Wolfgang-see: What's 'not to see' in this central Austrian town of St. Wolfgang!

So, where is St Wolfgang?

Closest cities:

Distance from Salzburg: 48 kms (approx 50mins)

Distance from Vienna: 285 kms (approx 3h 30mins)

Best way to get here (if not driving) : You reach Salzburg train station and then take bus# 150 from the Salzburg train station or Mirabell square. You then either get off in St Gilgen (and then take a boat to the other side of the lake) or change to bus# 546 in Strobl { https://moovitapp.com/index/en/public_transit-line-546-Wien-3901-3750808-128512610-5 }

View of the Wolfgang lake & the town on the left

Coming to our personal experience, we self-drove from Vienna to St Wolfgang, listening to Hindi/Punjabi songs, through the smooth highways of Austria during May'23. While we did a day trip, I recommend spending atleast 2 full days here to enjoy the lake as well as the mountains. You can also then visit it's more famous cousin "HALLSTAT" which we avoided due to fear of extreme crowds.

Once we reached St Wolfgang at around 1.30pm, we realised we were late to complete the 2 most popular activities. We then decided to go for a more unique experience and did 1 out of the 2 most recommended activities during summer- The Schafbergbahn cog railway, the other being Wolfgangseeschifffhart (ship ride). If you plan to visit Salzburg alongwith Wolfgang, do try the "5 Treasures" { https://www.5schaetze.at/en.html }.

Coming to the cog railway ,for ~50 euros/adult (up and down ride), the 35 min (5.8 kms) one way ascent/descent to 1750 meters above sea level, was truly a winner! Check out the quaint Schafberg station below:

Schafberg station at 1732 m above sea level

So, what do you do once you get up here from St Wolfgang? Well, if you call yourself a poet or a writer, no better place than this to inspire you! Get hold of a quiet corner (that's the biggest challenge) and then let the scenery of a blue lake surrounded by snow mountains , work its magic!

The view from the top of Schafberg

As for us, after sipping hot chocolates from the vending machine at the station, we decided to showcase our Snow Cricket skills! Check us out, playing cricket at 1700 m with snow and a stick ;)

As a bonus recommendation, if you are staying in Salzburg or decide to stop-over for lunch/dinner, do try this pizza place (requires reservation during peak hours): https://www.tripadvisor.in/Restaurant_Review-g190441-d1218484-Reviews-Ristorante_Pizzeria_da_Giacomo-Salzburg_Austrian_Alps.html

Some tips to keep in mind for St Wolfgang, based on our experience and learnings :

1) If you have just a day here, try to reach early, latest by 10am to enjoy this town from varied perspectives

2) Not many restaurants that I could spot, especially for vegetarians, so have some backup, especially for kids

3) Have a picnic by the lake - its too pretty to soak in from a distance

4) Check the timings/schedule of the cog wheel train and ferry from the 5 treasure website , especially in non-peak seasons , to avoid missing out.

5) For the adventure junkies, there is an option to Para-glide if the weather holds. { https://www.flytandem.at/en/flight-areas/offers/st-gilgen-wolfgangsee }