The Plombergstein rises above St. Gilgen, nestled at one end of the absolutely stunning Wolfgangsee. It reminded me a little of a mini version of the Chief hike out in Vancouver in Canada. I hiked up Plombergstein with Alana, a friend I met more than five years ago in Kaikoura in New Zealand, and who stopped through Salzburg on her summer Europe trip this year.
This is an easy hike meandering up from St. Gilgen around the back of the Plombergstein and then coming out to a breathtaking panoramic view of the entire Wolfgangsee spread out below you. The turquoise waters of the lake rendered us speechless and we sat for ages up at the viewpoint just watching the sailboats on the lake and the bustle of the little town on the lakeside below.
The Plombergstein is also a popular rock climbing spot as it is quite literally a massive boulder which you can hike or climb up.
Of course, post-hike - which was a gorgeous loop circuit and meandered through stunning forest on the way back towards the lake - we headed straight for the Wolfgangsee and spent the rest of the afternoon sunbathing and swimming in the refreshing and clear blue lake water.
PLOMBGERSTEIN HIKE DETAILS
When: March to November
Where: hike begins from St. Gilgen, on the shores of Wolfgangsee
Difficulty: easy
Length: from St. Gilgen, we did a loop hike of 4.5km which took us one and a half hours of moving time
Directions: starting from the tourist information centre in St. Gilgen, next to the Spar, walk up the Landestrasse and then turn right into the Reitnerstrasse. This gets you access to the Plombergstein around the back side (and was the route recommended to us at the info centre!). You then hike up through the forest, following the yellow signs to Plombergstein. The final section is a loop to the summit. So, on your return after the loop, take a right turn and walk down the other side off the Plombergstein through the forest. You'll end up on the Mondsee-Bundesstrasse and can walk back to St. Gilgen from there. Check out my exact route on Strava!
Bathrooms: yes, nearby at the tourist information centre in St. Gilgen for €0.50
Public Transit: yes, bus 150 runs straight from Salzburg Hauptbahnhof to St. Gilgen Hollweger, just outside the tourist info centre and the Spar, which takes about an hour. From there, you can walk straight to the Plombergstein.
