Urfahr-Umgebung: Ski holiday between Sternstein, hiking trails and lakes

• The family-friendly Sternstein ski area in Bad Leonfelden offers sporting winter activities.
• The Pesenbach Valley in Bad Mühllacken is a nature reserve.
• The 3 Castles Hiking Trail is 25 kilometres long in total, begins at Waxenberg Castle Ruins and leads via the Oberneukirchner Berg to Lobenstein Castle Ruins; Piberstein Castle Ruins can be reached via the Waxenberger Hofwald, Schallenberg and Ahorn.
• The Wilhering Pilgrimage Trail connects the Danube with the Vltava over 132 kilometres in six stages.
• The Freizeitland recreation area of the four Feldkirchen bathing lakes can be reached directly from the Danube Cycle Path via a new cycle bridge.
• The Pelmberg Open-Air Museum includes an 18-metre-long tunnel carved out of granite that is still accessible.
• The Lebzeltarium presents the diverse world of gingerbread on more than 300 square metres.

Winter sports and trails with different characteristics

If you are looking for a specific connection to winter sports during your stay in Urfahr-Umgebung, the focus turns to Bad Leonfelden. There, Sternstein is home to a family-friendly ski area offering sporting winter activities. In addition, the Sternstein Circuit describes a route with different surfaces: 40 per cent runs on asphalt, while 60 per cent runs on gravel or natural ground. This change is relevant when planning your day if you would like to combine winter sports with a walk and need to allow for a different trail surface than on a prepared sports facility.

In summer, the Sternstein lookout tower offers hikers a wonderful view from its summit. Another themed trail connection is the Kraft-Quelle-Baum Trail. Its sights include the Maria Rast forest chapel and Waxenberg Castle Ruins.

Pesenbach Valley natural area

The Pesenbach Valley in Bad Mühllacken combines a protected natural area with striking landscape features. In addition to the Blaue Gasse, there are springs, ponds, cyclopean rock formations and the landmark Kerzenstein. This creates a destination for visitors who would like to include geological formations, water features and characteristic landscapes in their days alongside winter sports.

The Pesenbach Valley Hiking Trail is mostly marked with a red dot and has an alpine character. Sure-footedness, fitness and sturdy footwear are required for this route. This clearly distinguishes the trail from an ordinary walk: if you plan to take it, you should compare these requirements with your own experience and equipment.

Lakes, cycle path and exercise

The four Feldkirchen bathing lakes offer opportunities for swimming, sunbathing and playing beach volleyball. The Danube Cycle Path runs through Feldkirchen an der Donau; from there, cyclists can reach one of the four bathing lakes. The Freizeitland recreation area is also connected directly to the Danube Cycle Path via a new cycle bridge. For a stay, this results in a combination of a cycling stage, a trip to the lake and activities on the water, without these offerings having to be equated with winter sports in Bad Leonfelden.

The Feldkirchen Motorikpark is freely accessible at no cost. During the bathing season, a parking fee is charged per car. Another exercise option is the Feldkirchen Pumptrack: the asphalted circuit features jumps, banked turns and rollers and can be ridden in all directions. Especially for families or groups with different interests, this area expands the choice of activities away from the ski slope and hiking trail, without presupposing a specific use or age group.

Pilgrimage trails and regional culture

The Wilhering Pilgrimage Trail passes through twelve municipalities in the districts of Linz-Land and Urfahr-Umgebung in the Mühlviertel region, as well as through Vyšší Brod in South Bohemia. Along the way, 14 churches, inspired by the theology of the Cistercians and Benedictines, invite visitors to spiritual experiences. The combination of six stages and numerous churches also makes the trail appealing to visitors who view a longer section not as a sporting challenge, but as a series of individual cultural and spiritual stops.

In Pesenbach, the Gothic subsidiary church houses a Gothic winged altarpiece. The feast of the church's patron saint, Saint Leonard, takes place on 6 November and the following Sunday. Every year, it attracts thousands of pilgrims from the neighbouring parishes, worshippers and visitors to the parish fair to Pesenbach.

Pelmberg Farm has been documented since 1325. The Pelmberg Open-Air Museum displays traditional tools, old agricultural machinery and transport objects from the pre-industrial era. The still-accessible, 18-metre-long granite tunnel is also part of the museum. Those interested in rural working life, historical transport objects and traces of craftsmanship will find a different way of experiencing the region here than on hiking or winter-sports trails.

Further excursion destinations for planning your stay

The Lebzeltarium is dedicated to the diverse world of gingerbread on more than 300 square metres. The Danube Golf Club has an 18-hole championship golf course and a practice facility with a 9-hole academy course. Both destinations represent different interests for a day out and can complement the planning of a stay if not all travellers share the same focus on winter sports or hiking.

A ski holiday in Urfahr-Umgebung includes not only winter sports in Bad Leonfelden, but also the Pesenbach Valley Hiking Trail with its alpine character, cycling and lake activities in Feldkirchen, pilgrimage and church stops, as well as historical and culinary excursion destinations.

For regional orientation, you can also consider Weignersdorf, Eidenberg, Sankt Magdalena, Zwettl An Der Rodl, Schild and Bad Leonfelden as additional places to visit.

For the higher-level travel overview: Upper Austria.

More destinations

More places within the same destination:

Gmunden District, Freistadt.