Hammersteg Swimming Spot in Hallein, Austria

jana meerman hammersteg almbach salzburg-1

I am very much into biking these days and with so many gorgeous little spots within an hour or two ride of my home in Salzburg, Austria, it's been the perfect way to spend summer weekends.

→ Follow along my Austrian adventures on Instagram @JanaInAustria!

On a hot 30ºC Saturday, under a blue sky dotted with white fluffy clouds, I decided to visit some more lakes on my list and attempted to bike the 24km from Salzburg to Hintersee in Faistenau, via the Wiestalstausee. Unfortunately, I made it so close but with about 5km left on my trek, the hill was simply too steep in the heat for me to conquer and I couldn't walk it as it was on a main road. So I turned around, defeated.

→ I did make it to the Hintersee (by car) in 2025; check out my complete guide to all my favourite lakes to visit in Austria!

In the end, not making it ended up being a wonderful thing because as I was biking back towards home, I came across an idyllic little bridge and had the most perfect afternoon there, instead.

How to Get to Hammersteg

This natural swimming spot is so small and secret that it's not even a proper location on Google Maps! But if you can locate the Hammersteg bridge, there is a little dirt pathway that leads down to the river. Trust me, you're going to love it.

By bike: I was on a long summer bike ride heading from Salzburg towards Hintersee initially when I stumbled across Hammersteg. The Hammersteg crosses over the Almbach river in the tiny little village of Adneter Riedl, nearby Hallein. It's less than an hour by bike south of Salzburg.

By car: You can also reach the Hammersteg by car and park along the road. It's about 20 minutes by car south of Salzburg.

By public transport: Take the S-Bahn to Hallein from where you can catch the 450 bus (direction Gaißau Spielbergalm Lift) which stops right next to the Hammersteg. The bus stop name is Hallein Marmorwerk.

→ This is the exact location of the Hammersteg bridge on Google Maps.

Visiting Hammersteg

Underneath the Hammersteg, the most perfect gushing river made these little natural swimming pools and the clear fresh water was exactly what I needed after my sweaty ride. A few others were lounging about riverside and I spent the whole afternoon under the sun with my book, occasionally pausing to take a cool dip in the river.

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Jana Meerman

Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.

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