ST WOLFGANG - HOTELS & TOURIST INFORMATION

St. Wolfgang is located on the Wolfgangsee Lake, through which passes the borderline between Land Salzburg and Upper Austria. St. Wolfgang lies 50 kilometers east of Salzburg, 114kilometers southwest of Linz, and 13 kilometers west of Bad Ischl.
The scenes there are quite impressive as the Wolfgangsee is near the mountains of the Salzkammergut and it is one of the most beautiful lakes in Austria. The resort itself is located on the northeastern side of the lake, just below the Schafberg. It is very popular during the summer for its natural beauty.
If you travel by car you can leave it in one of the two parking lots at the entrance of the town and explore it on foot. From spring to autumn the resort can be easily reached by boat (usually leaving every hour) from Gschwendt, on the southern edge of the lake.

Back in the 12th century, St. Wolfgang was a very famous pilgrimage centre. A great attraction in the resort is the Pfarrkirche (Parish Church). It is said to be standing on the same place, where St. Wolfgang built a hermitage. In the church you can see an amazing altarpiece by Michael Pacher, dating from 1481. It is lavishly adorned with panel paintings and skillfully carved figures. On the main panel is depicted the Coronation of the Virgin. In the tower of the church there is a new museum, but visits to it are partly restricted and can be arrange with an appointment.

From St. Wolfgang you can go to Schafberg, where you will admire the most breathtaking views in Upper Austria. There is a legend that you can see 13 lakes of the Salzkammergut from there, but it’s probably not true. But you will surely have a view of Mondsee, Attersee and the entire Wolfgangsee. When the day is clear you can even see the Berchtesgaden Alps, the peaks of the Höllengebirge, and Dachstein.
The journey to Schafberg takes about 4 hours and a half and most of it is by rack rail called Schafbergbahn. The rack rail is open from May to October on a daily basis. On the summit of the mountain you will find a hotel, 1 748 meters above the sea level.
There is a cog railway from St Wolfgang to the top of the Schafbergspitz, but there are no other rail lines reaching the resort. You can get there by bus from Bad Ischl which stops at the St. Wolfgang Marktplatz and at the base of the Schafbergbahn (St. Wolfgang Schafberg Rack Railway). The journey takes around forty minutes. From Salzburg by car – take Route 158. From Linz take A-1, then Route 145 to Bad Ischl and from there – Route 158.