The Salzkammergut is an area just East of the city of Salzburg and is located at the Northern fringe of the Alps. The Salzkammergut stretches over three different Austrian federal states: Salzburg, Upper Austria and Styria. Its name refers to the white gold of this region: sodium chloride or commonly known as salt, which was the primary commodity of this regions for millenniums. Even today, the mining of rock salt is an important part of the regional economy.

The landscape of the Salzkammergut is characterized by the mix of lakes and mountains. The many lakes of the region have its origins in the ice ages when the large alpine glaciers started to melt and retreated back to the high mountain environments of the Dachstein massif, the highest mountain of the Salzkammergut area. The deep valleys formed by the glaciers soon were filled with water giving this region its unique flair.

The beauty of the Salzkammergut attracted more and more visitors with the beginning of the nineteenth century. First and foremost it was the aristocracy of the Hapsburg empire who spent the summer in the Salzkammergut for recreation. Game hunting in the mountains was a favorite leisure activity of the aristocracy. The architecture with its many mansions and little castles still resembles the region's history as aristocratic recreational area. The summer villa of Emperor Franz Josef in Bad Ischl (built 1860 in neoclassicism style) is the prime example of this architecture.

The main town of the region is Gmunden, located on the North shore of the Lake Traunsee. It is the main hub of the region and is accessed easily by car (main motor highway A1) as well as by train. A walk at its esplanade with the perfect view over the Lake Traunsee and into the high mountains in the South is a major attraction of Gmunden. The romantic chapel of Gmunden-Ort is often chosen by young couples for their wedding.

Perhaps the most picturesque town of the Salzkammergut is Hallstatt with itscentury-old buildings and narrow streets. The term “hall” refers to the Celtic name for salt. For centuries Hallstatt was all about mining this precious white gold. Hallstatt is located beneath steep slopes right on the Southwestern side of the Lake Hallstatt. Dangerous avalanches sometimes block the road access to Hallstatt. Then the town is reachable only by boat! Another interesting fact is that the railway station is on the other side of the lake. You have to take the boat and cross the lake to get from the railway station to the town.

Saint Wolfgang is a lovely town located at the northern shore of the Lake Wolfgang. St. Wolfgang is the starting point for the Schafberg cog railway which is an extremely interesting attraction in itself. The views at the top of the Schafberg (1783m) is path-breaking and gives a great overview of the layout of the regions with its mountains and the many lakes in between.

Bad Ischl is the quintessential Salzkammergut town. It was here where Emperor Franz Josef had his summer villa and were he usually stayed for his summer vacations which endured often over the whole summer. Until this day one is tempted to think that the old Hapsburg empire may have found here a refuge. With its traditional cafeterias and its quaint buildings Bad Ischl is a truly gem for all history-lovers and for those who dream about times long gone.

There are many other towns in the Salzkammergut, all of them unique and worth of a visit or even an extending stay. Among them Ebensee at the Southern end of the Lake Traun, Bad Goisern, Gosau, which is very close to the high alpine massif of the Dachstein, Obertraun with its famous ice caves, Altaussee and Bad Aussee in the Styrian part of the Salzkammergut and many others.

There are ten large lakes to be found in the Salzkammergut region, all of them not only of a great natural beauty but also offering the whole range of water activities from swimming to sailing. All of them are quite deep (up to 191m in case of the Traunsee) and since they are fed by fresh mountain water the water is extremely clear but also quite cold, especially in the Southern lakes (Hallstatt, Toplitz, Grundlsee).

• Lake Attersee

• Lake Traunsee

• Lake Wolfgangsee

• Lake Mondsee

• Lake Gosausee

• Lake Hallstatt

• Lake Altaussee

• Lake Fuschlsee

• Lake Toplitz

• Lake Grundlsee

Three high mountain ranges are surrounding the Salzkammergut area giving the region its particular ambiance characterized by the mix of deep lakes and high, rocky mountain peaks.

The Dachstein Massif is the dominant mountain range with the Dachstein summit (2994m) as the highest mountain of Upper Austria as well as of Styria and defines the Southern border of the Salzkammergut. The glaciers at the Northern slopes of the Dachstein massif are still large and the white snow fields make for a beautiful contrast to the vertical rock walls.

The Totes Gebirge (literally: The dead mountains) defines the Eastern border of the Salzkammergut and it is a wild mountain range perfectly suited for the keen mountain hiker who seeks a distraction of urban life.

The Höllengebirge (literally: The mountains of hell) is located in the Northern part of the Salzkammergut between Lake Traunsee and Lake Attersee. The best approach for the lazy tourist is the cable car starting in Ebensee and leading directly to the Eastern end of this mountain range.

The mountains of the Salzkammergut offer plenty of opportunities for all kinds of mountaineering. Hundreds of kilometer of marked trails satisfy the keen mountain hiker while uncountable climbing routes of various difficulty level are waiting for climbers of all ambitions.

During winter the high amount of precipitation guarantees enough fresh powder for skiers and makes the Salzkammergut a perfect location for skiing. The Salzkammergut is one of the most snow-rich areas in Austria. Ski resorts like Gosau-Dachstein West or Loser and Tauplitz in the Styrian part are attracting many skiers from early December to late April. The Dachstein massif offers some serious ski mountaineering possibilities and the traditional ski area around the Krippenstein in Obertraun has been discovered recently by freeriders as a powder snow paradise.