2022 Austria Day 4: Schafberg, WolfgangseeSchifffahrt to St. Gilgen, Lake Altaussee

11 Sep 2022: Day 4

Austria's steepest cog railway has been running from St. Wolfgang up the Schafberg since 1893. The view from the summit is claimed to be the most magnificent in the world-famous Salzkammergut. However, we were unlucky to have bad weather. We were struggling in deciding whether to continue our journey up to Schafberg as the ticket was quite expensive (43.30 euro for round trip), and with this bad weather we probably could not see any view. Nevertheless, we decided to proceed with our plan since we had already reserved the time to do this itinerary. We were advised by the cashier to take the train down in next two hours since we couldn't do much on the summit. 

The train takes 35 minutes to cover a total distance of 5.85 kilometers, rising 1190 vertical meters. The historic cog railway’s steam engines are among the oldest working locomotives in the world.

Upon alighting from the train, we immediately felt the strong wind. We walked for a short distance to the restaurant on the summit as this was the only place we could spend our time. The cold wind blew the rain across our faces. Even it was such a short distance, we actually struggled to reach the restaurant. 

Finally we reached the restaurant. Our outfit became wet, hands became numb, bodies were shivering. We could not wait to grab some hot drinks. 

We ordered hot soup, hot coffee, and cake

We spent the next half day doing a ferry cruise from St. Wolfgang to St. Gilgen. A return ticket costed 9.70 euro. The passenger boat company on Lake Wolfgangsee has been in operation since the times of the last great Emperor. The paddle steamer "Kaiser Franz Josef I" was first launched in 1873 and was hailed at the time as a “technical achievement”. The 33 metre long nostalgic vessel has starred in numerous films and is still part of the fleet. Today, the fleet numbers 6 vessels with the flagship “Salzburg” at the forefront. The largest boat is the "Österreich" (Austria), which can accommodate 365 passengers.

We found plenty of stunning wooden buildings decorated with elaborate floral arrangements as well as cute wooden balconies.  The great thing about St. Gilgen is that it doesn’t have the crowds of Hallstatt, so you would wander around without bumping into numerous selfie sticks.

It’s hard to miss the stunning city hall, the building above with the red roof, which is easily one of the cutest buildings in town!

Lake Altaussee was not in our itinerary originally, but we did not regret making our way to this place. It is one of the most scenic lakes in the Salzkammergut. It is located at the foot of the Loser in a wonderful mountain landscape. The water is crystal clear and has a slightly dark blue color. That is why the Altausseer See is also called the "dark blue inkwell".