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Lake Cruise and Schafberg: A Seated Monday at St Wolfgang

A boat on the lake and a cog railway to a summit, both seated, in the last weeks of the season before the boats and trains stop for winter.

DurationDay trip
TransitWolfgangsee boat and SchafbergBahn cog railway from St Wolfgang
DepartsSt Wolfgang

After the Salzkammergut Marathon: Lake Cruise and Schafberg

The Route: St Wolfgang → Schafberg (cog railway) → St Wolfgang → Wolfgangsee (boat) → St Wolfgang Logistics: The cog railway and the lake boats both start in St Wolfgang. Everything is seated. Marathon Month: October Duration: Day trip

St Wolfgang ──(SchafbergBahn)──> Schafberg summit
     │                                  │
     └──────(lake boat loop)────────────┘ (back down to St Wolfgang)

The Salzkammergut Marathon finishes in St Wolfgang on a Sunday in mid-October, and the Monday that follows can be spent without walking anywhere. A boat and a mountain railway both leave from the village you finished in.

October in St Wolfgang: this is the end of the season. The operator's timetable has the SchafbergBahn running daily from 25 April to 1 November, and the lake boats daily from 7 September to 26 October, so the Monday after the race falls inside both. In October the lake is cool, the mornings can be misty and the summit is often in cloud. Dress for the top, where it is colder than the lake by a wide margin. The Bad Ischl October average is about 4°C at night and 12°C by day, and the summit will be colder.

The cog railway

The SchafbergBahn is a rack railway that climbs the mountain behind the village. You sit down at the bottom and get out at the top, with the journey in between taking the best part of an hour. The railway has run since the 19th century, and the carriages are slow enough to look out of. The railway's operator says services depend on the weather, so check the day's departures and whether a cloudy forecast makes the trip worth it. Ask at the station about the walk from the top station to the viewpoint, which involves paths and some steps. You do not need to do any of it to enjoy the ride.

The lake

The Wolfgangsee boats run a loop between St Wolfgang, St Gilgen and Strobl. Use the ordinary Monday timetable, not the race-day timings. Low water has made some landings harder, and wheelchair boarding is only at Strobl and St Wolfgang. Ride a single leg and come back, and sit on the lee side if the wind is up.

Lunch and the way home

Café & Restaurant EQ at the SchafbergBahn complex lists Friday to Tuesday from 10:30 to 19:00, with the kitchen open from 11:30 to 18:30. The Seerestaurant at Im Weissen Rössl lists warm food daily from 11:30, with lake char among the dishes. Check both on the day.

Everything starts and ends in St Wolfgang, so there is no onward travel. Check the last boat and the last train down before you settle in for the afternoon.