a Trip to Austria?
You might be interested in these pages (coming soon):
Best Things to See and Do in the Salzkammergut
Perfect Road Trip Itinerary in the Salzkammergut
Best Things to See and Do in Salzburg
Best Things to See and Do in Hallstatt
We also highly recommend these guidebooks:
Rick Steves Vienna, Salzburg & Tirol
Lonely Planet Austria
Photography Gear
If you like our photography, you might be interested in some of the gear we use to shoot our travel and hiking destinations.
Camera Body – Nikon Z 6ii Fx-series Mirrorless Body
Main Lens – NIKON 24-120mm F/4G ED VR AF-S
Zoom Lens – Sigma 745-306 150-600mm f/5-6.3
Polarizing filters – Urth Circular Polarizing (CPL)
Camera Tripod – K&F Concept 64-inch Camera Tripod
Mini-tripod – Lammcou Flexible Camera Tripod
Camera/hiking backpack – Vanguard Alta Rise 48 Backpack
Universal Travel Adapter – VYLEE Universal International Power Travel Plug
Other Travel Essentials
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Car Rentals
Discover Cars is our go-to website for car rentals. We almost always find our preferred rate there.
Transfer from Airport
Welcome Pickups is our favourite private transfer service, which you can pre-book at a fixed price. Currently available in 220 cities all over the world (mostly in Europe, but with several major cities in Asia, the Middle East and the US).
Kiwitaxi is another private transfer service – we haven’t tried it yet, but it’s currently available in a few more countries (102 as of 2024).
Hotels and Accommodations (coming soon)
Photography Prints
If you found this blog useful, you can help support our blog by purchasing low-cost digital prints. Printed physical prints are also available for purchase.
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Well, that wraps it up! We hope you enjoyed our Travel Guide to Best Things to See and Do in St Wolfgang and that it will prove useful for planning your trip.
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