Walking holidays to St. Gilgen take you to the lovely north-western shores of Lake Wolfgang. The wealthy have long sought out its shores, building grand mansions along the waterfront. Most famously, Mozart’s family lived here – there’s a museum dedicated to them in town that’s well worth a wander. Other worthwhile explorations include the lakeside path leading past beaches and bays and the Schafberg mountain, which can be reached by Austria’s oldest cog steam railway from St. Wolfgang.
St. Gilgen: hometown of the Mozarts
St. Gilgen is filled with fanciful baroque and rococo architecture. Cafés, shops and alpine-style houses are adorned with frescoes and oversized flowering balconies, and streets lead to the towering onion-domed church where Mozart’s parents got married. You can learn more about Mozart in the house museum – just perhaps not the sibling you’d assume. This was the birthplace of Anna Maria, the mother of Mozart, and celebrates her daughter Nannerl, who was a child prodigy and harpsichordist who often headlined above her famous brother – a career quickly put to and end when she became old enough to marry.
Salzburg
To find out more about Nannerl’s brother, head to Salzburg, where museums and operas explore Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s life and works - his birthplace is on the famous Getreidegasse shopping street in the centre of the Old Town. The Salzburg Museum showcases everything from archaeological finds to modern art installations over several grand floors. And, make sure to stroll the Mirabel Gardens or walk up to the Hohensalzburg Fortress which watches over the cobbled streets of the city below. It’s all an hour’s bus journey away from St. Gilgen.
Into the mountains
A cable car glides from St. Gilgen to the top of the Zwölferhorn in 10 minutes where panoramic hiking trails lead in all directions and include a family-friendly mountaintop circuit that meanders past sundials, star charts and telescopes that offer intriguing insights into the geology of this corner of the Alps. The Schafberg mountain is another great pick – best reached via the historic cog railway from St. Wolfgang that takes the ache out of the uphill climb - the views from up here are quite something, and there's plenty of exploring to be done on foot.
Life on Lake Wolfgang
Two other villages decorate the shores of Lake Wolfgang. St. Wolfgang is home to a myth-wreathed pilgrimage church and footpaths that lead up into the hills behind. Strobl, meanwhile, is the place to chase the sunset. Walk between them by following the waterside paths or hop aboard the historic paddle steamer or one of the ferries that cruise the waters. Water sports are popular too, including paddle-boarding, kayaking, water skiing, sailing and wakeboarding on the blue-green alpine lake - take a dip or rent a rowing boat or pedalo.
Why book a summer holiday in St. Gilgen with Inghams?
At Inghams, we do walking holidays differently. With no fixed itinerary, you have more time in your destination and the freedom to walk as much or as little as you like, discovering some of Wolfgangsee's best walking routes and activities at your own pace.
With over 85 years of outdoor travel experience, our holiday packages to St. Gilgen include flights, transfers, and accommodation, so you can relax and leave the small details to us. Our experts can help you choose the best holiday for you, and our team overseas can give you the inside scoop on how to spend your time away with us.
