# Semmering The mountain pass an hour and a half by train from Vienna: Europe's first mountain railway, a World Heritage site, trails beside the line and the ski resort closest to the capital. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/austria/lower-austria/semmering · Revisado: 2026-11-12 The Semmering is the pass that separates Lower Austria from Styria, about 100 km south-west of Vienna. In the mid-19th century the engineer Carl von Ghega crossed it with Europe's first great mountain railway: two-storey stone viaducts, tunnels and curves hanging above the valleys. The line is still in service and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Around it grew a high-altitude spa for Vienna's middle classes, with grand hotels and villas. Today it is a day trip by train, walking country in summer and skiing close to the capital in winter. ## How to get there from Vienna By train, which is part of the plan. Trains on the southern line leave from Wien Hauptbahnhof and Wien Meidling; the closure of the central stretch of the S-Bahn until the end of October 2027 does not affect them if you board at those stations, not at Wien Mitte. Some Railjets stop at Semmering every two hours; with the regional trains, change at Wiener Neustadt or Gloggnitz. The station is below the village; to reach the centre or the gondola, take the on-demand Rufbus or a taxi. By car, a little over an hour on the A2 and the S6, with an exit directly onto the pass. ## What to do in a day Ride the Semmering railway and get off at the station. If you have the legs, walk the Bahnwanderweg to Payerbach: 20 km and about 5 hours beside the viaducts, with the train back. If not, go only to the Doppelreiter and 20-Schilling-Blick viewpoints, opposite the Kalte Rinne, and take the train back from Wolfsbergkogel. The Ghega Museum in Breitenstein tells who built the line and how. ## The Hirschenkogel, in summer and in winter Above the village, the Hirschenkogel gondola climbs to 1,340 m. In summer, from May to October, at the top there are a playground, rope park and mountaincarts, and the Liechtensteinhaus restaurant at the summit. In winter it is the ski resort closest to Vienna, with 14 km of pistes floodlit at night and the longest toboggan run in Lower Austria. ## One day or one night? One day is enough for the train and the viewpoints or for the Hirschenkogel. If you want the whole Bahnwanderweg without rushing or to ski for two days, sleep at the Sporthotel am Semmering, next to the gondola, or at the family-run Der Löffler, which closes in November. ## Dónde está - Zonas: Alps - Cerca: The Rax and Reichenau (a 9.3 km), Puchberg and the Schneeberg (a 18.3 km), Mariazell (a 41.2 km), Baden bei Wien (a 51.1 km) ## Qué hacer - **The Semmering railway, Europe's first mountain line** (1 h · All ages · Normal ÖBB ticket): The Semmering line, opened in 1854 by the engineer Carl von Ghega, was Europe's first great mountain railway and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Between Gloggnitz and Mürzzuschlag it climbs and descends the pass by two-storey stone viaducts and tunnels, the most famous being that of the Kalte Rinne. You do not need a tourist train: it is a normal ÖBB line served by Railjets every two hours and regional trains from Gloggnitz and Mürzzuschlag. Get off at Semmering station, at about 895 m, where there is a small free information centre. The Semmering Base Tunnel, under construction since 2012, will one day take the fast trains off this line. - **Bahnwanderweg, from Semmering to Payerbach beside the railway** (5 h 11 · 20.2 km · Fit walkers; high difficulty because of the length. It can be cut short at Wolfsbergkogel or Breitenstein and you can return by train): The path that follows the Semmering line from station to station, passing the viaducts and tunnels and the viewpoints from which you see the trains crossing them. The classic stretch descends from Semmering station to Payerbach station: 20.2 km, about 5 hours, with 450 m of ascent and 852 of descent. It passes the old Südbahnhotel, the Doppelreiter viewpoint, opposite the Kalte Rinne with the Rax and the Schneeberg in the background, and the 20-Schilling-Blick, the view that appeared on the 20-schilling banknote. Right now the stretch between Semmering and Wolfsbergkogel is diverted along the Südbahnstraße and the Adlitzgrabenstraße. As the train stops at almost every station, you can cut it short wherever you like and return by train. Respect livestock on the pastures and do not light fires. - **Doppelreiter and 20-Schilling-Blick viewpoints** (2 h 30 · Walking families and teenagers; mountain path · Free): If you do not want to do the whole Bahnwanderweg, go only to its two viewpoints, at Wolfsbergkogel. From the Doppelreiter you see the line's most spectacular work, the Kalte Rinne viaduct, with the Rax and the Schneeberg behind; if you wait a while, a train passes. Nearby is the 20-Schilling-Blick, the view that appeared on the old Austrian 20-schilling banknote. You get there on foot from Semmering station or, shorter, from Wolfsbergkogel station, and return by train. - **Ghega Museum in Breitenstein, beside the Kalte Rinne** (45 min · Adults and teenagers interested in trains): Next to the Kalte Rinne viaduct, in Breitenstein, the former line-keeper's house number 167 became in 2013 the world's only museum dedicated to Carl Ritter von Ghega, the engineer who built the line. About 150 objects tell his life and that of those who worked with him. You come across it on the Bahnwanderweg. Simpler is the information centre at Semmering station, with plans and models, free. On the other side of the pass, the Südbahnmuseum in Mürzzuschlag has two halls of locomotives. - **Hirschenkogel in summer: gondola, swings and mountaincarts** (4 h · Families; the rope park, from 120 cm in height · Gondola return €31 (young people and seniors €25, children €20); single €22): In summer the Hirschenkogel gondola climbs to the summit, at 1,340 m, and at the top there is half a day of plans with children: the Hirschi playground, with slides, swings and water games; the Millenniumswarte viewing tower; a rope park in the trees for anyone taller than 120 cm; the mountaincarts, three-wheeled carts for racing down a track; and an 18 km bike park. The return ticket costs €31 (€20 for children) and includes the viewing tower, the playground and the trails. In 2026 it ran from 9 May to 21 October, daily in high summer and Thursday to Sunday the rest of the time. The lower station is at Carolusstraße 6 (+43 2664 8038). - **Skiing at the Semmering Hirschenkogel** (7 h · Skiers of all levels; school and rental at the foot of the pistes · Day lift pass €59.50; young people and seniors €53.50; children €30): The Hirschenkogel, above the village of Semmering, is the ski resort closest to Vienna: about 14 km of pistes, blue, red and black, of which 13 are floodlit for night skiing, and a piste where a World Cup race is run. The day lift pass for winter 2026/27 costs €59.50 (children, €30) and the night pass, €51. There is a ski school and two equipment rental shops at the foot of the pistes. The 2026/27 dates have not yet been published; for reference, last winter it opened in late November and closed in mid-March, from 9:00 to 16:00 and with night skiing from 18:00 to 21:00 several days a week. From Semmering train station you have to go up to the village by bus or taxi. - **Tobogganing on the longest run in Lower Austria** (2 h · Families; small children, on the toboggan with an adult · Day lift pass plus toboggan €69.50; children €40): The Hirschenkogel toboggan run descends about 3 km from the summit and is the longest in Lower Austria. It is lit, so you can also go down at night on night-skiing days. You go up on the gondola and come down by toboggan as many times as your ticket allows; there are combined lift pass and toboggan tickets (€69.50 for the day for adults, €40 for children). Bring a helmet and boots with a good grip. ## Dónde comer - **Panoramarestaurant Liechtensteinhaus** (Restaurant, Semmering, €€). Qué pedir: something hot from the menu on the terrace after the playground or the last toboggan run. - **Grand View, the Sporthotel restaurant** (Restaurant, Semmering, €€€). Qué pedir: the evening four-course menu; on Saturdays, with live music. - **Der Löffler** (Café, Semmering, €€). Qué pedir: a slice of the house cake on the sunny terrace, or breakfast. ## Car-free: By train on the Semmering line You go to the Semmering by train: that is the point of the trip. Trains on the southern line leave Wien Hauptbahnhof and Meidling, cross Ghega's viaducts and stop at Semmering station; the Bahnwanderweg starts from the platform and ends at another station. To get up to the village and the gondola, the Rufbus or a taxi. Presupuesto orientativo: 100–170 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir without a car - **Sporthotel am Semmering** (Hotel): The house A large hotel from Semmering's heyday, at the foot of the Hirschenkogel gondola, at about 1,000 m altitude. Today it belongs to a sister company of the Bergbahnen, the ones that run the mountain. It has 95 renovated rooms, from single to family, all non-smoking. What it has A large indoor pool, Finnish sauna, steam bath, gym and relaxation room. The Grand View restaurant serves a breakfast buffet and a four-course menu in the evening. If you book the stay, you get a 10% discount on Hirschenkogel lift passes. Where it is On the Carolusstraße, next to the gondola's lower station: in winter you go from the hotel to the pistes and in summer to the playground and the mountaincarts. Semmering train station is below, on the southern line; ask the hotel about the transfer or use the Rufbus. - **Der Löffler** (Small hotel): The house A small hotel on the Hochstraße, Semmering's main street, where the owners live and look after you themselves, as in a friend's house. Downstairs is the café, with home-made cakes and breakfast. There are double rooms, two-bedroom family rooms and an apartment on the second floor for up to six people, with a full kitchen and a south-facing balcony opposite the Hirschenkogel and its gondola (from €99). Practical matters Check-in is from 16:00 to 19:00; if you arrive earlier, you can leave your luggage, park and use the changing room, especially if you have come to walk or ski. You park in the back courtyard or, if it is full, on the street. In November it is closed. Getting there Vienna airport is an hour away by car, and there is a direct train from Vienna to Semmering on the southern line. From the station, the centre is uphill. ### Servicios - **Semmering station**: On the southern line, at about 895 m · Railjets every two hours and regional trains from Gloggnitz and Mürzzuschlag · Free information centre - **Rufbus of the Semmering-Rax region**: An on-demand bus with more than 140 stops · From the stations to the villages, accommodation and trail starts ## By car: By car on the S6 to the pass By car the Semmering is a little over an hour from Vienna on the A2 and the S6, which has an exit directly onto the pass. It is useful for combining in one day the Hirschenkogel, the line's viewpoints and other nearby valleys such as the Rax one, at Reichenau. On the pass there are four electric chargers. Presupuesto orientativo: 110–180 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir if you're driving - **Sporthotel am Semmering** (Hotel): The house A large hotel from Semmering's heyday, at the foot of the Hirschenkogel gondola, at about 1,000 m altitude. Today it belongs to a sister company of the Bergbahnen, the ones that run the mountain. It has 95 renovated rooms, from single to family, all non-smoking. What it has A large indoor pool, Finnish sauna, steam bath, gym and relaxation room. The Grand View restaurant serves a breakfast buffet and a four-course menu in the evening. If you book the stay, you get a 10% discount on Hirschenkogel lift passes. Where it is On the Carolusstraße, next to the gondola's lower station: in winter you go from the hotel to the pistes and in summer to the playground and the mountaincarts. Semmering train station is below, on the southern line; ask the hotel about the transfer or use the Rufbus. - **Der Löffler** (Small hotel): The house A small hotel on the Hochstraße, Semmering's main street, where the owners live and look after you themselves, as in a friend's house. Downstairs is the café, with home-made cakes and breakfast. There are double rooms, two-bedroom family rooms and an apartment on the second floor for up to six people, with a full kitchen and a south-facing balcony opposite the Hirschenkogel and its gondola (from €99). Practical matters Check-in is from 16:00 to 19:00; if you arrive earlier, you can leave your luggage, park and use the changing room, especially if you have come to walk or ski. You park in the back courtyard or, if it is full, on the street. In November it is closed. Getting there Vienna airport is an hour away by car, and there is a direct train from Vienna to Semmering on the southern line. From the station, the centre is uphill. ## By plane: Fly to Vienna and take the train to the mountain The Semmering is an hour by car from Vienna-Schwechat airport (VIE), which has direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona and other Spanish cities. Without a car, you pass through Vienna and take the southern-line train at Wien Hauptbahnhof or Meidling. Graz (GRZ), on the other side of the pass, is another way in if you find a flight. ### Dónde dormir if you're flying - **Sporthotel am Semmering** (Hotel): The house A large hotel from Semmering's heyday, at the foot of the Hirschenkogel gondola, at about 1,000 m altitude. Today it belongs to a sister company of the Bergbahnen, the ones that run the mountain. It has 95 renovated rooms, from single to family, all non-smoking. What it has A large indoor pool, Finnish sauna, steam bath, gym and relaxation room. The Grand View restaurant serves a breakfast buffet and a four-course menu in the evening. If you book the stay, you get a 10% discount on Hirschenkogel lift passes. Where it is On the Carolusstraße, next to the gondola's lower station: in winter you go from the hotel to the pistes and in summer to the playground and the mountaincarts. Semmering train station is below, on the southern line; ask the hotel about the transfer or use the Rufbus. - **Der Löffler** (Small hotel): The house A small hotel on the Hochstraße, Semmering's main street, where the owners live and look after you themselves, as in a friend's house. Downstairs is the café, with home-made cakes and breakfast. There are double rooms, two-bedroom family rooms and an apartment on the second floor for up to six people, with a full kitchen and a south-facing balcony opposite the Hirschenkogel and its gondola (from €99). Practical matters Check-in is from 16:00 to 19:00; if you arrive earlier, you can leave your luggage, park and use the changing room, especially if you have come to walk or ski. You park in the back courtyard or, if it is full, on the street. In November it is closed. Getting there Vienna airport is an hour away by car, and there is a direct train from Vienna to Semmering on the southern line. From the station, the centre is uphill. ### Servicios - **Semmering station**: On the southern line, at about 895 m · Railjets every two hours and regional trains from Gloggnitz and Mürzzuschlag · Free information centre ## As a family: Trains, a gondola and a three-kilometre toboggan run The Semmering works for families in both seasons: in summer, the Hirschenkogel's gondola, playground and mountaincarts; in winter, skiing near Vienna and a 3 km toboggan run. And always, the train: watching a train cross a stone viaduct from a viewpoint appeals at any age. ### What works best Riding the Semmering railway and looking for the viaducts The Hirschenkogel in summer: Hirschi park, ropes from 120 cm and mountaincarts The 3 km toboggan run in winter The Doppelreiter viewpoint, waiting for a train to pass ### Where to sleep Sporthotel am Semmering, with a family room and an indoor pool Der Löffler, with an apartment for six ### Where to eat Liechtensteinhaus, at the summit, next to the playground Der Löffler, for an afternoon snack ### Bear in mind The whole Bahnwanderweg is long for children: do only the viewpoint stretch The gondola does not run between seasons ### Qué hacer as a family - The Semmering railway, Europe's first mountain line - Doppelreiter and 20-Schilling-Blick viewpoints - Hirschenkogel in summer: gondola, swings and mountaincarts - Skiing at the Semmering Hirschenkogel - Tobogganing on the longest run in Lower Austria ## With young children: Swings at the summit and real trains With small children, the plan is short: a trip on the line's train, the gondola to the playground at the summit and, in winter, the toboggan with an adult. ### What works best The Hirschi playground, at the Hirschenkogel summit A short ride on the Semmering train The toboggan, seated with an adult ### Where to sleep Sporthotel am Semmering, with an indoor pool ### Where to eat Liechtensteinhaus, next to the playground ### Bear in mind The viewpoint trails are not for pushchairs ### Qué hacer with young children - The Semmering railway, Europe's first mountain line - Hirschenkogel in summer: gondola, swings and mountaincarts - Tobogganing on the longest run in Lower Austria ## With teenagers: Twenty kilometres beside the track and mountaincart descents The Semmering gives teenagers a challenge: the whole Bahnwanderweg is 20 km, the mountaincarts and the Hirschenkogel bike park give speed, and in winter there is night skiing under floodlights. ### What works best The Bahnwanderweg from Semmering to Payerbach, with the train back Mountaincarts and the bike park in summer Night skiing and the 3 km toboggan run in winter The Ghega Museum, if they like engineering ### Where to sleep Sporthotel am Semmering, with a gym and pool ### Where to eat Grand View, with a menu in the evening ### Bear in mind The Bahnwanderweg has a diversion between Semmering and Wolfsbergkogel ### Qué hacer with teenagers - The Semmering railway, Europe's first mountain line - Bahnwanderweg, from Semmering to Payerbach beside the railway - Doppelreiter and 20-Schilling-Blick viewpoints - Ghega Museum in Breitenstein, beside the Kalte Rinne - Hirschenkogel in summer: gondola, swings and mountaincarts - Skiing at the Semmering Hirschenkogel - Tobogganing on the longest run in Lower Austria ## Consejos ### Set off early for the Bahnwanderweg It takes 5 hours; in autumn it gets dark early in the valleys. ### Check the gondola timetable It runs in the summer and ski seasons; in between, it does not. ### Take the train at Hauptbahnhof or Meidling While the S-Bahn closure lasts, do not leave from Wien Mitte. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How do you get from Vienna to the Semmering? By train from Wien Hauptbahnhof or Meidling on the southern line; by car, a little over an hour on the A2 and the S6. ### What is special about the Semmering railway? It was Europe's first great mountain railway, the work of Carl von Ghega, and it is a World Heritage site. It is still in service and you ride it with an ordinary ticket. ### How long is the Bahnwanderweg? From Semmering to Payerbach, 20.2 km and about 5 hours, with 450 m of ascent and 852 m of descent. You can cut it short at any station. ### Can you ski near Vienna? Yes, at the Hirschenkogel: 14 km of pistes, a day lift pass of €59.50 in 2026/27. ### What is there for children in summer? The gondola, a playground at the summit, a rope park from 120 cm and mountaincarts. ### Do you need a car? No: train to Semmering and the Rufbus or a taxi to get up to the village.