Schafbergbahn

The Schafbergbahn opened in 1893 and climbs from St Wolfgang at the lake shore to a station just below the Schafberg summit at 1,783 metres - about 5.85 kilometres on metre gauge with an Abt rack system and gradients reaching around twenty-six per cent, one of the steepest rack railways in Austria. Several of the original steam locomotives still work the line alongside modern oil-fired steam and diesel units, so which traction you get depends on the day. The summit gives one of the best-known viewpoints in the Salzkammergut, with the Wolfgangsee, Mondsee and Attersee laid out below and the Dachstein to the south; there is a hotel at the top that has been there since the nineteenth century. Booking matters, since capacity is limited and it sells out.

What you actually see

• An 1893 rack railway - metre gauge with an Abt rack, gradients to twenty-six per cent.
• Steam traction - original and later steam locomotives still working the line.
• A summit at 1,783 metres - the station and hotel just below the top.
• Three lakes from the top - the Wolfgangsee, Mondsee and Attersee together.

When to go

May to October; the railway is seasonal. Half a day.

Honest expectations

It sells out in season - book ahead or expect a wait. Cloud closes the view frequently. It is expensive for the distance. Which locomotive works your train is not guaranteed.

Nearby

St Wolfgang and the Pacher altar are at the foot; Bad Ischl is south.