True Alps experience, day trip from Salzburg?

Hallstatt is not so much high alps, but it is an incredibly pretty alpine lake, with a view of high mountains. It's just over 2 hours from Salzburg by train.

Berchtesgaden is closer, about 1¼ hrs by train via Freilassing, even closer (50 min) by bus. Königssee (King's lake) is surrounded by mountains and you can go up several of them (Kehlstein, Jenner) without hiking.

Badgastein is a 1 1/2 hour direct train among the highest peaks in Austria. The trains go every 2 hours at 12 past the even hours (8:12, 10:12, etc).

I was just about to ask a similar question. I was looking at visiting St. Gilgen on a day trip from salzburg. Is the town and surrounding area worth a visit ? besides the town, gondola ride up the mountain.. …etc, do you have any other recommendations for things to see/ do in that area.
Thanks, BT

Hi Nathaniel,

I would also go to the Berchtesgaden area for a more "high" alpine experience.

BT,
From St. Gilgen, board a lake ship and cruise over to St. Wolfgang for a look around. Spending time cruising the lake and visiting a few towns and villages is a very nice day out.

Paul

There's the Schafberg Cog Railway (Schafbergbahn) near St. Wolfgang for some fantastic views.

Berchtesgaden is a good idea. Badgastein was a very important spa in its better days, but now many hotels have been abandoned and some areas have a ghostly look.

Thanks, that sounds like good advice.
BT

There's nothing better than to rent a car and run the mountain roads of Tirol. We like to get up on the mountain (on the plateau) above Innsbruck and go from village to village.
The ultimate Alps experience south of Salzburg is going toward Zell-am-See. South of Z/A/S is the Grossglockner High Alpine Highway over the second highest point in Western Europe--14,000'. The road ends in Lienz, Austria, just north of the Italian border.
I've skied Tahoe, Aspen and Tirol for years. I've been to Kauai (Hawaii). I've never seen anything like the scenery of the Grossglockner and the valleys on the south side of that mountain.
The best mountain scenery is not on a train, as the great sights are off the beaten path.

Another easy mountain experience is the Untersberg cable car, just south of Salzburg, easily reached by urban bus (#25 or #28, if memory does not fail). Also a walk in the meadows at Anif, that is immediately under the Untersberg, is very scenic.