Village / Austria
3 places1 experience
Grödig is a small market town immediately south of Salzburg, sitting at the foot of the Untersberg. Its main draw for visitors is the Untersbergbahn cable car departing from nearby St. Leonhard, which connects the valley floor to the Untersberg summit plateau in minutes and opens a world of high-altitude hiking, karst terrain, and Alpine views.
The Untersberg has dominated the southern Salzburg horizon for as long as the city has existed. The mountain’s broad, forested lower flanks give way above the treeline to a sprawling limestone plateau riddled with caves and karst formations, and the summit panorama extends from the Salzburg basin north across Bavaria and south toward the main Alpine chain.
Grödig sits at the mountain’s foot, a practical and quiet town that has served as the southern gateway to the city’s immediate hinterland. The Untersbergbahn, operating from St. Leonhard bei Grödig (a few kilometres from the town centre), makes the upper mountain accessible to visitors who are not equipped for the long trail ascent. The cable car ride itself is short, and the summit plateau can be explored on marked paths of varying length and difficulty.
The town has a parish church and a functioning local centre, but its identity for visitors is shaped almost entirely by the mountain behind it. The connection to Hellbrunn Palace a few kilometres north adds a secondary dimension: the corridor from Grödig through Hellbrunn to Salzburg along the left bank is one of the most historically layered routes in the immediate Salzburg region.
Grödig is reachable by bus from Salzburg centre, with services running regularly along the main south road. The Untersbergbahn station at St. Leonhard is served by a bus connection from Grödig or directly from the city. The cable car operates seasonally and is closed during portions of late autumn and early spring for maintenance; checking current operating dates before planning a visit is advisable. For a day circuit, Hellbrunn Palace (with the Wasserspiele Hellbrunn) is 3-4 kilometres north of Grödig and can be combined in a single day if the cable car ascent is kept to a half-day. Hiking boots are necessary for the summit plateau regardless of season.
Things to do
The Untersberg Day Hike combines the Untersbergbahn cable car to the Geiereck at 1,776 m with self-guided walks on the open limestone plateau above Salzburg. The summit gives views across the German border into the Berchtesgaden valley and back over the city.
Passing through
Visitor pass: free entry to most major attractions + free public transport. 24/48/72-hour versions. Covers Hohensalzburg Fortress, Salzburg Museum, Haus der Natur, DomQuartier, Hellbrunn Palace, cable cars. Note: the Salzburg Museum is closed for renovation until approximately spring 2027, so it does not count toward the card's value until it reopens.
Mapped places
Every card is assigned directly to this destination or one of its canonical child destinations.
The upper station of the Untersbergbahn cable car on the Austrian side of the Untersberg at 1,776 m. The accessible face of the Untersberg: panorama opens suddenly and completely upon arrival.
According to one of the oldest legends in the German-speaking world, Charlemagne sleeps inside the Untersberg at a marble table. When his beard grows three times around the table, a final battle will be fought at the plain below Salzburg. In an alternate version, it is Frederick Barbarossa who sleeps there.
Opened 1961
The Untersbergbahn is the cable car that lifts from the valley station at Groedig (456 m), south of Salzburg, to the Geiereck summit station at 1,776 meters on the Untersberg mountain in 8 minutes. It is the practical way for visitors to experience the Untersberg, the massive limestone massif that anchors the southern skyline of Salzburg.
