Lakes & Mountains Tour

The Lakes & Mountains Tour starts in Salzburg. The scenic route takes you past Lake Fuschl with the former archbishopric hunting château which today serves as a luxury hotel. In the Mozart town St. Gilgen, where Mozart’s mother was born, you board a boat that takes you across Lake Wolfgangsee in about 45 minutes. Upon arrival, your tour guide takes you into the pilgrimage church with its famous gothic winged altarpiece by artist Michael Pacher. (Please note that a visit to the church may unfortunately not be possible if an event or service takes place.) Afterwards, you have the opportunity to enjoy coffee and cake in a traditional Kaffeehaus (café), for example the world-famous “Weisses Rössl” (not included in price).

The route back to Salzburg takes you past the myth-shrouded Krottensee, Hüttenstein Castle and Lake Mondsee.

Mozart town St. Gilgen
The familial roots of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart can be traced to the Lake District Salzkammergut. Both the birthplace of Mozart’s mother and the later residence of this sister Maria Anna “Nannerl” Mozart are located in the Mozart town St. Gilgen am Wolfgangsee. The town also hosts a permanent exhibition about Nannerl Mozart with valuable original exhibits and audio-visual materials that illustrate and depict the life of Mozart’s sister.

The Mozart House in St. Gilgen is also venue for various events, for example, concerts, theatre performances, talks and many more. It can also be booked as a wedding venue. If your dream wedding should take place in the beautiful Salzkammergut, contact our wedding planner Ingrid!

Summer retreat in the Lake District
Sommerfrische (= summer retreat) means to move one’s residence during summer for recreational purposes, usually from the city to the countryside. In the mid-19th century those who could afford it started to visit places with natural healing resources. Back then, the Lake District Salzkammergut became a popular spa town and Bad Ischl already had brine baths for health purposes and when talk of this made it around, more and more guests came to the Salzkammergut. Most notably, Emperor Franz Joseph I. vacationed regularly in the region.

The tradition of Sommerfrische developed into the Salzkammergut becoming and remaining a notable tourism region until today. Numerous lakes (Traunsee, Attersee, Mondsee, Wolfgangsee, Gosausee, Altauseer See, Hallstätter See) provide opportunities for bathing and watersports. The surrounding nature and mountains are ideal for hiking, cycling, horseback riding and winter sports. The Salzkammergut is worth a visit all year round!

Culture in the Salzkammergut
Not only the landscape attracts visitors to the Lake District Salzkammergut but also its local customs and traditions. Famous events are for example the Glöcklerlauf (a tradition with pagan roots taking place in winter) or the Narzissenfest (Austria’s largest flower festival) in the Ausseerland area. In addition, the Lehár Festival in Bad Ischl and the Gmunden Festival attract countless guests every year.