# The Wolfgangsee and Bad Ischl by car from Vienna: the Schafberg railway, the Zauner pastry shop and the Kaiservilla

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.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/austria/upper-austria/salzkammergut/itineraries/schafberg-and-bad-ischl-by-car · Revisado: 2026-11-12

## El día
- 06:45 · Salida: 3 h 30 by car (A1 towards Salzburg; motorway vignette needed)
- 10:15 · Rack railway to the Schafberg from St. Wolfgang (€61 return; children €18.40 · choose your descent time when you buy) · SchafbergBahn, From €61 adult
  - 15 min by car, 17,3 km
- 14:00 · Konditorei Zauner (open every day 8:30 to 18:00 · Zaunerstollen and cakes from the buffet) · Konditorei Zauner, €€
  - 15 min on foot
- 15:15 · Kaiservilla in Bad Ischl, the summer home of Franz Joseph and Sisi (45-minute guided tour · €24; park only €6.70)
- 17:00 · Vuelta: 3 h 15 by car (via the A1; in Vienna around 20:15)

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.

## Cómo llegar

### By car
It is how it is designed. Leave early: it is more than three hours to St. Wolfgang.

### Without a car
From Vienna, by train to Salzburg and regional bus to St. Wolfgang, or by train to Bad Ischl via Attnang-Puchheim. There is no time for both in a single day: sleep there.

## Consejos

### Check the weather before going up
With the summit in cloud you don't see the lakes; decide the day before.

### Choose your descent time well
The railway's return ticket has a fixed time; you can change it at the machines up top.

### Sleep a night
Six and a half hours of driving in a day is a lot: the Weisses Rössl is in St. Wolfgang.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### 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.