Salz­kammer­gut: Points of interest

Obertraun

(your starting point to go see the Dachstein caverns and 5fingers)

Round about five kilometres from the Heritage.Hotel Hallstatt lies the municipality of Obertraun. It is generally the starting point for going to see the popular 5fingers observation deck on Dachstein Krippenstein. The Dachstein Krippenstein cable car delivers you to Krippenstein top station (section II) from where a short, easy 20- to 30-minute walk takes you to the 5fingers observation deck. The platform, jutting out over a 400-metre drop like a hand extending its fingers, offers a stunning view across the Salzkammergut and Lake Hallstatt. Not far from here, there are the popular Dachstein caverns with the Giant Ice Cave, Mammoth Cave and Koppenbrüller Cave. The Dachstein caverns are generally open from May to October. To reach them, take the Dachstein Krippenstein cable car (section I to Schönbergalm).

Bad Ischl

20 kilometres away (20 minutes by car)

The town of Bad Ischl is known first and foremost for emperor and empress of Habsburg fame. Explore the Kaiservilla, the summer residence of Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Empress Elisabeth (Sisi). The entire grounds are a listed monument. They comprise several buildings, the beautiful Marmorschlössl palace, which is widely thought to have been the empress’s private sanctuary, and a large well-kept park. Bad Ischl is also a popular spa town and has been voted Austria’s favourite summer holiday town. We can highly recommend stopping for a coffee at former Imperial and Royal High Bakers’ Zauner in Bad Ischl. The coffee is outstanding and the pastry is celestial.

Bad Aussee

20 kilometres away (30 minutes by car)

Bad Aussee, too, is a popular spa town and is often fondly referred to as the centre of Austria. In Austria, the town is known as the folk costume capital – making it the perfect place to learn about Austria’s culture, arts and customs. The Narzissenfest festival is of particular fame. It has been held here since 1959 and attracts around 20,000 visitors from all over the world every spring.

Salzburg

70 kilometres away (1 hour 15 minutes by car)

The City of Mozart is of course best-known for the famous musician and composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The house where he was born at the Getreidegasse address of world fame is open to visitors and the museum has a number of his actual instruments on display. There is also the castle perched above the beautiful historical town, which is definitely worth a visit. In summer, the Salzburg Festival attracts a huge number of visitors. Culture seekers will enjoy the city’s many museums. If you’re visiting during the Advent season, don’t miss the opportunity to see the Christmas markets in the historical town centre and in Hellbrunn. Both markets are regularly voted among the world’s most beautiful.

Linz

125 kilometres away (1 hour 40 minutes by car)

Upper Austria’s province capital is best-known for the baroque architecture of its historical town centre. Linz’s signature landmark, the Trinity Column, is also located in the old town on Hauptplatz square. The imposing churches and cathedrals, first and foremost the New Cathedral, are well worth seeing. Take the Pöstlingbergbahn, one of Europe’s steepest adhesion railway lines, up onto the Linz Hausberg and then take the Dragon Express along the fairy-tale world of the Grotto Railway.

Munich

200 kilometres away (2 hours 40 minutes by car)

The capital of Germany’s federal state Bavaria is best-known for its annual autumnal Oktoberfest beer festival. But Munich’s historical town centre is worth visiting all the year round. On Marienplatz square, New Town Hall’s popular Glockenspiel chimes play tunes of bygone days. One of the Frauenkirche church’s two steeples is open to the public and affords a great bird’s-eye view of Munich. Nymphenburg palace is another impressive landmark. Both its exterior and interior offer fascinating insights into the times when Bavaria was a monarchy.

Vienna

290 kilometres away (3 hours 30 minutes by car)

Austria’s capital is famous for Schönbrunn Palace, Hofburg Vienna and the St Stephan’s Cathedral. If amusement parks are your thing, you’ll love the many rides on Vienna’s Prater. The big wheel is one of Vienna's official landmarks besides the town hall and the Staatsoper national opera house. But to encounter Vienna’s unique character and the famous attitude of the Viennese known as ‘Wiener Schmäh’, explore the city on strolls through its streets and get talking to the locals. You’ll see that Vienna fully deserves its ten consecutive titles as the world’s most appealing city.