Salzkammergut is a region of lakes and mountains near Salzburg. We visited at the end of October. The weather was pleasant and the autumn colours were spectacular. This is how we recommend you spend your time here outside of the snow season.

Johannesberg Chapel (Johannesbergkapelle)

The chapel is next to Traunsee (Lake) and sits on a rock above the town of Traunkirchen. You can hike up to the chapel. Below the chapel is an esplanade around the lake and a wooden jetty. From here you can watch the wind surfers going around the lake. We watched the sun rise from behind the towering mountains on the other side of the lake.

Langbadseen

The Langbathseen are 2 mountain lakes, front (vorderer) and back (hinterer). We arrived early at the front lake and it was like a mirror. The water is clear so it’s popular with divers, so the stillness of the water didn’t last too long. We walked to the left around the lake and found a secluded section which we had to ourselves. The water seemed to be the most still and clean in the morning when we arrived. The lake was so beautiful that we kept walking and followed the forest track to the other lake. There was another track to take us back along the other side of the lakes.

At the smaller back lake, the rugged mountains are closer and almost surround the lake. Therefore the lake is a bit more shaded.

Loser

This spot is the ultimate sunrise spot. We drove up the Panoramic Road to the wooden paragliding takeoff point. We arrived just in time to watch the sunrise change the colour of the sky and then peak over the mountain ranges. The sunrays were visible across the valley.

We continued driving up the mountain and parked the car next to Loser Alm Bergrestaurant. This is the furthest you can drive up. We walked for 10 more minutes up the mountain and reached Augstee, an alpine lake. This lake was also a mirror and reflected the dramatic mountains on the other side of the lake. There is a hiking path that goes up to the peaks except for the triangular mountain peak.

On the slope next to the lake, we watched a paraglider take off. We continued watching the paragliders navigate their way down from Loser Alm Restaurant. They were closing up to prepare for the snow season but we could still have a drink at the outdoor dining. The view was epic!

Hallstatt

We visited Hallstatt in the early afternoon which wasn’t the best time. If we come back here, we would get here for sunrise to escape the crowds. Hallstatt is extremely popular with tourists and it was challenging to find a car park.

Luckily we found a spot in the P2 car park. This was the best car park for us as it’s located next to the funicular tram that took us up to Rudolfsturm Restaurant for lunch. The furnicular costs 20€ per person for a round trip. There is also a walking track called Hallstattweg which goes from the centre of town to the top of the funicular. It takes approx. 1 hour to walk up. The view from the outdoor dining at Rudolfsturm is stunning. There weren’t many good food options, most are pricey and looking at the google reviews this was one of the best.

In front of the restaurant is the Skywalk, a pointed viewing platform suspended over Hallstatt. It was so busy and we had to wait for a photo at the point.

The world’s oldest salt mine (Salzwelten) is located within the mountain next to the restaurant. It is popular with families. They have a museum, an underground slide and a salt lake boat ride.

After lunch we went back down to the town. We admired the beautiful wooden houses from the 16th century and cute little alleyways with cafes and shops. Unfortunately it was very crowded and many of the shops were touristy. We even found a vending machine that sold canned Hallstatt air and sold it for 10€.

We walked up a stairway called Kirchenweg which gave us a nice elevated view of the town away from the crowds. We continued through the town until we reached the most famous photo spot simply named viewpoint Hallstatt. From here it looks like something straight out of a fairytale. The late afternoon light was perfect. However, it was one of the busiest spots so we had to get creative with the photos.