Upper Austria between hiking trails and cultural history

The 1,600-meter-high Feuerkogel plateau offers hiking opportunities, two viewing platforms and the Karst and Sinkhole Adventure Trail with its mountain pine maze. On a clear day, the panoramic views extend to the Dachstein and across the lake region. Upper Austria therefore offers a range of starting points for planning your trip—from hikes and mountain panoramas to places with a long cultural history.

Plan hikes by distance and difficulty

In southeastern Upper Austria, Kalkalpen National Park covers an area of almost 21,000 hectares. The Wildnistrail Buchensteig runs along old logging paths and is just under ten kilometers long. The Luchs Trail is on a very different scale: this long-distance hiking trail connects Upper Austria, Styria and Lower Austria, is 200 kilometers long in total and comprises eleven challenging stages as well as 10,000 meters of elevation gain. These details make it easier to compare the scope of the trails without equating them: the Buchensteig is a named trail just under ten kilometers long, while the Luchs Trail is a multi-stage route spanning three federal states.

Different experiences also shape a day of hiking on the Feuerkogel. In addition to its many hiking opportunities, the plateau has two viewing platforms, and the Karst and Sinkhole Adventure Trail leads through a landscape featuring a mountain pine maze. On a clear day, a 360-degree panorama opens up from here, taking in the Dachstein and the lake region. This makes the Feuerkogel appealing to travelers who want to combine hiking trails and viewpoints in one excursion area.

Mountain railways, lake views and caves

The SchafbergBahn has been running from St. Wolfgang up to the Schafberg since 1893. Along its 5.85-kilometer route, it climbs about 1,190 meters; the journey to the Schafberg summit takes approximately 35 minutes. On a clear day, the 360-degree panorama stretches across the lakes of the Salzkammergut and the Alpine foothills. The lakes mentioned include Wolfgangsee, Irrsee, Mondsee, Fuschlsee and Chiemsee. The approximate journey time and route give a concrete sense of the mountain railway ride; visibility of the lakes depends on the weather.

There are three cave systems near Obertraun in the Salzkammergut. The Giant Ice Cave and Mammoth Cave are located near the Dachstein-Krippenstein cable car’s middle station. The Dachstein Giant Ice Cave is known for its massive cave glaciers, icebergs and ice chapels. Here, the landscape can also be explored through its underground ice formations.

Cultural history and media art

The Hallstatt-Dachstein/Salzkammergut cultural landscape has developed continuously over a period of 2,500 years. From the outset, this was primarily linked to the economic history of salt mining. The remains of pile dwellings on Lake Attersee and Lake Mondsee offer a different insight into the region’s long history: they are part of the UNESCO World Heritage site “Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps.”

Cultural highlights in Upper Austria include the small fort at Oberranna, the fort at Schlögen, the Schlossberg fortifications in Linz and the remains of the Lauriacum legionary camp in Enns. The history of the Danube Limes can be explored, for example, by bicycle along the Danube Cycle Path or on foot along the Danube Trail. These routes therefore focus on two different ways of getting around: cycling and hiking.

Linz has held the title “UNESCO City of Media Arts” since 2014 and is part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. The annual Ars Electronica Festival also brings artists, researchers and scientists to Linz. The program includes talks, workshops, exhibitions and symposia. If you are planning to attend the festival, check the dates for your travel period. At the Ars Electronica Center, the Kids’ Research Laboratory is for children aged 4 to 8. It offers opportunities to tinker, make music, draw, program and experiment.

At the Schwarz Jew’s Harp and Accordion Experience World, visitors learn what goes into making Jew’s harps and how the instrument has changed over time. Insights into craftsmanship and the history of musical instruments thus complement the themes of nature, hiking trails and cultural sites.

Regional public transport as part of your planning

The Freizeit-Ticket OÖ is a day pass covering all regional public transport in Upper Austria and is valid on trains, buses and trams. It describes the area covered and the modes of transport, not the connection to any particular attraction. Check current fares and the ticket’s validity before traveling. When choosing a hotel, you can first decide whether your stay will focus mainly on hiking stages, a visit to Linz or cultural history.

Discover more destinations

Rohrbach, Eferding, Freistadt, Urfahr-Umgebung, Perg, Linz-Land, Wels-Land, Steyr-Land, Kirchdorf an der Krems, Braunau am Inn, Schärding, Vöcklabruck, Gmunden, Wolfgangsee, Grieskirchen, Ried im Innkreis, Kirchberg ob der Donau, Lichtenbuch, Mairhof

To the main travel overview: Austria.