Discover Laufen: Old Town, Salzach and trails

Laufen combines a historic Old Town in a bend of the Salzach with a marked border crossing over the river and several trails with different routes. When planning a stay, you can choose from various focuses: the town itself, a hike with published route details, or a route with an artistic connection.

Old Town and Europasteg

The historic Old Town of Laufen lies on a peninsula in a bend of the Salzach. A prominent landmark by the river is the Europasteg: the 131.2-metre cross-border bridge spans the Salzach between Laufen and Oberndorf in Austria for pedestrians and cyclists. The national border is marked on the bridge. Since 2006, the Europasteg at the site of the original bridge has once again connected Laufen’s lower town with Alt-Oberndorf. The bridge thus represents both the connection between the towns and the visible border line. There is also a clear route option for a cycling trip to Salzburg: you can ride the entire way along the well-signposted Mozart Cycle Path.

Routes with different focuses

The circular hike to Triebenbach Castle starts and ends in Laufen, covers 11.8 kilometres and takes 3.5 hours; it is rated easy. Its route links two described landscape sections: along the banks of the Salzach, the path passes through lush alluvial forest, while on the way back to Laufen it passes through Ice Age Nagelfluh conglomerate. This makes it possible to consider the route details alongside the change in landscape.

The Artists’ Trail has a different focus. It heads downstream along the Salzach riverside path, crosses the bend in the Salzach to the Europasteg and then returns to the starting point through the town park. Along the route are park benches honouring Laufen’s artists; they bear the artists’ names. Another route landmark is the Pilgrims’ Way, which starts and ends at the Salzachhalle in Laufen. The routes also differ in the available guidance: the circular hike to Triebenbach Castle has a stated distance, duration and difficulty rating; the Artists’ Trail has a stated sequence of stops, and the Pilgrims’ Way has a stated start and end point.

Church, epitaphs and town hall

Among the notable sights in Laufen’s Old Town is the Old Town Hall with its Baroque façade. The parish and collegiate church of the Assumption of Mary is considered the oldest Late Gothic hall church in southern Germany. It has three naves of equal height, with the vaulted ceilings supported by massive pillars. The church and cloister contain nearly 200 marble epitaphs dating from the 14th to the early 19th century. The architecture and epitaphs offer different perspectives on the church and cloister.

A guided tour of the church ends with a visit to the collegiate treasury. If you would like to include this in your plans, check the tour dates before you travel. This lets you plan your church visit as part of your trip, while the historic buildings and trails in Laufen offer further ways to shape your stay.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Freilassing, Ainring, Schönau Am Königssee, Teisendorf, Saaldorf-Surheim, Bayerisch Gmain, Anger, Schneizlreuth.

Go to the main travel overview: Berchtesgadener Land.