Discover Wolfgangsee: Lake, Mountains and Culture

Wolfgangsee combines the Austrian lakeside landscape with mountain railways, historic sacred art, regional culture and a wide range of activities on the water. The lake stretches across Salzburg and Upper Austria and lies among forests, mountain landscapes and small towns. If you are looking for a holiday apartment at Wolfgangsee, it is therefore worth first asking which experiences should shape your trip: swimming and water sports, excursions into the mountains, culture or a mixture of everything.

Lake, Boat Trips and Mountain Panorama

Wolfgangsee is a bathing lake in the Salzkammergut. Activities include sailing, surfing, diving, stand-up paddling, water skiing, wakeboarding, as well as canoeing and kayaking. According to regional information, these activities are available year-round. Water sports centres offer surfing activities for beginners and advanced participants. Those who prefer a more relaxed pace can use pedal boats or electric boats.

The WolfgangseeSchifffahrt connects St. Gilgen, Strobl and St. Wolfgang. This allows you to experience the lake’s special location from the water as well. For an excursion into the mountains, the SchafbergBahn takes about 35 minutes to reach a point below the 1,783-metre summit of Schafberg. The 1,522-metre Zwölferhorn can be reached by the Zwölferhorn cable car in 11 minutes. Along the Pillstein Panorama Circular Trail, twelve stations explain natural phenomena and traditional lore in a playful way.

Excursions at Different Paces

Around Wolfgangsee, there are both active and family-friendly discoveries. At Kleefeld Wildlife Park, you can see red deer, fallow deer and ibex. The grounds include a bee educational trail; the circular walk takes about an hour and is suitable for pushchairs. The themed trails around Wolfgangsee also cater to different interests, leading, for example, into the world of bees or magical fairy-tale realms.

At Postalm, the five-kilometre-long Lienbach cross-country ski trail offers opportunities for both classic and skating styles. For a shorter winter activity, there is also a one-kilometre-long natural toboggan run with an elevation difference of 200 metres, passing the Strobler Hütte. Those planning a longer route can explore the Wolfgangweg: the pilgrimage route runs 274 kilometres from St. Emmeram in Regensburg to St. Wolfgang in the Salzkammergut. There is a 324-kilometre variant for cyclists. It is named after Saint Wolfgang, the bishop of Regensburg, who lived from 924 to 994.

Church, Art and Regional History

St. Wolfgang is home to the Catholic parish and pilgrimage church with Michael Pacher’s famous Gothic winged altar and a ritually significant stone sanctuary. The church dates back at least to the 12th century. The altar, created by 1481, is 12.5 metres high, more than 6 metres wide when open, and depicts scenes from the life of Jesus and Saint Wolfgang. The Wolfgangsee Advent Market is held annually in St. Gilgen, Strobl and St. Wolfgang.

Regional cultural history also extends beyond sacred art. Since 2000, Deutschvilla has enriched the regional cultural scene with exhibitions, concerts and private views. From 1927 to 1938, the Zinkenbach Artists’ Colony chose Zinkenbach, also known as Abersee, on Wolfgangsee as its summer and winter residence; it included up to 27 artist friends. The Aberseer Heimathaus Lipphaus at Breitenbachbauer in Strobl dates from around 1500. After being used as a residential building, it was converted into a museum by the Abersee Museum Association by 1977 and opened in 1978 as the Aberseer Heimatmuseum Lipphaus.

Getting There and Choosing Accommodation

By public transport, Wolfgangsee can be reached via Salzburg Central Station and then by bus route 150 in the direction of Bad Ischl/Wolfgangsee. Alternatively, take the train to Bad Ischl station, with a connection to bus route 150 in the direction of Salzburg/Wolfgangsee. In St. Gilgen and Strobl, route 150 stops at the relevant bus stops; to reach St. Wolfgang, take bus route 546 from Strobl bus station.

When choosing your holiday apartment, you can take these different travel ideas into account. Those wishing to combine water sports and boat trips should focus on the towns along the lake. For culture enthusiasts, a plan including St. Wolfgang, Deutschvilla and Lipphaus is a good option. If mountain railways, themed trails or winter experiences are the main focus, you should compare the respective connections and your preferred daily itinerary. Regional cuisine at Wolfgangsee includes fresh fish from local lakes, mushrooms from the forest and artisan-made specialities from natural ingredients.

Find more destinations to compare at Braunau Am Inn, Perg, Linz-Land, Steyr-Land, Eferding, Ried Im Innkreis and Freistadt.

For the overarching travel overview: Upper Austria.

More About the Destination

Relevant information for planning your trip:

Lakes in Austria: Wolfgangsee, Wörthersee and more.