I know it’s a bit of a mouthful, but truly the Salzkammergut region of Austria will make you believe that Heaven might possibly exist on earth.
Lake water so clear you can see the bottom. Forests with moss covered rocks & happy cows coming down a mountain with flowers festooned on their heads. Mountain huts welcoming the weary hiker with warm food & a beer or schnapps. A culture of people who seem happy to take life at a slower pace. A place where tradition is genuinely portrayed by the architecture, clothing & local celebrations. What ISN’T there to love about this place?
Nestled at the north central part of Austria near the alps, the pristine lake region of Salzkammergut is a hiker’s paradise! From easy flat walks along pristine alpine lakes to challenging long distance hikes along mountain peaks — this place has it all. Which is another reason why we chose to stay at Haus Hepi in Obertraun (see previous post for “Why I LOVE Haus Hepi”). Obertraun is located in the southern part of this region, about 1.5 hours from Salzburg. It’s a small village with one grocery store, a church, a bakery, an excellent recreation complex, & quaint homes. What really makes it stand out for me (besides the totally awesome Haus Hepi) is that the train & bus stop is within easy walking distance & it doesn’t feel like a tourist town. You could spend two weeks in this one town without a vehicle & never get bored because hiking trails are all around you & beautiful towns are either across the lake or within a quick bus ride.
So just what kind of trails & lovely towns am I talking about? Let me first share with you what we did on our recent trip then I’ll end by offering more suggestions based on what I’d like to do if we ever return.
On our first full day in Obertraun, we walked through town, past an amazing bike arena, through a forest up to the Dachstein Cable Car. This was about a 40min walk with some ascent but it wasn’t difficult & it gave us a chance to see the town. You can also take the bus, if you’re trying to save your stamina or your knees.
Once we arrived at the cable car station, we purchased our Panorama tickets for the ride up. The tickets cost €30 per person (ouch), but that’s our fault because we could have gotten a discount had we heeded our innkeeper’s advice. Plus, that is one steep mountain & there’s no way we could climb up it. So, two cable car rides up & a short walk to the 5 Fingers lookout & we had views like this…
Cable car hint: take your coat off before you get on the cable car or you will die of heat exhaustion. They packed us in like sardines.
The walk to 5 Fingers was full of tourists and not the greatest walk but it offered amazing views of Hallstatt and Obertraun far below. Certainly not worth €60 but what WAS worth that cable car price was our next walk. Heading back towards the cable car, we took the Heilbronn Circular Trail which was a 3hr, 8km walk around the mountain & up to the 3rd cable car, which we took down. That hike was AMAZING! It began with a steep descent then turned into windy paths with snow & breathtaking views.
Then we got to the Heilbronner Kreuz (cross) that marks the death of 13 students & teachers from Heilbronn Germany in 1954. Once we rounded this part of the mountain the sun began to shine, the snow disappeared, & green trees & meadows began to appear. We saw some crude alpine huts (didn’t look comfy but they did look warm, dry & clean). Three hours seemed like a short hike to me when we first began walking, but by the time we hiked the last trek up to the cable car, I realized three hours was just fine.
Thoroughly awed by what we had seen that day, we took the cable cars back down the mountain & walked back for dinner. Visited with our innkeeper’s mom & “the Brits,” then settled in for some German television. Got hooked on a gameshow called Spiel Fuer Dein Land (Play for Your Country), which had celebrity Germans representing their respective countries of Austria/Germany/Switzerland answering questions about the Deutschland. At 10:30, we switched over to German QVC and watched a guy gyrate on a mini trampoline then fell asleep to the German MTV equivalent. I blame lack of sleep & high altitude for our entertainment choices.
Still wondering if you should visit this region of Austria? Stay tuned for my next posts…
