Visit in September vs October and logistics of going to Wolfgangsee

My wish list is to stay at Hotel Seehang on the Wolfgangsee. I would say the last two weeks in September would be nice. School summer vacation for Germany Baden-Württemberg and Bayern is over. Probably no swimming then, unless you are sportlich. There is always the chance of Schnürlregen, but in October it's not so nice. Yes the problem would be the public transportation. I drive so I really can't talk to that. 3 days is not much time for both.

Weather can vary a lot from year to year, but in my experience Vienna can be quite hot in the summer (not every day, but if you're unlucky...). I loved the city in 2024, but the June/July weather was unpleasantly hot for almost my entire 17-day visit; I think there was just one day with a high temperature below 84F. I like to look at the actual, historical, day-by-day weather statistics on timeanddate.com for the most recent five years. That gives me a pretty good idea of the range of conditions I might experience.

Vienna weather -- August 2025

Use the pull-down box at the right, just above the graph, to change the month and year displayed.

Use the Search box at the upper right to see data for other cities.

Just judging by the monthly averages, Prague seems pretty similar to Vienna during the period you're considering. The main difference is that Prague tends to cool off more at night in October. Salzburg averages a few degrees cooler than Vienna.

The precipitation data shows August is usually wetter than September, which is usually wetter than October. (Salzburg gets appreciably more rain than Vienna and Prague during the months of August, September and October.)

If I had total flexibility, time-wise, I'd probably choose sometime in September. I'm cold-natured, and I hate the way days get shorter and shorter in the fall, so October would be too late for me. It would be fine for many others, I imagine, and there might be fall festivals to consider.

I went in October 2023, and I think that’s a great month to go. The average highs are 60f which is good because it’s cool enough that you can walk around all day without sweating, but it’s not cold.

The average high in August and September are 81f and 71f. I definitely wouldn’t go in August, too hot. I probably wouldn’t go in September, if the average high is 71f you’re likely to get some days in the mid 70s and that means taking sweaters and jackets on and off.

Go in October, preferably before the clocks change so the sunset is later.

https://www.google.com/search?q=vienna+weather+monthly

Hi Myec,

We stayed two nights at the Cortisen am See at St. Wolfgang, which is on the edge of town, in 2015. The hotel is a short walking distance over to the cogwheel train. The atmosphere of St. Wolfgang during the morning & evening was tranquil and relaxing. We were out hiking during the day. A side note - I am heading to Salzburg soon for the Christmas Markets & am disappointed that I don’t have time to stay again at St. Wolfgang, but there’s always trade-offs to itineraries.

We took the bus from Salzburg to St. Gilgen, and the boat over to St. Wolfgang, so we were approaching charming St. Wolfgang from the water. We were there in September.

I wouldn’t let the fact that you’re moving your luggage from the train to a bus and ferry keep you from doing anything that you really want to see! (And a suggestion to pack light anyway.). There’s also the option of taking a day-trip out to Berchtesgaden from Salzburg, if you’re wanting to be away from the cities. There’s options for mini-van tours, etc.

Another vote for October: you may see foliage in the area, especially in locations at high altitudes. I went to the area in October and had no problem with the weather. Don't bother with August and September is a gamble. Global warming is causing changes in travel patterns.

If you choose October you want to be in the first two weeks. And even then you can be disappointed. This year it started raining mid-Sep. and at least 5 days a week through Oct. The "color" was viewable, but you had to be quick. And many places and services shut down mid-Oct. Remember also that European trees are more yellow than New England. The reds and orange colors are much less common. I'd aim at late Sept.

I live in Austria and know Wolfgangsee quite well. My son works at a camp there every summer, through August.

I definitely think it is very nice to stay in St. Gilgen as opposed to Salzburg if you want nature and quiet. We love to stay here - https://stgilgen.com/en/home/. It is very easy to get the bus to/from Salzburg to St. Gilgen. St. Gilgen also has several great restaurants. We never take a car to this area and manage just fine with buses and ferries.

As for the time of year, I would opt for September as ferry and lift schedules may shift to the weekend from October. I would also make sure that schedules still fit your agenda for September. Several have said that August is hot, but, honestly, it is never hot on Wolfgangsee. This time of year it will likely be cloudy and likely rain - the lake is still beautiful.

Just to pipe in, I did the Wolfgangsee as a daytrip from Salzburg and it's very simple. You catch a bus at the Salzburg train station and get off at St. Gilgen and walk 5-10 minutes to the ferry dock. After visiting St. Wolfgang we continued on the boat to Strobl to catch the returning bus. Oddly you pay your fare on the bus, so have cash or card ready.

Thank you everyone so much for the helpful and practical advice based on your travel and living experience! I feel more relieved and confident about my travel plan with less ambiguity now.
Incorporating your tips and considering the availability of my mom and friend, we decided to travel Vienna, Saltzburg, and St Wolfgang area in early October, which includes my birthday! I confirmed with the official tourism website via email that the ferry does run through with a reduced schedule, which I plan to take into account.
Really looking forward to appreciating the beauty of Austria next year!
Hope everyone stays well and warm in the cold winter!