Bad Hofgastein: Mountain Hiking, History and Cycling

Bad Hofgastein brings together a range of travel interests: six circular hiking trails start on Schlossalm, the Angertal Miners’ World offers insights into gold and silver mining, and cyclists can set off from a starting point in the town centre. There are also historic buildings and swimming during the bathing season. To help plan your stay, first consider whether you would like to focus on outdoor activities, history or a combination of different pursuits.

Hiking on Schlossalm

After taking the Schlossalmbahn cable car, a short walk leads to the starting point of six circular hiking trails on Schlossalm. This sequence gives you a clear point of reference for a day of hiking: first take the cable car, then walk to the starting point of the circular trails. No trail lengths or difficulty levels are specified, so choose your route based on the information available for each trail and your own plans. If you are setting aside several days for different interests, you can treat this outing as a separate focus rather than combining it with a visit to other places into a supposed continuous route.

Mining history and historic buildings

At the Angertal Miners’ World, guided tours take visitors to several specific sites: the forge, the miners’ house, the old smelting furnaces and the mine manager’s house. The tours give visitors insights into the history of gold and silver mining. Anyone interested in historic mining work and buildings will find a clearly defined way to explore the subject. Since the visit is described as a guided tour, you can plan it as a guided experience.

The Rauchberg Mill also offers its own connection to history. It is an overshot watermill, was first mentioned in official records in 1728 and remained in operation until 1965. For those interested in cultural history, the mill is a distinct point of interest alongside the mining history.

The church in Bad Hofgastein, referred to as the “Church of our Lady,” was built between 1498 and 1507. Its Baroque altar was the principal work of painter Josef Andrä Eisl and sculptor Paul Mödlhammer. These details allow you to explore the church’s architectural history and art: the building and the altar represent different aspects of cultural interest. You can decide whether you are more interested in the church’s period of construction or in the artists involved and their principal work.

Cycling, a gorge and swimming season

The Angertal Loop starts at the bike starting point in the centre of Bad Hofgastein. This gives you a specific starting point if you plan to ride this route. No details are provided about its length or course, so take these into account when planning your own ride. Another special experience is the so-called “Katharinastollen”: it allows visitors to pass safely through the Gadaunerer Gorge and offers views both in front of and behind the waterfall.

After a mountain hike or bike ride, visitors can swim in the clear Gastein bathing lake during the bathing season. This makes swimming a seasonal option to enjoy after an active day. The bathing season is the key timing consideration. Together with the circular hiking trails, the bike ride and the gorge experience, this offers a choice of different activities without assuming that they form a single route or are located close to one another.

Which interests suit your stay?

If you want to focus on outdoor activities, the circular hiking trails on Schlossalm and the starting point of the Angertal Loop offer specific options. For an interest in cultural history, there are the Angertal Miners’ World, the Rauchberg Mill and the church with its Baroque altar. If you would like to combine an active day with swimming, you can take the bathing season at the Gastein bathing lake into account.

If you would like to compare other destinations, you can also find information about Kleinarl, Schwarzach Im Pongau, Neuberg, Mandling, Sankt Veit Im Pongau, Flachau, Altenmarkt Im Pongau and Niedernfritz.

For the broader travel overview: Sankt Johann im Pongau District.