Lakes and Mountains of Salzkammergut

Named after its salt mines, among the oldest in the world, Salzkammergut unveils postcard-perfect landscapes around 76 lakes carved by the Dachstein glacier. In the dark water, picturesque villages with their colourful façades reflect in this cloak of greenery that seems to cover everything. Green forests, green wetlands, green pastures, wooden chalets and locals in traditional leather breeches. The Austrian stereotype meets the steep slopes of a magnificent limestone massif.

Hallstatt house © Johannes Braun

“Don’t worry. In Salzkammergut the rain doesn’t soak as much as elsewhere,” I declare confidently on our first day. The remark makes some laugh, while others look at me sceptically. It’s true that it’s raining this Saturday. But we certainly need the water for this countryside to be so beautiful, so generously green. And then you’ll see. When these shy mountains dare to shed their veil of clouds, they are only more beautiful.

Roe deer near Gosau © Johannes Braun

We barely arrive on the shores of Attersee when a ray of sunshine pierces through the clouds. Under the shelter of a wooden cabin overlooking the lake, we have our first picnic enjoying the contrast between the crystal blue water and the still dark sky. We’ve just reached higher ground when a shower pushes us back towards the village. Hotel Aichinger’s charming character quickly makes us forget those few drops.

Attersee boat © Johannes Braun

The boat crossing of Attersee offers a nice prelude to our first real day of hiking. In the soft morning light, the villages bordering the lake reveal their picturesque character, with vast chalets whose façades are sculpted in the purest Austrian style. Along a suspended path we ascend through the Burggrabenklamm gorge towards the Moosalm wetlands where white platforms of cottongrass sway in the wind. A break (swimming!?) by the shores of Schwarzensee lake, and we descend through the alpine postcard scenery of the Rußbach hamlets, green hills studded with massive farmhouses.

Burggrabenklamm gorge © Johannes Braun

Moosalm wetlands © Johannes Braun

Following the course of an old brine pipeline, we leave the elegant thermal spa town of Bad Ischl, former summer residence of Emperor Franz Joseph. With roughly ten metres of elevation gain for 18 kilometres of hiking, the path gently ascends the Traun valley to reach the dark waters of Hallstatt lake. Clinging to the mountainside, the region’s most famous town owes its prosperity to its salt deposits, whose exploitation dates back nearly 7000 years. One of those timeless places whose beauty erases the heavy tourist crowds.

Hallstatt lake © Johannes Braun

Christina gallery in Hallstatt © Johannes Braun

After a day visiting the historical heart of Salzkammergut, we cross the Dachstein massif to resume our nature-side hiking. One after another, we walk along the Gosau lakes to a vast cirque overlooked by the massif’s glaciers. Reflected in the smooth water surface, the bare limestone of the massif’s peaks contrasts with the lively forest covering the valley floor. Back at the village of Gosau, we enjoy the last rays of sunlight to explore the surroundings. This time the good weather is coming from the North. According to the locals, it should last.

Gosau lake © Johannes Braun

Gosau village © Johannes Braun

We indeed start our final day under radiant sunshine. Energized by the cool morning, we quickly ascend the trail to Bodenberg pass while behind us the last clouds dissipate along the sharp ridges of the Dachstein. An expressive cow’s moo welcomes us to the green pastures of Postalm. It takes us two good hours to cross Europe’s largest alpine pasture to the rocky ridge where the view plunges down to the shores of Wolfgangsee lake. After another long descent, we savour the most well-earned beer of the trip, gazing back at the path we’ve covered.

Postalm alpine pasture © Johannes Braun

Romantic! There is no more appropriate word to describe this church spire sitting at the edge of the calm waters of Abersee. Legend has it that Wolfgang of Regensburg, who came to live as a hermit in the region, convinced the devil to contribute to the construction of a church in exchange for the first living being to enter it…which turned out to be a wolf. Becoming an important pilgrimage site, Saint Wolfgang gained in notoriety with the construction in 1878 of the White Horse Inn, which inspired Ralph Benatzky’s operetta. In the centuries-old streets the inhabitants wear traditional costumes: checked shirt and leather breeches for men, corset dress for women. A final taste of Austria before moving on.

Saint Wolfgang © Johannes Braun

Has this story inspired you to discover the lakes and mountains of Salzkammergut for yourself? Find them here!

For more inspiration, also find our selection of trips to Austria in this article.

Text and photo credits © Johannes Braun, Grand Angle guide