5 Salzburg Day Trip ideas (Nature + Summer edition)

Tired of the usual city centres, cathedrals, and souvenir shops, I decided to explore Salzburg and its surroundings differently. More lost traveller core, less curated path core—if that makes sense.

Drone shot from St. Gilden overlooking Wolfgangsee Lake

It was also largely because I wasn’t particularly interested in The Sound of Music (Salzburg’s famous for being the filming location) either, despite the city’s heavy promotion of it.

So here are five ways I made the most of my 5 days in Salzburg, from day trips out of the city centre to spots just beyond.

1. Sommerrodelbahn Karkogel | Abtenauer Bergbahnen (Summer Toboggan run)

The Sommerrodelbahn Karkogel (Summer Toboggan run) is a definite must-do even for adults, as the stunning backdrop of Salzburg greets you while gliding down the 2km track.

It might not have been the most adrenaline-inducing. Still, it was insanely fun for a 23-year-old who never really had alpine landscapes back home (Singapore – I do love my Bishan – Ang Mo Kio park though).

The best part? It felt like a hidden gem. Sure, some families drove down but there were barely any queues when I visited mid-June, in the afternoon.

The tickets cost €16 – not the cheapest but well worth it for the lack of crowd and the stunning Austrian scenery. It includes a cable car ride up too. I bought the €29 package with 2 cable car rides up, and two toboggan rides down, and cannot recommend this option more.

You might feel like the entire activity is rather short. I completed the entire thing in less than 45 minutes. Considering how the journey via public transport took 1.5-hour (which includes a 20-minute walk over from the nearest bus station) you might think that it's not worth it – but that's where the next recommendation comes in handy (the next place is only a short 30-mins bus ride away)!

Side note: even if I hadn't made it to the next place, being able to frolic in these plain green fields MADE IT SO WORTH IT. The scenery has become my new favourite go-to space when I dissociate from life – lol.

Impt deets

☀️ Open only during the summer (but closed during wet weather). More info here. 🕐 Typically 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. More info here. 🚌 20 minutes walk from the nearest bus station, Abtenau Ortsmitte. 📍 Au 99, 5441 Abtenau, Austria

🎟️ Free with the Salzburgerland tickets, be sure to check online.

(Sorry can't offer much help here because I didn't buy the Salzburger tickets) 🤑 €16 for one cable car ride up and a Toboggan ride down. More info here.

2. Lammerklamm

For the next location, I saw it advertised on a board outside the Sommerrodelbahn Karkogel (Summer Toboggan run), and thought, “Alright, let’s go,” which was kind of crazy in hindsight because I hadn't even checked for bus return times and it brought me even further out from Salzburg central. Well – Lammerkalm ended up being one of the more memorable parts of my Salzburg trips. I fell in love with the gorge which features torrential waters, a walkway 30 meters above the rushing currents, and of course, breathtaking views of the Tennengebirge mountains. It took me over 3 hours to complete the whole thing but it's only because I kept stopping to take in the sights and sounds of the rushing water below your feet.

With secured walkways running alongside the rocky walls of the gorge, it's not a tough hike at all, and visits are as safe as can be. The weathered wooden guideboards along the path share a beautiful legend of love from the distant past and the origins of the mountains. Little details like these that make the entire experience all the more endearing. I miss it.

Impt deets

☀️ Open only May – October

🕐 Typically 9 AM–5–7 PM. More info here.

🚌 4 minutes walk from the nearest bus station, Oberscheffau Lammeröfen (/30-minute bus ride from Sommerrodelbahn Karkogel)

📍 Au 99, 5441 Abtenau, Austria

🤑 €9, more info here.

3. Zwolferhorn (Wolfgangsee Lake)

Nature enthusiasts (or not) rise tf up!! Because I am about to drop one of the most underrated locations in Austria. You can choose to hike 3–4hrs up to this place, or simply take the Zwölferhorn Cable Car. Either way, you CANNOT miss out on the view at Zwölferhorn. And by view i mean – one of those views which makes you go: "Maybe I can die happy now."

I'll share mostly based on my experience which was hiking up from the bus station St.Gilgen Lueg (or the Sankt Gilgen to Zwölferhorn trail), to get to Lärchenhütte.

To be fair, the hike up is not the easiest - it might be very difficult for people who have never hiked before (especially the descent – my knees still shake at the thought of it lmao), and relatively moderate for seasoned hikers.

While the start of the hiking path is rather difficult to navigate (or maybe I'm just stupid HAHA), the hiking path is rather obvious and well–paved a quarter into the hike.

Regardless, if you're young and able - this is a really safe hike for you to push your boundaries a bit and try it out for yourself. The views are nothing short of stunning especially if/when you reach the top.

The meal at Lärchenhütte tasted especially amazing having completed the challenging hike up. I ordered so much food because of a fellow Chicagoan-Jordanian hiker I made friends with along the way. He went crazy with the ordering but it was honestly so justified because both the food and the view were all so amazing – I'm going to have to create another post just on this restaurant and entire hike experience itself to stop myself from rambling, but just know that you can trust the google reviews and read more about their freshly sourced ingredients over here.

You can choose to follow the path google reccommends over here which starts from St.Gilgen Lueg bus station, or do the Sankt Gilgen to Zwölferhorn trail over here. I did the path google recommended.

Whichever path you choose – be sure to download the offline map (be it google maps or alltrails) before embarking. Remember to hike in daylight and invest in good hiking shoes/boots!

Impt deets

🥾 Best times to hike are from May – Early September

🕐 Breakfast 9 AM–11AM. More info here.

🚌 1 hour bus ride from Salzburg central to St.Gilgen Lueg (Then a 2.5hour walk according to google map) or the Sankt Gilgen to Zwölferhorn trail

📍 Lärchenhütte on the Zwölferhorn Sausteigalm area - 5340 St. Gilgen / Laim 846, 5340 Laim, Austria

4. Alpenseebad Mondsee

Hehe took this pic of a kid mid jump-shot. There were plenty of fun floats & slides behind too.

I went to Mondsee with two of my newfound hostel friends (precisely why I loveee hostel culture) from the Yoho hostel in Salzburg.

We went to check out the lake but later realised that there was actually a park there called Alpenseebad Mondsee with slides, diving boards and the likes. The best part? Entry fees are only €7. After 1pm, entry fees are even cheaper at €5 and after 4pm (the park closes at 6pm), only €3.50!

The Salzkammergut-Card and OÖ.Family Card offers discounts for entry here too, so be sure to check that out if you've bought the Salzburg card.

☀️ Open May – October

🕐 Typically 9 AM–6 PM.

🚌 5 minutes walk from the nearest bus station, Mondsee Busterminal (Google Map)

📍 Alpenseebad Mondsee, Seebadstraße 3, 5310 Mondsee am Mondsee

🤑 €7 – €3.50 depending on which time you enter

5. Königssee

Drone shot with Beth's head popping out if you look closely enough.

Extra lore: Beth was not from our hostel but I made friends with her on the bus when my phone battery was dieing and I needed to check the location. She said she was also solo travelling and heading over to Königssee Lake. I said wna join me and my new hostel friends (who were already there because they left earlier)? She said yes. The rest was history. Beth was one of the sweetest person I've ever met. Love love love her.

And last but not least, my favourite outing to Königssee lake with some of the most wholesome people whom I'd just met from the hostel.

But yall will have to stay with me on this one because... the lake is actually in Germany.

No, there were no passport checks (but you should bring it along just in case anyways) and yes, it was easily accessible by bus from Salzburg. We basically took bus 840 from Mirabell square for an €11 ticket; it was only 1.5hrs away by bus.

Lake Königssee is the cleanest Lake with the best water quality in all of Germany. So we totally decided to give the infamous boat a miss because it would be better experienced by submerging ourselves 100% into the water.

Launching ourselves into the river by the very sketchy swings made by locals probably - hanging on the branches... you may choose to skip this step and head to the waterfalls or entering through the shores.

And so, we did the Malerwinkel trail – except we only stuck to the side nearest to the water. Some parts were so slippery that we took off our shoes to get a better grip (also because it was really, really pristine... i swear... i think).

🚌 Take 840 from Mirabellplatz Busterminal (Google Map) and alight at Berchtesgaden

📍 83471 Schönau am Königssee, Germany

🤑 Free if you hike lol

With that, we've come to the end of a very fruitful and amazing end of 5 days and literally how I spent my time in Salzburg. Day trips always hit different and honestly slaps more than the usual city centres that we're used to. Be sure to give it a go and let me know about your experiences at these places in the comments below (or any grammar mistakes tbh).