What to see in Salzkammergut

The Salzkammergut is the land near Salzburg, namely the Wolfgangsee, Traunsee, Attersee and Mondsee lakes

For this region we allocate at least 3 days. But it is possible to reduce to the most important - Lake Wolfgangsee and Salzburg, which will take 2 days with an overnight stay on Lake Wolfgangsee.

The map below shows our travel route, it is an overview and absolutely not perfect) The blue arrow is the main travel route, the red arrow is the branch where you need to make a return along the same path, to the blue arrow. The red arrow shows the route to the recreational railroad at Wolfgangsee Lake. We took a night on the Wolfgangsee lake, which is absolutely correct) It's 1-1,5 hours drive from here to Salzburg.

•     Lake Attersee ⭐ - the best views are in the village of Unterach am Attersee, a mountainous region here. You can drive around the lake, but there will be no views as there are no mountains in the rest of the lake.
•     Mondse Lake ⭐ - repeated views from other lakes, not much to see. There is a circular road around the lake.

Traunsee Lake ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The main attraction here is the Feuerkogel elevator with the panoramic platform, just to the right of the funicular, as soon as you get off. To the left of the funicular is a nice place with panoramic tables. Basically there is nothing else to do at the top, unless you like hiking) At the cafe you can order a Kaiserschmarrn and admire the views. Do not expect anything special from this dessert, in fact a thick sweet vanilla pancake, cooked on the type of "the first pancake kome") Pay attention in the cafe payment can only be cash in euros! You can also take a stroll along the promenade in the village of Gmunden, with plenty of time to spare)

• Feuerkogel cable car Ebensee - open June - October, December - April, feuerkogel.info. Hours of operation until 5 pm (deadline for the descent). The walk to the summit with a visit to the restaurant Kranabethütte took 2 hours, including the ropes. The cost up / down about 20 euros, dog ticket 5 euros (muzzle 6 euros if you do not have your own), parking at the foot of the cable car is free, but very small. In the season there will obviously be traffic jams and lack of places...

Wolfgangsee Lake ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - one of the best panoramas of the Alps in Austria

•      Zwölferhorn Seilbahn cable car and two viewing platforms Aussichtsplattform Zwölferhorn and Seeblick / Seehöhe.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Cable car cost about 30 euros per person and 10 euros dog, parking 4 hours free by ticket. But the parking is very small. The 4 hours is enough for a walk and tea in the panoramic restaurant at the top. The funicular's final descent is at 5pm. More information at https://www.zwoelferhorn.at/en/opening-hours/ This particular peak is the best place in Salzkammergut! There is absolute relaxation!!! Note, the panoramic platform Aussichtsplattform Zwölferhorn is advertised beyond belief and everyone goes here... In the end, it is beautiful, but there is no privacy! If you walk to the opposite side of the cable car, the Seehöhe Lookout is a few benches in the "back alley" and only few people come here. Here you can sit for hours and enjoy the sights of the Austrian Alps! From this mountain is possible chic hiking! You can take the funicular up to the top, and back on foot!!! The entire trail will have views of the village of St. Gilgen.
•      Schafberg Cog Railway with the observation deck Himmelspforte Schafberg. You can see the opening times at https://www.5schaetze.at/en/festungsbahn.html

Salzburg ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Here we go after visiting the lakes. But remember that the castle Hohensalzburg, as well as many Austrian attractions, are open until 16-17 hours!

•     Hohensalzburg ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The best attraction and 360 degree panorama of the whole town is Hohensalzburg Castle. There is also the old town and other castles and walking parks, but of much less value to travelers. If you have free time, you can explore the Gaisberg mountain, the panorama from the Capuchinerber church and from the Mönchsberg mountain. Also, if desired, you can walk around the old town. To get to the castle you will need to walk, options for routes on the map below. In the castle allowed with the dogs (you have to buy a ticket), but in the museum and panoramic view with a dog can not pass. In the castle, the best view is from the observation deck - 360 degree view of Salzburg! (Do not miss the sign Panorama 360).

The map below shows the most convenient parking with hourly ticketed fees. One crossed out parking lot is not suitable because it is very far away, relative to the entrance to the castle, and the other does not exist at all. The long blue arrows are the walking route from the parking lot to the entrance, the dashed arrows are the route through the castle to the observation deck. The red arrow is the funicular to the fortress. Note, the desirability of the funicular = 0. You have to go to it from the parking lot and from there you still have to go up to the entrance of the fortress... From the parking lot to the entrance of the fortress, it takes 15-20 minutes to walk uphill. We had a walk through the fortress took 40 minutes, as not fans) Some people wrote that bypassed everything inside for 4 hours!!!))

•     Designer Outlet Salzburg⭐ Waste of time, not an outlet( There are very few stores, no choice of things, nothing to compare with the outlet near Vienna - "Designer Outlet Parndorf". The outlet in Vienna is a solid 5+ and you can go here intentionally for shopping.

The Salzkammergut region is a must-see for travelers to enjoy Austria to the fullest)

Hallstatt ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - the perfect beauty exists)

Geographically Hallstatt belongs to the Salzkammergut, but we will put its description in a separate blog article. Hallstatt is a cluster of vantage points on a small perimeter.