Hiking Plombergstein over Wolfgangsee, Austria

jana meerman plombergstein wolfgangsee austria-68

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 in Vancouver in Canada. I hiked up Plombergstein with Alana, a friend I met more than five years ago in Kaikoura in New Zealand, 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.

→ Check out all my other favourite lakes near Salzburg!

Plombergstein 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). Hike up through the forest, following the yellow signs to Plombergstein. The final section is a loop to the summit; go right. On your return after the summit, take a right turn to 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 a €0.50 coin

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 where you can walk straight to the Plombergstein trail

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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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