Konditorei Zauner
What to order: a slice of Zaunerstollen or one of the buffet cakes with a Melange.
Pfarrgasse 7, in the centre · Every day 8:30 to 18:00
geocalia
Day itinerary · 47.56° N · 13.65° E
The Wolfgangsee and Bad Ischl in a day, a rack railway from 1893 and Sisi's summer house.
A long day by car: up the Schafberg on the rack railway from St. Wolfgang, cake at the Konditorei Zauner in Bad Ischl and the Kaiservilla of Franz Joseph and Sisi.
Leaving from
Direct flight to Salzburgo fromAlicante 2 h 45Gran Canaria 5 hTenerife Sur 5 h 15
Part of SalzkammergutAlps
Add to my trip
Total time13 h
By car3 h 30 each way
CarAbout 3 h 20 to St. Wolfgang; 3 h 15 back from Bad Ischl
AdmissionSchafberg €61 · Kaiservilla €24
DifficultyEasy
Season25 April to 1 November
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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Leave Vienna 3 h 30 by car
A1 towards Salzburg; motorway vignette needed
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1
Rack railway to the Schafberg from St. Wolfgang
€61 return; children €18.40 · choose your descent time when you buy
+43 662 8884 9700
- 15 min by car17,3 km
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2
Konditorei Zauner
open every day 8:30 to 18:00 · Zaunerstollen and cakes from the buffet
Pfarrgasse 7, 4820 Bad Ischl · +43 6132 23310
Café €€Book - 15 min on foot
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3
Kaiservilla in Bad Ischl, the summer home of Franz Joseph and Sisi
45-minute guided tour · €24; park only €6.70
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Back home 3 h 15 by car
via the A1; in Vienna around 20:15
Approximate cost
About €80–95 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
Rack railway to the Schafberg from St. Wolfgang
The Wolfgangsee and Bad Ischl are the Habsburgs' Salzkammergut: the lake where Vienna spent its summers and the spa town where the court moved every summer from 1848 to 1914. From Vienna it is a little over three hours by car each way, so it is a long day. It is worth it if you are going to spend the night in the area or if you want to see the Salzkammergut without sleeping away; if you can, stay a night in St. Wolfgang and do the circuit the next day.
The day, hour by hour
6:45 · Leave Vienna. The A1 towards Salzburg and the lake roads to St. Wolfgang, about three hours twenty. Motorway vignette needed.
10:15 · Schafberg railway. The rack railway climbs from the shore at St. Wolfgang to the summit, at 1,783 metres, in about 35 minutes. Its operator presents it as the steepest rack railway in Austria, and from the top you see the lakes of the Salzkammergut. €61 return; children, €18.40. The return ticket has a fixed time: choose it with a margin.
14:00 · Konditorei Zauner, in Bad Ischl. Twenty minutes by car. The pastry shop from 1832, on the Pfarrgasse, with its huge cake buffet and the Zaunerstollen, is open every day. If you prefer a hot meal, the Grand Café Zauner on the Esplanade has a kitchen from 11:30 to 18:30, Wednesday to Sunday.
15:15 · Kaiservilla. On the other side of the Traun river, a short walk. The summer house of Franz Joseph and Sisi, with a 45-minute guided tour through the rooms and the imperial park. Franz Joseph spent 82 summers here. €24 for the villa and park; park only, €6.70.
17:00 · Return. About three and a quarter hours to Vienna on the A1.
If you go with children or it rains
In fog or rain, the Schafberg view is lost: check the forecast before leaving and, if it is closed, swap the mountain for Hallstatt. The Kaiservilla is an adult visit; children do better in the park.
Time3 h
Change the route
With fog on the summit, instead of the Schafberg: Hallstatt, south of Bad Ischl, and the boat across the lake:
Stefanie boat from the station to Hallstatt and the southern lake tour
To avoid driving six hours in one day, stay overnight in St. Wolfgang, next to the Schafberg station:
Romantik Hotel Im Weissen Rössl
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
Seewirt Zauner
What to order: the grilled Reinanke with parsley potatoes, the dish the house recommends.
Hallstatt main square · Closed Sunday and Monday · Balcony with a lake view
Restaurant Seeauer
What to order: the fish from the nearby lakes, which the house suggests as its speciality.
Landungsplatz, beside the landing stage · Open every day · In winter, evenings only on weekdays
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Salzkammergut
25 April to 1 November, when the Schafberg train reaches the summit; from May to September the Kaiservilla is open from 9:30 to 17:00 and in April and October from 10:00 to 16:00. Outside that season, the train runs only in Advent up to the Schafbergalm and the villa is open few days.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Check the weather before going up
With the summit in cloud you don't see the lakes; decide the day before.
- 2Choose your descent time well
The railway's return ticket has a fixed time; you can change it at the machines up top.
- 3Sleep a night
Six and a half hours of driving in a day is a lot: the Weisses Rössl is in St. Wolfgang.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does the day cost?
Between €100 and €150 per person with the Schafberg railway, the Kaiservilla and lunch, not counting the car.
Can it be done in winter?
Not as it stands: the train reaches the summit only from 25 April to 1 November, and the Kaiservilla opens few days in winter.
Can it be done without a car?
In two days, yes, with train and bus; in one from Vienna, there is not enough time.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/austria/upper-austria/salzkammergut/itineraries/schafberg-and-bad-ischl-by-car
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.